Just wanted to share the excitment with people who may give a hoot. Told a guy at work today and he just didn't feel the excitment. HAHA!
I just ordered the .454SS6M today with 6 1/2 inch barrel. I live in California and the handgun laws here make it hard to have a wide selection. This gun is currently going through DOJ testing and approval as we speak. I have been waiting for this gun for tooooooo long. I'm going to use it for wild boar hunting and as a back-up for when the boars run at you at distances too close for my rifle. Can't wait to reload and shoot that thing. I liked how balanced the 6 1/2 barrel felt. Hopefully it will be here within 2 weeks.

Purchased the Bianchi 7001 5B Holster today as it seems to be the only holster available. I am really looking for a holster that will fit on my upper leg, but below my belt line. The pack I carry has wide padded straps that wrap around my waist and leave little room for a belt holster. I don't want to attach my gun to the pack because just this year I had to drop my pack twice to get the job done with these hogs. Any ideas?

This last weekend I shot my friends 500 S&W with two different rounds. That thing is insane and to make a quick follow-up shot if needed, would have to be practiced to be perfected. You know you're hanging out with the wrong crowd when you feel whimpy for packing the .454 Casull. :)

AJ

Good for you! A new cannon is always fun.... enjoy.

I'm sure you'll enjoy you Taurus, as I've enjoyed mine for a number of years. Only comment is "don't be as dumb as I was and try to put a scope on it." Didn't occur to me tha the 6 1/2" barrel would put the front of the scope directly over the ports.....took the blueing off and the front sight put a nice crease in the scope. There was clearance between the front sight and scope, but apparently the recoil causes the scope to flex more than expected.

Dan

You're not being whimpy at all. The .454 will turn your wrist to an aching throbbing arthritic pile of jelly once you stand at the range and run through a box or two of shells. But you'll be smiling from ear to ear the whole time and by the end of the session everyone at the range will be looking to see who is making all of the noise :D

Seriously though, I've shot both and I think the weight of the S&W, combined with the cartridge configuration seems to make the recoil kind of roll and push at you rather than the sharp recoil of the .454. One thing I like about comparing the two however is the ability to shoot .45 Long Colts in the Taurus. With the heft of that pistol the .45 LC's feel like you are shooting a .22, even my wife can tame the beast.

Have fun, and brush your teeth before you go to the range, because everyone is going to see them :D

454er...you should have a whole new definition of recoil on the horizon. Enjoy!

cooter...are you the same cooter that is known to play with pointy sticks and bent peices of wood? If so, nice to see you here also.

Scotty

454er...you should have a whole new definition of recoil on the horizon. Enjoy!

cooter...are you the same cooter that is known to play with pointy sticks and bent peices of wood? If so, nice to see you here also.

Scotty


Must be a differnet guy Coldfingers, all my toys go BANG.

I love my taurus RBSS6" .454! Be prepared for sore shoulders and a bruised hand! Its all worth it though when the whole range stops to see what that sound is!

If you are going to use it for backup on hogs "when they are too close for the rifle" I hope you are going to practice a lot with a quick draw holster, otherwise by the time you drop the rifle and draw it is probably going to be too late. But with that round no reason you can't use it as the primary with the rifle as backup.

If you are going to use it for backup on hogs "when they are too close for the rifle" I hope you are going to practice a lot with a quick draw holster, otherwise by the time you drop the rifle and draw it is probably going to be too late. But with that round no reason you can't use it as the primary with the rifle as backup.


I see the logic; however, it's hard to decide because of the style of terrain I hunt in. I hunt in wide open rolling hills with oaks scattered throughout the bottom of canyons. So the first shots have always been at distances 150 yards and out. Plus I don't really want to have my riffle strapped to my pack. Any ideas? If I was in thick cover the handgun would be my primary weapon for sure. Either way I have learned a handgun is needed for sure.

