U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Have you ever wanted to own a gun powerful enough to slay bears in a single shot, yet still capable of firing soft-shooting (relatively) inexpensive rounds? The Taurus Raging Hunter is exactly that, and more.
My fascination with the big-bore Taurus began back in the late 90s; I saw it grace the pages of several gun rags in airports and bookstores, and it just looked so different from Smith & Wesson’s .44 Magnum. And while that gun looks pretty cool, it was the recent introduction of the Raging Hunter variant of the revolver that really piqued my interest – especially in the absurdly powerful .454 Casull. But make no mistake, this Taurus wheel-gun is more than just a hand-cannon, it has some very interesting features and design choices that make it a potent hunting handgun.
Taurus Raging Hunter
The Raging Hunter is a double/single-action revolver chambered in the punishingly potent .454 Casull. Due to the round’s massive size, the Raging Hunter’s huge cylinder can only hold five rounds of ammo. The good news is that nothing on planet Earth should be able to survive a single round, let alone all five.
The massive 8.37-inch barrel on the Raging Hunter is covered by the Raging series’ iconic barrel shroud, which itself features a small fixed front sight blade. At the rear of the gun is a deceptively sturdy notch rear sight that is adjustable for windage and elevation.
The Hunter’s frame is positively massive and features dual cylinder releases for a more secure lockup and safer operation. Despite this, I would highly advise shooter’s keep their support hands away from the cylinder gap, as the amount of pressure being generated is sufficient to potentially severely injure a supporting hand if placed incorrectly.
Behind this beefy action, the Raging Hunter sports large oversized rubberized grips featuring the iconic red stripe down the backstrap. The grips are very spongey, and this is an absolute God-send. The recoil impulse generated from the .454 Casull round is incredible – and the more designers add to curb this, the better.
Thankfully, this isn’t the only recoil-reducing feature on the gun. The Raging Hunter also sports an eight-port integral compensator beneath the front sight.
Hope My Body Can Take it!
Here’s the part in the article where I tell you that the combination of these two features made shooting the gun pleasant – but I’m 100% not going to do that. Literally, everyone I had shoot this gun with full-power hunting loads wanted to put the gun down for good after a single cylinder. This is understandable too – the .454 Casull round is 70% more powerful than .44 Magnum!
That said, I did find a few ways to mitigate the damage this gun does to the shooter, making more experienced shooters capable of handling the recoil of full-powered rounds – but thus far, not beyond 15 rounds.
For starters, you have to make sure that your elbows are in no way locked. While this won’t have a ton of effect on shooters running 9mm handguns or AR-pistols, when the recoil impulse is dialed to 11, you have to utilize muscle over bone to mitigate the recoil’s effect on the shooter. I actually recommend a slight bend in both elbows and squaring off against your target almost like an umpire – but without crouching at all.
Shooters also need to grip this thing like it’s a venomous snake trying to bite their crouch. AKA, stranglehold the ever-living-hell out of the gun like your life depends on it. Yes, this is terrible form for normal shooting, but this is a massively powerful firearm.
Raging Hunter Performance
Although difficult to shoot with repeatable accuracy with full-powered loads, the Raging Hunter was capable of easily hitting a 2-inch target at 75 yards with my Trijicon RMR attached. And unlike most handguns, the massive, lightning-fast .454 Casull round reached that target almost instantly. To the point where it felt like I was shooting a rifle round.
As far as reliability, the gun never encountered any issues with the lockup or any failures to detonate – but this isn’t really surprising, it’s a revolver. That said, it is possible to cause the trigger to bind if a shooter pulls the trigger partially back and then stops. I encountered this issue a few times but was never able to reliability recreate it, so it would very well just be shooter error due to the massive recoil impulse.
Verdict
Overall, is the Taurus Raging Hunter worth its $1,021 MSRP?
Depending on the needs of the shooter, yes.
If you’re looking for a fun gun to plink at the range, this probably isn’t the gun for you, unless you love stout recoil and big guns. It’s also arguably a fairly terrible first gun because the recoil is so stout it will make establishing good shooting habits and techniques very tough.
