Taurus Raging Hunter 500 S&W Magnum 5.12 in. Two-Tone 5-Shot Revolver – Formidable Stopping Power

Description

The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 in 5.12-inch two-tone trim is the shortest barrel Taurus offers on the largest cartridge it chambers. A matte stainless frame carries a matte black oxide cylinder and a matte black ported barrel shroud, and inside that cylinder sit five rounds of .500 S&W Magnum, the most powerful production revolver cartridge in common manufacture.

The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 is not a subtle firearm and it does not pretend to be. It is a hunting and backcountry revolver, built short enough to live in a chest rig while you use both hands for something else.

What the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 brings

• Five rounds of .500 S&W Magnum, a cartridge that will take any animal on this continent at sensible handgun range
• 5.12-inch barrel with a target crown and a dual-stage gas expansion port system machined into the top of the shroud
• Full-length Picatinny rail integral to the barrel shroud, so a red dot or a scout-style scope mounts without an adapter
• Matte stainless steel frame with a matte black oxide cylinder and black shroud, the two-tone treatment this SKU carries
• Cushioned black rubber grip with a soft insert down the backstrap, which on this cartridge is not a luxury
• Adjustable rear sight and an exposed hammer for deliberate single-action shots in the field
• The shortest, lightest way to carry .500 S&W, which matters on a long day in steep country

What shooting a Taurus Raging Hunter 500 is actually like

• Recoil on the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 is severe. The porting and the cushioned grip cut it down to manageable, not to pleasant, and that is the honest description
• Muzzle blast off a 5.12-inch barrel is worse than off the longer guns, because more powder is still burning as the bullet leaves
• The ports vent upward and sideways. Nobody should stand beside you on the firing line, and doubled hearing protection is not optional
• Five careful shots will teach you more than fifty rushed ones, and your hands will thank you
• Lighter .500 loads exist and are worth buying. A 350-grain load practises the same skills as a 440-grain at a fraction of the punishment
• If you have never fired a big-bore revolver, shoot someone else’s before you buy one. This is not a cartridge to learn on impulse

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-500055RH
• Caliber: .500 S&W Magnum
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 5.12 in., matte black, ported, target crown, integral Picatinny rail
• Cylinder: matte black oxide
• Frame: large frame, matte stainless steel
• Grip: black rubber with cushioned backstrap insert
• Action: single and double action, exposed hammer
• Sights: adjustable rear
• UPC: 725327623878

The .500 S&W Magnum is a standardised cartridge with published chamber dimensions and pressure limits maintained by SAAMI, which is worth remembering when you see handloading data on the internet. Buy factory ammunition for this one unless you know exactly what you are doing.

A word on what the short barrel costs you. Velocity is down a few hundred feet per second against the 8.38-inch and 10-inch guns, and at the far end of the range that shows up as drop. Inside seventy-five yards, where almost all handgun hunting actually happens, the difference is academic. The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 in this length is a carrying gun that shoots well, not a bench gun that happens to be portable.

Why this revolver earns its place

• The most powerful cartridge in general production, in the handiest package Taurus builds for it
• Porting and a cushioned grip that between them make the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 something a practised shooter can control
• A factory optics rail, which on a hunting handgun is worth more than almost any other feature
• Stainless frame and a black oxide cylinder that shrug off wet weather better than blued steel
• Short enough for a chest holster, which is how a hunting revolver actually gets carried
• Genuine backup in country where something very large might take an interest in you

Handgun hunters, guides, and anyone spending time in big-bear country are the buyers here. The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 is also bought by people who simply want to own the top of the scale, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as they understand what they are buying. It is not a home-defence gun and it is not a range plinker.

If you want the same cartridge with less blast and more velocity, the 8.38-inch black .500 and the 8.38-inch two-tone are the middle of the range. For maximum barrel, the 10-inch black and the 10-inch two-tone are as long as it gets.

If you like this length but want the option of cheaper practice ammunition, the 5.12-inch Raging Hunter in .460 S&W takes .454 Casull and .45 Colt in the same cylinder, which makes it far less expensive to shoot regularly.

Every Taurus Raging Hunter 500 we ship comes with the factory case, the manual and a lock. Transfers go to your FFL and our side of the paperwork is done the same day.