No Liberty for Taurus Home, home On the range

THE FINE FOLKS AT NEXUS SHOOTING in Davie FL “gifted” me with an hour’s shooting range time in honor of my celebrating yet another natal anniversary.

The range is one of several in the area and one of the best. This morning there were two Range Safety Officers (RSOs) for four shooters. (It was early in the day.)

Not only do the RSOs make certain safety rules are followed, they also make suggestions on how to improve marksmanship.

Taurus 692 with two cylinders and stellar clips for 9mm

I TOOK MY WHEEL GUN and 9mm and .357 ammunition and checked in.

Wait. 9mm AND .357?

My current revolver (a/k/a wheel gun) is a Taurus Model 692, hereafter just “692.”

The revolver is sold with two easily interchangeable cylinders. One seven-chamber cylinder accommodates both .38 Special and .357 Magnum cartridges. The second seven-chamber cylinder accommodates 9mm ammunition normally used in semi-automatics.

In order to accommodate the 9mm ammunition, each round must sit in what Taurus calls a “stellar” clip, a/k/a “moon” or “star” clip.

Planning ahead

Range time is sold by the hour or portion thereof.

Since my 9mm ammunition requires a seven-cartridge moon clip, I loaded 49 cartridges (7*7) at the house. A number of companies make loaders, most of which sell for $30 and up; way up. I loaded my 49 rounds by hand. Not a problem, at least for me.

One advantage of the moon clips is that they act almost like a “speed loader.” The cartridges can be quickly loaded into the revolver and equally quickly ejected from the revolver.

Removing the spent cases from the moon clips, which I was warned could be difficult, was a snap with a pair of needle nose pliers from my toolbox; again, no need for an expensive cartridge removing tool. (However, if someone wants to send me such a tool I will be happy to “test” it.)

Taurus Guns ≠ Liberty Ammunition

Liberty ammunition is made in Florida. It uses light weight, 50 grain bullets designed to create a large wound trail.

I bought a box to fire in my Taurus Model 605 .38/.357 revolver.

Absolutely minimum recoil (kick).

The only problem was, the cartridges apparently expanded and I could not eject them from the chambers.

I thought the problem might be limited to the 605.

I loaded and fired seven rounds of Liberty .357 cartridges. They ejected normally from a previously unused cylinder.

I changed cylinders and fired 49 rounds of 9mm.

Then I reinstalled the .38/.357 cylinder and fired 17 rounds of American Eagle 158 gain Jacketed Soft Point.

Finally, when I only had four American Eagle rounds I added three Liberty rounds to fill the seven-round cylinder.

Is it Taurus, Liberty, or all revolvers?

When I fired this mix, the American Eagle cases ejected cleanly but the three Liberty cases were stuck solidly in their chambers.

They remained stuck until I got to the house and the tool box. With hammer and Phillips head screwdriver, I managed to force the Liberty cases out. The gun’s ejector rod would not budge them.

I complained to Taurus and to Liberty about this issue with my old 605. Neither company bothered to reply. I no longer will recommend or buy Liberty ammunition.

My Second Born son used Libertys in his semi-automatic and claimed the bullets went wild. He also has “sworn off” Liberty ammunition.

Recoil and Rubber Grip

I was surprised at the kick from Remington’s 115 grain Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) training ammunition.

According to my first born, a police detective, his accuracy greatly improved when his department switched from .40 semi-automatics to 9 mm semi-automatics.

The 692 has a 3” ported barrel (below) that is supposed to reduce recoil. Since I never have fired 9mm before, I can’t say yea or nay to that claim. I have fired my son’s personal Springfield Armory .40 and .45 semi-automatics and they had less recoil. I also have fired .38 Specials from the 605 and an over/under Derringer. Recoil never was a problem.

Taurus 692 with 3” ported barrel and rubber grip

While the 9mm did have more recoil than expected, the 692’s rubber grip saved my hands.

Even with the American Eagle .357 Magnums the kick was both as expected and comparatively easy on the hands.

The 692’s soft rubber grip allowed me to fire many more .357 rounds than I managed with the 2” barrel 605 with a harder grip. I KNEW I had been shooting .357s when I fired the 605.

Size Does Make a Difference

My accuracy with the heavy, 3” barrel 692 was markedly improved over the lighter, 2” barrel 605.

