Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in Two-Tone Ported — Superb Hunter

Description

The Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in is the mid-length, stainless-framed .44 Magnum in Taurus’s hunting revolver line: six rounds, a 6.75-inch ported barrel, a full-length Picatinny rail moulded into the black shroud, and the red cushioned grip insert the Raging line is known for.

Six and three-quarter inches is where .44 Magnum stops giving anything away. Factory figures for the cartridge are quoted from barrels about this length, so the Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in delivers what the box says rather than a reduced version of it — and it does so with a matte stainless frame where the weather gets in.

How it is built

• A 6.75-inch ported barrel. The ports vent upward near the muzzle and hold the front sight down, which is what makes a second shot realistic on a full-power load.
• A Picatinny rail running the full length of the shroud, moulded in rather than bolted on, so there is no base to shoot loose.
• Six rounds in a heavy cylinder with a dual lock-up — the crane locks at the front as well as the rear.
• A steel barrel inside a black aluminium shroud, which is how the Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in keeps its weight sensible for the length.
• A matte stainless frame against a matte black oxide cylinder, and a black rubber grip with an integrated red cushion insert.
• An adjustable rear sight, a fixed front, an exposed hammer and a transfer bar safety.

Choosing between the barrel lengths

• The 5.12-inch gun is the one you carry all season; this one is the one you hunt with. The extra inch and a half is worth real velocity and a noticeably longer sight radius.
• The Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in is loud and the ports throw blast sideways. Everyone within thirty feet needs hearing protection on every shot, not just the shooter.
• Recoil is firm rather than punishing. Most shooters can work through a box of full-power .44 in a session with the Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in, which cannot be said of a light-frame magnum.
• .44 Special drops straight into the chambers and turns it into a pleasant range revolver at a fraction of the cost and recoil.
• In bear country, choose a hard-cast flat-nose bullet. Expanding hunting bullets do not always penetrate heavy bone the same way.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-440065RH
• UPC: 725327617549
• Calibre: .44 Remington Magnum / .44 Special
• Capacity: 6 rounds
• Barrel: 6.75 in, ported, with integral Picatinny rail
• Frame: large, matte stainless steel
• Cylinder: matte black oxide
• Shroud: matte black aluminium over a steel barrel
• Sights: adjustable rear, fixed front
• Action: double action / single action, exposed hammer
• Grip: black rubber with integrated red cushion insert

.44 Remington Magnum and .44 Special are both standardised by SAAMI, and the Magnum case is the longer of the two — which is why the Special chambers here and not the other way round, and why it is worth scrubbing the front of the chambers after a session of Specials before returning to Magnum brass.

The other .44 Raging Hunters are the 5.12-inch in black and the 5.12-inch two-tone. For more cartridge, the .454 Casull or the .500 S&W two-tone; for less, the seven-shot .357.

Why the Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in earns its place

• The Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in is the length at which the cartridge delivers its published figures.
• A stainless frame where the weather gets in, on a revolver built for the field.
• Factory porting and a cushioned grip, so follow-up shots are realistic.
• A rail that is part of the gun rather than an accessory bolted to it.
• Two cartridges out of one cylinder — .44 Special for practice, Magnum for the hunt.

This is a deer, hog and bear-defence revolver and a very good one for handgun hunting seasons where a scoped pistol is legal. It suits someone who will mount an optic and shoot from a rest or a stand rather than carrying it on a belt all day — for that, the 5.12-inch model is the better buy. The Taurus Raging Hunter 44 6.75in is not a concealed-carry revolver and not a first handgun.

In stock now at MAG5 Firearms in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Handgun sales ship to a licensed dealer in your state, where you will complete a Form 4473 and the background check before taking delivery.