just bought a brand new tracker 627. will bring it to the range on thursday for break-in. any positive/negative reviews out there on this gun?
taurus tracker
- Thread starter tagaykoyan
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I'd love to get one. Nice gun! I'd want a .41. I just have this urge to get into .41 mag and the trackers are nice.
Have the trigger checked
I got a Rossie/Taurus 947 a couple of months ago. Being it was my first revolver purchase, I didn't have any experience as to how hard the trigger should feel. I didn't have any issues with it, but my wife had a hard time shooting DA.
Well, we were out shooting with my BIL who is an ex-marine and LEO and he said the trigger felt too hard. We had the range smith look at it and he said it was at about 14lbs which is too hard. He said that most new revolvers today have the trigger set too hard from factory because of liability issues.
Thank you lawyers
I got a Rossie/Taurus 947 a couple of months ago. Being it was my first revolver purchase, I didn't have any experience as to how hard the trigger should feel. I didn't have any issues with it, but my wife had a hard time shooting DA.
Well, we were out shooting with my BIL who is an ex-marine and LEO and he said the trigger felt too hard. We had the range smith look at it and he said it was at about 14lbs which is too hard. He said that most new revolvers today have the trigger set too hard from factory because of liability issues.
Thank you lawyers
10-13 lbs is pretty normal for any revolver. 14 doesn't sound THAT excessive. It's not how heavy it is, but how smooth it is, though lots of women don't have the strength for some of the J frames, especially. This is a reason Smith came out with lighter triggers in the Lady Smith.
Getting light on the DA on a revolver is a good way to get misfire problems, especially with hard primers like CCI. If you can't get used to shooting DA, I guess your option is single action, revolver or auto. On a revolver, just pull the hammer back and instant crisp, light trigger. Of course, that's frowned upon by gun gurus and self defense "experts", but my wife can't shoot my revolvers DA either, even my Taurus 85 which is light compared to my M66 or my Smith M10. So, I taught her to cock and fire. She shoots well single action. You do what you gotta do. She doesn't carry, was just worried about here at home when I'm gone, so we go to the range now and then together. Single action beats throwing rocks.
I have owned Rossis and have a couple now. They are a little stiffer and rougher than my Smith and Taurus revolvers, but not hard for me to shoot DA, except for that little .22. That one's rough, but good practice for the real guns...
I shoot it mostly single action when I'm serious about hitting something. My little Taurus M85UL is extremely good, though, even compared to my Smith M10 and is quite a bit easier than my Rossi M68. So, it varies, but the Rossi is not one of the better guns out of the box for DA trigger pull. At the price, you can't expect it to be, really. It's a good gun, shoots every time, quite accurate, but mine isn't a world class DA trigger.I have a 627 that I'm quite fond of, I don't find the DA trigger to be that "heavy", but will admit it's eaiser to shoot it SA though I don't shoot it as much as I would like too, so that may be why.
Actually I like the Tracker enough to have been considering picking up another one (or three) in a different caliber.
I have a Taurus 651 snubbie I like as well.
Actually I like the Tracker enough to have been considering picking up another one (or three) in a different caliber.
I have a Taurus 651 snubbie I like as well.
I built my own IWB for my revolvers with an extention to protect my tender love handles from such as sights. I also glued a piece of leather onto my Milt Sparks Summer special to keep the friggin' frackin' decocker on my Ruger from eating at my love handles.
Works great!Yes. I have the same one in Titanium that I bought new in 2002 and I loved mine for the first year and a half. It was the perfect backpacking / hiking / nightstand gun. Then the trouble started. The front of the cylinder face was getting flame cut. Huge pieces were missing. No problem with the lifetime warranty. Off it went to Taurus for $30 overnight shipping. Four months later I got it back. In less than 50 rounds it started doing the same thing again. I called Taurus and asked if they would send me a prepaid label for shipping since it had just been fixed for the same problem. Nope. Another $30 and three months later I had it back with yet another new cylinder. I stopped at Cabela's on the way to the range to test it and bought a new box of .357 ammo for it. In less than 5 shots it was cutting the face again. I called Taurus. Their answer was they had test fired it and it was fine and it couldn't be having the problem again. I threw it in the gun safe where it has been ever since. It's a $500 piece of @#%*. One of these days I will spend another $30 to ship it back and get it fixed again. Taurus has a lot of products in their catalogue that I would like to have but after my experience with this one I will never buy another Taurus.
