Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts

Taurus 627 Tracker .357 Magnum: Gun Review



First things first, this is one fun gun, perhaps my favorite handgun to shoot within my collection. The ergonomics, smooth trigger, and accuracy are just stellar. Not to mention the power, yet manageable recoil only a .357 magnum can provide. An absolute pleasure to shoot. Now to the stats: a 7 round .357 Magnum, weight of 28.8 ounces, a height of 5.4" and a width of 1.531", trigger is double action/single action and includes a hammer transfer bar for additional safety, the barrel is 4" long and ported, and runs at an MSRP of $670. 

Now to the heart of the matter, and perhaps why most of you are looking for a review on this firearm. Taurus has perhaps, shall we say, a tenuous reputation within the shooting community. It is not known for many original designs and to be honest the Tracker 627 is remarkably similar to the Smith & Wesson 686. Secondly, there are many who have had reliability issues. I will touch on both of these. 

As to the similarities to the Smith & Wesson 686. I have shot both, the Smith several times, but own the Taurus. To be honest, and perhaps to my and others surprise, I like the Taurus more. While similar in design they feature radically different grips styles, and though the S&W feels nice in the hand, the Taurus just seems to melt into my hand and absorb recoil better. Secondly, the Taurus comes standard with a 7 round cylinder whereas the 686 comes with 6, though if you buy the "Plus" model it upgrades it to 7 as well. Third, the Taurus is ported and while this does reduce velocity slightly, it serves well at reducing both recoil and muzzle flip--ensuring quicker follow up shots if the need were to arise. The .357 Magnum is no slouch when it comes to recoil, and for many is at the upper end of their tolerance, but the porting does help and it my mind it is just incredibly fun to shoot and puts a smile on my face every time. Of course like all .357 Magnums you can also shoot standard .38 Special and .38 Special +P rounds in it as well, significantly reducing the cost of practicing and marginalizing recoil for those that may be sensitive. Finally, the cost: the Taurus Tracker 627 is $150 cheaper than the Smith. 

To be sure the Smith & Wesson holds some important advantages over the Taurus as well. Most notably it doesn't have the reliability issues reported with the Taurus. And here is the kicker, I had those reliability issues. The first time out the cylinder would lock up every few rounds. Revolvers by their nature are touted as the most reliable handguns. Pull the trigger it goes bang, if you encounter a dud primer pull the trigger again and it moves onto the next round. The first time out this didn't happen. Here I was on the range with my buddies, proud of my new purchase, and the gun wouldn't operate. What an embarrassment. That being said, my experience with their customer service through email was prompt and satisfactory. I paid $50 to ship the gun to Miami and had the gun back in three weeks working perfectly. Now obviously two points need to be made on this, one: the gun should have been working perfectly right out of the box, I shouldn't have had to fork out an additional $50. On this point I couldn't agree more, a product should work when you buy it. Two, going forward can I be confident in its performance? This is a gun that I bought primarily as a woods gun; to provide protection while camping, hiking, fishing, and hunting. I am one of the rare individuals who has actually been shot at while in the woods by a bunch of drunken bafoons who somehow got a rise out of endangering my life. Have that happen to you and it changes your life and it is a situation I never intend to be in again unprepared. Statistically the odds are against it happening again but like a fire extinguisher I would rather be safe than sorry. The .357 Magnum is more than able to handle anything on two legs and for that matter any on four in North America with the obvious exception of a Grizzly. So do I trust it? Yes, since the repair four years ago I have put over 1,500 rounds of .38 Special and 300 rounds of .357 Magnum through it and haven't had a single issue. The trip to Miami seems to have taken care of the locking up issue and I am meticulous in my cleaning of my firearms. Secondly, the Smith & Wesson just looks of a higher quality. I prefer its finish and the tolerances just seem to be more exact and tighter. 

My verdict: go with the Taurus. The feel of the gun, combined with the porting and seven rounds won me over. It just feels right in my hand, is fun as can be, and I am able to get back on target remarkably fast, even while shooting .357. Your opinion may vary and I hope I have provided you with a very comprehensive and unbiased review of the firearm so that you may make your own decision. 

