This week on Wheelgun Wednesday, we’ll be taking a quick look at one of Taurus’ new revolvers for 2023 that we’re currently reviewing: the massive 10.5″, bipod and scope capable .460 Raging Hunter.  Taurus USA was kind enough to send us a review copy after we were intrigued by it at SHOT 2023.  While an in-depth review is in the works, here are our initial impressions and iron sight testing results of the new Taurus.

Wheelgun Wednesday @ TFB:

• Wheelgun Wednesday: Mauser C78 Zig Zag
• Wheelgun Wednesday: The Korth Callahan Revolver
• Wheelgun Wednesday: Taurus 856 TORO Revolver Preview
• Wheelgun Wednesday: H&R Auto Ejecting Revolver Review

Wheelgun Wednesday: Taurus Raging Hunter 10.5″ Initial Impressions

The Taurus 10.5″ Raging Hunter is a hefty hunk of a handgun with an equally hefty price tag.  Weighing in at nearly 4.5 lbs and with an MSRP of $1269.99, it comes in a cardboard box about the size of an SBS or a “Mare’s Leg”.  Upon opening the box, I was glad to see that the Raging Hunter shipped with nice rubberized removable hoods for both the front and rear sight.  The front and rear sights have fiber optic inserts and are serrated to reduce glare.

The Raging hunter next to a Model 29 for size comparison

The five-shot unfluted cylinder is held in place by front and rear latches, as is appropriate for a revolver of this caliber.  The 10.5″ barrel has an aluminum sleeve, almost like a mini-chassis, that provides the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock Picatinny rail sections for an optic and/or bipod.  (And I do mean bipod.  Don’t put a foregrip on a .460 if you value your support hand).  The fluted alloy steel barrel is topped off by a huge removable muzzle brake that would look just as much at home on a long action rifle.

Taurus 10.5″ .460 Raging Hunter

Overall, it’s 100% a hunting handgun, only suitable for concealed carry by the likes of Andre the Giant.  The rest of us mortals better put a sling on this hogleg.

Specs, Per Taurus USA

Initial range sessions

The great part about a revolver chambered in .460 S&W magnum is that you have the ability to fire .45 Colt and .454 Casull out of it as well.  It may take a lot of time and effort to find good prices on these three calibers these days, but it’s well worth the effort.  So far, we’ve been able to secure several loads in all three calibers for testing.

Taurus 10.5″ .460 Raging Hunter

Initial testing with this revolver was all done offhand with iron sights at ranges of 10-50y.  Initial shots were with the softest of soft-shooting .45 Colt loads, Black Hills’ cowboy loads.  Between the heavy weight of the Raging Hunter and the muzzle break, the first shot was so soft it felt like a squib!  After opening the cylinder and checking the barrel, I continued my testing.

Trigger Impressions

The soft shooting rounds allowed me to really focus on the trigger feel.  Initial double-action trigger pulls were long but impressively smooth compared to large-frame Taurus revolvers I’ve shot in previous decades.  The trigger reset is also on the long side, but that is appropriate for the hotter .460 loads so one doesn’t inadvertently double.  The double action trigger has a palpable stage before the hammer drops, allowing for easy “staging” of the trigger.

Single-action trigger pulls were crisp and predictable as well.  It will be interesting to see how the double action trigger progresses as we put more rounds through the revolver, and metered trigger pulls will be included in the final review.

Brakes and Cylinders

(No, this isn’t suddenly the Automobile Blog, but we do have to take some time to look at the performance of the Cylinder and Brake.)  The initial performance of the solid cylinder was very good.  By that, I mean that all cases easily ejected even after rapid fire strings of .454 and .460.  Sometimes, magnum revolver cylinders can heat up to the point that cases can stick.  So far, that has not been the case with this Raging Hunter.

Taurus 10.5″ .460 Raging Hunter

The brake on this beast is outstanding.  I believe this is the first .460 magnum (or .454 Casull, for that matter) that I’ve personally shot that I can confidently cruise through an entire box of ammo with.  The combination of the muzzle brake and the wraparound rubberized grips didn’t leave me with the aching hand that other .460s and .500s sometimes do when shooting over 50 rounds in a session, but be sure to double up on ear pro if you shoot this beast a lot.  It’s about as loud as it gets for handguns.

Taurus 10.5″ .460 Raging Hunter

Offhand Iron Sight Results

The Iron sights on the 10.5″ Raging Hunter are great.  They’re bright in the right places, with a crisp, appropriate sight picture.  I also found them to be properly zeroed for 15y out of the box with .454 and .460 loads.  The rear sight is fully adjustable, so you can dial it as needed.

Taurus 10.5″ .460 Raging Hunter

Accuracy was very good offhand at distances out to 25y, some of the best I’ve seen in a magnum revolver. The best accuracy so far was achieved with a .454 Casull load.  Federal’s unleaded 250gr Barnes load printed an outstanding 4-round cloverleaf with this load.

Four-Shot clover

At 50 yards, 3″ diameter plates were easy to consistency rings with the open sights.  So far, we’ve had very good initial results with the Taurus 10.5″ Raging Hunter.  Stay tuned to Wheelgun Wednesday to see how this revolver does at longer ranges when we put over 200 rounds, a red dot sight, a scope, a bipod, and much longer ranges into play.

Taurus 10.5″ .460 Raging Hunter

Thanks To Taurus for the opportunity and support