The Powerful Taurus Raging Hunter in .460 S&W Magnum

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In an era where the practice of speaking honestly (or, if you’re from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, “callin’ it as yinz sees it”) is at a premium, Taurus boldly broke ranks and took a stand against all things mealy-mouthed, watered-down, and pusillanimous. Their act of rebellion didn’t come in the form of mere words, however…it was engineered by weapons-making artisans, forged in fire, and of a design to which could be attributed a single purpose: The effective killing of big game. Taurus’s compelling argument that the meek may, in fact, have to share the earth with a no-holds-barred, aggressive, “in your face” roomie goes by the callsign “Raging Hunter.” To wit: Taurus’s 10-inch barreled “new for 2023” .460 S&W Magnum Raging Hunter. The Raging Hunter’s formidable silhouette immediately gives away its purpose as a “reach out and touch something” hunting revolver. The massive .460 S&W Magnum capable cylinder and U.S.S. Missouri 16-inch guns reminiscent barrel make its .41 magnum, .44 magnum, and .454 Casull hunting handgun predecessors look like they should dress up in chiffon poodle-skirts and drink soy-latte-pumpkin spice fraps with their pinky-fingers extended while reading “Bridget Jones’s Diary” or “Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret.”

The Raging Hunter’s impending size and stout engineering attributes weren’t stumbled upon by accident, however. These characteristics were necessary evils in the production of a big game decimator chambered to fire a round renowned for capturing the coveted title of “fastest revolver cartridge in the world”: The .460 Smith and Wesson Magnum. This ample-barreled revolver may knock down silhouettes with gusto and punch holes in targets at 100 yards and beyond in its spare time, but when the Raging Hunter is “on the clock,” its true purpose is more adventurous. This mega-wheelgun is a HUNTER.

Handgun Hunting and You: A Fun but Challenging “Niche Market!”

Handgun hunting isn’t for everyone. It’s kissing cousin, bowhunting, can attest to this. By their very nature, these two genres and methods of game-getting are more involved and require skillsets exceeding those of the average rifle hunter. Here’s why: When it comes to accuracy, handguns are exponentially less forgiving than a rifle. A minor error committed by a rifle shooter during the trigger push on a white tail buck at 100 yards is often forgiven by a combination of the weapon’s weight and ergonomics. Conversely, the same gaff committed by a hand gunner from the above distance is likely to have catastrophic results and may result in a complete miss or worse: Infliction of a gunshot wound to an intended game animal that is mortal, but not immediately so. Errors of this nature result in what every good hunter fears most: wounding an animal, causing it to suffer, and being unable locate or harvest the animal for the dinner table.

Consequently, handguns require refined training regimens and advanced skillsets exceeding those of the average hunter employing a longarm. Trigger discipline, breathing control, and the ability to estimate distances and calculate the ballistics required to engage a target accurately are all necessary proficiencies for both rifle and handgun shooters. Pistols and revolvers, however, amplify shooter errors, lessen ballistic capabilities, and require a more refined and focused approach when it comes to training and preparation. Without adequate training, these nuanced handgun-centric KSA’s (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) can be tricky to master. One of the most exasperating pitfalls that plague handgun hunters is the ability to overcome recoil sensitivity. We can all thank Isaac Newton and his apple strike-induced subdural hematoma to the head incident for that one. In the aftermath, he autonomously appointed himself the Burgermeister-Meisterburger of physics and declared in his third law that for every action (or force), there is an equal and opposite reaction. What that means for shooters is that when we push the trigger and send a round down range, we will experience a reciprocation of its force potential in the form of felt recoil. There aren’t many of us who, at some point in our shooting careers, haven’t suffered from some degree of recoil sensitivity. The genesis of this “marksman’s malady” is simple and sets in motion an unfortunate chain of events: The more powerful the cartridge, the greater the recoil…the greater the recoil, the more significant the report/concussion and potential discomfort experienced by the shooter, the greater the discomfort experienced by the shooter, the more likely he/she is to succumb to the psychological pitfalls of pain/punishment avoidance.

These include:

• Anticipating trigger breakover and subsequently pulling (notice we didn’t say “pressing”) or “yanking” the trigger prematurely and with more force than necessary for a clean trigger press.
• Flinching during trigger breakover.
• Losing focus on the proper breathing discipline required to correctly complete the trigger press evolution.
• In extreme instances, experiencing target panic (inability to place the sights directly on target) or shaky hands. Both translate into catastrophic problems related to target focus/sight alignment.

