A sure fire way of garnishing attention in the firearm industry is to build an obnoxiously large handgun – especially if it’s a revolver. Taurus did just that with their .357 Magnum 627 Tracker. This revolver is arguably offering the best price per inch of barrel in the market today. It’s only one of a few handguns that doubles as a club once you run out of ammunition. Let’s dive into the details of this eye catching and budget friendly firearm in our Taurus 627 Tracker review. 
Overview: Taurus 627 Tracker Review
The M627SS (as tested) Tracker is a Brazilian made stainless steel revolver chambered for use with 357 Magnum ammo. Taurus is well known for handguns – and shooters are coming to know them best for affordable revolvers.
While Taurus isn’t known for extreme build quality and fine details, they have done a relatively good job of marketing to those buying their first revolver. It’s easy to drop close to $1000 on a revolver these days. That’s well-beyond what the average new gun customer is willing to spend. Taurus breaks this mold by offering revolvers priced well below the competition. A brand new Taurus M627SS Tracker would drop the bank account by about $515. All things considered, this seems to be very reasonable price tag.
This particular model is definitely on the large side – caliber and physical size. Outside of target shooting (it does that very well) I see definite backcountry defense or hunting applications. There are several choices on the market for outside the waistband holsters for this 6.5″ model.
First Impressions: Range Time
In the hand, the M627 Tracker truly has a “presence” with the 6.5″ barrel and raised sights. It almost feels excessive when you first see it. I knew that additional barrel length would likely translate into increased accuracy but it did have an obnoxious look. My experience with the Taurus M627 was more than I expected. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of Taurus in general. So, the revolver’s performance pleasantly surprised me.
While at the range and feeding it varying ammunition types, I came to appreciate some of the features and actually enjoyed shooting it for the most part. The lighter loads were the most enjoyable to shoot – thick rubber hand grips only go so far.
Right out of the gate, I quickly realized that the practical way to fire this revolver was by firing in single action. The double action on the trigger felt heavy (I’ll touch on exact pull weights in a bit) and awkward which lead to poor shot groups. I stuck with single action firing for most of my time with the Tracker.
Taurus Tracker Grips
Taurus coated the grip handle with a thick layer of rubber. This helped reduce the amount of recoil I felt. This layer of rubber combined with the ported barrel on the model I tested, really seemed to help keep muzzle flip and overall recoil at a manageable level. In terms of shooting comfort, I was pleasantly surprised.
While the grip worked fairly well for me, I can see how some might want to swap it out for aftermarket options. Due to the thick nature of the rubber grooves, the dominant hand does seem to be “disconnected” from the frame – as if you’re holding the firearm with a sponge. Several companies provided aftermarket grips that are able to replicate that of a typical revolver grip – wood or otherwise.
Reloads were a bit sticky. I noticed stuck casings with a few different ammunition types at the range. This may not be deal breaker for some – but if you are purchasing this firearm for self defense, it’s something to consider.
Taurus 627 Tracker Review: Specs
- Price: $515
- Caliber: .357 MAG
- Weight Empty: 40 oz.
- Barrel Length: 6.5″
- Height: 5.3″
- Width: 1.5″
- Capacity: 7
Taurus Tracker: Sights
Taurus kept it simple and effective in the sights department on the M627SS Tracker. The classic U shaped rear sight along with the raised and high visibility orange front ramp sight seemed to work well. I had very little issue acquiring the sights on the model I tested. The combination of the long sight radius and raised sights lead to exceptional accuracy, in my experience. It takes very little to put rounds exactly where you want them with this revolver – even at distances I typically don’t fire handguns. The rear sight is adjustable with prominent adjustment screws.
The Tracker Trigger
The trigger experience varies quite a bit obviously depending on whether you are firing in single action or double action. As I mentioned earlier, I fired the Tracker mostly in single action mode.
In single action, the Tracker trigger that I tested was 2.8 pounds of pull. The pull in single action provides very little if any slack and a crisp break. The double action pull is approximately 9 pounds – clearly on the heavy side.
One complaint that I did have with the trigger on the Tracker is the “false reset.” After you let the trigger back to reset you’ll hear an initial “click.” It sounds and feels like the revolver’s trigger reset. However, it takes another 1/8″ or so of rear travel before the actual reset. It didn’t seem to cause any serious problems for me at the range, but it’s a little quirk worth noting.
Functionality & Features: M627 Tracker
I’m not a huge revolver fanboy. However, I can appreciate the experience of a good range day with a revolver. All of the features on the M627 seemed to be fairly simple to operate and I felt confident with it. My hands are of average size and I had simple access to the functions.
My only complaint regarding functionality involved the ejector rod. As I brought up earlier, some of the casings seemed to stick in the cylinders even with a good amount of pressure on the ejector rod. This issue was clearly impacted by certain ammunition brands but it is something that I found noteworthy.
When you’re firing a revolver this large the grip is typically a little odd. I was able to maintain a mostly comfortable and stable grip fortunately. Taurus was wise to provide the large rubberized grip for comfort and control.
You might’ve noticed in the photos in this Taurus 627 Tracker review, the barrel is ported. This helps reduce muzzle flip by allowing some of the propellent gases to escape up and out of the barrel before reaching the end.
Muzzle Velocity
As I typically do with handguns, I ran several self defense ammunition types through the M627 Tracker. As expected, I noticed varying levels of recoil and muzzle flip. To really see how this 6″ + barrel impacted muzzle velocity, I conducted a simple test using 5 rounds of Federal Premium Hydra-Shok 158 Gr. JHP.
Using a Labradar Chronograph device, I was able to see muzzle velocity readings which showed an average of 1,351 feet per second out of the M627 Tracker. Federal advertises a muzzle velocity of 1,240 feet per second out of a 4″ barrel – showcasing the difference out of the 6.5″ Tracker barrel.
