Report on Taurus 62 and a question

[Murnax]

I got a Taurus 62 pump-action .22 this weekend for my birthday, and let me tell you it is sweet! My brother and I put 100-150 rounds or so through it with no problems on Saturday, and it was a blast. I'd highly recommend picking one of these up if you're interested in a pump .22.

The only aspect of it that I don't like is that you can only pump the action if it is decocked. When I shoot through one magazine its cocked when I'm finished, and then after reloading the tube you have to decock before you can chamber another round. But thats really just a minor annoyance.

At the show where I got it I saw a few rifles with what I think were fiber optic sights on them. They were about an inch long tubes, 2 green in the rear and a red one for the front sight. I'd really like to get a set of these for the Taurus, but I'm not having much luck finding them online. Does anybody know if they make these for the Taurus 62? For anyone thinking of purchasing a Taurus 62, the standard sights are actually quite good. I'd just like to give the fiber optics a try.

 

[Jim K]

I can't help with the sight, but your rifle is functioning the way it should, and the way the original (Winchester) Model 62 does. The idea is to make sure the bolt is forward and locked before the gun can be fired. Normally, detection of an empty magazine is by the hammer falling without a round firing, so I am not sure how you leave the rifle cocked when it is empty. (No, it will not hurt the rifle to drop the hammer on an empty chamber; it is made to work that way.)

Jim

 

[Murnax]

Oh, well thats an extraordinarily good piece of information to know. I thought it would be bad to have the hammer drop on an empty chamber, so I'd been pinching the hammer and riding it down to decock, but if I can just let it drop then that isn't much of a nuisance. Thanks for the info.

 

[goon]

You can open the action without lowering the hammer all the way down. All you have to do is puth on the firing pin with your thumb while you work the slide with your other hand.

 

[MrMurphy]

Either Williams or Marble makes a tang sight (aperature) which helps with accuracy. It's the same rear sight type used by Tom Selleck in Quigley Down Under.

 

[Jim K]

Goon is correct; it is the firing pin moving forward that releases the action bar. I just never bother doing it that way, since dropping the hammer is no big deal. The firing pin is made (or should be made) so it cannot contact the rear of the barrel.

It is possible damage to the rear of the barrel at the chamber edge that is the reason people say not to drop the hammer on a rimfire rifle or pistol. But all modern actions have sturdy and reliable firing pin stops that prevent that from happening.

Jim