Tag: 9mm

Categories
news

Taurus 692 Multi-Caliber Revolver: .38, .357 and 9mm

Taurus 692 revolver
Taurus 692

Rumors of a multi-caliber revolver being introduced at the SHOT Show are true. Say hello to the Taurus 692.

The Model 692 is a revolver that is chambered in .357 Magnum. As most shooters know, you can shoot .38 Special loads from a .357 Magnum wheelgun. The twist, however, is that you can also shoot common 9mm rounds through this gun with the use of a conversion cylinder.

Taurus already offers a 9mm revolver, though it cannot shoot other cartridges from the gun. (Read more on the Taurus 905.) The 692 is designed to give your greater cartridge flexibility with a single gun purchase.

Swapping a revolver’s cylinder is easy and takes just a minute with a screwdriver. One of the things I like about the cylinders on this gun is that they are unfluted. Generally, I like a fluted cylinder, but the unfluted version looks good on this gun.

Taurus 692 revolver

Taurus offers the 692 in two different barrel lengths: a 3″ model for concealed carry and a longer 6.5″ model for target shooting and fun at the range. Interestingly, Taurus elected to port the barrels on this model. The porting should help reduce muzzle rise and felt recoil, though it is possible this could increase the visible flash in low light.

Both versions of the revolver are available in either a matte black or matte stainless finish.

Although many people still refer to revolvers as six shooters, the Taurus 692 is not. It is a seven shooter. In both the 9mm and the .38/.357 cylinders, you have seven rounds. For the 9mm shooter, Taurus includes its stellar clips so the rounds are easily loaded and the empty cases can be extracted without any problems.

Taurus model 692

Up front, Taurus uses a pinned ramp sight. An adjustable rear sight is standard.

The Taurus 692 is a double-action gun that can be cocked for single-action shooting. The spurred hammer is fully exposed.

The suggested retail price on this gun is $659. Your dealer sets the final price, so I imagine you could get out the door with a Model 692 for less than $600.

Caliber.38 Special, .357 Magnum, 9mm
Capacity7 rounds
ActionDA/SA
Barrel Length3″, 6.5″
Weight35 oz (3″), 46 oz (6.5″)
Sightspinned ramp front, adjustable rear
GripTaurus rubber grip
Finishmatte black or matte stainless
MSRP (at launch)$659

Update from the SHOT Show

Taurus 692 at SHOT Show

The 692 was on display at the 2018 SHOT Show. The gun was pretty much as described, porting and all. The one thing I didn’t like was the huger “TRACKER” logo down the left side of the barrel assembly. Otherwise, the gun looked good. Early indications show a lot of interest in this revolver, so I am expecting to see Taurus sell a good number of them.

Update

Yes, the Model 692 made it into production and can be purchased now. I know that the company has failed to deliver some announced guns in the past (28 gauge Judge cough, cough,) but this one is real.

Last Update: October 17, 2022

Categories
80% Builds

SS80: 80% Glock 43 Compatible Frame

SS80 Glock 43 frame featured image

Magill’s GlockStore announced the introduction of a new 80% Glock compatible pistol frame: the SS80. This is a subcompact frame that allows you to build a Glock 43 style pistol at home.

Table Of Contents
  1. What It Is
  2. What It Is Not
  3. Building Your Own – Parts & Tools
  4. Building Your Own – Legal Issues
  5. Final Thoughts

The SS80 is the first G43 compatible 80% frame on the market. It is also one of just a few Glock compatible 80% frames available.

SS80 Glock 43 frame complete gun shooting

What It Is

GlockStore’s SS80 is a glass filled polymer frame that is commonly referred to as an 80% frame or 80% lower. An 80% frame is an unfinished frame that requires finishing work done before it can be a functioning firearm.

SS80 Glock 43 frame

In the case of the SS80, you will need to remove portions of the polymer frame using a file or Dremel tool and then make four holes with a drill. Once this is done, it can be considered a firearm frame. Until then, it is legally just a hunk of plastic. It can be shipped straight to your door without the need to pay an FFL transfer fee.

The SS80 is not a Glock frame. Rather, it is a frame that is compatible with Glock 43 parts. This means that GlockStore set it up with a different look and feel than the G43. A few of the features of the SS80 frame include:

  • stippling-like grip texture for improved control of the pistol when shooting
  • frame and trigger undercuts in the trigger guard to allow for a higher grasp on the pistol
  • compared to a G43, the SS80 has a longer beavertail
  • metal rails that are longer than factory

When completed, the SS80 frame will accept single stack Glock 43 magazines and other standard parts. It will assemble like a factory G43 pistol.

SS80 Glock 43 frame kit

Included in the SS80 kit is:

  • polymer jig (the bright green “box” the frame goes in)
  • SS80 frame
  • locking block and metal rails (no polymer rails) plus pin for rear rails
  • drill bits needed to finish the frame

The suggested retail price is $150. At the time of this writing, the GlockStore has it on sale for $129.99.

