Taurus Raging Hunter 500 5.12in Ported Black — Superb Backcountry

Description

The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 5.12in is the short-barrelled member of Taurus’s .500 S&W Magnum line: five rounds, a 5.12-inch ported barrel, a full-length Picatinny rail moulded into the black shroud, and matte black oxide over frame and cylinder.

The longer .500s make more velocity; this one makes more sense on a belt. At just over five inches the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 5.12in is a gun you can actually wear in a chest rig through a day’s hunting, or keep in a pack in bear country, which is a category of use the ten-inch model does not really serve.

What the short barrel changes

• You lose velocity against the 8.38 and ten-inch guns, and you lose it honestly — but the .500 S&W Magnum starts from such a high floor that even a short barrel puts it well beyond anything else in a five-shot revolver.
• You gain close to a pound of carry weight back, and the muzzle stops catching on everything.
• Ports near the muzzle vent gas upward and hold the sights down, which matters more here than on a longer gun because the leverage is shorter.
• The rail is still full length, so an optic mounts as easily as on the big models.
• A steel barrel inside an aluminium shroud keeps the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 5.12in at a weight one person can carry all day.

Living with a short .500

• Recoil on the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 5.12in is more abrupt than on the long guns. Less barrel means less weight out front, and the impulse arrives faster — this is the hardest-kicking of the three .500 Raging Hunters.
• Ports are loud and throw blast sideways. Everyone within thirty feet needs hearing protection on every shot.
• Expect a cylinder or two per session rather than a box, and work up through the lighter 325 grain loads before putting 440 grain ammunition through it.
• Ammunition is expensive and not stocked everywhere. Buy it when you see it.
• For bear defence rather than hunting, this is the .500 to own — it is the one that will actually be on you when it matters.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-500051RH
• UPC: 725327623892
• Calibre: .500 S&W Magnum
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 5.12 in, ported, target crown
• Barrel assembly: steel barrel in an aluminium shroud, matte black
• Frame: large, black steel
• Cylinder: matte black oxide
• Sights: adjustable rear, fixed front; full-length Picatinny rail
• Action: double action / single action
• Grip: black rubber

.500 S&W Magnum is a standardised cartridge with a maximum average pressure published by SAAMI, and factory loads for it vary enormously — from 325 grain practice ammunition to 440 and 500 grain hard-cast bear loads, with muzzle energies more than double apart. On a short barrel that spread matters even more, because a slow-burning heavyweight load has less room to work.

The longer .500s are stocked as the 8.38-inch black and the ten-inch two-tone. For a cheaper cartridge to practise with, the .44 Magnum at the same barrel length, or the .454 Casull, which also shoots .45 Colt.

Why the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 5.12in earns its place

• The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 5.12in is the only .500 in the line you will genuinely carry rather than transport.
• Factory porting and a cushioned grip on the most powerful production revolver cartridge there is.
• A rail moulded into the shroud, so an optic fits without a separate base.
• Dual cylinder lock-up, front and rear, built for the pressure.
• Matte black throughout, quiet in a stand and in the weather.

This is a bear-defence and backcountry revolver first and a hunting gun second — the choice for someone who wants .500 power on their body rather than in a case. It suits guides, backcountry hunters and anyone working where something large might take an interest. The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 5.12in is not a first revolver, not a range gun and not remotely a carry piece in the concealed sense.

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.