Raging Bull .44 Magnum, 6.5 inch barrel, ADVICE NEEDED PLEASE!

[Pud]

Did Ya' get that Raging Bull yet??

Sorry, I only get on the "gun fight" boards occasionally, never saw your thread...
I have the 6.5" RB Stainless, will answer any questions I can.
It is a SUPER nice revolver, will handle the strongest loads...and recoil while definitely "THERE", is not bad at all.
Heck, my wife's .380 kicks a whole lot more than my big ole' RB!

Hope it has all worked out for you!

Pud

 

[evenflow80]

Wow, talk about a thread coming back from the dead!!

Well, long story short, I canceled my special order from my dealer when a very helpful poster on Tarus armed found the RB I wanted in a shop in Pensylvania. I called, ordered it, found an FFL dealer to do the transfer, went back to my dealer to get my $670 that I paid them two months ago to get my gun, and my gun arrived about a week ago!!

I went to the shop and saw it twice, now just waiting for the ten day waiting period/background check to pass.

My impressions:

1) Trigger and hammer are excellent. Trigger is VERY easy to cock and the trigger is VERY smooth. To be quite honest: MUCH better than my excellent Ruger SP101 .357 Mag.

2) I think people tend to exaggerate the size of the RB. I'm by no means a large guy, and my biggest fear was that the grip was too thick for my hands (which are somewhat slender), but since I will never conceal carry (I live in California), size wasn't an issue at all. I guess since I've had my eye on a Ruger GP100 6" barrel for a while (and that was a big gun too), it helped break me in to the RB's size.

3) What WASN'T so great though is that, and this is hard to explain.... but the gun DID feel a bit cheap. When I compare it to S&W or Ruger guns, those guns feel like they are made out of a solid block of steel. The Taurus..... it felt somehow less dense. Its heavy, but just doesn't FEEL as sturdy. VEry hard to explain unless you hold it and get a feel for it. However, Taurus gets a bad rep a lot I know, but teh RB's are supposed to be very rugged and probably the best gun Taurus makes. The RB frame WAS designed for the .454 caliber anyways.

So anyways, I'm getting my gun to take home December 1st (next Tuesday). I honestly can't wait.

BTW, the dealer that special ordered my gun are pieces of crap. After waiting two months, and refusing to get the gun with the money I gave them when I found it at other dealers, they wanted to charge me $100 for a "cancelation" fee. I can understand if the gun got there and I backed out, but since the gun never arrived, was never ordered, and they haven't paid a dime for it yet, what exactly did that cost them?? Got into a huge argument with them and eventually they gave me a full refund because the store was busy and they didn't want to make a scene. Needless to say, they lost a customer....

 

[evenflow80]

Pud:

If you've shot snub nose (3" or less barrel) .357 Mags, using 125gr loads, how does that compare to the recoil on the Bull?? If you don't reload, what commercial factory ammo brand do you recommend for reduced recoil? (.44 mags).

I have my eye on the American Eagle .44 Mags 240gr, what do you think of those??

Any advice for when I get my gun is appreciated.

BTW I shoot Ruger SP101 3" barrel and usually shoot 125gr UMC ammo, which is stout IMO.

 

[Pud]

Evenflo....I don't have any .357 pistols, just never got anything in that caliber...most of my stuff is autoloaders.(I LOVE .45's!)

As far as the RB, I never really considered trying to find rounds that would give less recoil----Because the recoil was never really that bad

But, I believe the Remington 180gr. was a little bit easier--maybe..

I have shot all kinds of 240gr. stuff, including the American Eagle(it is fine), and some heavier loads from Georgia Arms(they also have a cool "deer stopper" HP round @240gr)
I honestly don't think you will have any problems with the recoil, yes it IS there, but it's not a monster by any means.

Am considering putting a scope on mine, and doing a little hunting with it-now THAT will be fun!
Pud

 

[Flatbush Harry]

I have several revolvers: .45 Colt SAAs, .357 S&W 686+ 4", .44 Mag 629 5" and a S&W 642 1-7/8" .38spl. The worst kicker is the 642 when I use a full house 158gr .38spl+P.

Good technique helps, weight of the firearm helps, and choice of load helps. I find I'm comfortable with full house .357 and .44mag with a good Weaver stance. If in doubt with the .44, use .44spl loads with 240-250 loads...with a 53oz revolver, these will be very comfortable...and effective for self defense as well.

