Taurus Tracker 41 Magnum

[stretch]

Evening, Gents!

A mechanic I know is selling a Taurus Tracker
in 41 Magnum. It's new in the box and unfired,
and has a 6.5" barrel. One box of factory shells
is included. He's asking $500ish. I'm a BIG fan
of the cartridge, have shot it quite a bit, and
load for it.

I'd love to own another revolver in this chambering,
but I don't want to (knowingly!) buy a dog. Anybody shot one of
these? Anybody own one in one of the larger calibers?
How's the noise with the porting? Any other unvarnished
opinions on this forum?

Thanks.

-Stretch

[Buck Elliott]

A good friend of mine has, among dozens of other guns, a .41 Titanium Tracker, with 2 1/2" barrel.. His opinion is that it is the most wicked, vile, nastiest handgun he has ever fired, but he carries it for defense in the mountains, especially while fishing... If he should ever find himself in a tight spot, he says he will enourage the bear, wolf, lion, &c., to take the gun and shoot Him with it, ending the confrontation in the most equitable manner..

A couple years ago, I had the distinct "honor" of firing a slightly longer-barreled version of same, and decided that I like REAL metal in my high-performance guns...

The great John Taffin, who has fired more really heavy handgun rounds than anyone else I know, forcibly opined that the Taurus Titanium Tracker, in .41 Mag., kicked more violently and was more uncomfortable to shoot than any other handgun he had ever come scross...

[AJMD429]

I have a 6" one (stainless, not titanium) in .357 that I really like. I got it as a 'trainer' gun for the kids, figuring that with the full underlug and ports and six inch tube, plus the relatively small grip, it would be a peach to shoot with .38 Special loads.

It really worked for that purpose, but after the kids grew up, I started using it as a 'trail' or 'chore' gun, and found that with .357 Magnum loads it shot accurately and handled well.

I didn't notice the noise to be unusual, but I always wear hearing protectors.

The only 'different' thing about them is the grips are sort of on a 'peg' that they surround, rather than being two pieces. I kind of like not having the 'seam' in between grip halves, plus it means you can put really small, or really large, grips on the gun easily.

[Blaine]

A good friend of mine has, among dozens of other guns, a .41 Titanium Tracker, with 2 1/2" barrel.. His opinion is that it is the most wicked, vile, nastiest handgun he has ever fired,

I will second that. I fired one cyl full.....that was enough. He also had a 4" (I think) stainless, and it was a pleasure and accurate.

[1894c]

Buck Elliott wrote,... If he should ever find himself in a tight spot, he says he will enourage the bear, wolf, lion, &c., to take the gun and shoot Him with it, ending the confrontation in the most equitable manner..

That's funny--made my day... :)

[Streetstar]

He's asking premium money for a "budget gun" -- try to find a Smith Model 57 first before you pony up the dough (i really dont know what they sell for but if it is not too much of a burden , may be worth it in the long run)

I had somewhat decent luck with a little .44 Special snub a decade ago, but when new, i still had to take it to a Smith to relieve some tolerance in the end gap so it would turn freely in double action mode -- Taurus would have fixed this complimentary, but i would have to ship it and wait a while, as their customer service is nowhere close to the level of Springfield Armory , Henry, or i guess KEl Tec according to a recent thread on here
After i got the little snubbie fixed, it ran like a champ, it was just irritating having to do that to a brand new gun -- and i have read other similar accounts about the exact same issue with others.
In a thread on another forum (i think AR15.com) a fella disassembled a Taurus 44 MAg alongside a Smith Model 29 to compare and he stated the appearance of the internal parts was not even close -- i know the internal parts don't have to be pretty to work right, but the Taurus was a 550-600$ revolver, - not exactly chump change

I would get another Taurus 44 snubbie, but only because Smith and Colt dont make one --- Charter Arms does, and the quality i have heard is similar --- decent but not exceptional.

There are probably still mad people out there waiting for Taurus to fix their Gauchos (their failed SAA clone) ,

[Buck Elliott]

According to Taurus literature, their Gaucho was "discontinued, due to popularity.."

[COSteve]

Deleted

[TNBigBore]

I bought a stainless 4" Tracker in 44 last year for around $300 (a bargain I know). They can be had for around $400 fairly routinely if you look. I also owned one in 357 several years ago. The quality of both was very good. The 44 was downright painful to shoot more than a cylinder full per session, but carried very well on my trip to Montana this past August.

[Buck Elliott]

People have to make a choice.. Is the gun for carrying, or is it for shooting, if the need or desire arises..

I don't pay any attention to the weight of a Colt or Uberti single-action, or a Ruger Vaquero, or a Freedom Arms Casull... I Don't pack a pistol to impress or intimidate anyone, but to have something relaible to shoot, if the occasion presents itself...

[stretch]

Thanks for all of the input.

Buck, your buddy wins the prize for the most "unvarnished" opinion!

His opinion is that it is the most wicked, vile, nastiest handgun he has ever fire

That's pretty clear!

I had half made up my mind to pass on this
one. I know this because I wasn't drooling
when he presented me with his offer!
Had it been a Model 57 or 58 for that money -
well, I wouldn't have asked another opinion!
Mad money is a little bit tight right now, so
I'll save it for something else.

-Stretch