Taurus Tracker 44 magnum any good?

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I have a Taurus B446 which is a blued 6" .44mag with a ported barrel and expansion chamber. The porting works well but the ports hit the front sight. This is most undesireable when shooting lead ammo since the front sight gets completely covered in molten lead bits, bullet lube, and general fouling. When I shoot jacketed ammo, the front sight remains clean and pleasant for almost 100 rounds. I have also found that Winchester white box ammo brass will expand in my chambers to the extent that they are hard to extract. Actually, thruth be told they get so hard to extract it actually hurts my hand pressing on the ejector! The gun is very accurate and the recoil is quite managable due to well designed stocks. I learned a valueable lesson regarding dry firing with this gun as the firing pin return spring broke on it causing all sorts of problems! Taurus did fix it free of charge ( along with aligning the crane ). I have a snub .44spl with a bobbed hammer that gave me fits because it had light pin strikes , after two trips to Taurus it now works without arguement. For what it's worth, I paid for the shipping the first time and when I called to tell them it still wasn't fixed, they made arrangements to have it shipped on their tab. So far two of the three Taurus firearms I own have needed to go back to the factory. Oddly, the only other
Taurus firearm I own is a PT-92 and it has run like a top for over 1.5k rounds through it! All in all, I think the reduced price and product support make up for the majority of my experience. That being said, the .44spl was my CCW and having to make do for the two months it was in the shop really wasn't cool. For range guns, I'd buy without hesitation but I can't bring myself to trust the .44 spl until it's run for a while sans problems.
 
I'd love to be able to contribute something useful to this thread but I just purchased a .41 Mag. Tracker last Thursday and haven't had the opportunity to shoot it yet. I do like the look and feel of the Tracker however and wanted a smaller frame as this gun will be carried on the trail more than shot. I don't worry too much about the noise. If I end up needing this gun on the trail sore ears are going to be the least of my worries!!
 
I went whitetail hunting about 3 years ago down in South Texas. It was a thank you hunt for the money I spent with him. There was a fellow there that had a Stainless 44mag Tracker that I believe had an 8" barrel. He had a 4x Burris scope on his. I laid his next to my .41mag Redhawk 7.5" with scope and his was massive compared to mine. He told me he had taken several big animals with his. We both shot at the 100 yard range and both guns grouped roughly 2" from a rested position. I was so impresed that I bought a snubby version in .41mag. It is a great field carry weapon and I have even carried it concealed from time to time. Here is my Redhawk along with the Taurus 415:
MyRevolvers1.gif
 
44 Tracker

I have a 44Tracker I got to go hog hunting with my Contender. I LOVE how it fits my hand but the short cylinder bothers me and I hear a lotta bad stuff bout Taurus. I keep flip floppin on wether or not to sell it. I only have 75 rnds trough it so its durablity has not been tested. I have heard that sometimes the Tracker can misfire in DA due to light hammer strikes but that has not happened to me with this one. The quality is unknown (to me) but the design is great. It realy is a perfect backup to carrie with ease for areas that may have lions, hogs or bears (not the big bears) so Im undecided wether or not to keep it. I too put Hogues on it and the fit my hand great.

img0575.jpg
 
Troggy

The "short" cylinder is only an issue if you want to shoot bullets that are heavier than the tracker was designed for . It is a medium frame gun , not a beefed up heavy frame.

75 rounds doesn't mean it has been indurance tested, but it does say that the gun is working right - what would you expect to have happen to it ? Pre-mature wear has not been a problem in Tuarus guns for a long time.

I guess what I am saying is that I wouldn't let others scare me away from a gun that you have, you like, and that hasn't given you trouble.

By the way - I also have a Taurus .44 Mag Tracker in SS with 4 inch tube. I've shot a lot more than 75 rounds through it , and I have no complaints.
 
Taurus 44 Tracker 4" ported

I just bought this revolver Saturday. I went back to the dealer today for some good target practice. They have an indoor range. I shot about 40 rounds through it and it is now defunct. The cylinder would no longer close and lock. I started out shooting 44 specials and went to 44 mags. Nothing "Hot" just 240 grain JSP. I shot about 10 rounds of the mags and them the jam up. I am not sure how I feel about the gun now. I have never owned a Taurus and if this is what I have to look forward to then I will never buy another one. The dealer I bought it from has sent it back to Taurus for repair or replacement. We will see how it goes?
 
