I own a S&W 500 and a F/A 454 Casull. The first time I shot the 500 I almost put it back in the box. I was shooting the 400gr Corbon load and I think it must of been the way I was holding the gun, but it jammed my right wrist good (not as painful as buying ammo for it). I went ahead and fired the rest of the cylinders and put it away for the day. I later purchased some 275gr Corbon ammo, and what a sweet gun it is with that load. I shot some very tight groups and then went back to the 400gr's again and shot very well with that load also(and no pain this time). Now I am really liking this gun. My .454 seems to want to flip upwards out of my hand's, but the 500 is different - more like a big push. IMO the recoil is much more noticeable than a .357 or a 44mag, but not unmanageable with some practice. Overall it is a very fun gun to shoot and with the variety of loads already available it is a good choice for hunting deer and not overkill as many may claim.

Forgot to add that I also tried the 350gr Hornady load and had good results with it as well.
Now go buy it....