I am not ready for “prime time” competitive shooting, but my paper target showed lots of holes. Given this was my first time out with the 692 and that I don’t spend a lot of time at a range, I’m satisfied that spending more time at home on the range, my accuracy at 17 feet will greatly improve. As it is, it’s “good enough” for self-defense but I would NEVER trust myself to fire into a crowd.

A Clean Gun is ...

Once I managed to hammer the three Libertys out of their chambers, I set about the task of cleaning the 692.

Revolvers are much easier and faster to clean than semi-automatics.

A good brush to loosen any powder residue followed by a Ballistol-soaked swab to clean the barrel and chambers followed by a dry swab to remove any excess gun oil and DONE! No disassembly. No springs to loose.

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Opuscula Taurus Model 692 Wheel gun: First look

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A TAURUS USA Model 692 revolver. I traded a Taurus Model 605,

The 692 is unusual, albeit not unique, in that it comes with two cylinders: one for .38 Special and .357 magnum ammunition and one for the much less expensive and usually more available 9 mm.

Translation: I will use the 9 mm on the range and the .38 or .357 as the carry round.

Taurus Model 692 with additional 9mm cylinder

THE FIRST THING I did was RT*M. I also read the manual when I buy a (new to me) car. I used to write manuals so if nothing else I compare “styles.”

The Taurus document is “OK.”

The second thing I did, after thoroughly cleaning the gun with Ballistol^®, was to swap cylinders.

It is indeed as easy as “seen on tv” (OK, YouTube). Remove one, install the other. Confirm the newly installed cylinder is locked in place, and it is ready to be fed. The 9 mm cylinder is clearly marked 9mm; the .38/.357 cylinder is marked “.357 MAGNUM.” Both cylinders also are marked, as are the gun’s frame and barrel, with the gun’s serial number.

There ARE differences beyond the ability to easily “swap out” cylinders between the Model 605 and the Model 692. ^{1, 2}

The most noticeable, to me, is the way Taurus secures the weapon.

The old Model 605 had a small key hole near the hammer; insert and turn the provided key, the gun could not be fired.

The new Model 692 comes with a padlock (two keys) and a connecting cable. It looks very much like a short bicycle lock. The cable is to be routed from the lock through the weapon and back to the lock, preventing insertion of ammunition, or in the case of a wheel gun, closing the cylinder. This is a “universal” lock designed to work on all firearms (assuming it is used).

Given that most handgun owners have the guns for home protection, the likelihood that the lock will be used for a gun is minimal. (This scrivener has a gun safe that accommodates my gun and a visitor’s sidearm.)

Since installing a cylinder is quick and easy, that might seem a good way to make the weapon safe – remove a loaded cylinder and keep it handy. The problem is that the cartridges tend to fall out when the unmounted cylinder is handled. Taurus tells users to remove/install only empty cylinders.

Taurus used to have an industry-standard “lifetime” warranty.

The Model 692 comes with a one year limited warranty that is not transferable.

Has Taurus lost faith in its Brasilian manufacturing operations? (Most Taurus sidearms are made in Brasil^cq; the company has U.S. offices in Miami FL.) Perhaps the “industry standard” has changed.

Taurus proved to me with the old 605 that its “lifetime” warranty is not really all that worthwhile. (Details upon request.) The alternative, I suppose, is to become friends with a local gunsmith.

The 605 held 5 rounds.

The 692 holds 7, BUT there’s a “catch.”

In the old days — before internal safeties — cowboys (and others) carried five rounds in their six-shooters. The gun’s hammer rested on an empty chamber. If the gun was dropped on the hammer, there was nothing under the firing pin to go “bang.”

Perhaps Taurus no longer trusts its internal safety mechanism. Only Taurus knows for sure. It now recommends the empty chamber safety option. In any event, six shots should be enough, especially moving from a five-shooter. (Taurus has been making seven-shot revolvers for a number of years.)

The 692 has a “ported” barrel; that is, there are vents at the end of the barrel to allow gases from the cartridge to escape. ( See image at right) The idea of the ported barrel is to reduce recoil or “kick” from the cartridge. For a .38 (not “+P”) or 9 mm, the recoil is minimal and easily handled by most folks with most sidearms. The recoil of a standard .357 magnum is another matter, and except for the lightweight (50 grain) Liberty cartridges, hurts the hands.

