bill warren
Member
Hi, I plan on buying my 1st handgun for target shooting and have decided to invest in a 22LR revolver. Should I purchase a more expensive S&W or should I consider the a Taurus Tracker? Thanks
Taurus Tracker vs S&W 22LR Revolvers
- Thread starter bill warren
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Quoheleth
Member
TRY THE TRACKER FIRST! I had the same plan. I saw one at Gander Mountain...asked to see it...did NOT feel good to me. Grips felt too short for it's long barrel length & front-heavy weight. Some like it...I did not. I walked away, and immediately scratched it off my "To buy" list. While I was ther, I tried the S&W 617...holy toledo, that felt good. But, I cannot justify the $600+ pricetag.
You can buy an excellent Ruger or Browning .22 semi auto for less than 1/2 the price.
FWIW,
Q
You can buy an excellent Ruger or Browning .22 semi auto for less than 1/2 the price.
FWIW,
Q
theNoid
Member
First of all, welcome to THR. I would strongly suggest you go out and at least handle as many different revolvers as you can. The Taurus options are decent, but are definately not up to par when compared to the S&W options usually for fit and finish and trigger. I personally shoot a S&W 617 in which I absolutely love. Sure it cost more money up front, but trust me, it has easily surpassed it's pricetag in sheer shooting fun and value. Plus, as long as I take care of it, it will never go down in value, it's a usable, fun investment basically. Although I never plan to sell it.
Another option is the Ruger Single Six, but it's single action only.
If buying used is an option, there are many good options out there for starters. Such as High Standard, Harrington and Richardson, and others that are of decent quality.
Hopefully this helps...
Noidster
Another option is the Ruger Single Six, but it's single action only.
If buying used is an option, there are many good options out there for starters. Such as High Standard, Harrington and Richardson, and others that are of decent quality.
Hopefully this helps...
Noidster
Ed Ames
Member
I don't know enough about either gun to comment specifically... but, in general:
A good .22 handgun is something that you will use for decades. Maybe your kids or grandkids will use it too. It will be used a LOT. A good one will last and last and last. How long? The .22 pistol I almost always take with me was built almost 50 years ago now... in 1948 or '49. I have no clue how many rounds have passed through that gun but I've fired it several thousand times. It still runs like a champ and hits where it is aimed every time. 50 years of use and it's still serving the role it was built to serve. My mother's Ruger MkII has had about 15,000 rounds through it and it also is still chugging along like it's new.
You know what 15,000 rounds of 9mm cost? Close to $3000. Add $500 for a gun and you are at $3500 *assuming* the gun lasted that long. The .22? $500 for a gun, $275 for ammo... $775. Use premium ammo and you'll be up to $1000.
So... Taurus or Smith? Can't say. Saving a few hundred on your .22? Insignificant in the scheme of things. To scale things, I just entered the price of my mother's Ruger into an inflation calculator to adjust from the year it was purchased to today. Result? About $720 of today's dollars. A nickel a pop so far. $0.08 per round including ammo. $1050 total cost with inflation adjustments. A LOT of fun and good practice over the years. A good investment.
I'm not knocking the Taurus. It may be exactly the gun for you. I'm just advising against choosing it to save a few bucks on the gun that, if you get a good one, will likely be your most used gun.
A good .22 handgun is something that you will use for decades. Maybe your kids or grandkids will use it too. It will be used a LOT. A good one will last and last and last. How long? The .22 pistol I almost always take with me was built almost 50 years ago now... in 1948 or '49. I have no clue how many rounds have passed through that gun but I've fired it several thousand times. It still runs like a champ and hits where it is aimed every time. 50 years of use and it's still serving the role it was built to serve. My mother's Ruger MkII has had about 15,000 rounds through it and it also is still chugging along like it's new.
You know what 15,000 rounds of 9mm cost? Close to $3000. Add $500 for a gun and you are at $3500 *assuming* the gun lasted that long. The .22? $500 for a gun, $275 for ammo... $775. Use premium ammo and you'll be up to $1000.
So... Taurus or Smith? Can't say. Saving a few hundred on your .22? Insignificant in the scheme of things. To scale things, I just entered the price of my mother's Ruger into an inflation calculator to adjust from the year it was purchased to today. Result? About $720 of today's dollars. A nickel a pop so far. $0.08 per round including ammo. $1050 total cost with inflation adjustments. A LOT of fun and good practice over the years. A good investment.
I'm not knocking the Taurus. It may be exactly the gun for you. I'm just advising against choosing it to save a few bucks on the gun that, if you get a good one, will likely be your most used gun.
Fumbler
Member
The Tracker is a nice revolver that is accurate.
The S&W 617 will make your jaw drop if you compare the fit, finish, and trigger to the Tracker...and it should because it costs almost twice as much.
I had a tracker and it was fun to shoot.
Good parts:
-Sights are great
-it's accurate
-comfortable to me
-cheap, but fit/finish isn't bad
-SA trigger is nice
I sold it to fund another gun purchase and I've missed it.
The downsides to the tracker:
-DA trigger is very heavy, maybe 14 lbs. It was gritty at first but smoothed out after a while.
-heavy (but not any heavier than a 617)
-I liked the grips, but my friends with fatter fingers thought it was too small. some don't like the ribber grips
S&W 617 fit and finish is better than Taurus. The trigger is also slightly lighter, has a shorter travel, and is smoother.
I'm with Ed Ames, the tracker is a great 22 revolver...but in the end if you can afford the S&W then you will be happy that you chose it. The price difference will be insignificant over a lifetime of shooting.
The S&W 617 will make your jaw drop if you compare the fit, finish, and trigger to the Tracker...and it should because it costs almost twice as much.
I had a tracker and it was fun to shoot.
Good parts:
-Sights are great
-it's accurate
-comfortable to me
-cheap, but fit/finish isn't bad
-SA trigger is nice
I sold it to fund another gun purchase and I've missed it.
The downsides to the tracker:
-DA trigger is very heavy, maybe 14 lbs. It was gritty at first but smoothed out after a while.
-heavy (but not any heavier than a 617)
-I liked the grips, but my friends with fatter fingers thought it was too small. some don't like the ribber grips
S&W 617 fit and finish is better than Taurus. The trigger is also slightly lighter, has a shorter travel, and is smoother.
I'm with Ed Ames, the tracker is a great 22 revolver...but in the end if you can afford the S&W then you will be happy that you chose it. The price difference will be insignificant over a lifetime of shooting.
P. Plainsman
Member
The S&W 617 is a lot of bread (about $600 NIB) ... but I'm glad I sucked it up and paid it. Mine's a 4" 10-shot model. Great revolver with a pretty decent DA trigger. And .22 LR is cheap!
One of my most shot handguns.
One of my most shot handguns.
MAX100
Member
If you want a 22 Taurus revolver get the model 94. It has a heavy DA pull but the SA trigger pull is very good. If it were me I would go for a Browning Buckmark 22 auto. Here is the GunBlast review of the Taurus model 941 22mag revolver.
GunBlast Review Link:
http://www.gunblast.com/Taurus941.htm
GC
GunBlast Review Link:
http://www.gunblast.com/Taurus941.htm
GC
The Taurus Tracker may be a durable, accurate revolver but it doesn't compare well in a side by side with the S&W 617. I personally think I could be happy with the Taurus but if I could swing the extra bucks I would rather have the S&W. I have owned a older S&W K Masterpiece but would have to say the best shooting .22 revolver I have ever had in my hand is a buddy's S&W 617 with a 6" barrel. Nothing and I say nothing has even come close to this revovler. I may try again to talk him out of it!
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