Ar500 Rifle Review - The AR scene continues to attract new cartridges like moths to a flame. Although it is tiring to see the same basic logo over and over again with new cartridges and designs, there is a logical reason behind this phenomenon. The platform is highly customizable, accurate and adaptable to many different sectors in the shooting world.
Covering that base, I had the opportunity to test a pre-production model of Big Horn Armory's latest project, the AR500, chambered in .500 Auto Max. (For previous TFB coverage on this site, see here and here). Big Horn has teamed up with Buffalo Bore to create a rimless, autoloading version of the .500 S&W Magnum to bring serious game power to the AR arena. Since you are new, do the rifle and new cartridges work well together? Can the AR platform handle firing 440 grain bullets as fast as the trigger can be pulled? Read on…
Ar500 Rifle Review
The BHA AR500 comes in a very tough plastic case with custom cut foam, the same one they ship with the lever action rifle. Inside the box was a pre-production model of the AR500. Immediately noticeable was the absence of a brake lever, as well as a set of magazine wells to hold the pivot pins, similar to the Colt SMG 9mm, but much heavier. This change was due to Big Horn's decision to use a modified version. There are 3 changes to the AR500 magazine that I know of. Originally, the AR500 was fed from modified SR-25 model magazines. Then the hybrid system (not a good look) was seen in the model tested by American Rifleman. The model I received mirrored the movement of AR15 sized magazines. Lower production receivers will be AR10 size but with magazines that are better machined to accommodate smaller magazines. No magazine well block required. The use of small seats on large baseboards has recently been used for large cartridges in the AR scene. Wilson Combat came up with a similar one in the .458 Ham'r, and CMMG used a similar system in their "Mutant" midrange platform.
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Since it was a pre-manufactured gun, the castle nut was not in place and the furniture design was not final. I have been told that the tail will turn into a stiffer back. Sharp-eyed TFB readers will recognize the upper and lower receiver lines as being from Ascend Armory, although Big Horn Armory does all the final assembly and machining. Ascend's machined billet receivers are engineered for superior fit and precision, and the BHA's selectable 7075 aft rails with QD sling mounting holes at the 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions create a very comfortable fit. many, often equal.
The underside featured the Ascend's ambi selector switch and an excellent locking trigger for the anti-circulation pins. Journal publication was RH only. The single-stage triggers are clean and average 4lb, 5 oz, and the spawn surfaces are clean. The upper carrier had a standard AR-10 handle and charging latch, and a suitable ejection port that was enlarged to accommodate the ejection of a .500 Auto Max case. The automatic bolt carrier has a bolt head that fits the new cartridge. The 18-inch barrel is bolted to a special hand-operated barrel nut. The guard is in turn attached to the barrel nut using twin hex screws at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions. There was no doubt that this was a "Big Bore" gun. to see Sean Connery or Roger Moore strolling through the cave while looking down the cave!
I decided to hit the AR500 range, despite the unpredictable spring weather in the mountains. Thankfully, I didn't have to pack the gun and all my gear, and I was able to spend a lot of time (and finish my ammo supply) with this gun.
The .500 Auto Max was developed from the .500 S&W Magnum specifically for this rifle. According to Tim Sundles of Buffalo Bore: Although the .500 Auto Max cartridge will be chambered and fired in .500 S&W revolvers and single-barreled rifles (the scope is not true), there are important differences. The .500 Auto max has a slightly smaller rim and no grip, when it opens from the case muzzle. I have to say that Big Horn Armory and Buffalo Bore were kind enough to give me 4 different loads of these rifles:
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Equipped with my Magnetospeed V3 Chronograph, I was curious to see what kind of speed I could get out of a heavy AR500 load. Keep in mind that the ammo I have on hand is from a lot of advance. Apparently Buffalo Bore has fine-tuned the loads and as of this writing have achieved slightly higher velocities.
Here are my velocity and energy results for the cartridges, all velocity in ft/s, all muzzle energy in ft/lbs:
Certainly, the .500 Auto Max has the potential to be a deadly destructive cartridge out of an 18 inch barrel. As of this writing, Buffalo Bore has 3 loads available with detailed information (click on specific loads for more detailed charts) and more loads are in the works. The current price for a box of 20 rounds is $67.
For a proper test, I chose to equip the AR500 with a generation older Leupold 1.5-5x20mm MR/T. The choice of this scope was due to the fact that the 500 Auto Max is certainly capable of up to 300 yards, but it quickly drops in usefulness beyond that. I dropped the gun from a chair, which was attached to the front and back. Correct results are for 5-shot groups at 100 yards, measured on center:
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The best groups I achieved were from 400gr and 440gr, .9" and 1.19", respectively. This is excellent accuracy for a serious game rifle. I was told by Big Horn Armory that 1.5 MOA seems to be the norm for these guns and cartridges, and that the 1:24 twist rate really likes 400gr and 440gr bullets.
A normal group. The effect on the right, out of the box, was the initial impression of this grain scale.
Shooting this gun from the bench without a stop produced a strong recoil, but nothing like shooting a .416 Rigby or .450/400 NE. I would compare this to a lever action .45-70. The gun report wasn't particularly annoying, but the bolt and recoil spring sounded like a clunky old screen door slamming. If that sort of thing bothers you, I would definitely suggest JP Enterprises' Silent Capture Spring for this gun. Moving on metal targets at 500 yards, the AR500 was able to find its mark and powerfully engage the target repeatedly with good hold. This happened during a snow and wind storm.
Moving to the hole with moving targets, I tested the AR500 in several different conditions while kneeling and quiet to best simulate a dangerous hunt or rear guard at 50 yards. Although the muzzle of the rifle tracks well when swinging to follow a moving target, I felt the overall balance was heavy but forward due to the large diameter barrel. However, this can easily be fixed by the end user with another tail. If this were my personal rifle, I would definitely add a FAB GL-Shock defensive stock for the extra weight as well as reducing the recoil. With the 1.5x scope, it's easy to keep all 7 rounds within 5 inches at 50 yards when I can shoot the trigger quickly. It's definitely a plus for bear defense or charging game, and much faster (and faster to reload) than using a handgun or a double rifle in a similar situation. Interesting note: With outside temperatures in the mid 20's during the rapid fire thread, the barrel never got hot to the touch.
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Since the rifle did not come with a magazine, I tried standard AR15 magazines. I have found the best reliability with live profile magazines such as Magpul's 20 round gen2 Pmags and DH Tactical 10 round magazines. I can put in 7 rounds of 20 rounds and 4 rounds of 10 rounds. 30 rounds didn't work. During rapid fire drills I can safely fire 7 rounds as fast as I can pull the trigger. It's nice to have this ability to work with the stock AR15 magazines in case someone loses the adjusted magazines or forgets to bring them on the hunt. The output was constant at 3 feet for 4 hours. The gun was mostly reliable, although I did run into one.
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