Is anyone familiar with the Taurus Raging Hunter, Smith and Wesson X frame, and Ruger Super Redhawk, curious about balance and handiness

[tkdguy]

The Tolcot would definitely be my first choice but I may end up getting a 7and half inch barrel based on availability. Yes, I am going to hunt and fish Alaska and looking very seriously into living and working there. I don't see much future in Oregon anymore.

Super Redhawk or Super Blackhawk?? Going up there single or married? Women are prone to severe depression the first years up there and people move back....please check out "Chucks Outdoor Adventures" produced in Alaska on firearms.

 

[OldBroad44]

The Tolcot would definitely be my first choice but I may end up getting a 7and half inch barrel based on availability. Yes, I am going to hunt and fish Alaska and looking very seriously into living and working there. I don't see much future in Oregon anymore.

@Sky61 -- The Toklat is exactly the same thing as I recommended. It is identical to the Ruger Super Redhawk 5" Talo edition, .454 Casull model 5517. Thats how Ruger lists it. Talo is the distributor that asked for this version, and its a distributor exclusive. It has "Toklat" as a roll mark on the left side of the frame, the part of the frame that conceals the first couple of inches of the barrel. Toklat is a famous river in Alaska. This gun is widely carried in Alaska for grizzly/brown bear self defense.

Here's a store that carries them: They are out at the moment but you can get put on a notify list. https://www.omahaoutdoors.com/ruger-super-redhawk-454-casull-5-inch/
Another place that apparently just listed and sold one:

RUGER SUPER REDHAWK 5-INCH TALO MODEL 454 CASULL! : 906538947

Buy a <p>Here's a very scarce, new-in-box, RUGER SUPER REDHAWK TALO EDITION .454 CASULL. This is the 5-INC for sale by Southern Yankee Guns MARYLAND LLC on GunsAmerica.com the best online marketplace for buying and selling semi auto pistols, firearms, accessories, and collectibles : 906538947

www.gunsamerica.com

This video, 3 months out, says Ruger wasn't making these for a while but has quietly started making them again. So maybe you should wait and watch for one instead of settling for a 7.5".

I looked into Talo a bit more. Turns out it is a cooperative of distributors: Camfour, Davidson's,
Gunarama, Iron Valley Supply, Lipsey's, Riley's, RSR, V. F. Grace, Zanders. One approach might be to call the gun stores you usually buy from and see if any of them can buy from any of these distributors. If so, just order one.

By the way, you mentioned finding the sound of 2" big bore guns disorienting. If so, whatever you do, dont be tempted to port the barrel of your Toklat when you get one. The porting will blast much more of the sound back at you.

 

[The Heretic]

I am looking for a bear/moose defensive handgun with a barrel length between 4 and 7 and half inches that can shoot 454 Casull. I like how the balance and feel of smith and Wesson revolvers. But I am not familiar with the X frame they look very large and cumbersome. I also have no desire to shoot 460 magnum out of a handgun so I would only be running 45 colt and 454 out of it. The Taurus is the least expensive and most available and I have no experience with it. Any feedback would be appreciated. I am also located around Scio that commutes to Eugene so any suggestions where I can go and look at some of these revolvers would be appreciated

I had a 460V for a few years. I liked it - easier to shoot than my 329PD - mostly because it weighed 2X as much, but also because of the comp it had. Very controllable even with the magnum ammo - you knew you were shooting magnum loads, but it was controllable and not painful like the 329PD.

That said - it is a heavy gun - not something I would carry all the time. I called it my Polar Bear Gun - because I would probably never again get a chance to go where there are polar bears (I used to work in AK and once it was between me and another worker which of us would go the Barrow to setup a system - I lost and he went). In short, it just wasn't something I saw myself having a use for - I bought it on a whim and then later traded it for a rifle (and a chainsaw).

As I said, I liked it, and if you can deal with the weight, I recommend it. The balance was okay - I like 4-5" revolvers for their balance. The action was nice, as was the trigger.

