Taurus .454 Casull

[ront]

Hi All,
While I am not a brand new member here, I have not posted much for a while and never in the revolver forums.
I am here because I received a couple of weeks ago a Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casull. This was basically a gift. My nephew was killed about a month and a half ago now when the plane he was piloting crashed in Alaska. Here is a news report.
http://aprn.org/2008/06/07/california-pilot-dies-in-crash-troopers-seeking-second-pilot/

Shaun was an extraordinary guy and a great nephew. I am going to miss him. Last summer, he spent 3 months in Alaska flying around and taking pictures. This is a link to the blog that he made with many of his pictures. This Casull and a pistol grip 12 gauge is what he carried last summer.
http://shaunlunt.typepad.com/shootings/
Anyway, long story short, his dad emailed a couple of weeks ago and said that he thought that Shaun that Shaun would like me to have one of his guns. The RB was one of 3 guns that I could choose from. I had shot the RB with Shaun, so this was an extremely easy decision for me. The RB is now in my possession.
Anyway, the main reason for this post is to ask about any info on these guns. Is there anything I need to watch for or pay particular attention to. I have read that is out shooting both .45 Colt and the >454 Casull rounds, it is best to shoot the Casull rounds first and then the .45 due to a possible build up in the cylinder that can cause possible increased pressures. I am not new to guns, but I have never had anything like this gun before. I have owned a S&W M64. M681 and a Ruger SP101.
Any suggestions would be good. Should I use snap caps when dry firing? Here are a few pics of the gun.



.454 and my wifes .38.




My daughter shooting some .45 Colt loads.


Her boyfriend shooting the .454. I love the look on his face!!


My Nephew carrying the .454 last year.


Thanks for any info, Ron

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I am sorry to hear of your nephew's fate. Glad you have a sentimental item to remember him by.

Main thing on the .454 is to clean each cylinder *thorough* towards the front after each use with .45 colt, in order to prevent the "ring" buildup which could indeed have catastrophic consequences.

It's also a good idea to polish the chambers if you're going to shoot the hottest of loads - the full-power loads. As with any revolvers, 60K+ psi can cause the brass to stick in the chamber and not extract if there are any small burrs, etc. in there - and even if not.

I would also test the timing & alignment of the cylinders before each range session - that is a beast of round to shave bullets and shoot back through the cylinder gap at you.

The RBs are good looking & accurate guns, and the rubber backstraps help to tame the recoil. That Taurus is supposed to have a 5" bbl, but it's really only about 4" plus the expansion chamber for the porting. Excellent bear defense weapon (in theory at least), which is probably why your nephew had it.

Don't forget that if you reload, you can use the same die set for .45 colt and .454 brass. You would be well-advised to use .454 casull brass, *even if* you are going to load them up with light .45 colt loads. First and foremost, this will prevent buildup of the dreaded ring. But, it will also result in less bullet jump resulting in more accuracy, and the strong brass of the .454 with such light loads means the brass will last practically forever, making their higher expense worth it.

 

[scott22]

Sorry, I have nothing to add about your Taurus other than I am glad you have a keepsake.

I just wanted to say sorry to hear about your nephew, and that after looking at his blog it looks like he lived a great life and was an outstanding photographer! Some of those pictures look like something I should be looking at in a magazine or something, absolutely amazing.

 

[454PB]

Sorry for your loss.

I bought a RB soon after they came out. Mine is the high shine and has the 6" barrel.

Not long after I got it, it began the nasty habit of dropping the cylinder open in recoil. It got gradually worse until it did it on the first shot, and dumped 4 loaded rounds on my feet. I sent it back to Taurus, and it took three months to get it back. However, it has not malfunctioned since.

I own a Ruger SRH and a Freedom Arms in .454 as well. The Taurus shoots as well as either of the others.

I don't use shorter cases in ANY of my revolvers. No .38 special in .357 or .44 special in .44 magnum. Long term use of those shorter cases will eventually erode the area behind the cylinder throat, even with thorough cleaning. I know of a guy that did this to the point that he started having case head separations. When I want light loads, I use .454 brass brass and light loads.

 

[gym]

The good ones go first.

 

[ront]

Thanks!!

Thanks for the information guys. I appreciate it. I am going to print this stuff off for future reference.
How about the snap caps? How necessary are they?

Thanks, Ron

 

[454PB]

No need for snap caps, unless you plan to dry fire thousands of times.

 

[retgarr]

I don't know anything about the raging bulls, but I just wanted to say I'm sad to hear abiut the loss of you nephew. As a pilot myself it is hard to hear about a fellow pilot dying doing what they loved. That is also a small comfort though. Flying a super cub in Alaska is something I intend on doing someday, it really is a special experience. I'm glad he got to live it.

 

[ront]

Thanks retgarr! Shaun was living out his dream and died doing what he loved. We could all be so lucky.

Ron

 

[Bigger is Better]

I know that there are no words to describe the sorrow you feel for your lost. And I've no words. Or rather no, one thing I have: I can say that I'm sure he lives in your heart, in your soul, in your mind.
From my heart, instead, I'm able to say you only: sorry.
Red

 

[ront]

Thanks Red!! Shaun was really a great guy. We miss him terribly, but he will never be forgotten!!!! He has left an everlasting impression.

Ron

 

[bakert]

Sorry to hear of your loss. As to dry firing, I don't know much about the newer Taurus revolvers but the older ones I have, an older model 66 and a model 85, have a warning against dry firing in the instruction booklets.