| Taurus Model 627SS Tracker .357 Magnum | |
t’s
been just about a year-long wait, but the Taurus Tracker series of .41 Magnum
and .357 Magnum medium-frame, target-sighted revolvers for sport, field, and
handgun hunting are now available in the original four-inch Total Titanium configuration
as well as a just-introduced six-inch model plus new stainless-steel versions
for those who prefer the additional weight of conventional steel. The full Tracker
lineup now includes the five-shot .41 Magnum series in matte stainless, Shadow
Gray finish titanium, or Stealth Gray finish titanium and the seven-shot .357
Magnum models in the same finishes. Barrel length choices are four or six inches
in both chamberings. The variant I fired for this review was the .357 Magnum
stainless-steel six-inch Model 627SS.
Unique
features of the Tracker series include an integrally ported barrel design plus
topstrap frame modifications to accommodate a heavy-duty precision-adjustable
rear sight. And there is a new scope mount base for the six-inch models that
is now available as an accessory item.
Other
notable Tracker features include the “Yoke Detent” system originated
for the Total Titanium snubnose line. This is a spring-loaded latch in the top
of the yoke that ensures the cylinder remains tightly closed within the frame
at the moment of fire and eliminates any latch point at the tip of the ejector
rod.
Tracker
grips are the patented Taurus Ribber design, which is very effective in absorbing
recoil and increasing controllability. Direct handgun recoil slams the backstrap
against the web of the palm and wedges the angle of the grip downward, working
to break the shooter’s grasp. The Ribber grip’s backstrap is molded
from a soft-textured elastomer rubber and is thickly cushioned around the reduced-dimension
inner grip frame. The front and sides of the grip are formed by wrap-around,
closely spaced small elastomer ribs. These softly flexible ribs deform and squeeze
together when grasped, shaping themselves into natural “finger grooves”
for the individual shape and surface of the palm and fingers of the specific
hand. When released, they return to natural, ready for the next different grasp.
The Ribber creates an individual “custom” finger groove fit, self-molded
to the individual hand, every time you—or anybody—picks it up. Tracker
sights incorporate a black Baughman-type front blade pinned into a heavy-duty
ramp base, serrated with an inlaid florescent red visibility stripe. The heavy-duty,
click-adjustable rear sight features flush-headed adjustment screws with clearly
indicated directional markings, 
a
broad flat sighting wall with a rear-angled surface to eliminate glare, and
a crisp white-outline notch.
The
distinctive Tracker “look” stems from the new-design barrel with its
contoured full-profile underlug and four compensator ports sculpted into each
upper side of the barrel below the front sight base—much as the ports on
the massive Taurus .454 Casull Raging Bull. The entire barrel is styled as the
Raging Bull, in fact, giving the Tracker the look of a scaled-down version of
that bigger gun.
Shooting
The Stainless-Steel
.357 Magnum Tracker
I chronographed and accuracy-fired my review sample six-inch Model 627SS .357
Magnum stainless Tracker with five different makes and load configurations of
ammunition, and I used one of Taurus’ accessory mount bases to install
a Simmons 2.5-7X scope on the new stainless sixgun. Full shooting results are
listed in the chart.
|
SPECS
Taurus Stainless Tracker .357 Magnum DA Revolver |
|
Distributor
...........Taurus International Mfg. Inc., 16175 NW. 49th Ave.
Miami, FL 33014 Model ...........................Tracker 627SS Caliber ............................357 Magnum Operation ..........Double action revolver Barrel length...................... 6.00 inches Overall length ..................11.25 inches Weight, empty..................... 40 ounces Sights .....Click-adjustable white-outline rear; Baughman-type red-ramp blade front Stocks ...................Taurus Ribber grips Cylinder capacity ....................7 rounds Finish........................... Matte stainless Price ............Not available at presstime |
As
I had found with Taurus’ .357 Magnum Total Titanium Tracker, which I had
reviewed almost a year ago, the combination of the soft, hand-conforming Ribber
grips and the integral barrel porting makes the Tracker revolver extremely comfortable
to fire and easy to control—even with the heaviest-recoil, full-power.
And the accuracy of the new Tracker was also exceptional, again like my earlier
experience with the first-run four-inch M627 Total Titanium .357 Magnum.
As the Taurus Tracker family continues to grow, both in the list of titanium and stainless-steel versions, I believe it will have great appeal to hunters and outdoorsmen of all types, given the high level of accuracy and performance and near-indestructible construction.
|
Taurus
.357 Magnum
Stainless-Steel Tracker Performance |
|||
Factory Load |
Muzzle
Velocity (fps) |
Standard
Deviation (fps) |
50-Yard
Accuracy (Inches) |
| Remington
125-gr. BJHP |
1381
|
14
|
1.75
|
| Federal 130-gr. Personal Defense |
1411
|
31
|
2.13
|
| Hornady 140-gr. HP/XTP |
1267
|
21
|
1.50
|
| Speer 158-gr. Gold Dot |
1253
|
24
|
1.63
|
| Winchester 180-gr. PGH |
1154
|
20
|
1.25
|
| Overall average accuracy | 1.65 | ||
| NOTES: The six-inch Model 627SS .357 Magnum was mounted with a Simmons 2.5-7X scope. Accuracy is the average of five seven-round groups fired from a sandbag benchrest at 50 yards. Velocity is the average of seven rounds measured 10 feet from the gun’s muzzle. | |||
This article was originally published in Shooting Times magazine in 2001.