The aforementioned challenges can be overcome with realistic, practical training. Unfortunately, these accuracy-related “problem children” do not maintain exclusive rights to fudging up a hand gunner’s efficacy. There is one additional hurdle commonly encountered by fledgling handgun hunters. Ironically, this final challenge is also part and parcel to what draws hunters to indulge in handgun hunting in the first place: the inherent range/ballistic limitations of handguns. Modern high-power hunting rifles are capable of incredible accuracy and power retention at extreme distances. Conversely, the current generation of “super magnum” caliber (.500 and .460 S&W Magnum) revolvers, even in the hands of uber-proficient wheelgun shooters, have a practical (and ethical) range of 200 yards and in. Most handgun hunters, however, ply their trade from the 100 yard line back to the distance of “danger close.”

In the end analysis, handgun hunting’s “Siren-call” is the challenge it presents to outdoorspeople in honing their skills as both a hunter and a marksman. As with bowhunting, this discipline greatly diminishes your reliance on long-distance shooting capabilities. If self-improvement is something you seek, handgun hunting is likely right up you’re alley. It demands skillset development in advanced stalking skills, the ability to read your chosen game’s movement patterns, and becoming a master of camouflage, concealment, and in many instances, ambush tactics. Finally, it requires the ability to focus and accurately fire a handgun, under duress, with the precision necessary to harvest game effectively and humanely. Having said all that, there’s no shame in fielding a weapon whose very design is dedicated to mitigating the difficulties described above. This…is where the 10-inch barreled Raging Hunter steps into the arena.

Forget the “Johnny Dangerously” .88 Magnum jokes…this revolver is big (but for good reason)!

The Taurus Raging Hunter’s proportions and design features strike many shooters, both riflemen and pistoleros alike, as flamboyant and over the top. How do I know this? Simple…by consulting the modern day, oftentimes cruel and fickle version of ancient Greece’s all-knowing “Oracle of Delphi”: Social Media. When the Firearms News magazine Facebook account published a “teaser post” about this article a short while back, the resulting criticism in the comment section ranged from thoughtful and well-constructed to just plain hurtful. Here’s a few examples (with grammar/spelling corrections)!

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• “Don’t tell anyone, but it looks like a WW1 antitank or anti-aircraft gun.”
• “It needs an undercarriage so you can tow it behind an ATV.”
• “Can they make one with a 16" barrel and a stock option?” (My personal favorite.)

On a disappointing note, not a single commenter added the Raging Hunter to the current list of luxury items chaps suffering from “deficiencies in a certain part of their male anatomy” allegedly purchase to compensate for their “shortcomings.” The list includes pickup trucks with lift kits, Corvettes, and front row seats to a Bruce Springsteen or John Cougar Mellencamp concert. All joking aside, the good-natured ribbing is completely understandable. Taurus’s latest five-shooter is a behemoth when viewed through the lens of practical shootists. To a dedicated handgun hunter, searching for a revolver capable of harvesting game in both woodland and open-country scenarios, however, Taurus’s “Guns of Navarone” reminiscent engineering makes sense. Here’s why…starting from the grips and moving forward. The Raging Hunter’s over-molded monogrips are exactly what you would expect to find on an “ultra-magnum” hunting revolver. Taurus’s black, rubberized grips are designed to soak up the punishment meted out by the revolver that isn’t quashed by the muzzle-brake.

Steel is the metallurgy of the day for the big handgun’s frame. The frame is constructed from weather-smiting stainless steel. The frame’s finish also consists of matte stainless steel for additional protection from the elements. Manufacturing a reliable cylinder capable of reigning in the no-joke pressures exerted on it by the .460 S&W Magnum also requires metal with spunk and stamina. In that regard, Taurus utilized their own alloy steel formula for the body of the cylinder and a matte black oxide finish to protect it from inhospitable climates. The barrel is also made of alloy steel with a matte stainless steel finish and a black anodized shroud. Just like many current generation hunting revolvers, the Raging Hunter features fiber-optic equipped iron sights to supplement an operator’s chosen optic. The red fiber-optics outfitted upon the Raging Hunter were bright and more than adequate in gathering enough light during dismal conditions to gain an excellent sight picture.