Now just for fun and to demonstrate the gun is far more accurate than I am, I thought I would provide you with a few targets showing its performance on the range. All targets showing .38 Special are 7 rounds while .357 are five shots. Ammunition used in test for .38 Special was Winchester White Box FMJ 130 grain and Hornady Critical Defense .357 Magnum 125 grain FTX. Target is 12 x 12 inches. All shots were in single action. 


.38 Special 7 Yards



.38 Special 25 Yards



.38 Special 50 Yards (not pretty but at 50 yards I will take it!)



.357 Magnum 7 Yards



.357 Magnum 15 Yards



.357 Magnum 25 Yards
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Looking For a Gun Range?


If you are like me, finding a gun range can sometimes be problematic and often is downright frustrating. I recently stumbled across a website that helps you locate gun ranges and thought it would be beneficial to share. Simply enter your location and what type (Shotgun, Rifle, Archery, etc.)  of range you are looking for. It then generates a list of nearby ranges with details and contact information. Pretty useful. Here is the link: 

http://wheretoshoot.org/Find_Range/index.asp
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Sig Sauer Mosquito .22 LR Gun Review



The Sig Sauer Mosquito is a semi-automatic blowback pistol chambered in .22LR. The frame is polymer with an aluminum alloy slide. It comes with a 10 round magazine. The pistol is based off the Sig P226, with near identical controls, but is 10% smaller. As with the P226, it offers a manual decocker, takedown lever, and magazine release on the left side of the frame; with an ambidextrous safety located on the slide. MSRP $390

I will admit this gun was a bit of an impulse purchase. Long had I been searching for the Browning Buckmark Contour yet after almost 8 months of searching I was unable to locate one. My primary purpose in wanting a .22 LR pistol was to fulfill the role of a range/practice pistol allowing me to shoot at a markedly reduced cost compared to my centerfires. Thus one day at my local gunshop I saw the Mosquito on sale and purchased it hoping it would take that role. I had not researched the firearm prior to my purchase, something I never do, yet the price was right and I was eager for a .22 LR. I cannot tell you how deeply I regret not researching this firearm before buying. I learned my lesson and hope this review will be of use to those of you looking to add the Sig Mosquito to your collection. 

First to the ergonomics, this gun just feel right in my hands. The comfortable grip allows me to naturally and quickly align my sights. The sights themselves are not adjustable. Onto the trigger, my first major criticism. The trigger pull is very long and just feels squishy. It doesn't have a clean break at all, in part I believe the squishiness is caused by the trigger being made of plastic. The second criticism is the operation of the gun itself. It is notorious for FTF (failure to feed) and FTE (failure to eject). Now to be fair almost all semiautomatic .22's deal with this problem to some degree. It is to be expected, however the SIG can be a real nightmare and its failure rate exceeds all other .22's I have handled. 

If you already own a Mosquito or are set on purchasing one there are some remedies which will greatly improve performance. First, ALWAYS clean and lubricate the gun after each use. This seems commonsense to me but with the neglect I see others subject their firearms to, perhaps it bears repeating. Secondly, the SIG loves CCI Minimags, hollow points or full metal jacket doesn't seem to make a difference. I have tried a variety of other brands and types and the Minimag is your best option by far. Third, before you shoot your Minimags lightly spray them with a lubricant. My personal preference is Liquid Wrench's Silicone Spray. Following those three guidelines I have been able to shoot 100 rounds on multiple occasions without a single FTF or FTE. 

My verdict: don't purchase the Sig Mosquito. Given Sig's reputation I was really quite disappointed with this firearm. They dropped the ball big time. My greatest criticism is the trigger, sure you can kinda get used to it, but the trigger is one of, if not the most crucial element in accurate and precise handgun shooting. The FTF and FTE's are my second criticism. As I noted above, you can remedy this and greatly minimize incidents. However, I don't like being so strictly tied to one particular  brand and make of cartridge. Given the current ammunition shortage across the country I have only been able to find CCI Minimag's on three occasions this year. Granted all .22 ammo is experiencing a shortage across the board right now but I am even more limited being limit to one kind. I purchased the gun to be a cheap practice gun, but have been able to utilize it far less than I had wished, hate the trigger, and am always anxious that the gun will act up, ruining my day at the range. The one and only way I would consider the Mosquito is if you already own the P226 and are looking for a training gun with identical ergonomics and controls. Just know what you are getting yourself into before you purchase. For me, I assure you this is one gun that has a very limited time left in my collection. 