The one nice thing about buying from Davidson's http://www.galleryofguns.com is that they (Davidson's) provide a free, life-time replacement if there is a defect in your firearm. If something goes wrong and they can't fix it within 3 days, they replace it. That's why I only buy Taurus guns (just purchased a 45 acp 145 Mellinium Pro) from them.;)
 
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Hello, Cayoot. Still shooting the .45 Colt S&W.

Thought I'd post the .45 Colt Tracker with the Hogey grips on it...looks like the above gun only not .44 magnum.

Hope to find a taurus in .44 special, will put some Hogey grips on it too.

Jim

P9030001croppedgoodone.jpg
 
Re: Sportshooter's report

Sportshooter, do you have a pic of the destroyed revolver? The Taurus Rep while traveling through Tucson never heard of any such catastrophic event with a .357 Tracker (although that is probably the response one would expect.)

That it would have blown apart, hmmm. A squibbed round (less than full powder charge leaving a projectile in the barrel and the following full power discharge) would have bulged the barrel maybe a rupture. (Doesn't sound like PMC's stuff at all though!) And to have burned your hand, you would have to have been holding the revolver by the barrel with your hand or arm exposed to cylinder gap gases and not many are that foolish (more than once.)

A juvenile heavily overcharged hand load finding a way into a box of factory ammo, could have launched the top strap maybe even tear off the top off the cylinder. Really hard to do that in a .357 whose proof load would have been close to that level, (now a steady diet of the stuff is a different matter!)

The dreaded barrel obstruction, well that could be quite bad and might have pealed the barrel back and heaved steal back at the shooter. Not to mention ear damage or discomfort even with good protection.

But only burned hands?

With 50 years of shooting experience I can't quite come up with that scenario!

But I certainly would like to hear more!

=====================================

Watching John Wayne in Stagecoach on the computer while typing this. First time the damned thing has been anywhere near worth its oats!
 
:evil:I like mine ok,had to finess it a little to elimanate light strike problem.I hav shot a few 300 grn meister hard casts, that chronoed 1130 from the 4" tracker,with no ill effects.If you want to make an impression at an indoor reang load some 200 grn jhps with a stout charge of ww296.:what::evil:
the cool thing if I do my part that load will make one jaged hole at 25 yards.
 
Mavracer, when you say lite strike problem, do you mean the hammer spring wasn't striking hard enough?

I'm in the process of buying an older Taurus .44 special model 441 with three inch barrel, the seller says its fine mechanically but has some lite hammer strike issues...that if I wanted to I could replace the hammer spring.

My final question is, where can one get a replacement hammer spring, Taurus doesn't seem to sell parts, and I'm not in the mood to send the gun to them for a replacement spring.

Wonder if there is an after market source for Taurus hammer springs.

Jim
 
Mavracer, when you say lite strike problem, do you mean the hammer spring wasn't striking hard enough?
Click to expand...
yes and the transfer bar was a hair too short.I used a washer to shim spring and straightened transfer bar for better engagement.
 
Sportshooter, I'm sure many of us would be interested in seeing that blown revolver. Not to doubt you, you must understand, just curiosity as to how it failed and how exactly it came apart

A Tracker .44 snub is on my list. I'm getting the next one I see. Decided against it at the last show and now I'm regretting it.
 
I don't (yet) have a Tracker, but I have owned 3 Taurus revolvers and one auto.

My first gun was a .38spl Taurus 82. It was older so the trigger left something to be desired. Otherwise it was a good gun (I sold it in a fit of stupidity when I got a medium framed .357mag- I had some crazy idea back then of only owning a couple handguns).

I owned a Taurus 605. Absolutely no problems. I shot about 500 rounds without a hiccup before I sold it. I didn't like .357mag in a small snub and eventually I replaced it with...

I have a Taurus 85CH. Nice little .38spl snub. I bought it used, it was made in 1991. I have no idea how many rounds have been through it either before or after I bought it, but it has had quite a few. No problems to date. It is a little lighter than the 605.