The Raging Hunter’s trigger is one of two features we’ll discuss later in the “What would you do different” portion of this article, but I will tell you this; it was pretty stiff. If there’s one thing Taurus can’t be accused of, it’s underestimating the amount of punishment a revolver chambered in one of the “big two” handgun mega-calibers (.460 and .500 S&W Magnum) can expect to incur…especially from top-of-the-spectrum loads. In that regard, the Raging Hunter’s cylinder, when engaged and ready to get it on, is secured by double lock system (two separate and independent control actuators) to ensure the cylinder remains where it needs to be during a critical moment: Engaged! We are now arriving at the high-speed/low drag geography of the Raging Hunter…the rail systems, fluted barrel, and proprietary muzzle brake. When it comes to the subject of accessorizing, the big revolver comes railed and ready from the box. The big revolver sports an ample picatinny rail along the top of the barrel shroud and a smaller rail system on the shroud just in front of the ejector rod. Both rail systems are situated perfectly, with the upper providing ample space for either a red-dot sight or traditional pistol scope, and the lower for either a tactical light or a bipod (for you antelope hunters out there).

The fluted barrel isn’t as beefy as one would expect, but it is sufficient to launch either .460 S&W Magnum barnburners, or less intense .454 Casull or .45 Long Colt rounds with a good degree of accuracy. The barrel’s terminus is capped off by a proprietary muzzle brake that looks like it would be more at home on an M1 Abrams main battle tank or an anti-aircraft weapon on a navy vessel. It’s not for cosmetic purposes, however, I found in later testing that it reduced the felt recoil of full-house .460 S&W Magnum loads to something akin to a .44 magnum with medium-power loads.

Right, Tight, and Ready to Bite: The Leupold DeltaPoint Pro

The Taurus Raging Hunter we pitted against the “last frontier” was partnered with a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro red-dot optic. Our initial plans for the duo during their time in Alaska were twofold: a Kenai Peninsula brown bear hunt in May and a Yukon River moose hunt in September. In nearly twenty years, my hunting partners and I have never had to cancel a hunt, even with insane logistics such as flying by float plane up and onto mountain lakes through narrow, treacherous hanging glacier valleys or navigating long distances through dangerous Pacific waters in a single-engine rigid hull inflatable. This year, the jinx was upon us. Thanks to a particularly long and difficult winter, snow loads on the Kenai Peninsula lingered through May and shut down any hopes of harvesting a brown bear in the area we normally hunt. Tragedy struck again in September when the boat we staged along the Yukon River, in a remote region of western Alaska, suffered a catastrophic engine failure and forced us to once again grudgingly admit defeat.

Fortunately for the Raging Hunter and its DeltaPoint Pro sidekick, there was still a proper beating coming from the 49th state to ensure their capabilities as a back-country weapon. They received punishment from two different tried and true Alaskan methods of breaking things. First, the Taurus/Leupold duo were stuffed into the hull of a 25-foot Stabicraft saltwater vessel with minimal padding (merely a thin chest holster manufactured by Blackhawk for large frame hunting handguns) and beaten by the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Alaska’s coastal waters for several weeks while exploring Prince William Sound and open Pacific water north of Valdez. The duo then suffered a plethora of drops and bumps incurred while I hiked them into the Chugach mountain range for test purposes and photography. The maritime and alpine tests of the Raging Hunter and DeltaPoint Pro were both soakers. Weeks of wind, sleet, and rain (with a peppering of salt water for good measure) ensured they received their fair share of Alaska’s schizophrenic and petulant weather.

The DeltaPoint Pro survived the climatic conditions, hull vibrations, and weeks of heavy seas impacts with flying colors. Leupold’s little multi-purpose optic stayed sighted in/zeroed from range day until the end of our testing and evaluation. This optic is well-respected by both civilian, law enforcement, and military shooters. The DeltaPoint Pro is waterproof, fog-proof, and designed to take the punishment of extreme temperatures ranging from -40 to +160 degrees Fahrenheit. Its ability to survive its “Alaskan vacation” was not surprising, given Leupold’s shock-testing protocols which includes the infliction of 5,000 impact events with their intimidating pummeling device affectionately known in-house as “The Punisher.” The DeltaPoint Pro I tested utilized a 2.5 MOA red dot and was powered by a CR2032 batter, which lasted throughout its seven-month residency in Alaska.

