hi to everyone, this is my first post on this site, i"ve just been reading and learning in the background up to now.
i"m currently purchasing a 8 3/8 .44 raging bull. this is my first big bore(bigger than 9mm) handgun, and will be primarily for target shooting(and possibly hunting eventually)
i have saw some older posts on the forum mentioning indexing and cylinder gap problems.
what is the general consesus now on quality of
raging series revolvers? a few friends have .38/357 taurus revolvers that will give anything else a good run foe their money.
am i buying a good gun?

I'd go with a Ruger Super Redhawk in either the 7.5" or 9.5" barrel. Great gun - it won't let you down, and it can handle anything you'd probably ever dream of feeding it. The Ruger SRH isn't a "pretty" gun to look at, but I like to think that's only because it wasn't made to be looked at.

The SRH has a great trigger (for a Ruger) out of the box, but with a good action job you can make it something truly nice.

Plus, it comes free with scope rings ready to mount, so if you ever thought of putting a scope on one, it's ready when you are - just add scope.

All in all, I don't think you can go wrong with a SRH.

I own a Taurus .44 too (their original .44, not the RB), and I've put a lot of rounds through both of them. I've never had a problem with my Taurus, but I prefer the Ruger.

too late! i"ve ordered the RB, and i can"t go back now! ruger srh would have been my second choice, but i"m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to finish and materials.i don"t like stainless, nomatter how practical it is. my rifles are wooden stocked, and my pistols are all steel.(except my tanfoglio .22 semi)
so i"m getting a raging bull, and i"m going to have to like it!

I have a RB in 454 and find it to be very accurate. I think you'll like it.

I bought a RB in .44 a couple years ago, it being my second handgun at the time (#1 is a H&K USP compact in .40S&W) I like shooting 240 XTPs for deer andgot my first buck ever 2 years ago. Put a set of Wolf springs in it and don't look back. Unless you've shot some real nice custom guns with real slick actions, the RB will shoot better than you can.

If you're thinking about any optics, the factory scope mount works ok. I have a 2x M-8 Leupold on mine. I'm making my own scope mount so if you're looking for a factory mount let me know.

thanks for your post Bill, i"m a little more encouraged now!. custom guns? slick actions? i wish!! i"m afraid those are"nt for the poor and dirty masses! i live in U.K.,
Northern Ireland to be precise. luckily we survived the handgun ban that the rest of the UK suffered a few years ago. it"s not legal to hunt with a handgun in the UK, although we do have some advantages over you guys. i just got home from shooting three fallow does with my .308(rifle). with 6 different species of deer, there"s always something in season somewhere in the UK, so with a lot of begging, dealing, sneaking around and downright just having to pay for it, we can get a fair bit of deer shooting. i lived in Canada for a while and shot white tails, but handguns are very restricted there. i"m toying with the idea of
going to the US to hunt (with handgun)sometime in the next few years. i"ll just have to see how i shoot with the RB! i should have it in the next few weeks(the licensing system here can take months, even years!) i"ll post again when i get to shoot it.

I have a RB in .454 with a six inch barrel. I love it and it shoots great. My brother has the SRH in .454. It is a good shooter too, but the cylinder locks up on it. He said he was going to send it back to Ruger. I don't know if has as if yet.

Got both RB 454 and SRH 454 and like the Ruger better for it's finish and fitting. The Bull has a very loose lockup with the cylinder rocking quite a bit while the Ruger has a very tight lockup with a solid high quality feel. With that said, either one is good shooter and perfect for deer and pig hunting.

