Taurus Tracker 44 mag

[SMCCORD]

I'm looking into buying a new Taurus Tracker 6.5" barrel 44 magnum.

I hear good and bad things. Anyone here have first hand experience with them?

Also any Taurus friendly loads (what to stay away from) would help shorten the learning curve.

Thanks in advance.

[tek4260]

My advise is to avoid Taurus products all together. My dealer finally quit selling them after sending what seemed like every other one back. When they introduced the Judge, he held out for a while and finally gave in to keep the customers happy. He only had to send back about 1 out of 5 of those. I assume the reason is that most that bought them didn't shoot them due to the cost of 410 ammo.

I have had a few Taurus products myself. The 22 revolvers like a Smith 17. I couldn't resist the wholesale price. Over about 5 years I bought 7 or 8 of them. Never had one worth a ****. Gave up and bought a Single Six. Bought a 4" Tracker about a year ago. Shot 12 rounds through it at 25 yards and ended up with about a 7" group. Gone the next day.

Save your nickels and buy a 329PD if you want a light 44

JMHO

[Westwindmike]

I have a Tracker in .44 Mag with the 4 inch barrel. I only shoot Specials in it though. It is so light that with factory 240gr magnum loads, it hurts to shoot it. I've had no problems with mine.

[MtGun44]

"Keith loads are not very hot" You are very wrong. 22 gr of 2400 is OVER max
with today's brass and powders. I doubt you will find a modern load book, written
since they have accurate pressure measurments that will recommend that load as safe. If you
are going to load beyond SAAMI pressure levels, you are much better off with the
overbuilt Rugers that can take more than SAAMI pressures.

You beat that S&W to death with very hot loads. I limit myself to 20 gr of 2400 and get
long life out of my Smith N-frames. No doubt that Smiths can't take the extremely hot
loads that Rugers can.

"As long as I stuck to Keith loads and below" - most "Keith loads" were VERY, VERY
hot loads, so if you exceeded them, you were likely well beyond SAAMI pressures. Elmer
blew up a lot of guns in his day, and many of his recommended loads are too hot for
most prudent handloaders today. His favorite load for the 1917 S&W .45 ACP makes
me cringe and I have never loaded up to that level. It is well past recommended loads
today.

Yes, Rugers are very strong guns and can stand pushing the pressures beyond
the normal safe loads listed in modern reloading manuals. I have a scandium N-frame
329 and it seems to be fine (better than my hand) with full power loads, as listed in
modern pressure-tested loading manuals.

Bill

[warf73]

Get the tracker there is nothing wrong with them. If for whatever reason you have issues with the firearm send it back. If you do send it back it’s not that big a deal either. Sent one back via UPS got it back fixed in less than 6 weeks to my front door. My only gripe about the whole sending it in experience was that it was on my dime not Taurus’s.
I think too many people spread BS about Taurus with no first hand experience. It’s always well my buddies friend had a hard time doing this and this. Or my brother in law couldn’t get it to shoot worth a dang.

[NickSS]

I own 3 taurus revolvers and 5 of their semi autos and to date have not had issues with any of them. As near as I can tell they make good products at a good price. I own a tracker in 22 RF and assuming that the 44 is built on the same frame it will be a bit light for a steady diet of full house 44 mag loads as the frame is more like a Ruger GP100 in size at least my 22 uses the same holster and feels about the same.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I bought a Titanium Tracker 41 some years ago and have had no problems with it. I bought it as a carry /kayak gun and do not shoot it as I do my DW´s or RBH´s...
But it has never failed to fire and at intended self defense ranges it will do all I need or expect. With a 200 grainer and 6.5 grains Unique I can hit clay pigeons at 20 yards very regular.

[Whitworth]

"Keith loads are not very hot" You are very wrong. 22 gr of 2400 is OVER max
with today's brass and powders. I doubt you will find a modern load book, written
since they have accurate pressure measurments that will recommend that load as safe. If you
are going to load beyond SAAMI pressure levels, you are much better off with the
overbuilt Rugers that can take more than SAAMI pressures.

