Why I Prefer Taurus’ .454 Casull Raging Hunter

Larry Weishuhn

The first mention of the .454 Casull cartridge in print happened back in 1959. But, it was nearly 25 years later, 1983 to be exact, I learned about and got to shoot the round created by collaborative efforts of Jack Fulmer, Duane Marsh and gunsmith Dick Casull.  As a wildlife biologist working in North Texas I was visiting with A. C. Gilbert and Mike Morris about handgun hunting.  Mike, a dear friend, was the game warden working the area west of Fort Worth.  A.C. helped landowners with their wildlife management programs, including Steve Bedowitz.  It was through A.C. and Steve I got to finally see and shoot a beautiful Freedom Arms Model 83 the first single-action revolver truly built to accommodate the higher pressure of the .454 Casull cartridge.  Steve had purchased the .454 Casull to take it to Africa to shoot a rhino and a buffalo.

 

I put five shots into a 6-inch circle at 50-yards. Needless to say, from that first experience I knew I wanted a .454 Casull handgun. Unfortunately, a biologist’s pay was not that great back then and needs and wants of my wife and two young daughers came before personal wants and desires.

 

Years passed.  I started doing considerable “gun writing”.  As the Hunting Editor for “Shooting Times” and “Handgunning” magazines I was able to procure the use of a Freedom Arms .454 Casull revolver for the better part of a year. After a lot of range-time, I decided to take it to Alaska to shoot my first Alaskan brown bear.  The Casull shooting Hornady ammo performed beautifully on an ancient 8-foot sow.

 

Home in Texas, I used the .454 Casull to shoot a couple of impressive South Texas Brush Country whitetail bucks, as well as a couple of cow elk, again using Hornady’s 300-grain XTP loads.  Needless to say I was impressed and became even more enamored by the cartridge.

 

Through a bit of research, I learned the .454 Casull started as with .45 Colt case (known to some as the .45 Long Colt) which was lengthened 0.10-inches and made thicker in the web. Casull’s early testing of the new cartridge produced more than double the 900 feet-per-second velocity of the .45 Colt. This also gave the round a 25 to 33-percent advantage over the 44 Mag both in velocity and produced energy.  For the .454 Casull rounds currently produced by Hornady this means a range of 1,650 to 1,950-foot pounds of energy at the muzzle to 1,000 to nearly 1,500-foot pounds of energy at 100-yards.

 

After Freedom Arms started producing their single-action, soon both Ruger and Taurus started chambering the powerful .454 Casull in their revolvers. Ruger added the .454 Casull to their double-action Super Redhawk line-up in 1997. Taurus followed suit in 1998 by adding the round to their Raging Bull line.

 

Shortly after Taurus had done so I got one on consignment.  Thankfully a short time later I found several boxes of Hornady’s 300-grain XTP loads in San Antonio at Nagle’s Gun Shop.

 

I initially shot that particular Raging Bull with its factory open-sights and hunted with it on South Texas’ Encinitas Ranch which we made famous on Realtree’s television series. Hunting there, I shot a couple of nice whitetail bucks, two whitetail does and two javelinas using Hornady’s Custom 300-grain XTP loads.  With that load, open sights, I could put all my shots, for a hunter’s rest, within a four-inch circle at 50-yards. After I scoped it with a 1.5-5×28 Simmons long eye relief scope I shot much tighter groups.  During the next months, I numerous wild hogs with Hornady ammo, then using Hornady’s 240-grain XTP Custom.

In several hunting camps that year I encouraged anyone interested to shoot the Taurus handgun.  Several who did so complained about the recoil.

 

Me? I had shot a lot of heavy recoiling handguns previously.  Personally, I did not find the recoil excessive or disturbing. Besides, I really appreciated the accuracy of the Raging Bull.  Scoped and using Hornady’s 240-grain XTP ammo, I could keep five shots within a 1 1/2-inch circle at 50-yards and only slightly larger groups at 100-yards.

 

I wrote about the .454 Casull Taurus Raging Bull in several publications. At the time, print was “king”.  Outdoor television as we have come to know it was still in its infancy.  The internet with its websites and social media had yet to arrive.

 

I reluctantly returned the consigned Taurus Raging Bull. Had my financial situation allowed, I would have bought that revolvers.  I was impressed with its accuracy and I really liked hunting with it and shooting it!

