Taurus Tracker Trouble

[Uncle Alvah]

I have a 970 Tracker .22 that is about one year old and has perhaps 200-300 rounds thru it. It has developed a problem bringing the cartridge into the area in front of the firing pin. If you load a single cartridge and cock and release the action until that cartridge comes into the frame, it will jam at that point, almost as if the cartridge rim were protrouding and catching. However, if the round is loaded, cylinder closed, and the hammer withdrawn to the point where the cylinder is "free", it will spin easily with no bind or catching whatsoever. But mechanicaly cycling the action to the point of a round entering the frame is a jam everytime. ???????????

 

[Erich]

Well, here's where that lifetime warranty comes in handy!

 

[braindead0]

Yup, contact Taurus USA....should have phone number in your manual or check their website.

 

[Uncle Alvah]

Nah, there can't be that much too it! I HATE shipping guns, or most anything else for that matter, back!!! Maybe if I decide to wait awhile it will just start working.......... :banghead:

 

[Uncle Alvah]

The cartridge rim is hanging up on the firing pin. If I hold the gun vertically, give the butt a couple "settling" thumps and cycle it the action works. I might mention I'm about 650 miles from my books or tools!

 

[Uncle Alvah]

I'm thinking maybe the firing pin spring is off or broken or something. Kind of hard to see much on the on-line diagram I found. They identify the pin and the spring but I can't tell much from the pic as to how they work and fit with each other.

 

[VictorLouis]

Just for fun...

ask Taurus if they will cover the $35-$40 shipping and insurance to send the gun back to them for their warranty attention.

 

[Old Fuff]

It sounds like a "mashed" firing pin spring - sometimes caused by dry-firing on empty chambers. Anyway, I don't think it's hard to replace. The firing pin is cross-pined in place and you should be able to see it after you remove the sideplate.

(Edit to add). The spring goes on the front end of the firing pin.

 

[TBeck]

I've always thought Taurus revolvers could use more springs, especially in the cylinder/crane assembly.

Taurus can be real sticky about their warranty. If somebody else does the repair work it might void the warranty.

 

[topgun0467]

Taurus 970

The problem I am having with my Tuarus Tracker 970 .22lr is that the pin in the ejector gets stuck after 100 rounds and the cylinder will not lock in place.. It looks like somehow the gun powder finds way in the cylinder pin hole an jams it.... Is anyone else is having this problem?? I called Taurus and I am getting the run around from them.... They are telling me that I need to clean it..... I do not feel this should be happening after 100 rounds.... Can anyonehelp or any tricks out there that will prevent this from happening??

 

[Old Fuff]

topgun0467:

It is possible that the ammunition is at fault, because some brands leave more lubricant (.22 bullets are greased or waxed on the outside) and powder fouling then others do. If you haven't done so, try switching to some different rounds.

On the other hand, it is equally possible that there are some metal chips, left behind from the manufacturing process, inside the cylinder.

So that advice to clean the cylinder is good, but I think that they, not you should do it. Of course you can take the gun to a local gunsmith, but be sure HE KNOWS how to take this particular make and model of revolver apart, otherwise you may end up with some more serious problems.

 

[Master Blaster]

When you eject the empties do you point the guns muzzle up and then hit the ejector rod???????

If you dont do this burned powder residue or unburned flakes can get under the ejector star. That will prevent the cylinder from closing and locking in place.

That can happen on any manufacturer's revolver.

 

[charliemopic]

Taurus QC

topgun0467:

It is possible that the ammunition is at fault, because some brands leave more lubricant (.22 bullets are greased or waxed on the outside) and powder fouling then others do. If you haven't done so, try switching to some different rounds.

On the other hand, it is equally possible that there are some metal chips, left behind from the manufacturing process, inside the cylinder.

So that advice to clean the cylinder is good, but I think that they, not you should do it. Of course you can take the gun to a local gunsmith, but be sure HE KNOWS how to take this particular make and model of revolver apart, otherwise you may end up with some more serious problems.

Nov. 2005 I bought a new Taurus Tracker model 627, .357 magnum. While dry firing with snap caps the D/A trigger felt and sounded gritty. So before shooting it I sprayed Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber into the action. While doing this I held the gun so the liquid Gun Scrubber could wash thru the action then drain into a clean white paper towel. After the Gun Scrubber evaporated from the paper towel it revealed tiny bits of foreign matter that looked like filthy-over used machining lube and tiny metallic particles. I then sprayed Break Free CLP into the action...the D/A trigger still felt gritty.
After about 250 rounds I removed the side cover and found an unpleasant surprise!
Go to this post: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=172985
to see a pic of what I found. Also there is a couple pics of 'boogered up' rifling at the factory porting near the muzzel.
These pics are of the above mentioned Taurus Tracker.
Now I have a 50/50 mix of .38Special/.357magnum thru it with no functional or reliability issues.
.22LR Ammunition?.....
I also have and shoot regularly a .22LR rifle and Ruger SingleSix .22LR/.22WMR single action revolver that the wife & I both like alot. We buy 22LR ammo in the 550 round 'FEDERAL Value Pack' from Walmart for under $10 and it shoots perdy clean-for a rimfire. Then we tried Remington .22LR Value Pack and eeegadds, terrible!! I have an excellent condtion 1959 vintage Remington model 572 Lightweight pump action rifle and it didn't take long before the action was gummed up perdy good. The Remington even feels sticky to touch where the Federal ammo is clean.