You beat that S&W to death with very hot loads. I limit myself to 20 gr of 2400 and get
long life out of my Smith N-frames. No doubt that Smiths can't take the extremely hot
loads that Rugers can.

"As long as I stuck to Keith loads and below" - most "Keith loads" were VERY, VERY
hot loads, so if you exceeded them, you were likely well beyond SAAMI pressures. Elmer
blew up a lot of guns in his day, and many of his recommended loads are too hot for
most prudent handloaders today. His favorite load for the 1917 S&W .45 ACP makes
me cringe and I have never loaded up to that level. It is well past recommended loads
today.

Yes, Rugers are very strong guns and can stand pushing the pressures beyond
the normal safe loads listed in modern reloading manuals. I have a scandium N-frame
329 and it seems to be fine (better than my hand) with full power loads, as listed in
modern pressure-tested loading manuals.

Bill


I think most loading manuals max out at 21 grains of 2400 under that weight bullet, but 22 grains was a max loading in my old loading manuals and not over max. But, to say that 22 grains of 2400 is not a full-tilt load is misguided at best! It most certainly is a hot load!

[tek4260]

Taurus must send all of their seconds and defects to MS then. I have never seen 5 in a row that didn't have one or more come back for my dealer to return to Taurus for repair.

Next time you are looking at some on display, hold some pressure the cylinder and cock the hammer. See how many of them will slip the hand.

Take one down and look at the springs. They belong in a pen, not a revolver.

[cajun shooter]

I have owned both good and bad products from Taurus. All the long guns were not good enough to sell. On the other hand I've purchased the various handgun models and like them. I have a Taurus Tracker in 44mag and it shoots and handles fine. I will say that I fire my own loads for plinking and they are around 44 special strength. For all of the thousands of rounds that I have fired in my lifetime it is more relaxing to be rid of the Dirty Harry Syndrome. The 8 grains of Unique is fun to shoot.My wife has a 357 mag Taurus that is kept in the console to ward off the two legged pest. We have had it for over 5 years and have fired both mild and defensive rounds with out a hitch.

[casterofboolits]

I have owned both good and bad products from Taurus. All the long guns were not good enough to sell. On the other hand I've purchased the various handgun models and like them. I have a Taurus Tracker in 44mag and it shoots and handles fine. I will say that I fire my own loads for plinking and they are around 44 special strength. For all of the thousands of rounds that I have fired in my lifetime it is more relaxing to be rid of the Dirty Harry Syndrome. The 8 grains of Unique is fun to shoot.My wife has a 357 mag Taurus that is kept in the console to ward off the two legged pest. We have had it for over 5 years and have fired both mild and defensive rounds with out a hitch.

IIRC Dirty Harry stated in "Magnum Force" that he used 44 Specials to reduce recoil. [smilie=1:

[Bodydoc447]

I have a stainless Tracker in .41 magnum. I have had no problems with it at all and shoot it often. The cylinders are shorter than my S&W or Ruger revolvers in .41 so selection of bullets is important. That said, I think that the shorter cylinder might also be the case in the .44 but do not know it as fact. My friend bought a .45 Colt Tracker and has enjoyed it a lot but it, too, requires careful selection of bullets due to OAL requirements of the shorter cylinder. Some folks trim the brass shorter to accomodate the cylinder length but I don't do that (personal preference).

Doc

[mtnman31]

I've got a Tracker in .357 and would recommend a Tracker without hesitation. The thing works fantastic and is as accurate as I can shoot. I love it and would trust my life to it. I also have one of their large frame Raging series revolvers. I don't have near the number of rounds through it that I do with the Tracker, but so far it has done well by me. The only thing that kept me from getting a Tracker in .44 is that I didn't like that it only had five shots.

[Three44s]

I borrowed and loaded for a Titanium tracker in .41 mag a while back.

The accuracy was good .......... I found I could hit ground squirrels at 30 yds easily as soon as the trigger smoothed out some and I saw no timing issues or anything break.

If I had not gotten my Mountain Gun by then .......... I would have seriously given a run at getting one ........