 

Fast forward another twenty years. I was on Texas’ FTW Ranch where is taught Sportsman’s All-Weather All-Terrain Marksmanship (SAAM) training. Bret Vorhees, honcho at Taurus, Rossi and Heritage guns was there hunting with several Raging Hunter revolvers.  He kindly allowed me to shoot his .44 Mag and .454 Casull.  It took but one shot with the .454 Casull and I was hooked, big time. Before Bret and I parted company I made arrangements to procure both a .44 Mag and .454 Casull Raging Hunter revolver.

 

I loved both and soon added .357 Mag, as well as a .460 S&W Mag Taurus Raging Hunters. I am currently planning on procuring another Raging Hunter, this one chambered in .500 S&W Mag.

 

Why Taurus Raging Hunter double-action revolvers when I own and used to shoot a lot of single-shot Thompson/Center Contenders and Encores, as well as several Ruger Blackhawks, Super Blackhawk Hunters, RedHawks and Super RedHawks, as well as various Colt and Smith & Wesson hunting revolvers?

 

Frankly I appreciate the Raging Hunter’s accuracy, the integral muzzle brake, recoil reducing grips, and the integral Picatinny rail which makes mounting a red dot sight or long-eye relief scopes quick and easy.  Shooting Hornady’s 200-grain MonoFlex Handgun Hunter, 240-grain XTP Mag and 300-grain XTP Mag Custom I am continually impressed at their accuracy!  That includes tight groups at 25, 50 and 100 yards, but even at 500-yards. With my Raging Hunters chambered in .44 Mag, .454 Casull and .460 S&W Mag I can consistently hit a 14-inch steel gong at 500-yards.  Mind you, I would never shoot at an animal that far away with my handguns, but it surely is fun hitting steel at that distance!  I have hit the 500-yard steel plate using both a long eye relief scope, but also using a Stealth Vision 3-MOA red dot sight.

 

I love my Raging Hunter handguns particularly those chambered in .44 Mag and .454 Casull. I am a huge .44 Mag fan.  But, during the last three years, my .454 Casull has become my “most favorite handgun round” when it comes to hunting, shooting at paper and steel at ranges near and far.

 

My .454 Casull Raging Hunter is currently topped with a vintage 2.5×7-28 Thompsons/Center handgun scope manufactured by Simmons Optics in the latter 1900’s. These specific scopes are unbelievably tough and rugged.  They also have great eye-relief. I do not have to “trombone” to find the sweet spot where I can see the full value of the scope. My .454 Casull Raging Hunter topped that scope shooting either Hornady’s 240-grain or 300-grain XTP Custom ammo, I usually hit the 500-yard steel gong we have set up on the Becker Bottoms Ranch in Texas owned by Edgar Cotton and the Choctaw Nation’s Choctaw Hunting Lodge (www.choctawhuntinglodge.com) in Oklahoma, at least four out of five shots.

 

At ranges 50 to 100-yards using that same combination I can keep 5-shots, which is what the Raging Hunter accommodates in its cylinder, within less than 2-inches when shooting from a “hunting” rest.  From a solid sand bag rest at those distances I can shoot much tighter groups, even with the factory trigger, which is a bit “heavy”.

 

Three years ago I had “trigger work” done on my .454 Casull Raging Hunter. I now shoot tighter 5-groups than previously described, with Hornady’s Handgun Hunter 200-grain MonoFlex, or Hornady Custom 240 and 300-grain XTP Magnum.

 

Hunting in northeast Texas, this past hunting season I was able to take a couple of really nice large-tusked wild boars. These were shot at close range while hunting whitetails in tight cover.  The area I hunt in northeastern Texas had a huge acorn crop this past fall. Much of my hunting was hunting in thick woods where the deer and hogs lived. I also used my .454 Casull Raging Hunter to take four whitetail does.  I had hoped to use it on a couple management bucks, unfortunately I failed to see the two I had targeted.

 

One of my highlights this past year was hosting a bison hunt on the Choctaw Hunting Lodge auctioned at our 2025 DSC Foundation Gala (www.dscf.org) and bought by Steve Hornady. During that hunt we had some range time. With my .454 Casull Taurus Raging Hunter, topped with my vintage Simmons long eye relief scope, shooting Hornady’s 200-grain MonoFlex Handgun Hunter, I hit the 500-yards target the first two shots I fired at that distance, somewhat to the amazement those there.  Doing so simply proved what can be done using the right handgun with the proper ammunition, i.e. Taurus Raging Hunter and Hornady ammo!