Range Day: The Raging Hunter Puts Its Money Where Its .452-Inch Muzzle Is!

The hunts planned for the Raging Hunter/DeltaPoint Pro may not have gone well, but the first range day for the duo went perfectly. The sun was out (a rare occurrence this year in the 49th) and I had a lonely 100 yard range all to myself. The two cartridges tested through the Raging hunter were both manufactured by Hornady: The 200-grain polymer-tipped FTX and 200-grain Monoflex hunting bullet manufactured from copper-alloy and sporting an elastomer-filled hollow-point/cavity. Both rounds are rated for hunting medium and big game ranging from 50–1,500 pounds. The big Taurus five-shooter would get two separate range sessions. The “prep for hunting” would consist of accuracy testing (the average of three five-shot groups for each ammunition type) at fifty yards and “familiarization training” at the 100-yard line. At the time, this was to be the hunting sight-in and I didn’t plan on shooting past 50 yards on a black or brown bear unless the conditions were absolutely perfect. The second range day would see the Raging Hunter outfitted with a 4X magnification optic to better gauge its performance at the 150-yard line.

Our “range day 1” hunting optic was the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro. The DeltaPoint Pro is a zero-magnification, extremely rapid-pointing site that excels in weapon applications centered on action-orientated missions such as combat and close-quarter/intermediate range hunting. At 50 yards, the 200-grain FTX won the day with an average group of 1.072 inches. The FTX’s overall best group of .954 inches made for some easy scoring and took the shape of a single oblong hole in the target. It’s blunt-nosed Monoflex sibling knocked out a 2.258-inch average group with a best-of-three group measuring 2.194 inches. The velocities of both cartridges at 50 yards depart from each other slightly. The FTX ended its 50-yard jaunt at 1,948 FPS and dished out 1,685 ft/lbs. of energy while the MonoFlex reached a terminal velocity of 1,917 FPS and delivered 1,632 ft/lbs. of energy.

The weather and temperature on the final day of range testing for the big Taurus was dramatically different. It was October and snow was steadily creeping lower down the mountainsides with each day that passed, the total hours of sunlight were getting dramatically shorter, and the temperature dipped to 28 degrees Fahrenheit. No big deal…except for the giant pie-holes the Raging Hunter left in an anatomically correct paper silhouette target due to its stiffness in humid, chilly air. What should have been neat, beauty pageant worthy holes that even someone with an obsessive-compulsive order would crow about became ragged, shredded craters reminiscent of WWI no-man’s land or Edward James Olmos’s high school yearbook picture. The optic I used for “magnified optic” accuracy testing at the 150-yard line was an ancient but fully capable predecessor to the Leupold FX-II and VX-3 Handgun optics: The M8. My 4x M8 is a circa 1980’s handgun scope purchased by my father and originally paired on a S&W Model 629 we pursued white tails with in eastern Ohio. Once again, the FTX cartridge received the “winner, winner, chicken dinner” award at 150 yards with an average group size of 2.848 inches and a “best in show” group of 2.685 inches. The MonoFlex round still maintained an air of respectability at 1.5 football fields distance, scoring a group average of 3.817 inches and best overall group of 3.367 inches.

The Good, The Bad, and the Hearing Impaired: The Raging Hunter/DeltaPro Exit Briefing

The first .44 Magnum I ever pressed a trigger on was a Taurus M44 owned by a friend of my Dad’s. I was a punk teenie-bopper in the early 80’s and was in seventh heaven to shoot a .44 magnum that had a vague resemblance to the legendary .357 magnum Colt Python. The Raging Hunter is an example of handgun evolution when scrutinized side-by-side with the Taurus M44 I cut my teeth on back when Reagan was driving the Soviet Union towards a much-deserved early grave and it was still universally accepted amongst Star Wars fans that “Han shot first.” During testing, I discovered several issues I wasn’t fond of but would classify as “fixable.” The first is a design issue that would be incumbent on the manufacturer to address. The second is merely an “easy-peasy” tweak for the purchaser.

