The .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire) cartridge has gained popularity for its flat trajectory and accuracy, making it a favorite for hunting and plinking. Taurus introduced the Tracker in .17 HMR, aiming to provide a reliable and accurate handgun chambered for this potent rimfire round.
.17 HMR Cartridge
This little hot rod started when Hornady necked down a great cartridge to start with, necking down the .22 WMR to hold a 17-grain, 17-caliber bullet. This new rimfire appeared at the 2002 SHOT Show in Las Vegas and things have been moving along briskly since. The initial push revolved around long guns, of course. Out of a typical rifle barrel, Hornady's Magnum Rimfire generates 2,550 fps, creating a bite way out of proportion to the bark and a surprising lack of recoil. The new round is 25 percent faster than the old standby .22 Magnum and the new .17 HMR manages to trump up 245 ft-lbs of muzzle energy from its 17-grain bullet. Of course the other great things that go with a rimfire cartridge go hand in hand, as well. There really is no recoil and the muzzle blast is but a puff, if you will. (Hearing protection is still necessary, however.)
Overview of the Taurus Tracker .17 HMR
Taurus introduced the new Tracker in 2002 and the line now includes a gem chambered for the .17 HMR cartridge. Constructed from stainless steel and equipped with the best grips that I've wrapped my hands around, this new Tracker may be one of the slickest handguns in the business.
The Tracker .17 HMR features a muted stainless-steel finish that is classy. The fit of the parts is good as well. The Tracker .17 HMR sports a 6 1/2-inch barrel that includes a vented rib that works great to attach a Taurus scope base for optics and the like. Still Taurus' open sights aren't bad either. Up front, Taurus installed a typical ramp that features a bright red insert while a nice, fully adjustable rear sight is provided with a white outline on the notch. Out of the box the rig tended to be just a tad low and right, but it took but a minute to move things right into the middle of a three-inch Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C target at 25 yards. The fully adjustable rear sight is quick and easy to use.
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The stainless steel Tracker features a nice, classy matte finish that would look good anywhere. The finish is well done and the fit of everything is perfect for lack of another suitable word. Operation of the Tracker is normal in all respects. The cylinder locks up in two places: A spring catch in the yoke engages a slot in the receiver up front while a pin in the cylinder-base pin engages the frame at the back. The black "Ribber" grips are as good as it gets, regardless of the caliber of the arm. Featuring deep grooves, the grip feels great and with a tight grip, it tends to take the shape of the hand. While recoil isn't part of the mix here, this grip will indeed soak up recoil on harder kicking guns as well.
Taurus has one more good idea. A screw located on the back of the hammer can be turned by an included Allen wrench so that the arm can be prevented from firing in seconds. Loaded or otherwise, with the screw backed out half a turn this rig is solidly locked up. We're going to have a grandchild running around here in a few years and this might be a great idea although Cindy and I still believe that education is most important. The full-lug barrel is skillfully sculpted by Taurus engineers to give the revolver a good feel. One would expect this seven-shooter to be extremely muzzle heavy, but it's not.
The trigger of this arm is good, out of the box. The single-action trigger averaged five pounds, 3.5 ounces on the Lyman digital trigger gauge. The SA trigger is crisp and clean with no takeup and no discernable creep. The DA trigger is smooth and probably weighs about 12.5 pounds although it was just over the ability of the Lyman gauge to measure. I'd like to see the pull weight of the single-action around three pounds or so, but I'll take this one, just the same.
Taurus equipped the .17 HMR with a heavy barrel that looks great. Featuring six lands and grooves, Taurus equipped the .17 HMR with a 1:10 twist. The front sight is plain serrated black ramp.
Common Problems
While the Taurus Tracker .17 HMR has its merits, some users have reported issues that can affect its performance.
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Accuracy Issues
Some standard production models suffered from accuracy issues. The Performance shop revolver's were deadly accurate but the standard production revolver's like mine suffered from accuracy issues, so the stopped making them. Some users have found that their revolvers are picky with ammunition, affecting grouping consistency.
Ammunition Sensitivity
The revolver can be fussy about what it shoots in it. The Polimer tipped ammo did Not do well in grouping, but the Game load by CCI grouped very well. Ammo choices were limited to just a couple of ones offered, but now there are many more, and after a bit of sorting out, CCI Non Polimer tipped bullets worked best.
