Opinions? Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casull

[Army GI]

So I've been thinking about getting one of the above mentioned revolvers. Before you ask, I do own more sensible calibers (45 and 9mm) for real self defense.

This is purely for the machismo factor of owning one and as a conversation piece for the range.

I used to own one in 44 Magnum, and it was great but I sold it. Now I have the opportunity to buy another one and was looking at a different caliber.

So does anyone own one and how do you like it? I'm more interested in the caliber than the handgun itself as I used to own one in 44Mag. I understand that due to the power level of the cartridge, most manufacturers sell different power "levels". Is the recoil really that much more punishing than a fully loaded 44 Magnum with 300 gr bullets?

[p24]

I've fired a Taurus Raging bull (.454 casull) at the range, and after about 15 rounds, my wrist was starting to hurt. (Could have been the fact I'd already shot about 300 rounds including 20-30 .357mag and at least 25 .44mag rounds)

But it's noticeably more powerful (in recoil sense) vs a .44mag.

Haven't had a chance to directly compare it to a .500 S&W yet.

[jimrod]

As you are more interested in caliber than gun, consider a S&W 460 XVR. It shoots 460 Mag, 454 Casull and 45 LC. Due to the larger frame size and excellent compensator, shooting the hot Casull's in the XVR is no more challenging than shooting .44 Mag in a S&W 629 - completely manageable.

[Army GI]

Thanks p24 and jimrod.

Interesting, I've not heard of the 460..I'll have to google that.

Does shooting a 454 out of a 460 give me the same issues as other combos such as 38/357 and 44spec/44mag? Fouling in the chamber etc?

[Tillers_Rule]

I just picked up my S&W .500 today, get what you like, you gotta have fun with your hobbies now

[draconianruler]

I've shoot them all alot except the .460 (only a few times) and the one I enjoy the most is the .454 casull in the Taurus Raging Bull. Nice solid kick which doesn't hurt my hands too much. The .460 and especially the .500 kick a little harder.

[Kid Stanislaus]

The 454 Casull is a really high pressure round and I'd not want to shoot it out of anything 'cept a high quality gun. Taurus may be up to the task of building a gun that strong and maybe not. I'm an FA man myself and I've shot my share of 454 Casull. Now I usually stick to 45 Colt. My 66 year old hands, wrist, and elbow really appreciate that!

[BroncoBob]

I've had mine for quite a while. It's not a gun I would want to shoot all day long. The recoil can be tough on the hands and wrist at times. Personally I think it is a very well made firearm. Funny how people notice it at the range when you let a couple shots fly down range.

[tankerman]

The 454 Casull is a really high pressure round and I'd not want to shoot it out of anything 'cept a high quality gun. Taurus may be up to the task of building a gun that strong and maybe not. I'm an FA man myself and I've shot my share of 454 Casull.

Premier Grade

[cineski]

My brother in law has this gun and I've shot it a few times. Definitely a hand canon. If I were in the market, I'd look at the SW 460, too. MUCH manlier than the wimpy 454 ;-)

[Someguy925]

I've shot my friend's 454 raging bull. With commercial rounds, they let off a big bang, but they produced some good groupings if you aren't phased by the mental pressure of the recoil. Some shooting gloves will make your hand last a bit longer.

Also makes an awesome conversation piece as well.

[ohsmily]

I have a couple of them. Love them. I also have a Magnum Research BFR in 460 to go with them. They are FUN guns. Excellent hunting revolvers as well, especially the BFR.

[jimrod]

Thanks p24 and jimrod.

Does shooting a 454 out of a 460 give me the same issues as other combos such as 38/357 and 44spec/44mag? Fouling in the chamber etc?

You get a little more fouling in the front end of the cylinder holes because the 454 and 45 LC's are shorter. You'll want to clean the residue with solvent each time after shooting, particularly if you are going to shoot 460's as they may stick a bit on extraction.

I learned in the latest NRA magazine last night that the 460 will shoot the 45 S&W Schofield as well...that makes 4 different cartridges it will shoot.

[tankerman]

I have a couple of them. Love them. I also have a Magnum Research BFR in 460 to go with them. They are FUN guns. Excellent hunting revolvers as well, especially the BFR.

For the price of your three, you could have gotten one good gun. Kind of like the Walmart effect, more is better and high quality is ignored.