Looking to buy a 44 mag. 4 hunting have narrowed down to taurus will the tracker get the job done 4 deer/bear?

Question

have also looked at the raging bull.. really like the price and look of the taurus unless someone has another suggestion for the price..

Answer 1

I guess I'm a little different as I have owned many Taurus products with little complaint {I had a Colt Python that caused me 100% more problems then my worst Taurus}. But for hunting I would have to say the Ruger is the way to go over everything else counting the S&W. It weighs more which helps with recoil and will take a lifetime of heavy loads {the S&W won't}. I use a Redhawk with a magnaported barrel and it has digested more then 30,000 rounds of 300gr XTP's at 1350fps and its still tight. I load them over a fairly heavy charge of 296 to get there and my S&W really didn't like them or I it as the recoil was VICIOUS ! Through the Ruger it's not bad in the least, my wife loves to shoot the heavies from it cause it pushes her around but doesn't hurt her like stiff loads through her Mod 19 S&W does.

Answer 2

Taurus are ok guns if you don’t plan on shooting lots of heavy .44 loads like the 320 gr bear rounds. Why? Well I had one and shot the hell out of it and after many many rounds it started to get loose. My Ruger Super Blackhawk and Redhawk have been shot thousands of times for decades and are still nice and tight.
Also there are some specialty .44 mag ammunition that has a warning on it to not shoot them in any .44 magnum handguns except for the Ruger super redhawk revolvers or rifles.

Here is some info you should read before you decide to by the Taurus.
http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/no_taurus_work.html

S&W make fine .44 mags also.

If you don’t shoot often and will not shoot the hot .44 mag ammo then the Taurus will work fine.

Like the others said Taurus is a second rate gun.

EDIT;
John_c you need to do some home work on ammo ballistics. People hunt deer with 30-06’s that have over 2800 ft pounds of energy in some rounds, a .44 magnum has about 600 ft lbs to 1200 ft lbs; big difference. So a .44 mag leaving the muzzle has less energy than a 30-06 has at 300 yards and more, yep even up to 500 yards depending on the type of ammo. This is why the .44 magnum is considered only for close range hunting for big game and it does that well. And also why if you told a old Alaskan trapper that you had a .44 mag to kill brown bears here in Alaska that weigh up to 1200 pounds. He will just shake his head with a smile and call you nuts. Although it has been done.

Answer 3

Just based on my experience with Taurus firearms. Don't depend on them. The quality is too inconsistent. I have had them come into the shop from Taurus with the cylinder miss drilled (drilled at the thinnest part of the cylinder instead of between the flutes) I have had dozens of them needing to go back for repair. My last experience was with a 9mm I mistakenly agreed to buy from a friend who needed some extra cash. It was unfired and still in the box. When fired it, I noticed that it failed to extract random rounds. No consistancy at all, just random rounds would not extract. Since it did carry a lifetime warranty I just sent it back. 60 days later, they finally got to it, which tells me they have a ton of returned firearms to repair. They sent it back with a note saying that they replaced the extractor. I took it out to test it. The extractor snapped on the (I think it was the 3rd round). I replaced the extractor myself and got rid of the pistol. As for the caliber, heck yes it will work for deer and black bear. I have taken both with .44 mags. But don't expect a bear to drop with one round unless you are a very, very good shot and lucky. I find that it takes 2-3 rounds average and even had to fire 7 at one big bruiser. Neck shots anchor a deer, chest shots drop them pretty quickly, a heart shot drops them within 70 yards, a spine shot anchors them in place. The same goes for a .357 mag. Practice practice practice is the key for a handgun hunter. I recomend you put your money towards a good either a ruger redhawk, or a s&w 29 if you need double action. But I prefer a good single action like the ruger blackhawk with a 5 to 7" barrel and a 1 to 1 and 1/2 power scope. 2 power is the strongest I would use and anything over that is too much for a handgun scope. You would not be able to hold it steady enough to see properly with more magnification. I recomend a scope on any handgun dedicated to hunting use. Open sights are tough to use in hunting conditions. I have taken a bear and a couple of deer with open sights, but on the bear, it was a close up un- expected encounter while picking berries and the deer where both within 40 yards and standing broadside in very good light.
Whatever you choose, shoot safe.

Answer 4

Well, you get what you pay for. I remember when Tarus started selling in the US in the 80's. These guns were equivilient to Rossi and other poor quality firearms. Very bad Quality Control and at the bottom of the quality scale. You shoud consider the Smith and Wesson 629 or Ruger Redhawk. I've owned both of these in the past and they are much higher quality firearms and Made in the USA. The 44 WILL work on deer and bear every day of the week.

Answer 5

My preference, in order of preference is:

1 - Ruger Super Blackhawk
2 - Smith & Wesson M-29
3 - Ruger Redhawk
4 - Ruger Super Redhawk
5 - Colt Anaconda
6 - Taurus Tracker
7 - Taurus Raging Bull

I won't knock Taurus quality, the one I owned was top notch. But I don't care for the twin cylinder release system on the Raging Bull.

Doc

Answer 6

Ruger made a great 44 mag carbine up until the late 60s or so. they now make a simular carbine called a deerfield with a detachable magazine. they says its a really good gun. a 44 mag is an awsome short range white tail gun.

Answer 7

Taurus makes inferior firearms. Buy a Ruger.

Answer 8

I cannot in good conscience recommend Taurus, because I think they are substandard guns. Their warranty service stinks. I would opt for the Ruger Redhawk, or single action Blackhawk.

Answer 9

Buy a Smith & Wesson 44 Magnum.* Buy a used one and save $$$$$$$.* Better handgun.* A new handgun doesn't shoot any better than a used one.*

Answer 10

I'd have to go with a S&W or a Ruger, not a Taurus fan.