 

[Sky61]

@Sky61 -- The Toklat is exactly the same thing as I recommended. It is identical to the Ruger Super Redhawk 5" Talo edition, .454 Casull model 5517. Thats how Ruger lists it. Talo is the distributor that asked for this version, and its a distributor exclusive. It has "Toklat" as a roll mark on the left side of the frame, the part of the frame that conceals the first couple of inches of the barrel. Toklat is a famous river in Alaska. This gun is widely carried in Alaska for grizzly/brown bear self defense.

Here's a store that carries them: They are out at the moment but you can get put on a notify list. https://www.omahaoutdoors.com/ruger-super-redhawk-454-casull-5-inch/
Another place that apparently just listed and sold one:

RUGER SUPER REDHAWK 5-INCH TALO MODEL 454 CASULL! : 906538947

Buy a <p>Here's a very scarce, new-in-box, RUGER SUPER REDHAWK TALO EDITION .454 CASULL. This is the 5-INC for sale by Southern Yankee Guns MARYLAND LLC on GunsAmerica.com the best online marketplace for buying and selling semi auto pistols, firearms, accessories, and collectibles : 906538947

www.gunsamerica.com

This video, 3 months out, says Ruger wasn't making these for a while but has quietly started making them again. So maybe you should wait and watch for one instead of settling for a 7.5".

I looked into Talo a bit more. Turns out it is a cooperative of distributors: Camfour, Davidson's,
Gunarama, Iron Valley Supply, Lipsey's, Riley's, RSR, V. F. Grace, Zanders. One approach might be to call the gun stores you usually buy from and see if any of them can buy from any of these distributors. If so, just order one.

By the way, you mentioned finding the sound of 2" big bore guns disorienting. If so, whatever you do, dont be tempted to port the barrel of your Toklat when you get one. The porting will blast much more of the sound back at you.

Thank you very much everyone here seems to go above and beyond helping me out. Don't worry I am aware of muzzle brakes and porting and find them to be a miserable invention.
I just found out about the Redhawk in 45 colt/ACP and they come with a 4.2 inch barrel. I am going to continue searching for a 5 inch 454 and your information was very helpful. But the 45 colt Redhawk is a good option if I can't find one shortly, it can take loads that I would say are stout enough for bear and moose. I wouldn't be able to chamber the 454 cartridges I typically keep in my rifle but my rifle feeds and shoots the 45 colt very well and buffalo bore +p is loaded pretty close to 454.

 

[The Heretic]

Don't worry I am aware of muzzle brakes and porting and find them to be a miserable invention.

I believe the 460 V comes different comp inserts - one for lead, one for jacketed. The one for lead results in a smaller port so might be less loud.

I personally like ported guns - I have found them to make guns easier to shoot with hot ammo.

YMMV

 

[Sky61]

Super Redhawk or Super Blackhawk?? Going up there single or married? Women are prone to severe depression the first years up there and people move back....please check out "Chucks Outdoor Adventures" produced in Alaska on firearms.

Married with 3 kids under ten. I just started watching his channel the other day, the 10mm guy right?I have some friends around Homer and some in Wasilla. Also some job opportunities in Seward and Valdez. Also looking at summer work up North. The depression aspect you bring up is worrisome I was thinking about coming back December January to help my dad with lambing out the ewes for those two months but I guess it depends on the job I get.

 

[Sky61]

I believe the 460 V comes different comp inserts - one for lead, one for jacketed. The one for lead results in a smaller port so might be less loud.

I personally like ported guns - I have found them to make guns easier to shoot with hot ammo.

YMMV

I didn't know that thank you, I just assumed they were fixed is there an insert that removes the porting completely.

 

[The Heretic]

I didn't know that thank you, I just assumed they were fixed is there an insert that removes the porting completely.

I checked online and AFAIK no - but I don't have the gun anymore to look at it first hand. I never swapped out the inserts.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Ok, i'm really gonna cook some noodles here, but,.............Dan Wesson!
I have the DW Alaskan Guide .454 and it's absolutely Bomb Proof, Well Balanced, and handles nuke grade hand loads just fine, it's super smooth and the trigger is super slick, the perfect combo for SERIOUS defensive power outside a shotgun or Carbine!