Three 44s

[songdog53]

I don't own Taurus and never have shot one, i only have S&W's but not going to diss any firearm because can beat anything to death with hot loads except maybe a Super Redhawk. Personally i prefer accurate controllable loads in any of my magnum guns than the full blown hot loads. But thats just my 2 cents worth.

[kbstenberg]

Sundog I totally agree 100% on all your points.

[Swede44mag]

I had a Nickel plated Taurus .357mag it shot great with no problems took out many P-Dogs up to 50 yards.
I own a Taurus Raging Bull in .454 It shoots great but will lead up the cylinder face with lead boolits.
It loves jacketed bullets but it spits and you don’t want to stand to the side or you WILL get hit in the face.
I looked at a TAURUS in 44mag at a pawn shop one time when I went back with the money a couple of weeks later it was gone.

Taurus has a lifetime warranty I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a new one if it was bad I would send it in to be repaired.

The first Dan Wesson I bought rattled like a rusty gate untill I sent it back with a list of 15 or more things that needed to be taken care of.
Quality Control dosen't seem to exist anymore.

[pdawg_shooter]

Taurus must send all of their seconds and defects to MS then. I have never seen 5 in a row that didn't have one or more come back for my dealer to return to Taurus for repair.

Next time you are looking at some on display, hold some pressure the cylinder and cock the hammer. See how many of them will slip the hand.

Take one down and look at the springs. They belong in a pen, not a revolver.

Never sold Taurus when I was a dealer, but I had the same problems with Ruger. Got to where I hated to sell one, knew I was going to have a mad customer. Got to where I fixed most of them myself. Got tired getting them back with a note telling me they were within specs.

[GRUMPA]

I have 2 of the Taurus revolvers but they are more than 15yrs old now. 1 is their 669CP in 357mag 6"and I have shot countless rounds thru it. Both factory and cast shoot more accurately than I can hold the thing steady. From 110gr thru 170gr it will when rested shoots 1" groups at 23yds. The 44mag revolver M44 CP 8 3\8", on the other hand was a different ballgame, I took it out for the first time just recently(after 17yrs of owning it) to give it a go and low and behold at 23yds aiming for the center of the target it wasn't printing. I scratched my head a bit and aimed at the very bottom of the target and it finally printed at the very top of the target. Well I soon found out that if I want to send it back for repair I have to go thru a FFL dealer.



Well I sent it back that was about a month ago got a call that it came in and went and picked it up. Got home looked in the box and the factory sent a target they had shot with my gun with impressive grouping. They said they adjusted it how I don't know, but I was itching to give it a try. Put in some lead SWC with a full tilt load, rested it and man that thing can and will hit what you aim at at 23yds. I haven't really gone thru the paces with it yet but I will in time.



Am I disappointed with the Taurus revolvers I own?... NOPE, for right now they can shoot better than I can hold the things steady. I know it's not the exact same model but they are made from the same co.

[SMCCORD]

Picked up the Taurus Tracker 44. Loaded a few rounds for it, sent them across the chrony.

Accuracy could be better, but i can't blame the gun. I'm a lousy pistol shot!

All loads were started 2.5-3.0 grains below Lee manual starting loads.

180g Hornady XTP 26.0-29.0g W296 powder CCI 350 primer @1.640 OAL 1550-1650 FPS
240g Speer Deep Curl HP 21-23 W296 CCI 350 primer @1.620 OAL 1300-1320 FPS
240g LSWC 24.0g W296 CCI 350 primer @ 1.640 OAL 1490-1500 fps
310g RNFP 16.5g W296 CCI 350 primer @ 1.600 OAL 1245-1250FPS

Also loaded some 44 spl with 240g LSWC and 12.5-13.5g IMR4227 CCI 350 primer didn't chrony. These had a ton of unburnt powder. Not Impressed with 4227.

[Swede44mag]

I shoot my Dan Wesson 44mag at 1200fps - 1250fps I dont like real hot loads I want the gun to last.
A friend of mine likes to shoot hot loads he pitted the face of his DW 44 and finley sold it cause the accuracy was gone.
If I want to shoot hotter faster than 1250fps I get out the 454 Raging Bull and send them down range at 1600fps

Some thing to think about.