I learned the hard way, that I should have been packing a handgun while pig hunting. The first occurance was being too optimistic while tracking a group of pigs working a ridge line. I was hunting alone this day and to keep up with them, I dropped my pack off and hunted with my .300 short mag and the bullets in it (4 total). What a mistake! After I fired the first shot and dropped the first pig, half of the group ran towards me and the others ran across the second ridge line 150 yards away. I fired my second shot at the pigs heading towards me and missed. They were way to close and scope was on 14 power. Durrrrrrrrrr...Luckily they ran right past me. Third shot was at the pig running full speed on second ridge line 150-180 yards away. Hit the pig in the rear leg. The sucker looked over at me, paused for a second and charged me while dragging it's back end. I was in complete shock. I pulled up to fire my last round and couldn't find the pig in the scope...I resorted to a hip shot at the last second while jumping to the side, but missed again...I couldn't believe it. So there I was out of bullets holding a rifle (poking stick) and the pig for whatever reason stopped right in front of me in a daze. I'm assuming the Vias muzzle break blew it's ear drums. We stared at each other for about 10 seconds. The thing was popping its jaw and looking at me. I will never forget this day. To make a long story short...I ended up having to stone the pig to death...it took me three tries and I finished it off with a knife through the ribs. I think my wife is considering opening up an insurance policy on me. :)

The second occurance was when a friend and I were in open country and the dogs had a sow by the nose....she was making the loudest screem and we were in the middle of complete drama. While being focussed on the sow. At the last minute we heard what sounded like a small version of a stampede. We turned around and two huge boars were running right us. My riffle was worthless and my friend got hit full speed (25-30 mph) by one of the boars with his 500 S&W in hand. The boar ripped his loose fitted pants from angle up to knee. However he still went flying 10 feet and the gun went flying 20 feet. Luckily the dogs let the sow loose and jumped on the boars while they came back for more. As the sow ran away, my friend finished the boars off after retrieving his handgun. For whatever reason...these are the two hunting trips that keep me going back for more.

All the other pigs I have shot have been far off...so the odds still favor the rifle. It would just be nice to have both ready to go...but that just isn't posible. I like the idea of having the handgun as primary; however, I would have not been able to take all the others pigs at longer distances. Hard to stock up close when the country is pretty much open. I'll keep practicing the quick draw for sure.

So I take it you hunt pigs with just a handgun. How is that working for you?

AJ

No can't claim any experience of my own. But have read most everything I can becouse I do want to go. My reasoning is when they are charging and too close for the rifle there would be little time to draw. However, based on your last post why not a lower magnification on the scope so the rifle is usable longer.

No can't claim any experience of my own. But have read most everything I can becouse I do want to go. My reasoning is when they are charging and too close for the rifle there would be little time to draw. However, based on your last post why not a lower magnification on the scope so the rifle is usable longer.


It all boils down to my lack of experience at that time. Just when I think I have learned it all...something new comes up to take me by surprise. I currently have the Leupold Vari-X III 4.5-14X, mil dot, illuminated reticle scope. I always have it set on 14 power due to the terrain I hunt in. Then when the excitment starts...I get wrapped up in the action and forget to dial the scope down to 4.5 power. Plus in the back of my mind I'll say..."I won't need to take another shot". Well as you can see that second occurance with the two boars showing up to protect the sow was something I had never considered. So as I go hunting more and more, I will learn to make smarter decisions like adjusting the scope down to 4.5 power. Ever since that last problem with the boars I have always carried a handgun with me. But go figure...now I have been out 4 or 5 times ready to take on the unexpected, but have not spotted any wild pigs.

Kinda reminds me of full coverage insurance...you wreck your truck, wish you would have had full coverage insurance. So after it gets fixed and you pay cash for it, then you sign up for full coverage and pay higher insurance fees, but go the rest of your life without another accident. Then you look back and say "look at all the money I blew on insurance". Ahhhhhh the joys of life.

Another good reason for needing a handgun that I failed to mention was when I was packing pig meet out 7 miles and about 2 miles from the truck I heard a sound turned around and saw that I was being stocked by a bobcat. Good thing he ran off when I turned around. After walking that terrain with that much weight I'm sure my reflexes would have been average at best and even if the scope was set on 4.5 power I wouldn't have had a chance in the dark. For anybody who has a wife who doesn't want you to spend the extra money to purchase another gun (such as a handgun for back-up) just tell them about my past experiences and how lucky I was to get off without harm. Hope it helps.



AJ

You know that is one of the reasons I like this and other boards like this we can learn from others and people like you who share their experiences give those who haven't done it some insight so we can prepare properly