I have a PT140 Millennium Pro (auto obviously). It is a great gun.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a large-bore Tracker. I definately plan to pick one up in .41mag soon (plus one in .357mag eventually). My only concern about the .44mag would be recoil- it is a K-frame sized gun, .44mag (heck, even .41mag) sounds painful in something that small. Still, if I find one at the right price, I may go with the .44mag instead of/in addition to the .41mag.
 
My 44 Tracker did the same thing as CFarris2's did.

Namely the cylinder would refuse to lock shut on a brand new gun after the first 20 rounds of 240 grain American Eagles. The cylinder pin was jammed flush in its recess. Long story short, sent it back to Taurus, they fixed it up, threw in a free trigger job without any fuss. Although they sent a letter back suggesting that I keep the gun clean and only use factory ammo. Anyhow I still have it, and do like it, but the initial breakage does take the shine off my feelings for it.
 
You can find replacement springs for your Taurus revolver at Wolff's site at

www.gunsprings.com.

They are very easy to change out. I changed the hammer and trigger springs out on my 45acp 455 Trackers. It made a shooting them so much nicer.
 
Taurus Tracker and Taurus missfires

I have several Taurus guns now and have owned a few that i sold. The only gun that had a major problem was a 3" model 85 that had cylinder throats that measured .362. The gun spit a lot of lead when fired and was noticeably inaccurate. Taurus did offer to replace the cylinder but i sold it instead.

I have a blued .44 mag tracker and think its the berries. The only thing i don't like is the porting which prevents the use of shot loads. Besides i just don't like ports. Most of the loads i shoot are more of the semi hot .44 special variety, something like 7 to 9 grains of Unique with a 240 grain lead swc.

I have had two taurus revolvers that gave light strikes with the factory springs. The problem was the nose on the hammer was a little to long and did not extend the firing pin far enough for reliable ignition. I repaired this by removing the hammer and using a grinder and taking off about .004 inch of metal. I did this slowly and reassembled the gun a couple of times to check the progress. After i was satisfied with the fitting i heated the tip of the hammer with a torch and quenched it in water. I have had no further missfires.

You can check for this by folding a piece of paper and slipping it between the hammer and the transfer bar. Lower the hammer while pulling the trigger and see how much the firing pin extends and then do the same thing with the peice of paper added. If the firing pin seems quite a bit longer and you are having missfires this may fix the problem. Of course if your not having missfires don't fix a non problem.

I realy like my .44 Tracker. It weighs 35 ounces and fits in holsters made for K & L frame S & W's. I wish Taurus would offer the option of having their guns without porting. I would buy the first on i found. Hope this helps. Thomas.
 
The .44 Tracker should make an excellent carry gun for those wishing a good thumper. I really like my .45 Colt Tracker it is rather unique as I've never seen another one...period.

However, I've got to toot the horn for Taurus .44 magnum Raging Bull. Got to handle one of these beautys at my lokel gun pusher. It is a much more refined piece of craftsmanship, has two cylinder HE releases...and the grips are really something.

And the price was around $650.00 which I consider really a bargain for something made this well.

Lot of good talk on a lot of forums about how good this gun is for its accuracy...that is what really counts, it can do small bullet group clusters that will amaze you.

I'm temped to sell my Colt Anaconda and get one, though I don't really need it as my going into the woods hunting days are over.

But I still get latherd up thinking about it...:D

Jim
 
44 Tracker

I just recently purchased a Taurus .44 Tracker in a 2 1/4 inch barrel with fixed sights and a hi-viz up front, at 31 ounces unloaded and 34.3 ounces loaded, it shoots very well and is surprisingly forgiving to shoot. i have researched this gun, and haven't been able to find another 2 1/4 inch barrel, and it isn't even listed on Taurus' website. but i would highly recommend this gun if you can find one. grips are awesome and doesn't hurt my hand even after continuous heavy load firing, the .44 specials feel like .38 specials, and getting back on target doesn't take much time at all. The accuracy is acceptable, and is definitely sighted for close range. This gun is VERY loud, due to a short ported barrel, and it shoots quite a large fire ball, and turns many heads at the range. Living in bear country this gun quickly became my camping and hiking sidearm. Hope this post helps. Manymanyguns!
 
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