 

[The Heretic]

Ok, i'm really gonna cook some noodles here, but,.............Dan Wesson!
I have the DW Alaskan Guide .454 and it's absolutely Bomb Proof, Well Balanced, and handles nuke grade hand loads just fine, it's super smooth and the trigger is super slick, the perfect combo for SERIOUS defensive power outside a shotgun or Carbine!
View attachment 1738149

I had a DW44 back in my college days and a few years after.

Very accurate - most accurate revolver I ever owned. Versatile in that you can swap barrels and have a choice of barrels (at least back then, I don't know about now).

 

[CountryGent]

I know they are widely available on the used market, but does Dan Wesson even make revolvers any more?

(And agreed with the comments above; absolutely rock solid wheelguns. )

 

[Boboclown]

Then get this:

Ruger® Super Redhawk® Standard Double-Action Revolver Model 5505

ruger.com

Or this:

Ruger® Super Redhawk® Standard Double-Action Revolver Model 5517

ruger.com

Or, if you're a special sort of moron, this:

Ruger® Super Redhawk® Alaskan® Double-Action Revolver Model 5301

ruger.com

I have the ruger alaskan in .454. Its not too bad. Though a S&W 500 will be more pleasant to shoot, except for the short 500 that has no brake.

 

[The Heretic]

I know they are widely available on the used market, but does Dan Wesson even make revolvers any more?

(And agreed with the comments above; absolutely rock solid wheelguns. )

CZ does. CZ did; apparently they don't anymore - stopped 2 years ago.

DW is now just a brand name and not owned/operated by the original DW family execs - AFAIK.

 

[CountryGent]

CZ does.

DW is now just a brand name and not owned/operated by the original DW family execs - AFAIK.

Thanks much. On the DW site they only show autos (made by CZ, naturally). CZ's site shows no revolvers, though it does list the DW715 as discontinued in 2018. Nice looking wheelgun though:

 

[OldBroad44]

Ok, i'm really gonna cook some noodles here, but,.............Dan Wesson!
I have the DW Alaskan Guide .454 and it's absolutely Bomb Proof, Well Balanced, and handles nuke grade hand loads just fine, it's super smooth and the trigger is super slick, the perfect combo for SERIOUS defensive power outside a shotgun or Carbine!
View attachment 1738149

Wow! What a beauty!
I've never had a DW revolver. Back when the DW family was making them they had a consistent reputation for greater accuracy than the Colts, SWs, or Rugers . But they were much pricier too. If they had ever made them in stainless steel I'd have bought one.

 

[The Heretic]

But they were much pricier too. If they had ever made them in stainless steel I'd have bought one.

Back when I was in college (82-83'?) and I had my DW 44, the factory sales rep came to the LGS in Eugene (Starvin Marvin?) and I asked when DW was going to make a SS version of their revolvers. He said not anytime soon. A year later DW rolled out the SS revolvers.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Wow! What a beauty!
I've never had a DW revolver. Back when the DW family was making them they had a consistent reputation for greater accuracy than the Colts, SWs, or Rugers . But they were much pricier too. If they had ever made them in stainless steel I'd have bought one.

Way back in 1996 I bought a brand new in the box Mod-15 Dan Wesson .44 in stainless, it was one of the best shootin irons I had ever had, I stupidly sold it and had to wait 20 years to find another one to replace it with! compared to the Colt Anaconda, it does shoot more accurately, but the Colt sure feels nice in the hand! Weight is about the same, but I really like the way the DW draws and shoots on that first double action shot, and THAT makes it much better then any other I have ever tried! I sure do move my Anaconda ( An Pythons) but damn, that DW sure shoots lights out!
This Alaskan is every bit as slick as the Mod-15, just a bit heavier in hand, but still shoots smooth and carries well, you really don't notice the weight, and recoil is a big nothing, feels like a .357 mag, very controllable and that makes for a very fast follow up if needed!

Then there is the Metaba Unica 6 in .454, we won't even talk about that here, the OP wanted affordable, the Metaba is many things, affordable ain't one of those! LOL
Still, for .454, it's unbeatably fast, and more accurate then most are capable of!