I hope your experience turns out much better than mine.
I hope your experience turns out much better than mine.
I'll try to get a picture posted tonight so you can see what I'm talking about. The front of each chamber had deep flame cuts all around them on the face of the cylinder. On some of them they almost extended to the edge of the cylinder and were about 1/16 of an inch deep.
I own a 627 and love the gun. One thing you should do is take the side pannel off (undo the screws and the grip, then smack the grip end with a rubber mallet. That will flex the frame enough to pop the side plate off. Don't pry anything).
After that, give it a good squirt of CLP or other cleaning agent and let it drain dry. Taurus has a habit of leaving grit in their frames that will make the trigger feel horrid.
After that, you are good to go.
If the DA trigger is too heavy, get a wolf spring set for their medium Taurus framed revolver. I am running the lightest springs they sell and the trigger is wonderful. No misfires either.
As for grips, if you don't like their "ribber" grip, Hogue sells a round butt rubber grip that I currently have on mine. Taurus also started making full size combat grips for their compact frames, but I have not tried it out yet, though I want too. Round butt grips are not my favorite.
If you want really nice grips, try Nil Grips, though they cost as much as half of your gun.
After that, give it a good squirt of CLP or other cleaning agent and let it drain dry. Taurus has a habit of leaving grit in their frames that will make the trigger feel horrid.
After that, you are good to go.
If the DA trigger is too heavy, get a wolf spring set for their medium Taurus framed revolver. I am running the lightest springs they sell and the trigger is wonderful. No misfires either.
As for grips, if you don't like their "ribber" grip, Hogue sells a round butt rubber grip that I currently have on mine. Taurus also started making full size combat grips for their compact frames, but I have not tried it out yet, though I want too. Round butt grips are not my favorite.
If you want really nice grips, try Nil Grips, though they cost as much as half of your gun.
I have never seen anything like that before - Please do try to post a picture if you have one. I assume your talking about the first cylinder in the gun and not the one with only a few rounds fired .. But I have never seen one flame cut as badly as you discribe . Curious as to what ammo was being used also,and wether you have any theory as to why this happened, as this just seems so severe. If the cylinder metal were soft one would think it would not withstand the pressures ? Interesting .I think it's the Titanium used in the cylinder. They have a warning in the instructions not to use any abrasive cleaners on the cylinder face so I'm thinking they must have some kind of protective coating on it. The first time it happened it was really bad since I didn't notice it until it was already advanced. The second time I was watching for it, same with the third.
I was wrong on my ammo count. It did it in the first 14 rounds or 2 full cylinders since it's a 7 shot. You can see it clearly on the bottom chamber in photo 1. You can see it in the other photos also but I think number 1 is the clearest. This would be after two rounds were fired from that chamber. The first time it happened the cutting had progressed and deepened the way around several of the cylinders.
The ammo was S&B 158gr FMJ this time. Last time it was with Black Hills first run 158gr SJHP. The first was with various brands. A picture of the remaining ammo, the box, and the receipt from Cabela's is attached as well.
I was wrong on my ammo count. It did it in the first 14 rounds or 2 full cylinders since it's a 7 shot. You can see it clearly on the bottom chamber in photo 1. You can see it in the other photos also but I think number 1 is the clearest. This would be after two rounds were fired from that chamber. The first time it happened the cutting had progressed and deepened the way around several of the cylinders.
The ammo was S&B 158gr FMJ this time. Last time it was with Black Hills first run 158gr SJHP. The first was with various brands. A picture of the remaining ammo, the box, and the receipt from Cabela's is attached as well.