But if you want the ultimate hunting handgun that can deliver one-shot-kills on dangerous game, yet is still capable of firing milder .45 LC rounds, the Taurus Raging Hunter in .454 Casull is a fantastic deal.
About Jim Grant
Jim is one of the elite editors for AmmoLand.com, who in addition to his mastery of prose, can wield a camera with expert finesse. He loves anything and everything guns but holds firearms from the Cold War in a special place in his heart.
When he’s not reviewing guns or shooting for fun and competition, Jim can be found hiking and hunting with his wife Kimberly, and their dog Peanut in the South Carolina low country.
Bought a Raging bull 454 Casull several years back . I handload 300 grain XTPs for it . I love the handgun and the 454 Casull cartridge . I really like hunting with a handgun as its challenging . Recoil is very manageable do to the ported barrel . Outdoor Super Store sold the Tauras Raging bull to me for $460 and I paid a $10 FFL fee . $470 total price . Those prices appear to be gone forever with Brandon in the oval office . Let’s go Brandon #FJB
low prices are gone
FJB did that.
Yeah, about 10 years ago I picked up the 4″ light alloy version in .44, and an 8″ ib .44 as well, for just a tad more than that. They are not Smiths or Rugers, but they are still great revolvers. Both of mine neeeded a gunsmith to sort out minor issues qith the front cylinder locks, but considering the price, I like them a lot.
I have not yet fired this version, but did shoot the Raging Bull. I felt it recoiled less that any 44 mag I had fired to that point. My last round with iron sights was at 52 laser range verified yards. There was a knothole in the 4×4. I confess I leaned back against a support, and two-handed, hit the knot dead center. I’d really like to try this new version. Oh….I can do 25 rounds with that gun without undue stress. LOVE the porting.
I shoot the Raging Judge Mag in454/45LC/410 w 6.5” barrel. I shoot the stoutest 45LC and 454 loads without serious problems. Recoil was not as bad as I expected, and I can shoot it without gloves or issues. I’m 81 and not a physical stud, I pushed pencils all my life, so there are no massive or even strong wrists. Don’t wimp out if you want the 454 & 410 buck or slug.
i think some people try to stiff arm them , the 410 feature makes for a great hunting backup or varmint control , I have a 454 from the 1980s with polished wood grips if your hands are sweaty hard to hold. hogue grips make a big difference
I wonder if a guy could shoot trap with the .410 shells?
Sure you can you can shoot clays with any cal, This issue is will they break better hope it aint windy.
Hmmm.
problem is short barrel and no choke, I have done it with an old Winchester break action it is a challenge a 12 or 16 running modified to full is much easier
So, I’m guessing that shooting clay targets or real birds would be extremely difficult with the Taurus.
I bought the 460 smith so I could shoot 45lc,454 and 460. Figured I could cheaply shoot 45lc but due to the fact that almost no one shoots them and if someone does shoot it’s usually cowboy competition. They reload usually so it’s hard to find locally and if they stock it it’s usually a premium round. Although cheaper than shooting 454 or 460 that shouldn’t be a reason to try and justify the purchase.
So you are saying that there is a shortage of .45 LC? Isn’t there a shortage of everything?
he thought 45lc would be common , and it was into the 1970s when choices exploded
just reload the .460 to 45 Colt levels. No danger of build-up in the cylinder that can raise pressure to catastrophic levels if not properly cleaned after shooting shorter loads.
The last Taurus revolver I owned was just that, the last Taurus revolver I owned. A 44 magnum, 20 rds brand new out da box, took it home to clean it, the Crane was fractured. Sent it back to Taurus, and they sent me a new one. I traded for a S&W 629, I’ll never buy another Taurus Revolver. But I’m glad all my Ammoland Bros are having no issues with theirs.
Check out that heavily reinforced frame. You could sink it in the deepest part of the ocean, retrieve it 50 years later then wipe it off and shoot it!
My goodness. And liberals squeal about “gun nuts” already.
Who CARES ?