Taurus Titanium Tracker: a handy little "niche gun," this useful .45 ACP Revolver is a surprisingly good value

Guns Magazine, Nov, 2006 by Massad Ayoob

The five-shot, large-bore Tracker revolvers in 2" to 4" barrel length have proven to be surprisingly popular for Taurus in big bore calibers. The company has recently produced a limited run in .45 ACP in the Total Titanium series. Lockwork and screws are case-hardened chromemoly ordnance steel, and the barrel lining is stainless. The result is a comfortably light, remarkably well-balanced revolver weighing less than a pound and a half unloaded fitting reasonably well in K-frame S&W holsters.

Firing everything from blanks to snakeshot to mild target rounds to hard-hitting P and heavy, blunt-profile bowling pin loads, the .45 ACP revolver gives the big-bore enthusiast more versatility than almost any autoloader in the same caliber. It is, for example, a useful "garbage disposal" for reloads too light to cycle in your pet .45 Auto.

The test gun out of the box had excellent feel and perfect "trigger reach," thanks in large part to the "Ribber" grips, which did a wonderful job soaking up the recoil. It was a pleasure to shoot with anything we stuffed into the cylinder. The five-round full-moon clips were easy to fill and strip thanks to flexible "finger" design, but they rattled more than my fellow testers and I liked and, occasionally, lost rounds if dropped. Reloads were still very quick.

Trigger pull was OK in double action, a bit stiff and lumpy. In single action, the pull was smooth and consistent, not particularly light, but quite controllable. The rounded edges of the cylinder latch prevented thumb cutting upon recoil, but still allowed for fast, positive manipulation. The 455 Total Ti came with two keys for the hammer-mounted integral gunlock, which functioned perfectly.

On the Range

I ran the little Titanium .45 off the 25-yard bench with four loads at velocities from mild to wild, and encompassing the three most popular bullet weights in .45 ACP. Each group was measured center to center for all five shots (which goes to shootability), and again for the best three, which helps factor out human error (and thus gives a good prediction of mechanical accuracy).

Federal 185-grain Gold Medal Match is what Marine Gunnery Sergeant Brian Zins has been using to win the Nationals at Camp Perry, but this wee wheelgun didn't like it. Patterns rather than groups of 4.7" for all five, 2.15" for best three. Good ol' Winchester white box generic 230-grain hardball did much better delivering five shots in a group 1/2" high by 2 1/2" wide, and the best three in .95" including a double. Speer's potent 200-grain Gold Dot P hammered five holes 2.40" center to center, the best three in 1.15". That got my vote for the "carry round" in this puppy. Top accuracy honors went to Black Hills 200-grain lead semiwad-cutters for a quintet of holes 1.95" apart, with the best three in 1.30", including a double so tight it looked like a single bullet hole at first.

The gun shot a tad low with everything but the P Gold Dot, which for some reason went center for windage and clustered just above point of aim. The 230-grain ball was spot on for elevation, 200-grain LSWC a tad low, and the Match softball way low and left. The fixed sights gave a sight picture that reminded me of an old Model 10 S&W--not the best in the world, but certainly good enough to get the job done.

Carry guns are rarely employed at 25 yards. At a more realistic seven yards, firing double action, the Tracker put five rounds of hardball into one hole measuring 1" between the farthest edges. I've shot more expensive high-tech .45 carry revolvers that didn't group this well.

The Total Titanium Model 455 Tracker .45 ACP is an endearing little revolver, quite shootable yet comfortable in size and weight for concealed carry. It is much softer in recoil than competing lightweight compact .45 ACP revolvers made of Titanium or even more expensive Scandium, yet is more accurate and sells for several hundred dollars less. I consider it an outstanding value in its particular niche.

This is a limited production gun, meaning sporadic availability based on perceived demand. If you can't find one at this writing, get a letter off to Taurus CEO Bob Morrison at Taurus International and suggest they make it a standard production model.

TOTAL TITANIUM TRACKER
MODEL 455 SH4

Maker: Taurus International
16175 NW 49 Ave
Miami, FL 33014
www.taurususa.com

       CALIBER:  .45 ACP
      CAPACITY:  5
 BARREL LENGTH:  4"
        FINISH:  Shadow Gray Titanium
         GRIPS:  Ribber
        SIGHTS:  Fixed
        WEIGHT:  23.8 ounces
OVERALL LENGTH:  8 3/4"
         WIDTH:  1.53"
        HEIGHT:  5.40"
         PRICE:  $625