My design-based gripe concerns the trigger weight. I tested the Raging Hunter’s trigger, in the single-action position, with a Wheeler Engineering digital unit and found the average press-weight to be 7.86 pounds. This is stout…especially for a shooter engaging a target at long distance from a less than ideal shooting position. In comparison, a similarly classed .460 hunting revolver from Smith and Wesson reviewed earlier this year featured an average trigger press of 4.04 pounds…an excellent weight for steady, well-aimed shots from various positions, but more importantly, safe for hunting applications. The second shortcoming was an easy fix, and a problem I’ve encountered on even the priciest handguns: The fiber-optic inserts attempting to abscond from their iron-sight confines and find their way into the grass or under the shooting bench. The fiber-optic prison break that was attempted during my watch was averted after I noticed it during its initial attempt. Two more rounds down range, however, would have sealed the deal and the insert would have “broken containment,” turned fugitive, and headed south on the next Alaska Airlines flight to Rio!

Now for the coisa boa (“good stuff” if you are visiting Taurus’s alma mater of Sao Leopoldo, Brazil)! Everything on the weapon stayed right, tight, and back country ready throughout testing…both on the range, on the water, and in the mountains. I fired approximately 80 rounds of full-house .460 S&W Magnum ammunition, and at the end of the six-month T&E session, nothing was even close to loosening up or rattling about. The most likely candidate for imitating the sound of a ticked-off rattlesnake and requiring the application of blue Loc-Tite after testing, in my estimation, was the muzzle brake. I was proven wrong. The brake, along with the front sight and all other components, were solidly attached and ready for more punishment. The double-locking system for the cylinder is easy to manipulate. This double-secure system compliments one of the quietest and most solid cylinders I’ve ever encountered when testing/firing a wheelgun. Finally, the weapon is relatively light for its size and the ergonomics/pointability are phenomenal…so take that, you catty cynics trolling our Facebook peanut gallery!

While we’re quantifying “the good stuff,” there’s still the matter of the Streamlight TLR-8 sub weapon light. We added this latest generation bright-light/laser into the mix in a sadistic bid to see just how resilient and rugged it was, as well as test the efficacy of the Raging Hunter’s lower rail system. If I were issuing a report to congress or a Fortune 500 board regarding their combined performance, it would be brief…very brief. In fact, here it is in all of its verbose glory: Wow! The TLR-8 sub survived its range-testing evolutions with flying colors. The attachment point held true and tight and the light/laser combo continued to do their jobs even after the pummeling they received from the repeated uber-magnum concussion of the .460 S&W magnum.

In the end analysis, if you are breaking into handgun hunting and are in the market for a weapon that comes “ready-made” for the field with optic and accessory attachment points above and below, the weapon is a contender. It’s muzzle break, concussion-dampening rubberized grips, and profile/size soak up the punishing recoil inherent to the .460 S&W Magnum cartridge. In the back country, equipment failure can end a potential “hunt of a lifetime.” The Raging Hunter has a contingency plan in place should your optic/scope suffer a catastrophic failure in the form of its brightly-hued fiber optic iron sights. Lastly, for those of you on a budget, the Taurus Raging Hunter’s MSRP of $1,269.99 is extremely respectable and in many instances at least $400.00 dollars less than similarly classed weapon from other manufacturers. While the Raging Hunter/DeltaPoint Pro didn’t knock down a bear or moose on its Alaska excursion, it still suffered the consequences of heading north into the 49th State. We gave it a proper dust-up with the elements and other potentially disastrous conditions inherent to maritime and back country hunting and it came out swinging. The Raging Hunter is an imposing looking weapon with surprising ergonomics, accuracy, durability, and competitive price tag. If given another opportunity for a rematch, I would unabashedly take this weapon into the field to hunt any animal on the North American Continent…as long as I could double-up on the hearing protection!

Taurus Raging Hunter Specs

• Type: Single-action, Double-action revolver
• Caliber: .460 S&W Magnum (Tested), .45 Long Colt, .454 Casull
• Barrel: 10 in., alloy steel construction; Matte-stainless steel barrel with black anodized shroud
• Muzzle Device: Taurus Muzzle Brake
• Weight: 4.45 lbs.
• Capacity: 5 rds. 
• Grip: Rubberized recoil reducing monogrips
• Sights: Hi-Viz style iron sights and two on-board Picatinnny rails for optics and under barrel accessories
• Country of Manufacture: Brazil
• MSRP: $1,269.99
• Contact: Taurus USA

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