Taurus announced its latest addition to its hunting revolver line: the Raging Hunter. It will be officially unveiled at the 2018 SHOT Show.
This massive .44 Magnum is a 6-shot wheelgun with a traditional double action/single action trigger. However, the gun has a distinctly non-traditional look about it.
To start with, the 8.375″ barrel is a two piece design with a steel sleeve inside of an aluminum housing. The housing has an octagonal shape with a large slab sides. “TAURUS” is spelled out along the side. The barrel housing also has a deep black finish that contrasts the matte stainless frame. An all blued version of the gun is also available.
Lest you think the barrel assembly is purely for show, it does have some features that may appeal to you. For example, the aluminum housing helps to lighten the load to provide a better balance to the gun. Also, the top of the barrel housing has a Picatinny rail for the addition of a scope or red dot optic.
Taurus also elected to port the barrel of the Raging Hunter. This should help tame the power of the .44 Magnum so that us older shooters who have begun to develop arthritis don’t feel quite as much of the recoil impulse. The porting should help keep muzzle rise down and improve the ability to get on target.
Also helping to tame recoil is the “red stripe” grip that Taurus uses on its heavy recoiling guns. This grip is made of a soft rubber with a red cushioned insert along the back. I’ve found these grips to be fairly good at lessening the impact into the hand when shooting.
Using an aluminum barrel housing may help reduce weight as compared to an all steel system, but this gun is not a featherweight. Unloaded it weighs 55 ounces. That’s about 3.5 pounds.
Taurus set the suggested retail price at $919 for the handgun. Your dealer may be willing to sell it for less.
caliber | .44 Magnum |
capacity | 6 rounds |
action | double action/single action |
barrel length | 8.375" |
overall length | 15.75" |
weight | 55 ounces |
height | 7.1" |
width | 1.8" |
sights | pinned front, adjustable rear, Picatinny rail for optic |
grip | rubber with cushioned insert |
finish | blued and matte stainless or all blued |
MSRP | $919 |
The “Raging” moniker is not new for Taurus. Several of the company’s more powerful revolvers have had Raging as part of the name. For example, the Raging Judge Magnum was a wheelgun that expanded the .45 Colt/.410 bore Judge revolver line to include the .454 Casull cartridge.
Probably my favorite Raging revolver was the ill-fated Raging Judge XXVIII. It was a revolver chambered for the 28 gauge shotshell. Alas, it appeared Taurus could not make the design work under the legal constraints of the US government and had to shelf the project. At least I got to see one before it was pulled from public view. I imagine it is stored in the same warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant is kept after Indian Jones rescued it from Nazi Germany.
21 replies on “Taurus Raging Hunter: .44 Magnum Hunting Revolver”
I love it. Not everyone can wrap their heads around a two-piece barrel design but screw them. I like this a lot.
I thought this is a seven shot revolver
Hi Tom,
Nope – the Raging Hunter is a 6-shot revolver. That’s pretty typical for a larger .44 Magnum. Taurus’ new Model 692 in .357 Magnum/9mm is a 7-shot revolver. I don’t know if maybe you were thinking of it? https://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2018/01/17/taurus-692-multi-caliber-revolver/
Best,
Richard
That longer barrel and lighter weight for that length is a plus. I have a Smith and Wesson 460V 5 inch muzzle brake equipped revolver that weighs 60 ounces unloaded. And just five shots, although I can shoot 454 Casull and heavy 45 Colt in it too.
Six shots with that 44 magnum using 330 grain Garrett hammer head hardcast, gascheck bullets will handle anything that walks anywhere in the world.
Excellent points. Thanks for reading.
-Richard
Your welcome sir. Just pointing out advantages to that design protocol.
Why do they have to do a double release for the cylinder?! Who wants that?
The two-point release is a simple but rugged way to lock-up both the front and rear of the cylinder. That will keep the cylinder aligned as it was built to be. Dan Wesson arms used such a system too. It is effective without adding complicated linkage systems. Try it and it will become second nature after awhile.
Appreciate the reply, but such a system is not for me. Maybe others can appreciate it, but I prefer a straight forward single release.
Well in a personal defense in an urban scene I would agree. But in a hunting handgun it matters not so much. So I agree partially but also disagree to an extent.