How hot do you guys think this gun can go? 300 gr at 1100fps? 250 gr at 1100? Thanks

I think your on the right track-it's not a Ruger! So keep them in that range and you'll keep the gun parts were they need to be-in the gun! :D

A 300 at 1100 might be asking a bit much of the gun and your hand. What is the cylinder length compared to a Ruger single action?

How hot do you guys think this gun can go? 300 gr at 1100fps? 250 gr at 1100? Thanks


Go to www.taurususa.com and download the owner's manual. They have the bullet weight and velocity rating for each caliber in the manual. The .44 special snubnose is rated for 200gr bullet at 900fps, the .357 magnum is rated for 158gr bullet at 1450fps. The 45 Colt should be in there too.

Go to www.taurususa.com and download the owner's manual. They have the bullet weight and velocity rating for each caliber in the manual. The .44 special snubnose is rated for 200gr bullet at 900fps, the .357 magnum is rated for 158gr bullet at 1450fps. The 45 Colt should be in there too.


I looked that up and the manual says 900 fps for a 255gr bullet for the .45 Colt. I don't think it's refering to what their revolvers are "rated" at, just how the typical cartidge performs.

It says the same thing for the Raging Bull in .45 Colt. I think the jury is still out on this one. Maybe someone could do some destructive testing and post the results, huh? :-)

On the small light revolvers, it's not entirely a matter of pressure, with a lot of recoil they tend to become bullet pullers. Hence the emphasis on light bullets.

"Rated at" 900 fps and "chronographed at" 900 fps are two very different prospects. I have looked for specific data on .38 spl and on .44 S&W and have found little. Speer 13th edition has a lot of data on .357 mag which, when analyzed says that barrel length is important but not the whole story. When I analyze their data with statistical techniques I get fair data fits by assuming muzzle velocity increases in proportion to the logarithm of muzzle length for barrels less than about 20". If I had a chrono I would settle it directly for my own guns by firing identical loads from several barrel length weapons (e.g., .44 S&W spl from a 2" Taurus 445 and from a 5-1/2" Ruger Super Blackhawk). Does anyone out there have hard data??

Well I wanted as much power as I could get in the handiest package possible. I thought since this was a 5 shot it might be lighter and easier to pack. But still be strong enough to launch a heavy bullet at a good clip.

A 300 at 1100 might be asking a bit much of the gun and your hand. What is the cylinder length compared to a Ruger single action?

It's quite short, especially compared to a Ruger. Most 300gr bullets wouldn't even fit. The Tracker cylinders can only handle a cartridge OAL of about 1.630”. A 270gr Keith is that long, or longer depending on exactly how deep you seat it (mine were 1.645" at last loading).

From the measurements I've seen for the cylinder wall thickness on the Tracker, and having the bolt notch offset between the chambers I would GUESS that it could handle a 255 @ 1,100 or mabye 1,200 fps, but I wouldn't want to risk any higher. I'd also only want to shoot those in the steel frame gun, not the light Ti versions.

Well I wanted as much power as I could get in the handiest package possible. I thought since this was a 5 shot it might be lighter and easier to pack. But still be strong enough to launch a heavy bullet at a good clip.

Is the 5" Raging Bull in .454 or .480 too big for your uses? That would be fairly packable, no Tracker to be sure, but with very little compromise in power.

I have a Taurus 450, it's a 2" barreled ported .45 Colt, I use CorBon 200 grain, at 1100fps. I know this gun doesn't come close to the strength of the Ruger single actions, so I keep it under the pressures of the +P offerings. I save the CorBon 300 grain 1200 fps +P loads for my Vaquero.

From the measurements I've seen for the cylinder wall thickness on the Tracker, and having the bolt notch offset between the chambers I would GUESS that it could handle a 255 @ 1,100 or mabye 1,200 fps...We should be careful making assumptions based on cylinder measurements. What we do not know is the hardness of the cylinder metal - it may be different for the .45 vs the .44 or .357. The S&W M25 frame was not given the same heat treated as the M29s and it was not as strong - as some M25 owners found out to their chagrin. The guns didn't blow up, and the Tracker may not either - but there are more types of gun damage than a catastophic failure. :(

Well it's all over now. I settle on a S&W M-29 Mountain Gun in .44 Mag (limited production blue version). I do have mixed feelings though. I feel kind of like a sellout for buying a .44! And worse ... it's from S&W. Oh well.