Which one?

[muzzymike]

I have finally decided to get a handgun for hunting.  i have been looking for a few months and finally found two that have my interest.  the first is a security six .357 mag 6in blued for $299.  The second is a taurus raging bull in .454 casull for $429.  i live in southern michigan and can use straight walled pistol cartridges only.  The taurus would most likely see .45 colts for the near future.  i only hunt deer now but may hunt bear and elk later.  I have shot .357's, 44's, 9 mm's and lots of rifles, shotguns, and muzzeloaders.  I am leaning towards the taurus but am leary of the quality and wonder if the ruger is too lite.  Please give me some opinions, all will be helpful.

[Brett]

I am leaning towards the taurus but am leary of the quality and wonder if the ruger is too lite. 

That pretty much sums it up.  I'ld keep looking for a good .45 or 44 Mag. in a Smith & Wesson or Ruger.

[Autorim]

I agree with Brett.

[buck460XVR]

for Elk, the .357 is definitely too light. Deer within 35 yards, you'd be okay, same with bear iffin if were just blacks. I have taken 4 deer with my .357, but all were within' 30 yards and my revolver was my secondary weapon......only to be used under the right conditions. Now that I hunt deer with a handgun as my primary weapon, I like something bigger. A 454 is a fine caliber, but can be expensive to shoot much if you don't reload....and if you don't shoot much you won't hit much. And if you don't shoot much, a .454 can be a handfull. For a non-reloader, looking for a first revolver as a primary weapon for hunting deer, I recommend a .44. Factory loads are readily available anywhere and are generally much cheaper that .454s.  The RB may be an exception to the Taurus line of handguns as most folk I know with one have been happy, I have shot a friends RB .454 and it shot fine for me, and is a legitimate "deer" revolver.....but again, for the price you mention, you should be able to get a Ruger or used Smith in .44.

[bilmac]

I vote with the majority, keep looking. My choice would be a Ruger Blackhawk or id you have to have a double action then a Redhawk. You should be able to get a Blackhawk for the money they are asking for the Taurus.

[OLDHandgunner]

I agree with the rest. Keep looking for a Ruger or S&W.
Good Luck.

[Lloyd Smale]

ruger super blackhawk. enough said!

[the jigger]

I would save and shop until I found a Model 29 S&W(44mag) with 6" or longer barrel. GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

[Autorim]

My choice for a hunting handgun is the Ruger Bisley .45Colt 7.5 inch. I sent it to Alan Harton for trigger job and partidge front sight. I had the cylinder reamed by cylindersmith and it is now a first class shooter and very rugged. I have owned and fired handguns since about 1956, but this is my first venture into handgun hunting with a centerfire.

I hunted lots of small game for lots of years with a K22 and plan to use the .45 on trips with my grandson. I can use 200 grain bullets with 5.0 grains of TB for practice and 265 or 270 for hunting with 20.0 grains of IMR 4227. Both shoot to nearly the same POI at 20 yards.

For my old hands, the Bisley grip with PAST shooting gloves handles recoil better than the S&W grip style - but this is a personal choice. The M29 is certainly a fine revolver and I have a 29-2, but prefer to shoot the Bisley.

[Graybeard]

To take a contrary point of view based on actual experience I say do not fear the RB. I've yet to see or own a bad Raging Bull and have heard far far fewer complaints against them than even against S&W or Ruger guns.

Why and how Taurus can do such a good job on the RB and such a poor job on most others is beyond me but it seems to be the case. Now if you ever need customer service from them you are pretty much out of luck but unless you misuse and abuse it I doubt you ever will. The RB is an excellent gun and while nearly as heavy as a boat anchor they are also boat anchor tough. Recoil from them in .454 is about the same as the SRH with a .44.

Buy what ya want but don't not by an RB based on the quality of other Taurus guns or fear of their lack of customer service. Just plan on getting it fixed locally if you ever have a problem with it which you almost certainly will not.