The Model 692 in my gun safe has a 3-inch barrel (vs. the 605’s 2-inch barrel); there also is a 6.5-inch barrel version — not suitable for concealed carry — that due to the additional barrel length and gun weight (2.88 pounds sans ammunition) is said to have even less felt recoil.

One problem, according to my police detective son, is that the ported barrel can injure the shooter if it is held close to the shooter’s body. The flame from the barrel is enough to light up the night. In a self-defense situation, the aggressor should never get close close enough that the 692 user needs to fire the gun from close to the body.

Both the 605 and the 692 come with a Taurus rubber grip; it was comfortable enough on the 605 except when firing 158 grain .357 rounds.

The Model 692, as with most Taurus wheel guns, is SA/DA; translation: SA=Single Action and DA=Double Action. An SA requires the shooter to cock the hammer before pulling the trigger; a DA cocks and drops the hammer in one shooter action. DA guns generally require a stronger trigger “pull” that can take the gun off target. That was the case with the Model 605 and is again with the Model 692. (The 692, being new, requires a very strong pull. The “pull” can be lightened, but there may be unwanted consequences.) SA trigger pull is, as expected, much lighter.

There is a significant difference in (unloaded) weight between the 605 (1.25 lbs) and the 692 (2.19 lbs) – nearly a pound more for the new gun.

The Model 692 has, as does the 605, a fixed front sight, but unlike the 605, a small orange-red tape is applied to the top of the sight.

The rear sight is adjustable; the 605 sight was fixed.

I can understand the need for an adjustable rear sight on the competition-level 6 1/2-inch barrel Model 692, but the 3-inch snubbie for close-quarter (within 20 feet) self defense? Puts me in mind of the old “High Hopes” song³ or the slightly off-color joke about an ant and an elephant. Since it is there, I’ll give it a try, at least with the 9 mm on the range.
At about 2 ½ pounds loaded, the Model 692 may be tiring when practicing on the range.
 
Comparing revolvers and semi-automatics?
What advantages, if any are there to owning a revolver vs. a semi-automatic?
The effectiveness of 9 mm and .38 cartridges are close; .357 offers a little more punch with a heavy bullet.
Revolvers usually are more reliable given routine maintenance. Maintenance is easier and the gun does not, as with a semi-automatic, need any disassembly.
Revolvers are available in 9 mm, but most require moon clips, a drawback. On the other hand, 9 mm range ammunition is relatively inexpensive and carry ammunition usually available for a price no greater than .38 Special. Translation: It costs less to own and use a 9 mm revolver or semi-auto.
Revolvers hold less ammunition. The only time a civilian should be concerned is reloading the gun is at the range. Leave the fire fights to the police.
The Model 692 is a heavy weight at about 2 ½ pounds loaded. Many semi-autos are lighter and carry more cartridges.
While trigger pull varies, getting a cartridge into a semi-auto requires pulling back the slide; this can be difficult for some people. Revolvers do not have a slide.
You can pick up a revolver and easily see if it is loaded; this is not the case with all semi-autos.
While a semi-auto is slightly thinner than a medium to large caliber revolver, there is not a significant difference between a 9 mm semi-auto and a .357 revolver for concealed carry.

Interesting side note: I bought, with some back-and-forth with a Taurus Customer Service Rep (CSR) five additional moon clips (US$9). The price was OK, but the “standard shipping rate” of $8.75 for something that can be mailed via USPS in a standard #9 envelope borders on highway robbery.
The back-and-forth with the CSR proved to me that Taurus USA in Miami FL leaves something to be desired.
Why do I need ten seven-round moon clips? I want to pre-load 10 moon clips (70 rounds) before I set off for the range and its “by the hour” charges.
FOLLOWUP on 21 AUG. Taurus has waived the shipping fee ! I am thinking more kindly toward Taurus' Customer Service.

 

To be continued after a trip to the range.

Other “convertible” revolvers

Ruger Blackhawk .357 Magnum Convertible Revolver, SA only: http://tinyurl.com/y43asxrh

There are other 9 mm revolvers, but none I could find on the WWW other than Taurus and Ruger that came with interchangeable cylinders.

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Sources

1. Model 605 specifications: http://tinyurl.com/y3eqbhqo

2. Model 692 specifications: http://tinyurl.com/yxc47ya7

3. High Hopes song: http://tinyurl.com/y5hq8ef4

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

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