Taurus' Stellar Tracker

.45 ACP Trail Gun Exraordinaire

By Charlie Cutshaw

Used by permission of American Handgunner Magazine Publishers Development Corporation, Inc.

It's an unfortunate fact of life that things don't always go the way we wish. Although we hope for the best, time and experience teaches us we must expect and prepare for theworst. In the case of the outdoor sports enthusiast, preparation includes having the right equipment to deal with emergencies. Dozens of cases are documented each year where people are seriously injured - or even seriously killed - by wild animals. In the east, bears can be a problem, as are coyotes, wildcats and feral dogs. Unlike the propaganda espoused by some "conservationists,"

all bears are not clones of Winnie the Pooh, any more than all deer are descended from Bambi. In other areas, alligators, although protected, have been known to attack humans and no matter where one travels, poisonous snakes are a real presence.  Thus, in addition to all the other measures taken to prepare for the worst, the serious outdoors kinda' person, may also be well-advised to have a "little something" in his or her kit.

Most guns used for such things are not specifically designed for backwoods use, but the fact is such handguns do exist and in most instances they are revolvers. There's a good reason for the "outdoors" revolver as opposed to the "outdoors" semiauto. The revolver is the simplest solution for a person who is not a gun-guy who practices shooting on an irregular basis. Further, the revolver remains the most reliable handgun short of a single shot pistol. For the hiker or backwoods bicyclist who carries the handgun solely for self-protection and may not own another gun, the revolver is easy to use and carry. The revolver requires less maintenance and has fewer working parts than a semiautomatic pistol. The manual of arms for the revolver is also simpler. Unlike the semiautomatic pistol, which requires a "tap - rack - bang" drill in case of a misfire, the revolver needs only another trigger pull to fetch a fresh cartridge up for firing. Thus "outdoors" handguns have generally always been revolvers. That said, what defines an "outdoors" handgun?

The Definitive Word
In his classic Textbook of Pistols and Revolvers, published in 1935, Julian Hatcher defined the outdoors revolver as follows:

An outdoorsman's revolver is one that uses a cartridge having high velocity, flat trajectory ..., wind bucking qualities above the average, and shock power...; that has a clean, crisp trigger pull so it can be shot accurately; that has a barrel not only long enough to insure ample distance between the sights, but also weighted and balanced so as to avoid any effect of either undue weight or muzzle lightness. It must also have sights with perpendicular sharp edges so no reflected light will affect the shooter's aim; they ... must be adjustable to the individual, and, when adjusted, remain unchanged; and, above all, this revolver must be the utmost in reliability and accuracy.

If you accept the General's definition, the outdoors revolver must meet some fairly high standards. In terms of caliber, at the time, the .38 special revolver was generally considered to be the ultimate. Bear in mind Hatcher's text was written before the .357 Magnum was introduced and in a time when .45 ACP revolvers were not commonly considered well-suited to outdoors use. But times have changed.

Outdoors revolvers today are, for the most part, .357 Magnum caliber. But when confronting dangerous animals, a cartridge is needed that's not only accurate, but one that fires a heavy bullet that will penetrate bone, reach vital organs and create a large permanent wound cavity. While the .357 will usually get the job done, the old adage that a good big bullet is better than a good small bullet is as correct today as it's always been. The relatively slow moving .45 ACP creates a large permanent wound cavity, has sufficient penetration to reach vital organs in most large animals and remains one of the most widely used cartridges in the world. It has been recommended by some authorities as the ideal backwoods cartridge. Some have even made the argument the ideal .45 ACP load for backwoods carry is the 230 gr. FMJ vital organs, but it does not create a very large permanent wound cavity.

So, just perhaps it wouldn't be wise to depend solely upon FMJ loads; hollow point cartridges - in addition to FMJs - would be a good addition to any ammo inventory for the field. Hollow points deliver the largest permanent wound cavity, and that's what it's all about. The notion that temporary wound cavity has any serious wounding effect in any pistol caliber, incidentally, is utter nonsense. It is not our purpose to enter the wound ballistics debate, but the fact is that temporary wound cavity is a factor only in rifle caliber cartridges, as any forensic surgeon will confirm. And that's a fact.

Boys From Brazil
So, with these kinds of facts in mind,when Taurus set out to design an outdoorsy-handgun, it seems the Boys from Brazil might have begun their effort by reading Hatcher's text and then improving on the good point. Naturally, the Stellar Tracker is a revolver. Asbecause the cylinder is chambered with a ridge to allow the mouth of the case to seat on it, providing proper headspace. But, when the clips are not used, the ejector will not extract and eject the spent casings, so clips are almost mandatory in this or any revolver that uses rimless cartridges. Basically, having clips makes reloads much faster and life easier.

