This latest Taurus sixgun is actually a 9-gun with two 9-shot cylinders chambered in .22 and .22 Winchester Rimfire Magnum. Each cylinder is a complete unit with extractor and yoke fitted to the frame. On the bottom right-hand side of the frame just above the front of the triggerguard is a small, round, serrated button which when pushed in allows the easy removal of one cylinder and the replacement of the other. It takes less time to perform the operation than to explain it. Each cylinder is clearly marked as to its chambering.
The basic revolver is part of the Taurus Tracker series of revolvers and is nicely etched thusly on the left-hand side of the heavy underlug barrel. Above this inscription we find “.22 LR/.22 Magnum” while the right side of the barrel underlug is marked “Taurus.” Although this revolver is on their medium frame it still weighs in at just 3 ounces under 3 pounds. The heavy underlug barrel is 6-1/2" in length, a 4" version is also available, and the top of the barrel features a ventilated rib.
Double-Double 9-Shooter
The Taurus Tracker.22 LR And .22 WMR Convertible.
Long a fan of convertible sixguns, John enjoyed shooting the 9-shot Taurus Tracker.
A double-action revolver convertible is not so simple. The cylinders do not ride on a simple base pin, like a single-action revolver, but a more complicated frame-fitted yoke with an integral cartridge extractor. Starting in the very early 1970s, High Standard offered a double-action sixgun with two cylinders. Sometime in the mid-1980s, the High Standard Double Nine series of revolvers ended production and we have been without a double-action .22/.22 Magnum for more than 25 years. The drought is now over thanks to Taurus.
Both the .22 LR cylinder and .22 WMR cylinder hold nine rounds.
When Taurus first arrived on the scene they were basically a South American country replicating American designs. For the past two decades or so, in many instances, they actually have been leading the way. For instance, they were the first company to offer a double-action sixgun chambered in .454 Casull and also the first to come up with a quality revolver chambering both the .45 Colt and the .410 shotgun shell. Over the years, they have offered dozens upon dozens of different versions of sixguns and semi-automatics. Almost all Taurus offerings are still manufactured in Brazil, however they are offered to the American shooting public by Taurus USA.
The Taurus Tracker is more than adequate for close-range shooting of varmints
and small game. Adding a scope to the revolver would be a worthwhile investment.
Swapping out the cylinder, groups with the less expensive .22 LR proved promising as well.
Groups fired with the .22 Magnum cylinder in place show the accuracy potential at 20 yards.
Sights are excellent. The front sight is ramp-style with a red insert while the white outline rear sight is fully adjustable and clearly marked “UP” and “R” for ease of adjustments for elevation and windage. Grips are the excellent Taurus rubber Ribber grips, which do such an excellent job of reducing felt recoil on their larger revolvers. In this case they simply offer a secure feeling to a rather heavy revolver. All in all this is a very attractive sixgun. The trigger is wide and smooth while the hammer is checkered for easy cocking. Both are case-hardened. The mainspring is quite heavy and the trigger pull is a little too heavy for my tastes at 5 pounds.
With iron sights the Tracker is certainly accurate enough for close-range varmint hunting. With the .22 LR cylinder both the Federal Classic HP and the Winchester Power Point HP at 1,175 fps shot exceptionally well with groups of 1″ and 3/4″ respectively. CCI’s Stingers come in at just under 1,400 fps and shoot into 1-1/4″. Switching to the Magnum cylinder results were best with the standard Winchester JHP and their new 28-grain JHP both placing eight shots in 1-1/8″ with muzzle velocities of 1,790 fps and 1,825 fps respectively. These results were obtained at 20 yards and this revolver just begs to be scoped. It shouldn’t be too hard to find scope mounts that would clamp to the ventilated rib.
Model 992 Tracker
Maker: Taurus USA
16175 N.W. 49th Ave.
Miami, FL 33014
(305) 624-1115
www.taurususa.com
Action Type: Double-action,
Caliber: .22 LR, .22 WMR,
Capacity: 9, Barrel Length: 6-1/2″,
Overall Length: 11-1/2″, Weight: 45 ounces,
Finish: Bright blue,
Sights: Fully adjustable,
Grips: Rubber “Ribber”,
Price: $572 (blue), $619 (stainless)
The Good Ol’ Days
The 1950s (yes, I know I am repeating myself again) were a grand and glorious great decade for a whole lot of reasons. Cars were still Classics, I graduated from high school, met and married Diamond Dot and Colt, Ruger and Smith & Wesson introduced a long list of sixguns which are definitely now Classics.
From Colt came such as the Python, and Single Action Army resurrection; Ruger introduced the .22 Single-Six which then evolved into the .357 Blackhawk, .44 Blackhawk and .44 Super Blackhawk. Smith & Wesson gave us the .357 Magnum Highway Patrolman and the K-Frame Combat Magnum, the 1950 Target .44 Special and .45 Auto Rim and then they improved the latter to the 1955 Target. Using a longer “44 Special” cylinder which filled the frame window and the heavy barrel and target trigger and hammer as found on the 1955 Target, Smith & Wesson introduced the .44 Magnum. Sixgunning was forever changed!
Ammunition companies did not just sit idle during those years with Winchester being particularly busy introducing the .264, .338 and .458 Winchester Magnums all in 1958 and then followed with the .22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire) in the closing days of 1959. It wasn’t long before Colt, Ruger and S&W were all offering sixguns chambered in the powerful new rimfire. Ruger’s Single-Six was chambered for the .22 WMR and then someone at Ruger decided they could offer a Convertible Model with two cylinders in .22 LR and .22 WMR by coming up with a barrel slightly too large for the former and slightly too small for the latter. Dual-cylinder Single-Sixes were offered and were very soon followed by the adjustable-sighted Super Single-Six. Being a single action the Super Single-Six offered easily swapped cylinders simply by removing the base pin.
