Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in Ported — Superb Big Bore

Description

The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in is the longest and most powerful revolver in Taurus’s catalogue in an all-black finish: five rounds of .500 S&W Magnum, a ten-inch ported barrel with a target crown, and a full-length Picatinny rail moulded into the shroud.

Ten inches is where the .500 stops holding anything back. The cartridge burns slowly and needs the room, and what it gives you in return at this length is the highest muzzle energy available from a production revolver. The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in is a bench and stand gun bought for exactly that reason.

How it is built

• A ten-inch ported barrel with a target crown. The ports vent upward near the muzzle and hold the front sight down between shots.
• A Picatinny rail moulded along the full length of the shroud, so a scope or a dot mounts without a separate base that can shoot loose.
• Five rounds in a heavy cylinder with a dual lock-up — the crane locks at the front as well as the rear, which these pressures demand.
• A steel barrel inside an aluminium shroud, which is how the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in stays under five pounds rather than becoming unliftable.
• An all-black finish over frame, cylinder and barrel assembly, with a black rubber grip and a cushioned insert down the backstrap.
• An adjustable rear sight and a fixed front.

Living with the biggest one

• The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in is heavy, and that is the point. Ten inches of barrel out front is what makes a .500 Magnum shootable at all, and this is the gentlest of the four .500 Raging Hunters for exactly that reason.
• It is also why this is not a carry gun. Chest rig, scabbard or case — a belt holster is not a realistic plan.
• Ports are loud and throw blast sideways. Everyone within thirty feet needs hearing protection on every shot, not just the shooter.
• Expect a cylinder or two per session rather than a box, and work up through the 325 grain loads before putting 440 grain ammunition through it.
• Ammunition is expensive and not stocked everywhere. Buy it when you see it.
• Use the rail. The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in is capable well past iron-sight range and wastes most of that on open sights.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-500101RH
• UPC: 725327624066
• Calibre: .500 S&W Magnum
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 10 in, ported, target crown
• Barrel assembly: steel barrel in a black aluminium shroud
• Frame: large, black steel
• Cylinder: black
• Sights: adjustable rear, fixed front; full-length Picatinny rail
• Action: double action / single action
• Grip: black rubber with cushioned insert

.500 S&W Magnum is a standardised cartridge with a maximum average pressure published by SAAMI, and factory loads vary enormously — from 325 grain practice ammunition to 440 and 500 grain hard-cast bear loads, with muzzle energies more than double apart. A long barrel rewards the heavy, slow-burning loads more than a short one does, so this is the gun to feed the big bullets.

The shorter .500s are the 8.38-inch black, the 8.38-inch two-tone and the 5.12-inch, and the two-tone ten-inch is stocked as the Raging Hunter 500. For a cheaper cartridge to practise with, the .44 Magnum at 8.37 inches.

Why the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in earns its place

• The Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in pairs the most powerful production revolver cartridge with the barrel length that lets it perform.
• Enough weight and enough porting to make it genuinely shootable.
• A rail moulded into the shroud rather than bolted on.
• Dual cylinder lock-up, front and rear, built for the pressure.
• An all-black finish that stays quiet in a stand and in the weather.

This is a handgun hunter’s revolver for elk, big hogs and bear, shot from a rest with an optic on it. It also appeals to people who simply want the biggest thing in the case, and there is no shame in that — of the ways to own a .500, this is one of the more comfortable. What the Taurus Raging Hunter 500 Black 10in is not is a first revolver, a plinker or anything to do with concealed carry.

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.