By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
When teaching folks from a wide spectrum of the population to use a handgun well, I observe that a certain percentage use a revolver better than an automatic.
No, they don’t outshoot the best shots who use a self-loading pistol, but they handle a revolver better on a personal level.
An impression some folks have is that the revolver hasn’t progressed in design from a few decades ago. This isn’t true at all. Modern stainless steel alloy is more affordable, grips are better designed, the heft and balance is good in advanced designs and in many cases the action is not only smoother but has a shorter travel than older revolvers. Some feature recoil limiting porting and others have fully adjustable sights allowing precise sighting in. Did I mention that a modestly priced revolver may be very accurate?
Let’s look at one of the best examples of a modern revolver, the Taurus Tracker. I don’t choose handguns for personal use lightly. The Tracker is one of my favorite modern wheelguns.
Mindset and training are essential. But the firearm is material to your proficiency perhaps even your survival. There is only so much that can be done with an inferior handgun and an underpowered cartridge. The Tracker is a good revolver firing a great cartridge. It isn’t terribly expensive but offers good performance. My Trackers in .22, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt have proven reliable, accurate and fast handling.
A revolver must be reliable and powerful enough for the task at hand. My favorite Tracker is the 7-shot .357 Magnum. Yep, seven shots in a frame that isn’t any larger than a six shot .357 Magnum. Both wound potential and hit probability are high with this revolver.
For most of the previous 150 years revolvers have been a primary defensive handgun for American citizens. We are not all gun cranks and home defense handguns sit loaded and ready more than they are fired. The revolver comes up shooting with little to no maintenance. This isn’t ideal but it is reality.
Quality self-loaders are reliable and durable; most will stand more use—and more importantly, more abuse—than the revolver. But for those who realistically cannot afford much training and practice the simple revolver is ideal.
Loading and unloading is simple enough and all that is needed to fire the revolver is to aim and press the trigger. You wont tie the gun up with a short cycle if you do not have a perfect locked wrist grip. The revolver represents a different philosophy for some shooters, they have different ideas. Revolvers are big sellers in most shops. The revolver fan is more quite than the 1911 fan but probably equally numerous. My Tracker is a four inch barrel medium frame revolver chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. While simplicity is a virtue the revolver may be mastered to the point a trained shooter may make hits in the K zone of a man sized target to 100 yards.
The Taurus 627 SS Tracker features a fully adjustable rear sight. I like the fact that the set screws are large enough for easy adjustment. The ramp front sight features an orange insert. These sights are high visibility for rapid shooting in a defense situation but also well suited to the longest practical range with a revolver. They are superior to most revolver sights of the past making ‘target sights’ practical for all around use. The foot anchoring the rear sight to the receiver is shorter and stronger than the long wedge still found on some revolvers.
The Tracker features a heavy underlug ported barrel, which makes for superb balance in the 4-inch barrel version. Porting is near the muzzle with four ports on each side. They do not add to the muzzle blast and seem to actually lower muzzle flip. Velocity isn’t robbed by this porting, either.
The revolver locks up differently than most. Taurus uses a Yoke Detent system similar in function to the legendary Smith and Wesson Triple Lock, while the Tracker isn’t a triple lock but locks up on the yoke and rear of the ejector rod. The action is smooth allowing a smooth rolling break when firing double action. Trigger reset is rapid. I fire this revolver about ninety per cent in the double action mode reserving single action fire for extremely long handgun range. A smooth double action trip is an aid to those who anticipate a shot and flinch; you may not anticipate the shot when you don’t know it is coming at the end of a single action hammer fall.
One of my original Tracker revolvers wore “ribber” grips, which were fine for the time. I like the grips on this three-month-old Tracker better. Smaller not larger revolver grips often aid in firing the piece well. Taurus took care with the consistency of this grip. It is ribbed on the back, pebbled on the side and features finger grooves in the front. The grip completely isolates the hand from the frame. This means that you do not take a rap from metal firing Magnum loads. The area behind the trigger guard is also filled in by these grips. Moving quickly to grasp the handle this grip design seems to lead the hand into a proper firing position.
This is a versatile revolver. As an example the 148-grain wadcutter in .38 Special cases is a fine target load ambling along at 700 to 800 fps depending on the maker. If you are troubled by pests and reptiles around the homestead, CCI shot shell will take these creatures out a few steps beyond fang range.
For home defense use, a reasonable load might be a 125-grain JHP +P .38 Special. Most break just over 1,000 fps and deliver good results in ballistic testing. This a load that most any occasional shooter may master. For those willing to work a bit harder to master recoil a .357 Magnum loading using the 125-grain bullet may break 1,380 to 1,440 fps depending on the manufacturer, lot, and barrel length. This is the single most proven anti-personnel load ever invented. The 125-grain load is a fierce combination not for everyone. I sometimes deploy the Winchester 145-grain Silvertip or a handload using the Hornady 140 grain XTP. At 1,320 fps, either load is plenty accurate and offers real power. A good friend loads his four-inch Magnum with 180-grain Magnums, although they are very difficult to find these days. He simply states, “I know what they do to a deer.” No need to mess with success.
I have fired the Tracker extensively with .38 Special and .357 Magnum loads. My revolver will consistently group five shots into two inches at 25 yards with practically any load. A few may allow the author to fire a five shot group inside of 1.8 inch. Some dirty generic loads open up to 2.5 inches.
The Tracker is plenty accurate for personal defense, field use, and even hunting within the limitations of the owner’s ability to put a full power load into the boiler room of a game animal.
I carry the Taurus Tracker often when hiking in a custom shoulder holster. Around town a Galco Summer Comfort inside the waistband holster is used. This holsters allows the Tracker to remain inside the trousers and the handle may be covered by a light covering garment. This holster is available for a wide range of handguns from the 1911, Glock, and SIG models to popular revolvers.
The Taurus Tracker isn’t a specialized revolver but a sturdy handgun that does many things well. It is well worth its modest price.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Model: Taurus Tracker
Action: DA/SA
Finish: Stainless Steel
Barrel Length: 4 inches
Front Sight: Fixed
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Caliber: 357 Magnum
Capacity: 7
Grooves: 6
Rate of Twist: 1:16.5 inches
Height: 5.40 inches
Frame: Compact
Width: 1.531 inches