[SMCCORD]

I shoot my Dan Wesson 44mag at 1200fps - 1250fps I dont like real hot loads I want the gun to last.
A friend of mine likes to shoot hot loads he pitted the face of his DW 44 and finley sold it cause the accuracy was gone.
If I want to shoot hotter faster than 1250fps I get out the 454 Raging Bull and send them down range at 1600fps

Some thing to think about.

True , I would prefer the gun to last. I am not a speed demon looking to push the limits of the cartridge. However, I am looking for an accurate load that will be used to hunt deer,feral swine, and hopefully a black bear. Not sure how the HP-38 will work out but the LEE manual says 5.5g @800fps up to 11.0 @ 1300 fps with a 240 LSWC. 44 spl up to 44 mag with one bullet and one powder. I like simple. I am always open to new suggestions?

[44magnum1979]

I will put my 2 cents in on this one. I have a smith & wesson 629 6 inch barrel. my father wanted to buy a 44 after i got one. so he ended up finding a used taurus model 44 8 3/8 inch barrel. my dad and i arent huge gun people. I find that his model 44 is a little nicer to shoot with full house loads than my smith but the longer barrel and the porting does help some. i dont think i would want to shoot a tracker with full house loads those things are light guns. but if you reload your own ammo wich most of us do on here i say go for it. you can talor loads that you and your gun are happy with. I dont shoot many full house loads in my smith . mostly just either special loads or starting 44 loads. a 44 special is nothing to sneeze at..

[44man]

I owned many, many S&W 29's and shot thousands and thousands of heavy loads with 22 gr of the OLD 2400 and the 429421 along with so many 240 gr Hornady bullets I could never count them, with 24 gr of 296. Never had any problems at all. I started using them in 1956.
It is a contentious issue but I firmly believe it is only RECOIL that causes problems. Heavy boolits are bad and Whit and I go head to head over it. It is because he translates heavy LOAD to heavy BOOLIT, two different words.
This post got me thinking again and you don't know how hard that is! :bigsmyl2:
Barrel length, all of mine had long barrels up to the 8-3/8". That holds down recoil as does holding the gun tight to limit rise. Hold the gun loose and let it fly back, parts can get pounded.
Shorten the barrel and recoil rises. So does a light frame, etc.
Yes, you can pound a S&W and damage it but it is not the chamber pressure if within limits, it is how hard the gun comes back. The design has too many parts with too much inertia and springs not strong enough to resist it.
I suspect the Taurus might be the same. I only shot one Taurus .44 and I shot some very small groups at 50 yards. The gun was heavy with a scope so I don't think it would show any harm.
I have to change position a little about a HEAVY LOAD in a light gun using a 240 to 250 gr boolit because light gun weight increases recoil.
A HEAVY BOOLIT is no good in ANY 29 unless shot slow to reduce recoil.
Recoil impulse is still the factor and you should adjust that according to your guns weight and barrel length.
Does that apply to the Taurus?

[roysha]

Get the Taurus if that is what you want and it fits your hand and pocket book. Lately, I believe, all things being equal, you pay your dollar and take your choice.

Some people have the ability to screw up a wet dream and the same goes for guns. I have a 629-1 that has over 15,000 verifiable rounds of 10 gr. Unique and the 429421 Keith bullet fired through it. This load consistently chronographs at 1185 fps and is quite pleasant to shoot. The only thing that happened was end shake which I shimmed twice then decided to retire it and get another 629-1. I doubt I will live long enough to shoot another 15,000 through this one but I have a good start at 3000+.

[JeffHolt]

I own a Taurus Tracker 44 magnum Talo Ed. I would not recommend shooting the heavier bullets with full loads. Some cartridges will be to long to chamber in the short cylinder guns like Taurus Trackers.
I chrono'd a 240gn Hornady xtp hp w/ 24gns of WIN 296 @ 1226 fps.
Bear in mind, the barrel is only 2 inches long on this gun. Plenty of recoil.