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Wuchac,
I have the same gun and have run plenty of rounds through it with no problems. It is the most accurate 357 in my collection which includes a Python, Mod 65, Mod 19, Speed Six, Taurus 66, Taurus 617 and Security Six. It could be half as accurate as the Python and I would still carry it out in the stix because it is so light.
Sorry that the one you have stinks and has problems. Looking at your pics it looks like you might have a problem either with the forcing cone or bbl/cyl alignment. "Field Rods" can be used to check the bbl/cyl alignment. If you don't have a set then a local gunsmith should have one for 357/38. Run it down the bore and check it. The forcing cone is tough to eyeball. You can check for "back splat" or "spitting" by taking the gun back to the range and firing it with a piece of cardboard on either side of the bbl/cyl gap, (about 4" away). If you have an excess spitting signature on the card board pieces then you defintitely have a problem with the bbl/cyl gap or forcing cone.
Taurus makes great guns but you can have a whole lot of fun with them if you have a problem. My 617 had problems locking on cylinders after dropping the hammer. It took two trips back to them before they fixed it correctly. My take is that the cylinder notches were not cut correctly in the cylinder and the cylinder spun freely after firing. I think on the first trip they cleaned the gun and sent it back to me and only took me seriously when I complained again and the revolver made a second trip back to the factory. If I were you I would make some "noise" on the phone with Taurus about them making your gun right. I made some serious "noise" when my 617 came back clean but still not functioning the first time. They arranged a Fedex truck to come to my house and drop off a prepaid box for my 617 to make the second trip back to the factory.
I have the same gun and have run plenty of rounds through it with no problems. It is the most accurate 357 in my collection which includes a Python, Mod 65, Mod 19, Speed Six, Taurus 66, Taurus 617 and Security Six. It could be half as accurate as the Python and I would still carry it out in the stix because it is so light.
Sorry that the one you have stinks and has problems. Looking at your pics it looks like you might have a problem either with the forcing cone or bbl/cyl alignment. "Field Rods" can be used to check the bbl/cyl alignment. If you don't have a set then a local gunsmith should have one for 357/38. Run it down the bore and check it. The forcing cone is tough to eyeball. You can check for "back splat" or "spitting" by taking the gun back to the range and firing it with a piece of cardboard on either side of the bbl/cyl gap, (about 4" away). If you have an excess spitting signature on the card board pieces then you defintitely have a problem with the bbl/cyl gap or forcing cone.
Taurus makes great guns but you can have a whole lot of fun with them if you have a problem. My 617 had problems locking on cylinders after dropping the hammer. It took two trips back to them before they fixed it correctly. My take is that the cylinder notches were not cut correctly in the cylinder and the cylinder spun freely after firing. I think on the first trip they cleaned the gun and sent it back to me and only took me seriously when I complained again and the revolver made a second trip back to the factory. If I were you I would make some "noise" on the phone with Taurus about them making your gun right. I made some serious "noise" when my 617 came back clean but still not functioning the first time. They arranged a Fedex truck to come to my house and drop off a prepaid box for my 617 to make the second trip back to the factory.
range report
my stainless steel tracker went through a hundred 357 rounds and 50 38 spl rounds without any problem.. i love this one
my stainless steel tracker went through a hundred 357 rounds and 50 38 spl rounds without any problem.. i love this one
I would think you are correct. I can't think of anything that would/could actualy erode good metal that quickly . Perhaps some specific run of the 7 shot titanium cylinders are somehow problematic ?
It's hard to tell from the photo wether there is erosion or fouling residue. Fouling would be rather normal and would clean off of course. The actual erosion is both disturbing and puzzeling .
I have a Titanium in .32 Magnum and have had no such problem.
I have a friend who wanted an S&W 4" 66 for eons, but wouldn't part with the funds for one of the last batch, which, oddly, had the same two-piece barrel as the 66's replacement, the 620. Well, they are all gone now - and a 620 is $589 locally. He bought a Taurus blued 66 two weeks ago.
