Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casull

B

Blitz

New member
Two weeks ago, I aquired one of these bad dogs. I have not shot it yet but will be this Sunday. My Father-in-law, told my wife that a so called "handgun expert" that he works with, said that the .454's have trouble with them. He also said that they want to kick you in the face because the recoil is so bad. I'm not sure how much truth there is to this, as I have not got to fire mine yet. Seeing is beleiving to me.

I just wanted to know if anyone here has heard anything bad about them. I'm quite sure that the .454 has some good kick to it but I also figured that the ported barrel would releive much of it.
 
Blitz, I had an opportunity a couple of years ago to shoot a Raging Bull side by side with a Freedom Arms 4 3/4" MagNaPorted revolver.
The gripframe design of the Taurus is such that most of the recoil energy is directed rearward into the web of the hand, whereas the "plowhandle" gripframe allows the gun to roll somewhat, directing less energy directly into the hand. In short, I found that the Taurus recoil was quite umpleasant and painful as compared to the FA. I didn't want to shoot the RB anymore; I could have kept on with the FA for at least a boxful of ammo.

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Shoot straight & make big holes, regards, Richard at The Shottist's Center
 
Blitz,

A few months ago, one of the ranges in Orlando had a "Taurus day". The owner of the shop had 10 to 12 different firearms from Taurus you could shoot for free. The only exception to this was the Raging Bull, It cost a dollar a round to shoot.
First, it's a BIG heavy handgun. really suited to those with large hands. I'd probably have some problems in shooting it double action as the trigger reach is rather long. And yes, recoil is pretty fierce.. No problem going through 4 or 5 rounds, but any more than that and I'm sure I'd develop a big time flinch.
By the time I shot the Bull (no pun intended) it had probably gone through a hundred rounds and just kept going.. Hope you like yours! Mark / FL
 
Suggest using your new RB with 45 Colt ammo, as this will ensure a longer life for the pistol, and healthier wrist joint for you.

If you want to rock your world with 454 loads, hold gun firmly using Weaver stance.

Only negative I've witnessed is two RB's with broken rear sights (has Taurus fixed this yet?) and anecdotal info that some have gotten loose very quickly (not a Ruger, eh?).

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Blitz: ... I also figured that the ported barrel would releive much of it ...[/quote]I not a big bore guy as I normally stick with 9mm's, .40S&W's and .45ACP's but several months ago Taurus came to my town and had a Family Shooting Expo where you could try out their various products and I decided to give the .454 a try. Is it ported? Yes. Does it kick? YES!
Share what you know & learn what you don't
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FUD
 
Stories of the Raging Bull's fury are greatly exaggerated. I've put many, many hundreds of (hot) rounds through mine, with no "loosening" to speak of. Accuracy is excellent, and the recoi; is just plain enjoyable. As someone else said, Use a Weaver stance, lean into it, and have a rigid grip. That's not to say that you're squeezing the heck out of the grips, but once you get a good grip, make your grip solid. (kinda hard to explain, but you can have a solid hand with it open...if you know what I mean.) Anyway, concentrate on the fundamentals, and you'll be fine.
 
I haven't tried the Freedom Arms Casull, but I have shot the Raging Bull and the Ruger Redhawk in .454. Of the two I tried, I'd get the Raging Bull. I found recoil to be not painful at all, totally manageable, and this was out of the shorter barreled one. It is one heavy gun, though.

I didn't like the Redhawk. Recoil was much more pronounced and something was scraping up my trigger finger upon firing. I guess you'll have to try one out if possible and see for yourself. I'd like to get one for hunting, the only problem is the ammo is expensive unless you load your own.
 
Concerning getting hit in the face under recoil, I have only read and heard of two cases of someone getting hit in the forehead while firing .454. In both cases, the sources aren't the best. One was hear-say from a co-worker, the other was an article from not one of the best gun rags (i.e., unreliable sources).

Some time after hearing/reading these stories, I had the opportunity to shoot someone's Freedom Arms .454C with the barrel cut down from 7.5" to 5" or 5.5" and the .45LC in place of the .454C. The guy had loaded .45LC very hot to lower levels of .454C. The recoil was addictive. Couldn't hit the 2' X 2' target at 10 yards due to anticipating the recoil but I figured a little more practice would fix that. What surprised me somewhat was how the empties just fell out of the chamber when unloading. I would have figured that the amount of pressure the .45LC had seen must have expanded the case to the point of slicking to the chamber walls. This got me to go after an FA .454C.

Having a Freedom Arms .454C, if you have your shooting arm's elbow at least moderately locked, the gun will never hit you in the face. At worst, the recoil will raise your arm(s) over the level of your head.

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- Ron V.
 
After teaching hundreds of people to shoot, and having quite a few of them finish their class with something "interesting", I will run right out on a limb and say that recoil is all in your mind.

If you are SURE that gun is going to break your wrist, come back and wack you in the eye, or some other silliness, then it just may.

But if you have a good firing grip coupled with a solid stance, there is really nothing commercially available that a normal person can't handle.

Case it point: one of the last classes I taught in the PDR of Hawaii (where pistol safety classes are required before sheeple can buy a pistol), I had a whole family enroll. Warmed my beat-up old heart to see, too.