Am Looking at the RB because of barrel length. I am not tall and a 7" + is not easy. Have an old super blackhawk and even cross draw is just ok .Have 5 1/2 RH and love it. Would buy RH in that size in a 500 in a second if there is one out there

yes, invader, i know what you mean. i"m a bit "vertically challenged" myself!
how much are you planning on carrying this revolver? i"m primarily buying the 8 3/8" RB for fun, as i already have a couple of "sensible" pistols. i ordered the RB with a local dealer.it"s arrived, but i can"t pick it up yet because of our crap licensing system(i"m in northern ireland)
i"ve handled it, and it"s a huge handgun! i"ve ordered an "uncle mike"s" belt holster, but
it"s not the kind of gun you"d carry as a sidearm (2nd to a longarm) unless you"re tall.
besides the weight, it"s just a big gun. i have
"inside the pants" holsters for my autos, but you"d have to pull you"re pants down to pull an RB out of there!(if that does"nt scare bad guys and bears, i don"t know what will!)

quote:

---

Originally posted by invader66:
Am Looking at the RB because of barrel length. I am not tall and a 7" + is not easy. Have an old super blackhawk and even cross draw is just ok .Have 5 1/2 RH and love it. Would buy RH in that size in a 500 in a second if there is one out there

---

There are several gunsmiths that can build a 5" 500 on a RH frame, Hamilton Bowen, Jack Huntington, Gary Reeder.

Thanks for the good imput. I was showed a RB in a .480 or.454 with a 5". Looked nice. I still wish Ruger made a 5 shot RH in 5 to 5 1/2. in .480, 454, or 500 and get down of that big SRH. Some of us just are not that big but don't mind the kick of a heavy.

well i finally got it!
.44 mag, 8 3/8 raging bull. i absolutely love it! shot it last night, and was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy and controlability.
i shot about 70 rds of 240 gr magtech in a couple of hours while shooting 9mm in between.
the RB is far more accurate than my 9mm, and that was the first time i fired it. great trigger and grip. great sights. would have kept shooting but the range was closing!
i"m new to big bore revolvers, but so far i would definately recommend the raging bull!
i need a plinking load for one club i"m in with a 475 ft/lb max limit. i"m using blue dot in my 9mm. i was thinking about 9 gr with a 240 lead. anybody got any thoughts on this?

Brass Thief

I was looking at a .44 mag, 8 3/8 raging bull but deciding to go for more power I decided on the 454. After I had ordered and purchased it the Range won't let me shoot it they said it would damage there back stop, so much for being able to practice indoors. I have shot it a lot at Cheney lake outdoor target range. I did manage to take a deer with it a couple of years ago. I learned the hard way that power doesn’t make up for bullet placement. My deer went about 300yrds before lying down to bleed out. I shot it through the side with a 240/250XTP Mag it did not expand even at about 1600fps. I figured that with that much power the deer would drop dead in its tracks.

Good luck and practice often.

hi swede,
i went for the .44 for the same reason, as i have to download even the .44 for one of the clubs i shoot in.
i was amazed at the accuracy of the .44, i wish i could shoot as well with my 9mm! the gun is as accurate as i can ever hope to hold. handgun hunting is"nt legal here in Northern Ireland, but maybe someday i can take it somewhere i can hunt with it.i could get it put on my permit for "humane dispatch" of wounded deer, but it"s too big to carry when hunting primarily with a rifle.
i was looking at a .454 ruger recently, and i was"nt impressed. nice gun, but smaller than the RB, with a slimmer barrel, no ports, and not as good a grip.i"ve not shot the .454, but i can only imagine. i can comfortably shoot up to 100 rounds (of .44)over a couple of hours at the range, with no ill affects.like you say, all the power in the world is no good if you can"t shoot accurately and comfortably.
happy hunting

When I bought a S Redhawk I looked at the RB but decided on the SRH. I sold the SRH because I did not like it and could not keep a scope on it. I wish I would have bought the Raging Bull.

I have a RB 454 and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. The RB is very accurate out of the box and you can get Winchester partition gold ammo for it that is out of this world. I dropped a 260lb boar about a week ago with it, one shot, 3 small steps. A fellow hunter shot a 210lb boar 3 times with a hot loaded 44 before it went down, leg then spine and finally chest.

glad to hear u like the RB, i"m still in love with mine!
an accurate, beautiful, and well made gun, a real joy to shoot.
mine"s a .44, as i don"t have a range approved for .454 energies, but i"m working on that!