Taurus Shrinks the 350 Legend Raging Hunter to 8 3/8 Inches
Taurus has added an 8 3/8-inch barrel to its 350 Legend Raging Hunter, giving the six-shot revolver a compact option alongside the existing 10-inch and 14-inch versions. The short-barrel model puts a straight-wall rifle cartridge in a handgun that hunters can holster, carry through brush and point quickly. Taurus says customers asked for a more maneuverable version, and the company built the new barrel to meet that request. The revolver is now the most handy configuration in the line, and it is the first Raging Hunter that reads as a revolver rather than a carbine with the stock removed.
Key Details
The published specifications give a clear picture of the new model:
- Barrel length: 8 3/8 inches, with a stainless steel barrel on the two-tone version
- Overall length: 14.8 inches (37.6 cm)
- Weight: 55 oz (1,559 g) unloaded
- Width: 1.80 inches (4.6 cm)
- Height: 6.6 inches (16.8 cm)
- Capacity: six rounds of 350 Legend
- Action: double action/single action, with a transfer bar safety
- Sights: fixed front, fully adjustable rear
- Finish: alloy steel frame and cylinder in matte black or matte black oxide
- Lock-up: Taurus Double Lock System, securing the cylinder at both ends
- Recoil management: factory porting, a gas expansion chamber and a cushioned insert grip
The 350 Legend is rimless, so the Raging Hunter runs full moon clips. Taurus has not published velocity figures for the short barrel. The company also highlights the 2019 American Hunter Handgun of the Year Golden Bullseye Award earned by the Raging Hunter line.
Background
The 350 Legend cartridge arrived as a response to deer hunting rules in states that limit centerfire rifles to straight-walled cases. Winchester introduced the round in 2019 for those restricted hunters. Its design centers on rifle barrels in the 16- to 20-inch range, where it delivers the velocity needed for ethical deer harvest. Handgun chamberings in the same cartridge gave hunters in those states another legal path, but early revolvers were long, heavy carbine-style builds. The original Raging Hunter followed that pattern. Taurus then expanded the line to 10- and 14-inch barrels, and the 8 3/8-inch model now sits at the short end of the family. The change is a barrel and length adjustment, not a new frame. Shorter barrels trade velocity for handling, and that trade is the core question with this gun.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
Hunters in straight-wall-only states get the biggest benefit. A revolver chambered in 350 Legend lets them carry a sidearm for field dispatch or a backup gun that matches the ammunition already in their truck. The 8 3/8-inch barrel matters for anyone who carries a handgun in a vehicle, a blind or a pack, because it shortens the gun without moving to a different cartridge. Owners who already have a 10-inch or 14-inch model should check their local regulations before assuming the new version qualifies for the same use, since handgun rules for hunting vary by state and by season. Before buying, shoot the gun with your intended load. A short barrel reduces velocity, and you need to know what your ammunition does at 8 3/8 inches, not what the rifle does at 20.
DownRange Analysis
The 8 3/8-inch Raging Hunter makes sense as a hunting handgun, but it is not a self-defense gun in the Bruen sense. Bruen protects arms in common use for lawful purposes, and a hunting revolver in a specialized rifle cartridge will not carry that argument far in most courts. Its strength is practical: a six-shot revolver with moon clips reloads faster than a loose-round wheelgun, and the lock-up and recoil features should make it manageable for experienced shooters. The 55-ounce unloaded weight is heavy for a carry gun, so this revolver earns its place in a truck console, a hunting pack or a holster on a stand, not on a belt all day. My advice: test it with a chronograph before you trust it on game, buy a few boxes of ammunition you can verify, and confirm your state's handgun hunting rules before you take it into the field.