Right: my personal Sig Mosquito in the two tone coloration. 
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.17 HMR Accuracy Test


It has been an incredibly long time since I have tried various ammunition in my .17 HMR, and last time I did I was relatively new to the firearm and still learning its disposition. As such I decided to do a test of various .17 HMR brands and bullet styles and compare accuracy. The test proceeded as follows: for each particular cartridge 3 targets were set up at 100 yds. Wind was 14 mph. To the first target I fired 10+ rounds to zero it in, then I fired 5 rounds each at the other two targets, the better results of the two
targets are displayed below. The gun was a Savage 93R17 BTVS set up on sand bags. See below for the results: 




The first trial was the Hornady 17 grain V-Max. Honestly I expected this one to preform the best and was somewhat disappointed by the results compared to the others. Note the group wouldn't be too bad if you omit the one flyer, which I blame on user error. Still not nearly as tight as others, however, even with the omission. 


Federal Premium 17 grain V-Shok. These were the best results by far. Nice tight group easily a quarter or nickel could fit over all five shots. Was impressed as I had never fired Federal's .17 HMR. Definitely will be purchasing again. 


Remington 17 grain Accutip-V Boat Tail. This was the first time I had fired this particular round as well and was impressed. In particular I was interested in how the boat tail design would preform and I have to say I was very pleased. I have no doubt that this round could preform equally with the Federal Premium, mentioned above. 


Hornady 20 grain XTP. I expected this to be the worst performer going into today. With a little more weight and the hollow point tip I just didn't expect as high of accuracy. Needless to say, while not a top performer I think it is safe to say it preformed very well. 


 CCI 17 grain V-Max. The first thing which is noticeable is the obvious flyer. Again I attribute that to me as I must have pulled. Without the flyer, not bad results either.

Closing remarks: firstly, the .17 HMR is an incredibly accurate cartridge, period. Not a single round was fully outside the first circle at 100 yards with 14 mph winds, and I wasn't using a vice. If you compare the clusters to the quarter in the picture I think all groupings were good to decent, and I only say decent because I know what this round can achieve. Secondly, my Savage is far more accurate than I am. I shoot often, about once a month, but am far from an expert in the shooting sports or target shooting. Third, the above are my results in my gun. Be sure to test your own firearm with various brands and weights, while not .22, the price of the HMR is still low compared to centerfire rounds. The best thing about the .17 HMR so far in its evolution is there is yet to be a cheap or dud round to be found, quality control and accuracy seem paramount. Finally, in the future I hope to test some of the 15 grain and FMJ style rounds as well. When I do, I will be sure to post my results. 
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Savage 93R17 BTVS .17 HMR Gun Review




The Savage 93R17 BTVS chambered in .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire), is one sweet little firearm. I have had this rifle for three years, put hundreds of rounds through it and thought it was about time to do a review. I bought it after selling my Remington 700 .223. I don't wish to speak negatively about the Remington 700, it is a proven and reliable firearm, but for my purposes it just didn't cut it and being a college student I don't have the funds to put the additional money into a gun that would need substantial work. My primary purpose in a rifle is target shooting 100 - 200 yards, and on the Remington I would have had to glass bed the action and have the trigger worked on. I just didn't want to put that kind of time and effort into the gun. In seeking a stock rifle and caliber to meet my needs I found almost exactly what I wanted in the Savage. My requirements in a stock rifle were: bull floating barrel, light and easily adjustable trigger, proven accurate caliber, and bedded bolt action. The only requirement this gun does not meet is the action is not bedded. However, since it fires a rimfire cartridge I find this acceptable for the moment. When I am on my game I can typically shoot 1 MOA from a bipod and 1/2" MOA from sandbags. I am sure if I were shooting from a vice this would improve further, however I find the most enjoyment and challenge in shooting from a bipod. 


A brief note on the caliber. The .17 HMR is a rimfire cartridge developed by Hornady and introduced in 2002: with assistance from Marlin and Remington. Originally thought up by wildcatters, the cartridge is a take off the .22 Magnum. In developing the HMR designers sought a caliber which would extend the range, be impacted less by the wind, and have a flatter trajectory than the .22 Magnum. Maximum effective range for most accomplished shooters will be 250 yards with appropriate glass. Out of rimfire cartridges the .17 HMR is by far the most accurate from a rifle. 