The Stellar Tracker has adjustable sights and the barrel has a full underlug for balance and is even ported, if you like that sort of thing. The Tracker is also a real lightweight, tipping the scales at only 23 ounces. That's a nifty light-as-air number and makes field carry a dream. Another attractive feature is its svelte dimensions. This is without doubt the most compact .45 ACP revolver I've ever seen. Part of the small size is attributable to the fact Taurus made the revolver a five-shooter, rather than the traditional six-shooter. This enabled the size of the cylinder to be reduced to the point the Stellar Tracker can be built on a medium revolver frame, rather than a large frame.  Taurus, incidentally, refers to this frame as a "compact frame," despite the fact that it's midway between their small framed and large framed revolvers. The Tracker is no larger or heavier than one of the company's .357 Magnum or.38 Special six shot revolvers.

In consonance with Hatcher's original criteria, the Stellar Tracker has an average double action trigger pull of nine pounds and a single action pull that averaged 4.5 pounds. The double action pull was butter smooth without a hint of "stacking" and broke with a crisp snap. The single action pull had no creep whatsoever, broke like the proverbial glass rod, but with slight overtravel, which was no big deal.

The sights are conventional, with a front blade mounted atop a boss on the barrel. The front sight ramp is serrated to reduce glare and has an orange insertfor those of us intimately familiar with the delights of bifocals. The Stellar Tracker's target-type rear sight is fully adjustable for both windage and elevation, with tactile and audible clicks. The rear sight notch is square with a thin white line surrounding the sides and bottom. All in all, we give the Stellar Tracker's sights high marks.

Ribbed for Pleasure
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the Stellar Tracker is its grip, which is unusual in appearance, being made up of flexible ribs that are deepest on the front of the grip. Taurus' proprietary name for these remarkable grips is "Ribber Grips." We find this design so ingenious and so good we have to wonder why Taurus doesn't put them on all the company's revolvers. What the ribs do are accommodate the hands of any size shooter, from small to large. The consistency is just right to conform to the shooter's fingers as they wrap around the grip, essentially fitting the grip to the shooter's hand in a way that no contoured grip can ever match. Another feature of the Ribber Grips is they are unaffected by sweaty or wet hands. The revolver stays put when the shooter grasps it. Imaginethat. A third benefit of the Ribber Grips is they help cushion the .45's recoil. Too cool.

A final feature that will find favor with those having children or simply people who wish to secure their handgun is Taurus' integral lock. Taurus pioneered this feature several years ago and is only now being introduced by other firearm manufacturers. The Taurus revolver system consists of a small steel cylinder mounted in the hammer with a hexagonal post that, when turned clockwise elevates the cylinder above the surface of the revolver's hammer, blocking the firearm from being cocked. If one favors gun locks, a system like Taurus' that is integral and unobtrusive is best. It's present at all times, but totally unobtrusive. All Taurus locks use an identical key, and two keys are provided with each firearm.

Almost concurrent with the announcement of the Stellar Tracker was Taurus introduction of its new .45 ACP "Hex" ammunition. This is a new design incorporating a 185 gr. solid copper hollow point bullet Taurus claims will expand to nearly an inch, with no loss of weight. The development of this new round was the result of a cooperative effort between Taurus, Hodgdon Powder, Barnes Bullets, and Eldorado Cartridge Company (PMC). The new Taurus cartridges are not only effective, but also non-polluting. We evaluated this ammunition, along with cartridges from Black Hills, Winchester and Wolf.

And It Shoots?
Shooting the Stellar Tracker was a pleasant experience. We accomplished our accuracy testing at 15 yards because, simply put, that's a realistic range for an outdoors revolver like this one. In the real world, shorter distances are the norm and you'll more than likely be standing, anyway. The Ribber grips are really effective in controlling the recoil and the ported barrel aids in keeping muzzle rise to a minimum. It's certainly loud, though, so wear plenty of ear protection. After we finished our formal accuracy testing and chronographing, we had some shooting fun with the Tracker, knocking over bowling pins at distances from 15 to 25 yards. It's a great wheelgun for goofing-off, besides the fact it's a respectable trailgun. Accuracy was excellent all-around.

Our sole complaint regarding the Tracker is there is no holster specifically designed for it yet. Any holster made for a medium-framed revolver would probably work, but we wanted something more, so we took the Stellar Tracker to Chris Stewart in Decatur, Alabama. Chris' company - Ready Tactical Products - produces high quality Kydex holsters and accessories, such as magazine holders, at very competitive prices. Chris had a Kydex holster made for the Stellar Tracker within a few days and, like all Ready Tactical holsters, it proved a snug fit and had adjustable tension. We chose a belt clip, but all Ready Tactical holsters are also available as paddles, with a proprietary retention mechanism that positively prevents the holster from coming out along with the handgun. Oops.

All in all, we like Taurus' Stellar Tracker. The revolver is the first in a series of Taurus revolvers chambered for rimless cartridges and others will soon follow. If the Stellar Tracker is any indication, Taurus has hit yet another home run. The Stellar Tracker is specifically designed as an "outdoors gun," but thisshouldn't limit your opinion about it. For those who own a .45 ACP semiauto and would like a revolver in the same caliber, the Stellar Tracker is the only .45 ACP revolver currently available. In the end, if you're seeking a lightweight, powerful, accurate and reliable revolver, Taurus' Stellar Tracker is well worth a serious look.