I convinced him to remove the grip and flood it with aerosol RemOil, hoping to remove the leftover manufacturing grit & grime. He also dry-fired it quite a bit - the trigger 'eased' considerably. I ordered him a Wolff spring kit - and installed the midrange hammer spring Monday. Wow - the greatest difference in DA pull I've ever seen in just a spring change - that OEM spring is stiff. It popped all of the ammo he had with him 100% reliably, as it did yesterday when he bought it more 'real' .357M's. He was impressed... and I, as he calls me, an S&W 'snob', was as well. He will likely not wear it out, as he shoots mainly .38's. It was a great value locally, at $329 new from a dealer.
A friend at the range bought a new Taurus 1911, feature laden, from another dealer earlier this week - for <$500. He has Les Baers, SDI's, Kimbers, etc. He has it up for sale already... although he loves it. Why sell it? He hates the gold emblazoned name on it - finds it embarassing at the range!
Finally, my experiences as a public RO. Two different examples of the Ti .44 Special snubby, a closeout special several years ago locally, had the same 'jamming' problem - they couln't launch more than thirty 200gr Blazers without jamming, a combo of too tight tolerances and too much roughness, I suppose. Allowed to cool, they would continue to function some more without cleaning. Second, the .454 'Raging Bull' - loud, not a good grip, and felt like it was at it's max with minimal .454's. My .454 SRH was far easier to shoot - not as loud (Taurus would port a BB gun...) - and a sixshooter. Finally, the 4" .45ACP SS tracker. Neat gun - too much headspace slop, as some will take Auto Rims and some won't.
So, yes they work well - if you get a good one. That 4410, aka 'The Judge', looks interesting... I just wouldn't test the SAAMI spec limits regularly in any Taurus... and I'd clean it regularly.
Stainz
I convinced him to remove the grip and flood it with aerosol RemOil, hoping to remove the leftover manufacturing grit & grime. He also dry-fired it quite a bit - the trigger 'eased' considerably. I ordered him a Wolff spring kit - and installed the midrange hammer spring Monday. Wow - the greatest difference in DA pull I've ever seen in just a spring change - that OEM spring is stiff. It popped all of the ammo he had with him 100% reliably, as it did yesterday when he bought it more 'real' .357M's. He was impressed... and I, as he calls me, an S&W 'snob', was as well. He will likely not wear it out, as he shoots mainly .38's. It was a great value locally, at $329 new from a dealer.
A friend at the range bought a new Taurus 1911, feature laden, from another dealer earlier this week - for <$500. He has Les Baers, SDI's, Kimbers, etc. He has it up for sale already... although he loves it. Why sell it? He hates the gold emblazoned name on it - finds it embarassing at the range!
Finally, my experiences as a public RO. Two different examples of the Ti .44 Special snubby, a closeout special several years ago locally, had the same 'jamming' problem - they couln't launch more than thirty 200gr Blazers without jamming, a combo of too tight tolerances and too much roughness, I suppose. Allowed to cool, they would continue to function some more without cleaning. Second, the .454 'Raging Bull' - loud, not a good grip, and felt like it was at it's max with minimal .454's. My .454 SRH was far easier to shoot - not as loud (Taurus would port a BB gun...) - and a sixshooter. Finally, the 4" .45ACP SS tracker. Neat gun - too much headspace slop, as some will take Auto Rims and some won't.
So, yes they work well - if you get a good one. That 4410, aka 'The Judge', looks interesting... I just wouldn't test the SAAMI spec limits regularly in any Taurus... and I'd clean it regularly.
Stainz
I have a taurus tracker 357 that I have owned since 2002. Its been a reliable, accurate, trouble free gun. I like the 7 shot cylinder, the matte stainless finish, and the ported barrel really takes the bite out of the recoil. I'd recommend this revolver.
weregunner
Member
Own Taurus revolvers and thought to drop by for a reason. There is a new Taurus forum at www.taurusarmed.net. The old Taurusforum.com has become history due to another forum moving. The other forum has the domain name and Taurus forum.com does not. When it's sister site moves to a new server, Taurusforum.com ceases to exist in a few months, maybe sooner. There is also an inhouse section for Rossi owners at the new place. Have had nothing but sterling service from my Taurus revolvers. Models 65,66,85CH and 94. Thought you should know for those interested in the new forum.