Ammunition Sensitivity
Solutions and Recommendations
Addressing the problems associated with the Taurus Tracker .17 HMR involves careful selection of ammunition and understanding the firearm's capabilities.
Choosing the Right Ammunition
Experiment with different brands and types of .17 HMR ammunition to find what your specific revolver shoots best. Some users have reported better results with non-polymer tipped bullets, such as CCI Gamepoint. Today, shooters have three varieties of .17 HMR from which to choose. They are (from left to right) the Hornady, topped with a .17-grain V-Max, CCI and its .17-grain TNT Hollowpoint and the the newest load from Remington, topped with a gold-tipped 17-grain V-Max bullet.
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Maintenance and Cleaning
Regular cleaning and maintenance are crucial for any firearm. Ensure that the barrel and cylinder are clean to maintain accuracy and prevent malfunctions.
Sighting and Adjustments
The Taurus Tracker .17 HMR sports a 6 1/2-inch barrel that includes a vented rib that works great to attach a Taurus scope base for optics and the like. The fully adjustable rear sight is quick and easy to use. Ensure your sights are properly adjusted for your preferred shooting distance. Consider using a scope for enhanced accuracy, especially at longer ranges.
Performance Evaluation
The Taurus .17 HMR was tested at 25 yards with various ammunition types to evaluate its accuracy and performance. The results are summarized below:
| Ammunition | Velocity (fps) at 15 ft | Energy (ft-lbs) at 15 ft | Velocity (fps) at Target | Energy (ft-lbs) at Target | Best Group (inches) | Average Group (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCI JHP | 1,986 | 149 | 1,832 | 127 | 0.79 | 1.38 |
| Hornady 17-gr V-Max | 1,966 | 146 | 1,830 | 127 | 0.63 | 1.02 |
| Remington 17-gr V-Max | 2,049 | 158 | 1,943 | 142 | 0.62 | 1.20 |
| Federal Premium 30-gr (Freedom Arms 252, 7 1/2-in) | NA | 175 | 1,477 | 145 | NA | 0.75 |
The CCI JHP load left the 6 1/2-inch Tracker doing just shy of 2,000 fps over the Oehler 35 P Skyscreens, 15 feet from the muzzle. At the 25-yard target the CCI load was still moving along nicely, generating 1,832 fps and 126.67 ft-lbs of energy. The five, 5-shot CCI groups averaged 1.38 inches center to center with the best group going just larger than 3/4 inch. Keeping small holes that close is downright fun, to be sure. The Hornady load accounted for the best group of .63 inch and just over an inch for the average. What fun it is to work with a good shooter like this. This load left the Tracker doing 2,049 fps, generating 158 ft-lbs at 15 feet. At the target this load was still steaming along nicely at 1,943 fps, generating 142 ft-lbs. The five Remington groups averaged 1.2 inches center to center with the best five-shot group measuring .62 inches.
Federal's fantastic Premium 30-grain Sierra JHP load leaves the FA 252 doing 1,620 fps and it retains 1,477 fps at the target. This combo accounts for 175 ft-lbs of instrumental energy at 15 feet. At the 25-yard target this WMR combo accounted for 145 ft-lbs of energy. The Federal/Freedom Arms combo averaged 3/4 inch with ragged one-hole groups the norm.
As one would suspect, the .17 is flatter shooting. With a 25-yard zero, the .17 can be held dead-on to 90 yards or so, while the .22 WMR can be held dead-on to less than 70. At 100 yards the .17 drops two inches less. At 50 yards the Federal/WMR combo accounts for 113 ft-lbs energy while all three .17 loads are on the WMR's heels accounting for 100 ft-lbs or so. Although the .17 never catches the WMR, it gets close quickly, and it'll make a great hunting round for small game like rabbits, squirrels, gophers, and prairie dogs, if you keep things to 50 yards or so.
.17 HMR vs .22 WMR
While I wouldn't sell a good WMR to buy a new .17 HMR rig, I plan to add this new rimfire round to the collection. You don't have to pick up the brass or plan on reloading, either. Just load and shoot. Yep, this rimfire game is still as good as it gets.