The youngest girl was a power freak. We start with .38 Special out of a variety of 6" revolvers, and she complained. Moved to 9mm from service-type semi-autos, and she whined about "wimpy guns". Nice groups, good form and control, mind you, but still complaining. Moved up to .45 ACPs, then back to the wheelguns for some .357 Magnum. Just not happy.

I pulled out my favorite teaching aid (since you can see it from the back of the classroom), a Raging Bull with the 8 3/8" barrel.

She set up a poor, defenseless bowling pin at 15 yards, loaded a round of 300gr 454 Casull, and sent the pin into orbit.

No head knocking.

No gun flying.

She was eight.

8.

Yeah, a 454 kicks a lot.

Kicks in a pig's eye.


Alex
 
But how big was she? :)

While checking out a RB at a local gunshop, I heard a tale of a guy who got knocked out when one came back and hit him in the forehead (friend of a friend of a customer kind of thing), but supposedly this happened when he tried to shoot one handed (I ask you: WHY?)
One of the most beautiful things about this gun is that so many people buy them, put a box or two of ammo through them and then sell them at a loss because they can't handle it, so there are plenty of used ones that pop up. If I ever get around to buying one, I'd personally just shoot 45LC regularly and make the 454 just a "special occasion" kind of thing, or use it for "Here, try THIS" duty at the range :D
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by thestallion:
One of the most beautiful things about this gun is that so many people buy them, put a box or two of ammo through them and then sell them at a loss because they can't handle it, so there are plenty of used ones that pop up.[/quote]

Reminds me of those classified ads for Weatherbys;

FOR SALE - 460 Weatherby Magnum,
Like new condition, beautiful rifle!
Any reasonable offer accepted. Comes
with a box of 19 factory cartridges thrown in. Call XXX-XXXX, PLEASE!



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Just one of the Good Guys
 
Sorry, Stallion, but as others have said, the DA frame on the Raging Bull simply puts the recoil straight back...especially with the porting, wheich is standard on all of them. I fankly would not believe someone that said that a Raging Bull hit them in the head. The only what that would happen is if the shooter intentionally pulled the gun up toward their face pretending like the recoil did it to show off. It just doesn't happen, I can shoot the hottest of Casull loads, and the gun rises maybe 3 or 4 inches from my line of sight. The recoil is all to the rear, not up. If you use proper form, as I have said already, there is no problem, and follow-up shots are very possible.
 
The eight year old girl referenced above was maybe 85 pounds, 4.5 feet.

Huge.

Massive.

Bulked-up.

:)

I just put a Leopold on my RB, and it is quite boring now. It doesn't rise more than an inch now under full power loads. May have to cut the barrel of my Super Blawkhawk down to 4 inches to make a "thumper"...


Alex
 
A buddy of mine brought his RB out to play. He mostly uses hot 260-grain loads. He double-taps three-inch pairs at 10 to 15 yards, regularly.

I shot it a couple of times. The recoil is no more than hot loads in my Redhawk--as in, not real bad at all.

It's the NOISE which can get to you. It's best shot with both ear plugs and Hearguards.

I've thought about getting one just for the fun of it. Like any "hot gun", I'd mostly shoot light to medium loads, just as with any .357 Maggie or even .45ACP or 10mm. I don't see the point of beating on either the guns or on me!

:), Art
 
Stallion,
Every range session I take part in with handguns ALWAYS includes at least 1 cylinder or magazine fired one-handed, even with my .454 Raging Bull. It has never come anywhere close to my face or head from the recoil. I am about 175 lbs, pretty average.

Good Guy,
I purchased my .454 RB and my Weatherby .340 on the same day from a guy who had just bought them and fired less than 1 box of rounds through each. He gave me a great deal because he "just can't seem to warm up to them"! I love this guy!

[This message has been edited by patrickt66 (edited August 17, 2000).]
 
Perhaps some people are maochists and enjoy pain. As for me, I prefer to have my fun (whatever it may be) free of pain. I have a touch of bursitits in my right elbow, and this is part of the reason that I no longer shoot the heavy stuff very often. .357 Mag is about as heavy as I can go and still remain pain-free.
Recoil is not in your head; it's in physics. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Hard, fast, cold, and immutable. One can certainly train to become used to it, but it's there, and it's NOT in your head.

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Shoot straight & make big holes, regards, Richard at The Shottist's Center

[This message has been edited by 45King (edited August 17, 2000).]
 
45King: Welcome to the Arthritis Club! For me, it's both shoulders. Any arm movement makes slight sounds as in crunching a handful of Rice Krispies.

I grant you that "recoil is physics", but whether or not you allow it to bother you is in your head. Recoil is certainly less bothersome than playing football, which is the reason for my mild objection to the use of the word "masochism".

Masochism means enjoying pain for the pleasure it brings. Self-discipline in this instance means ignoring discomfort--or even pain--in order to accomplish a goal.

Your overall point is well-taken, however; it's the reason I mostly shoot light loads in my Redhawk or .357; heck, even the 10mm or .45ACP. I don't groove on pain, either.

Regards, Art
 
Art (and others), I totally agree.

That's why I love my .357 Redhawk!

Can blow primers, but recoils like a sissy 38!

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
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