 

[OldBroad44]

Married with 3 kids under ten. I just started watching his channel the other day, the 10mm guy right?I have some friends around Homer and some in Wasilla. Also some job opportunities in Seward and Valdez. Also looking at summer work up North. The depression aspect you bring up is worrisome...

Many people used to suffer serious depression every winter. There are specialized lights you can get to treat it that has completely fixed winter depression for many. These are lights on timers that go on at the right time in the morning and blast you with exactly the right wavelengths of light to convince your brain that its time to get up, and there are things worth getting up for. These are medical devices, not ordinary lights.

I think bright indoor lighting also helps. I've occasionally had people criticize me for leaving bright lights on all over my house in winter. My response "I'd rather spend a little electricity than get nothing done all winter." I'm apparently not light sensitive enough to need the medical lights. But ordinary bright light matters. And it matters that the lights are on in the whole house, not just the room I'm working in. With just one room lit, every time I go from one room to another I feel like a bear that has got up in the middle of winter, poked her nose out of the cave, then said, "Grrrrr. It's still cold and dark. F this! I'm gonna hibernate some more!"

 

[OldBroad44]

Thank you very much everyone here seems to go above and beyond helping me out. Don't worry I am aware of muzzle brakes and porting and find them to be a miserable invention.
I just found out about the Redhawk in 45 colt/ACP and they come with a 4.2 inch barrel. I am going to continue searching for a 5 inch 454 and your information was very helpful. But the 45 colt Redhawk is a good option if I can't find one shortly, it can take loads that I would say are stout enough for bear and moose. I wouldn't be able to chamber the 454 cartridges I typically keep in my rifle but my rifle feeds and shoots the 45 colt very well and buffalo bore +p is loaded pretty close to 454.

That's one of the things I love about NWFA. Its great that I can come here and ask a question, and however weird or specialized the question, so many people here will know all about it and are happy to share.

The 45 Redhawk is akso a good option. There's much to be said for a less powerful caliber than .454 Casull for SD against bears including grizzlies. Or even the full power 45+P, which is basically equivalent in power to a .44mag but with a fatter and maybe heavier bullet. In fact, one line of argument goes that the optimal .44mag load for defense against grizzlies isn't even a full 1100 - 1200 full power standard hunting load but instead a toned down .44mag bullet at about 800 - 1000 ft. lbs. All this assumes a proper bear load, a heavy hard cast bullet with a wide flat nose with sharp edges. The argument goes, all handgun loads are wimpy compared with a high power rifle load. Even a heart shot with a high power rifle that completely shreds the bears heart is not instantly incapacitating. It takes the bear a few seconds to die, and if he is close he can be on you and kill you with those few seconds. You need to instantly incapacitate the bear. And only a brain or spine shot will do that. The spine is a small iffy target. So basically you need to hit the bear in the head over the brain. And if the bear is charging, what you need is a gun/caliber that you can shoot with either hand, since the bear may be chewing on the other arm. And the bear loads are all heavy hard cast bullets with wide flat noses and sharp edges because that is what will penetrate the thick sloped plate of the skull as a grizzly charges you without deflecting off. If there is time its also nice to have fast follow-up shots. All the .44mag commercial bear loads I've checked in 44mag are about 800-1000 ft. lbs. And I also know that I can easily control a standard 6" .44mag with either hand with loads up to 1000 ft lbs. But at 1100 I need two hands. Using that approach the best thing to carry for bear defense if you had a Toklat would not be .454. It would be a somewhat watered down .45 +P.

The other approach to bear SD is: Many bear attacks are so fast and such a surprise that one shot is all you're gonna get. So it better be the most powerful possible.

 

[CountryGent]

Then there is the Metaba Unica 6 in .454, we won't even talk about that here, the OP wanted affordable, the Metaba is many things, affordable ain't one of those! LOL
Still, for .454, it's unbeatably fast, and more accurate then most are capable of!

Word is they are going to be made again. I have to imagine they will be crazy expensive again. But off the charts neato.