- Highest Velocity: 1,384
- Lowest Velocity: 1,306
- Extreme Spread: 78
- Standard Deviation: 28.2
Final Thoughts – Taurus 627 Tracker Review
As someone with limited experience with revolvers, the Taurus M627 Tracker portrays itself as a good beginners revolver. Considering its large frame, I was impressed with how easy it was to handle.
Not only was Tracker simple to operate, all of the components felt durable and built to last. Of course, I can’t speak too much on the overall durability at this point. My experience was limited to a few hundred rounds.
Would I choose the Tracker if it was my money and I had to choose woods gun? Probably not – at least in the 6.5″ barrel configuration. Taurus offers a 4″ barrel option that I would consider before this longer option. For those new to revolvers and looking for an accurate range plinker, the Taurus M627SS Tracker just might be the perfect choice.
Thank you for this. I went and purchased one just for the comfort and Price.
Excellent review. Really enjoyed the chrnograph results. Do you have more chronograph data for this gun compared to advertised velocities?
What is the OAL this gun can take 1.59?
The newest model of Judge can accept 3″ 410 gauge shot shells too Niko – hope that helps!
Just bought Taurus 627 revolver. This gun is the biggest piece of junk that I have ever bought. I own over 150 guns and this one ranks the lowest on my list. I loaded the gun the first time and fired it once. The gun fired and jammed. A piece of the jacketed hollow point shaved off on the top of the barrel and wedged itself between the cylinder and the barrel .i managed to get the cylinder open and a piece of the jacket fell out. I changed ammo and fired the gun again and the exact same thing happened. I managed to get the cylinder open and another piece of the jacket was on the table. Called Taurus and they called for the firearm to be shipped back to them along with the empty shell casings one the metal shavings. Taurus said it will take up to a month before they can even look at it. I could understand the wait if this was a old gun but this gun is only a day old. This is pretty bad customer service on a brand new gun. What ever happened to Quality control. Does anyone check out the gun before it ships
Thanks for sharing your bad experience with it Doug. (Editor’s note: We published Doug’s comment but eliminated some of the curse words he originally submitted.)
Well all I have to say is if Doug Conk does “own over 150 guns” he either doesn’t shoot them much (with 150 guns, how much could he shoot?) and doesn’t own a Henry AR-7, Mossberg 500, or a few dozen other guns, I could list. I have yet to see ANY Henry AR-7 that works, PERIOD! I HEAR OF THEM! NEVER HAVE SEEN ONE THAT DOES! The one that came in? It shot one and jammed. After being sent back to Henry where someone took a rat tailed fire to the chamber, it worked 100% better! It fed TWO round and then then jammed. With several different Charter Arms mags that worked, a number of Henry AR-7 mags, etc. it never shot better than two round before jamming. After shipping it back to Henry and getting a useless gun back, the store just refunded the money to the buyer rather than keep sending it back.
The Lee Load-Master press? Same deal, JUNK! After being returned 24 times to Lee, they said it was out of warrenty, so now, out of the goodness of their hearts, they would repair/replace it if I paid ANOTHER 50% of retail, or more than I paid dealer! So I bought a Dillon and was happy!
I personally had a Ruger DA revolver, brand new, jam on me the first time I shot it. So now Ruger DA revolvers are bad (the customer service DOES suck!)?
The Mossberg 500 I bought was on sale and a bunch of friends and I bought them. After the first box of shells (trap loads) ALL of them had broken trigger parts, hammers, springs, etc. After I got tired of sending the gun/trigger group back, over and over and over, I just bought the parts and became expert at taking the trigger assembly apart and replacing parts. When the cost was getting to what I paid for the gun, I sold it to a guy who knew it had problems.
Have I had Taurus revolvers and/or autos? Yes. I have had several revolvers and been quite pleased with all of them, including the 1911 .38 Super.
The SECOND WORST gun I have have ever seen? Well it was a BIG custom 1911 builder’s gun from Arkansas. The barrel was not chambered! The nationally known club pistolsmith, who was a big buddy of the custom 1911 “builder” (he has a shop full of kids working and then just puts his name on them). When the pistolsmith at the club called his buddy in Arkansas he said he needed to take the call in another room. The NAME maker claimed he personally took the gun out and shoot it before sending it, which I find hard to believe, as the barrel was only half chambered!
The WORST gun I have ever seen? Kimber Custom 1911 in .45 ACP. Not only was it unshootable out of the box, the extractor was uncut (no hook), it had a measured near 40+ lb. trigger pull, the mag refused to work in ANY 1911, the list goes on, and on. Kimber quoted a three month back log at that time to bother looking at it! OK, Kimber (and probably Mossburg) has been sold a few times since. Has quality been improved? Don’t know, don’t care! I refuse to buy any of their guns!
I purchased a Taurus 692 Tracker and its just as well made as any S&W absent the external finishing, I don’t care about the extra cylinder in 9mm, I got it for its 3″ barrel and excellent feel. I would not have even looked at it if it was dressed in that hideously ugly pimp shag grip they imbecilically have stuck with for two decades.
Instead it was dressed in a very nice rubber stock that feels excellent and compliments the revolvers handsome curves and lines. I carry this gun every day as I trek NW WI backwoods photographing bears, often at very close range and I would not carry any revolver for such if it had not proven self utterly reliable.
That said, I was, and remain, absolutely astonished that Taurus only offers the one sight option, there is no factory offered upgrades, specially a nice fiber optic or tritium option, not one and none from any other source either!
I find it remarkable, that a company can have a flagship gun(Tracker is their flagship revolver), and still after two decades of producing it, offer not a single upgrade for it, shocking to say the least!
I just ordered a Taurus and am looking forward to shooting it