Good luck,

FH

 

[rickyjames]

i've owned a variety of 357's from sub nose to a 4" s&w mod 19. i believe the 357 has more recoil in the guns i shoot than my 44 mag 4" taurus or my 7 1/2" redhawk. now the key word really is perceeved recoil. my 44 mags are larger, heavier and maybe have better grips but truth be told i'd rather shoot my 44 mags the 357's seem more harsh to me. but every gun i own has a reason and its place.

 

[stevieboy]

The perceived severity of the recoil of your RB depends on a few factors but I'd say the most important are: (1) the ergonomics of the grip; (2) your stance and hold; and (3) your level of self-confidence.

Grip ergonomics is the most important factor. The gun's going to push back against your hand when it discharges. HOW it pushes back and what parts of your hand receive the most pressure are critical. A few quick examples. I'm comfortable firing my friend's Smith & Wesson 629 (just slightly lighter than your RB) all day long. He's equipped it with Smith's excellent X-frame rubber grips which really cushion all parts of your hand that feel the pressure of the recoil. However, firing my friend's Ruger Blackhawk, shooting .44 magnums, just about kills me. My hands simply aren't conformed to accept the "plow handle" hard rubber grips on that gun and my attempts to shoot it have left deep bruises at the base of my shooting hand's thumb.

I've been told that the Taurus .44s have a very softly cushioned rubber grip. That ought to help.

How you hold the gun is also important. There's an excellent Jerry Miculek video out there on U-Tube about revolver gripping. He suggests two things that help a lot with recoil. First, don't lock your elbows. Locked elbows mean that all of the recoil goes straight back into your hands and wrists. Second, your support hand should grip the gun significantly more forcefully than your shooting hand.

Finally, there's the element of self-confidence. If you anticipate the recoil, you'll flinch and it will feel a lot harder than it is. Just shoot the damn thing and relax. It won't bite you!

 

[Pud]

Grips...

Yes, the grips on the RB are GREAT!!!
Believe that is one reason the recoil is managable.

Pud

 

[evenflow80]

I ordered some .44 Mag ammo from Georgia Arms. I got the low recoil .44 Mags (about 800 ft sec velocity), I think I might just start out with that.

I did get a box of .44 Mags for $25. They're 180gr, but the box is plain red with no info on it at all. No manufacturer or anything. THe price is certainly right though.

I just don't know what to expect. I really do hope I like my Bull.

 

[s&w500]

fo-sho

I was on a hiking trip and bumped into a group of off-duty soldiers...Anyway one of them was carrying the taurus Raging bull 6.5" barrel. He let me shoot it and the recoil was just slightly more than my .40 (Springfield Armory XDm), The weight of the barrel and the rubberized grip really reduce the felt recoil.
They (taurus) are great guns and I'm actually in the same boat. Trying to locate one but can't. Good luck, let me know if you find out where to get one. Thanks!

 

[evenflow80]

If had to do it all over again and get the Raging Bull (or any Taurus for that matter not called the "Judge"), I wouldn't bother with special ordering it from a dealer. It will take months and possibly a year. Ridicolous.

I would either ask people on forums to keep an eye out for me in whatever state they live in if they see it at a dealer, and do an FFL transfer and just swallow the transfer fee.

Or keep looking at sites like Buds Gunshop or Gunbroker. I've seen a few on there that show up but they're sold in the same day, within hours it seemed like.

As far as recoil, I've only shot 180gr .44 mags, but I imagine the 240gr's wouldn't be THAT much worse. I took my Ruger SP101 3" barrel with me to the range, with both .38 Specials and 125gr hot .357 Mag Loads. I can say with certainty that the 180gr .44 mags kicked somewhere between the .38s and .357's on my Ruger, as far as felt recoil. The .357 Mags felt almost twice as hard in felt recoil. I could shoot the Bull all day and its fine, but after 50 rounds of the .357 mags my palm was hurting, mainly because the stock grips on the .357 feel a bit hard and not as rubbery and soft as the RB's.

Bottom line: excellent gun. I can't imagine even a novice shooter having any issues with the recoil. Its heavy though so your arm gets tired from holding it up for too long, which is a rather unique challenge...

 

[Pud]

"Bottom line: excellent gun. I can't imagine even a novice shooter having any issues with the recoil. Its heavy though so your arm gets tired from holding it up for too long, which is a rather unique challenge... "


What I tell ya'...?

Pud