FWIW, I think it is wise to match the bullet weight to the relative size/ weight of the gun's frame. Better to have more gun than bullet.
Cheers,

[cajun shooter]

casterofbullets, I don't know what your age is but your posting has nothing to do with what I stated. I was working in a gun store at the time of the movies release. One day later every model 29 in our case was sold. The suggested retail for a 29 at that time was in the area of $225. We were selling them for over $500 each and all the 44 magnum ammo we had was sold also. Some black market guns were sold for over $1000 when the dealer cost was $200. We in the business called it the Dirty Harry Syndrome and it had nothing to do with any thing that was true-full. Clint Eastwood spent time at the range firing the 29 so that he could emulate the recoil of the gun. As far as him saying in the movie that he fired 44 specials that was nothing but a movie line that was written into the script. More than likely after the gun person on the set advised that to shoot the 29 in rapid fire would put rounds every where.
We had people who blew up many guns trying to reach high velocity 44magnum ammo. That is what is meant by the Dirty Harry Syndrome. I have no need to load nor fire hot mythical rounds.

[Tracy]

In reality, if I can get 1000-1100 fps from a Keith bullet I will be happy. If I have to use .44 Special brass to fit that bullet in the cylinder, that will be ok too.

All of my 29s and 629s had 4" barrels, because I carried them daily in a pancake holster. None of them were early enough to have recessed cylinders, and I think that was part of the problem too. I agree with what you say about recoil, .44man, and I think that the fit of the parts has something to do with it, too. The early 29s with recessed chambers were higher quality and more tightly fitted than run of the mill later production.

[Ilwil]

I'm a revolver guy. I bought a Tracker in .45 acp because it has all the features I could want in a carry gun. It shoots fine, and has never given me a problem. Taurus discontinued this model, I think because the round clips are too delicate to hold up. I would love to see this model in .44 special (my first love) or in .45 AR.

[Tracy]

I would like one in .45 Colt. It would be even lighter than the .44, and achieve the same performance at lower pressure.
My preference would be a 3" barrel with no ports.

[44man]

Most of what I came up with is conjecture anyway from what I have shot and seen shot.
If you like recoil, go back to the first factory .44 mags. They were BRUTAL with a capitol B. Nothing I ever loaded was anything like them. I had to buy rounds to get brass. It was common to have the grip checkering imbedded in your hand.
Yet, after all the 29's I fooled with and worked on, most troubles were a dirty gun or from someone slamming the crane shut. That is until some heavy boolits of 320 gr were shot from a shorty and peened parts, unlocked the cylinder, bounced the hand and rotated the cylinder backwards.
Then recently a friend brought out a 629 and with moderate loads, it unlocked and turned the cylinder on us. I found a tiny spring that fit inside the cylinder stop spring and it was just enough to cure it. I firmly believe it is just that silly spring they use.
Remember the models that had the spring under a set screw? Never had the problem.
I always liked the 29's and the .357's and if just treated right, they will treat you right. I had K38's and K22's, they were CLASS.
You can get a bad one too, just like all other guns. It is something to get over, sell the thing but don't fear all of the brand.

[GLynn41]

I have a new in the box .41 Tracker -- I had no molds with a nose that will fit -- so using Taffins data I am treating it like a .41 special.. --225to 255 @ 1100 or so-- I had concerns about the little gun but so far ok other than the fact I need my glasses changed-- I do not want to hunt wth it but carry it with my scoped handguns-- I wanted a new M 58 or PD357 -- but time will tell

[Bula]

I have the 4" 45 colt. Handy little wheel gun. 255gr RNFP over 9gr Unique is about as hot as that thing will ever see. Very handy, carries and shoots great.

[rintinglen]

Don't know how all the 29 stuff got in here, but my 44 Mag Tracker is OK for my purposes. it is brutal with full throttle loads, but bearable with Rem. 180 grain factory and pleasant with 44 Specials. I bought it as a Mountain Lion gun for carry not as a heavy duty shooter and it works just fine. My brother has one that is a bit more accurate than mine and a co-worker has a 357 Tracker that is a Dandy. None have ever gone back to the factory, but none have been shot extensively with magnum loads. If that is what you want the gun for, buy a Raging Bull or a Redhawk. But for a casual shooter with only an occasional need for magnum performance, it is a fine gun.