 

[topgun0467]

topgun0467:

It is possible that the ammunition is at fault, because some brands leave more lubricant (.22 bullets are greased or waxed on the outside) and powder fouling then others do. If you haven't done so, try switching to some different rounds.

On the other hand, it is equally possible that there are some metal chips, left behind from the manufacturing process, inside the cylinder.

So that advice to clean the cylinder is good, but I think that they, not you should do it. Of course you can take the gun to a local gunsmith, but be sure HE KNOWS how to take this particular make and model of revolver apart, otherwise you may end up with some more serious problems.

 

[topgun0467]

970 Tracker

Well
I have tried a few other manufactors CCI, Wolf, Remington, Federal.... and they all seem to be the same.... after 200 rounds it sticks..... The Gun shoots nice and groups nice but the only problem I am having is sticking... Once I clean it works great and then again after 200 or so rounds it does the same thing......

 

[jsr5]

Trade it for a Ruger that's how I solved my Taurus troubles. Their customer service and gunsmithing is abysmal and their quality seems to be dropping back to saturday night special status.

 

[Old Fuff]

Topgun 0467:

Measure the cylinder/barrel gap with a feeler guage. It may be too tight after they cylinder face and barrel through get leaded up a bit.

 

[Jack Kielty]

I recently bought a new Taurus 970 and had immediate problems at the range. With nothing in the chambers the revolver cycles fine, with the factory supplied plastic guard in place over the end of the cylinder to absorb dry fires it cycles fine. When I put a load of CCI's in the cylinder it jammed reliably and would not cycle. The cylinder to barrel gap seems about right but the gap at the other end of the cylinder is tight. When I bought the piece I noticed that there were no counterbores (spotfaces more precisely) to allow for the rims of the cartridges. I wondered if this would be a problem and am pretty sure that it is based on my experience at the range. I am not too keen on sending the piece away for two months though, but the revolver is jamming every other shot; not what anyone should tolerate regardless of the low cost of the gun.

 

[Varminterror]

Double necropost!!

To the new OP, Jack Kielty...

Most likely you have some gunk under the extractor star. A good cleaning will most likely take care of it for you. Some brands can have thicker rims than others, and some pistols, regardless of brand, can get out the door with insufficient headspace, but more than 9 times out of 10 when folks bring revolvers to my door with this issue, it's a simple build up of gunk under the extractor. Press it open and hold it, scrub with a cleaning brush and give it a light shot of dry lube like Hornady 1 Shot Dry and you'll likely be back in business.

Oiling in this area with "wet lubes" can encourage powder build up later again, so this is one area where dry lube wins the day.

 

[Jack Kielty]

You may well be right there. What also proved problematic was ejecting spent cartridges; I had to tap the rod with my Buck Alpha Hunter to get it to work. I'll go over the gun thoroughly tomorrow. The really odd thing is that it cycles fine when the cylinder is empty. I'll put some spent brass into it and see if I can figure it out as to what and why it is getting jammed regardless of DA or SA. Thanks!

 

[mnrivrat]

I'll mention one thing here as a possible cause. I have seen this happen . When the rim of the cartridge case is being rotated into the fire position it may be catching the top of the hand . Thereby creating a lock up. Just something to check out. The spot is on the top right side of the hand looking at it with the barrel pointed forward . It is not on the inside where the hand and ratchet meet. If you look and find this a problem a couple swats with a file where the rim is catching will take care of it.

 

[Jack Kielty]

I went ahead and acted on all the suggestions made so far and brought the revolver to the range again today, used only CCI's and still the problem persists. I had a discussion with a service tech. from Taurus and will be shipping the gun back to them to see if they can figure it out. I asked them if they test fired every gun that leaves their factory and was told that the factory only test fires random samples; apparently the concerns others have voiced regarding QC are spot on. Given the very nature of this product I think the manufacturer owes it to the consumer to test fire every gun that leaves their factory. I still think the bores in the cylinder should be spot faced to allow the cartridge rim to sit flush with the cylinder. Does anyone know of other manufacturers that don't spot face the bores in the cylinder? Tomorrow the gun is being shipped back for repairs with the shipping at my expense, I was told that they will pick up the expense of shipping it back to me. I won't see it again until 2017, with a four to six week turn around time. I hate to say it but perhaps when someone says Taurus I'll just say never again.

 

[Varminterror]

Spot facing each chamber independently, even when gang reaming multiple chambers at once, can lead to inconsistent headspace from one chamber to the next. The cylinder should be faced true to the axis, and chambers cut true to that line as well - which should be true to the bore. Given acceptable tolerances to make this happen all for only a few hundred dollars in product price, NOT spot facing is favorable.

 

[Jack Kielty]

I get your point. I keep having to remind myself that I only paid three hundred bucks for this revolver. Everything you have stated is correct but what is also probably correct is that if Taurus has trouble manufacturing a functional revolver without the spot facing then they would have a real nightmare on their hands if they tried the spot facing. Precision is a costly endeavor. I bought a Ruger GP100 22LR ten shooter this summer and as is typical of Ruger the machining is impeccable and they spot faced every bore; this piece cost close to eight hundred bucks however. As in all things you get what you pay for. Regardless I still think Taurus owes it to the consumer to test fire every unit they make; clearly if they don't and their QC is spotty at best their brand will tank in our eyes. What they don't spend in QC they will inevitably lose in repairs after the sale. Stay tuned, I for one am dying to find out what precisely is wrong with this revolver but probably won't until mid January.

 

[Varminterror]

Ruger does not independently spot face their chambers. They gang ream.