Shot Show Industry Day saw a lot of new Revolvers from Taurus. Despite a gathering thunderstorm blowing into the area, we got to take some shots with these neat new wheelguns before lightning struck. Let’s take an initial look at the lineup!
[SHOT 2023] Lots of New Revolvers from Taurus and Rossi
1. Taurus Raging Hunter .500 Magnum
Get ready for the biggest, raging-est hunter yet, because Taurus is bringing the .500S&W to their Raging Hunter revolver line. Per Taurus:
The Raging Hunter is now available in the most powerful factory revolver round: The 500 Magnum! Hunters have been asking for their favorite revolver in 500 Magnum, and now it’s here. This Raging Hunter comes with all the features you’re used to, but now with all the terminal ballistics of the 500.
Shooting the Taurus Raging Hunter .500 was a nice experience. A long, but smooth double action trigger pull launched Underwood’s spicy yet light 325gr load downrange, clanging into steel with authority. Thanks to the hefty weight and muzzle ports, there really wasn’t that much recoil.
[SHOT 2023] Taurus Raging Hunter .500 and 10″ .460
2. Taurus Raging HUnter 10.5″ Barrel .460S&W
Keeping with the “Bigger is Better” theme, Taurus is adding a railed 10.5″ barrel .460S&W revolver with a massive muzzle brake to their Raging Hunter lineup. Per Taurus:
Updating the Raging Hunter line with a new 10.5 inch option in .460 Magnum, this new gun features a proprietary muzzle brake to help tame recoil.
And tame it, it did. Despite being very loud, the brake plus the long barrel kept this hefty .460 pretty much on target after another accurate shot on steel.
3. Taurus 856 TORO
Taurus is bringing red dot sight capability to their revolvers with the 856 TORO. Featuring a HOLOSUN-K footprint, the 856 TORO will allow the user to mount any RDS that fits that footprint. Taurus also plans on adding this capability to other revolver lines, with a 605 TORO in the works as well. Per Taurus:
You asked and we answered: the Taurus small frame revolvers, our 605 and 856 are now the first ever factory red dot ready small frame revolvers. Using our unique revolver TORO mounting system, users can now mount their small frame red dot optics on the new 856 and 605 TORO platforms. The mount is compatible with the Holosun K-footprint for a wide variety of dot options.
The 856 TORO was a nice little shooter, and the inclusion of the low-mounted RDS was a good addition to this compact defensive revolver. We look forward to seeing more TORO revolvers in the future.
[SHOT 2023] Taurus Judge Executive Grade and 856 TORO
4. Taurus Judge Executive Grade
One of the hottest-selling revolvers of the 2010s, the Taurus Judge is now available in Executive Grade. This popular .45LC/.410 revolver will be hand-fitted, and if it’s anything like the 856 Executive Grade, will also come with a hard case. Per Taurus:
The legendary Taurus Judge joins the exclusive Executive Grade lineup. The hand-fitted action rewards the shooter with a smooth double action trigger pull for fast shots, and the crisp single action trigger pairs with the brass bar front sight for when more precision is needed. The Judge Executive Grade’s 2.5 inch cylinder still chambers popular .410 bore shotgun shells, and of course still fires the ever popular 45 Colt.
The Executive Judge has a really nice double action trigger. It felt super smooth and consistent, with zero grit, creep or stacking before it broke. This was in spite of having been shot quite a bit before we got the chance to come over to the Taurus bay. The Single action trigger was superb as well, and the solid brass bar front sight was a classy touch to this Judge.
5. Rossi RP63
Imports of .357 Rossi revolvers have been off the table since around 2018 but now they’re back with a few new revolvers. First up is the 6-shot, 3″ barrel Rossi RP63. per Rossi:
The return of a classic, modernized. The new RP63 from Rossi is a 6-shot .357 Magnum featuring a best-in-class DA/SA trigger, 3″ barrel and premium polished satin stainless finish.
The RP63 features a round-butt grip frame, perfect for concealed carry while still giving the gun great shooting characteristics. Serious revolver users have opted for round butt grip frames for concealed law enforcement work, and personal protection since the heyday of the revolver.
The Rossi RP63 was quite nice to shoot, with a roughly 4lb single action pull and a surprisingly nice double action pull. The gutter sight picture was easy enough to pick up, despite the poor lighting in the gathering storm.
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[SHOT 2023] Rossi RP63 and RM66 -
[SHOT 2023] Rossi RM66 and RP63 -
[SHOT 2023] Rossi RP63 rear sight -
[SHOT 2023] Rossi RP63 front sight -
[SHOT 2023] Rossi RM66 Rear sight -
[SHOT 2023] Rossi RM66 front sight -
[SHOT 2023] Rossi fixed firing pins
6. Rossi RM66
The next new offering from Rossi is their 6″ barrel .357 RM66, with an adjustable rear sight. It will be interesting to see what price point both Rossi revolvers will be at, being that previous Rossi imports were very reasonably priced.
The RM66’s slightly larger grip and heavier weight made it an easier shooter than the smaller RP63. The sight radius and better profile of the adjustable rear sight further aided inn making the RM66 a more pleasant shooting experience than the RP63.
7. ONe sneaky Semiauto: The Taurus TX-22 Compact
[SHOT 2023] Taurus TX22 Compact
A sneaky new semiauto made it’s way into Taurus’ new lineup this year: The TX-22 Compact. Equipped with a red dot, it was very easy to keep all of the shots from this 13-round plinker’s magazine on steel.
With so many new guns, there’s quite a few too many specs to list here. For more information, and specific specs such as weight and MSRP of each model, please visit Taurus.
TFB and TFBTV’s coverage of SHOT Show 2023 is proudly sponsored by 5.11 tactical. Click here to check out their new products.