I have really been impressed with Savage Arms over the years, having fired several--they seem dedicated to accuracy, with distinct lines dedicated to Target Shooters. I know that on some forums individuals have badmouthed Savage, however most of this can be attributed to the old Savage Arms. A few years ago they came under ownership and they have really put an emphasis on quality. Two of their biggest innovations have been the option of an Accutrigger (a hairpin light trigger that is easily adjustable), and the Accustock (a bedded action) straight from the factory. 

The specs on the gun itself. Stock it comes with an 21" floating bull barrel, 5 round magazine, accutrigger, 2 lb trigger pull, wood stock, right hand trigger rest, and weights 7.5 lbs. It is an incredibly accurate gun, negligible recoil, and fun to shoot. I have tried 15, 17, and 20 grain bullets in hollow point, FMJ, and polymer tip from the following manufactures: Winchester, CCI, and Hornady. I was very disappointed with CCI's ammo, less so by Winchester, and impressed with Hornady. All feed well but for accuracy I found none come close to the Hornady V-Max 17 grain in a polymer tip. It is all I use anymore. 

I only have a few criticisms of the gun: First it is not glass bedded. For those unfamiliar with what glass bedding adds to the firearm, I will offer a brief explanation. Most actions are bolted to the stock, this puts pressure points on the action which can shift over time and affect accuracy. Glass bedding connects the action to the stock with fiberglass. This eliminates pressure points and greatly reduces the likelihood that the action will shift. As this is a rimfire and therefore is loaded much lighter then centerfire cartridges I am ok with this for the moment: have not noticed a change in accuracy over time, but still may bed it in the future. Secondly, the magazine has a reputation of ejecting all 5 rounds in a jack in the box manner when loading it into the action. This is very frustrating. However, it was also an incredibly easy fix. If your gun does this simply lightly squeeze together the top of the magazine with some needlenose pliers. After I did this I had no more problems. Finally, a critique not of the rifle itself but of cleaning any .17 HMR. It sucks and is a pain in the ass. Because of the small diameter jamming a cleaning rod into the barrel is difficult and without care you can easily bed or break your rod. So far I have gone through three. I am currently exploring various brands and hope to find one less apt to bend or break. A boresnake obviously does not carry this same risk, but I find a cleaning rod does a better job cleaning the rifle. However, again this is not a critique of the rifle as it itself is easy to maintain but with the small diameter of any .17 caliber barrel. One final note on cleaning. After cleaning I have found that it takes 3-5 rounds to break the gun back into its typical accuracy. 

If you are looking for a gun that is very accurate out of the box, reliable, negligible recoil, I would look no further. This gun looks good, shoots more accurately than I can, has relatively cheap ammo, and is a blast on any range. I am very happy with this rifle and am certain to hold onto it as a part of my permanent collection. 

*Final notes: MSRP has gone up since I purchased it and is now $470. I can usually find Hornady 17 grain V-Max @ $13 for 50 rounds. You can now purchase a 10 round magazine for this rifle from Savage. Also, since posting, I have done additional testing on various .17 HMR rounds, the results are here.
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Parma Woods


Over the past two weeks I have taken both my cousin and a friend to Parma Woods for the first time. My cousin shot my Rifle, first time shooting a gun, and my friend fired her new Browning Buckmark Camper Pistol. They both greatly enjoyed their time and Andrea has already been back.

Parma Woods is a rifle/shotgun/pistol range located by Parkville, Missouri, just north of Cabelas. The rifle range sets targets at 25, 50, 75, and 100 yards. Pistol Range is 7, 15, 25, 50 yards. The best thing about the range is it is open to the public year round and it costs only $3 an hour. The only concern you may have is if shooting a firearm in a milatary caliber, ie. a .223 or .308 your ammunition must be inspected and approved.

Both Andrea and Brandt shot well for the first time using the guns and I did fair shooting approximately 2 MOA at 100 yards. My goal in this next year is to get it down to 1/2 MOA. Here are the pictures:


My cousin Brandt. 


Me shooting my rifle, a Savage 93R17 BTVS. Chambered in .17 HMR


Andrea shooting her new pistol. I was super impressed with the simplicity and accuracy of that gun. 
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