Big Horn Armory is back in the 500 Auto Max pistol business! The company has redesigned and improved its AR500 Pistol for 2020 and is now taking orders for this very big-bore AR-pattern handgun.
Chambered for 500 Auto Max, a rimless version of .500 S&W Magnum, the AR500 Pistol feeds from 5- or 9-round magazines in a relatively compact package.
Following customer feedback, Big Horn Armory made a few improvements to the AR500 Pistol including a new, modular handguard and a change to a blade-style pistol brace.
“The original pistol version of our AR500 was great, but we knew we could improve upon it and make it even better,” said Big Horn Armory President Greg Buchel. “After listening to our customers, and performing tests on our end of the new M-Lok handguard and Blade pistol brace, we knew we had created an even better version of our compact AR500 without compromising on the quality our customers expect out of our big bore firearms.”
“We believe our customers will enjoy what the new AR500 Pistol can achieve,” he added.
The AR500 Pistol is built on custom machined 7075-T6 .308 Winchester receivers and an alloy handguard with a hard-anodized finish. The other components are stainless steel with a polished nitride finish.
In addition to the updated handguard and brace Big Horn Armory added an ambidextrous charging handle to the build as well, complementing the ambidextrous selector and bolt catch button.
At 8.1 pounds it’s not ultra-light but then again, 500 Auto Max isn’t something most people would want to shoot out of a gun that doesn’t weigh enough. The cartridge mirrors .500 Magnum performance and can be loaded and reloaded using the same projectiles, powders and loading information.
SEE ALSO: Big Horn Armory AR500 Full Review: 3,700 ft-lbs of Big Bore Record-Breaking Awesomeness
It uses a 10-inch barrel with a recessed target crown and a custom 4-port muzzle brake. The barrel has a 1-in-24 twist that Big Horn Armory says should stabilize projectiles anywhere between 200 and 700 grains, although most commercially available ammo is in the 300-500 grain range. To better cycle that wide array of ammo the AR500 comes with an adjustable gas block.
Most of those loads push a projectile at velocities ranging between 1,500 feet per second to just over 2,000 feet per second. This makes it suitable for large game, but as Big Horn Armory points out, it can even be used by police and other security units as a portable light anti-materiel gun.
That’s no joke but mostly these will be used to put smiles on faces at the ranges where the lucky ones will be shooting them. Big Horn Armory is taking orders for these personal canons for $2,199.
Additional magazines are available separately, at $35 for the 5-round magazines and $75 for the 9-rounders. Ammo is in production with Buffalo Bore, Steinel Ammunition and Underwood Ammo, with brass available from Starline Brass.
Learn more at Big Horn Armory.