I sent it back to Taurus for repair on June 5, 2007 with a letter detailing the timelines of the problems I have had with this 627T. I also mentioned that with the initial purchase price and three trips back to customer service I now have over $700 into this piece of c**p.
I just received it back today August 8, 2007. That's NINE weeks. Here's the best part. They didn't acknowledge the letter and they adjusted the hand but didn't replace the cylinder that has flame cuts out to the edge. I cannot ever recall being so disgusted with a company over their product or service. Looks like I get to call them tomorrow to discuss what the options are for getting this fixed.
Taurus sure has gone out of their way to make me despise their company and their products.
I just received it back today August 8, 2007. That's NINE weeks. Here's the best part. They didn't acknowledge the letter and they adjusted the hand but didn't replace the cylinder that has flame cuts out to the edge. I cannot ever recall being so disgusted with a company over their product or service. Looks like I get to call them tomorrow to discuss what the options are for getting this fixed.
Taurus sure has gone out of their way to make me despise their company and their products.
Hello wuchak ,
I remember this thread and I am sorry to hear you still have a problem with the cylinder face on your gun.
I was very skeptical that you could get the type of flame cutting you mentioned and we posted back and forth a little bit back then.
You know, I have to say that I am still skeptical that what you are seeing is flame cutting. I still can't imagine any cylinder metal errosion happening that quickly . I don't mean to question the issue in a manner that suggests you are incorrect, but - and here comes the BUT ! I would suggest that perhaps you let a good pistol smith take a glance at your gun. Staining from powder burning gases is rather normal, and shows up as streaks that you may be interpreting incorrectly. An independant evaluation by a smith may be able to clear up any confusion, or/and give you a back-up voice to your complaint.
I remember this thread and I am sorry to hear you still have a problem with the cylinder face on your gun.
I was very skeptical that you could get the type of flame cutting you mentioned and we posted back and forth a little bit back then.
You know, I have to say that I am still skeptical that what you are seeing is flame cutting. I still can't imagine any cylinder metal errosion happening that quickly . I don't mean to question the issue in a manner that suggests you are incorrect, but - and here comes the BUT ! I would suggest that perhaps you let a good pistol smith take a glance at your gun. Staining from powder burning gases is rather normal, and shows up as streaks that you may be interpreting incorrectly. An independant evaluation by a smith may be able to clear up any confusion, or/and give you a back-up voice to your complaint.
Hi Mnrvrt,
If I hadn't seen the exact same thing happen on two previous cylinders I would agree with you. In fact on the first one I thought it was just dirty but it turned out there were deep grooves cut around each cylinder. On the second one I checked after each shot and watched incredulously as it progressed through about 15 rounds from the small grooves to major channel. Then I sent it back. This time it took 5 rounds to appear and I stopped shooting it. Depending on the outcome of tomorrow's call I will go run some more rounds through that chamber. I guarantee it will be a toothpick width depth channel by the tenth one. If I do go shoot it I'll post updated pictures.
If I hadn't seen the exact same thing happen on two previous cylinders I would agree with you. In fact on the first one I thought it was just dirty but it turned out there were deep grooves cut around each cylinder. On the second one I checked after each shot and watched incredulously as it progressed through about 15 rounds from the small grooves to major channel. Then I sent it back. This time it took 5 rounds to appear and I stopped shooting it. Depending on the outcome of tomorrow's call I will go run some more rounds through that chamber. I guarantee it will be a toothpick width depth channel by the tenth one. If I do go shoot it I'll post updated pictures.
I've had my stainless Tracker .357 for several years (bought it when they first came out). I really like it. It's been quite reliable and shoots well.
I'm not a fan of titanium guns for the most part (although my carry piece, a model 85, has a titanium cylinder/barrel shroud) unless you really, really need a light weight handgun.
I'm not a fan of titanium guns for the most part (although my carry piece, a model 85, has a titanium cylinder/barrel shroud) unless you really, really need a light weight handgun.
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