Yes, these are made in the United States of America.

What It Is Not

The new SS80 is designed for G43 parts only. You cannot use it to make a .380 ACP chambered G42 clone.

Additionally, it is not a double stack frame that would allow you to build a G26/27 type pistol. However, Polymer80 is working on one of those and is expected to introduce them at the 2018 SHOT Show. Click this link for more information on the Polymer80 P940SC 80% frame.

Building Your Own – Parts & Tools

GlockStore put together a series of instructional videos that show you exactly how to finish and build the SS80 into a functioning firearm. I’ve followed the company’s other videos on building a Glock clone, and I have found them to be easy to follow. Also, the videos are professionally produced. You get clear sound and detailed images.

Some of the tools that you will need:

  • vise (optional, but makes things easier)
  • hand drill (optionally, you can use a drill press)
  • Dremel tool (optionally, you can use a file or knife but these will be slower)
  • WD40
  • fine grit sandpaper
  • finishing files

Once the lower is completed, you will need some additional tools to install the Glock compatible parts into the frame to build the functioning firearm. A set of punches and light hammer can help with assembly.

Building Your Own – Legal Issues

At the time of this writing, a citizen of the United States can build his or her own firearm for personal use without a license under federal law. This firearm does not need to have a serial number, be registered or be transferred through a federally licensed firearms dealer under federal law. I have no way of knowing what the law will be in the future, so please govern yourselves accordingly.

SS80 Glock 43 frame kit

State laws vary greatly, and you should definitely check with your local and state authorities on the legality of building your own pistol for personal use.

If you intend to build a firearm to sell or give away, you must have a license per federal law. This does not preclude you from building your own firearm and later trading it, selling it or giving it away as long as it was not built with that intention.

For additional information on the legalities of building your own firearm and requirements for serial numbers, check out my article “Am I Required to Apply a Serial Number to a Homemade Firearm.”

Final Thoughts

I’ve had a lot of fun building my own guns in the past. This kit looks like a solid 80% frame kit, and one that I will probably tackle at some point. I own a Glock 43, so I already have plenty of magazines that will run in this gun. It might be an interesting project to compare a completed SS80 vs a factory Glock 43 pistol.

Have you built an 80% gun? If so, sound off in the comments. I’d like to hear what people are building out there.

SS80 80% frame kit

Last update: October 23, 2022

Disclaimer

GlockStore is not an advertiser. I do not have any relationship with them other than having been a customer of theirs. I receive no compensation for writing about this Glock 43 80% frame.

GunsHolstersAndGear.com is a for-profit website. I do not charge readers a dime to access the information I provide.

Some of the links on this page and site are affiliate links to companies like Amazon and Palmetto State Armory. These links take you to the products mentioned in the article. Should you decide to purchase something from one of those companies, I make a small commission.

The links do not change your purchase price. I do not get to see what any individual purchases.

Categories
news

Rumors of New Taurus Revolvers for 2018

Taurus 905 review

If rumors are to be believed, Taurus has a number of new revolvers coming out in 2018. These have not yet been announced by the company, but I have had a number of sources provide details that make them appear credible. So, with a sizable grain of salt, here is what I am hearing:

Table Of Contents
  1. Raging Hunter
  2. Model 856
  3. Model 692
  4. Final Thoughts

Raging Hunter

(Update: This rumor has been confirmed, though with a few detail changes.)

Taurus has never been afraid to build a large framed revolver. The Raging Hunter appears to be designed in the same spirit as the Raging Judge Magnum (in .454 Casull, .45 Colt and .410 bore) and the ill-fated Raging Judge XXVIII (a 28-gauge revolver.) Only the Taurus Raging Hunter is a milder cartridge: the .44 Magnum.

From what I am hearing, the new revolver will have a Picatinny rail on the top of the barrel for adding a scope.The barrel is 6.5″ long with an octagonal shape. It is ported. The gun will ship with sights including an adjustable rear.

I am also hearing that the Raging Hunter will be available in both two-tone and black finishes. It will have the company’s recoil reducing grips with the red stripe down the back.

The Taurus Raging Hunter sounds like a revamped version of the older Model 444 Raging Bull. This was a .44 Magnum revolver that was offered about seven years ago. With the exception of the barrel, the gun was nearly identical to what has been described to me as the Raging Hunter. The older revolver’s barrel did not have a Picatinny rail but was vented instead.

Model 856

Taurus 856 Revolver

(Update: This rumor has been confirmed, though with a few detail changes. See the details on the Taurus 856 revolver here.)

The new 856 revolver is a six-shot, .38 Special handgun with a steel frame. It has a 2″ barrel and a weight of about 22 ounces. This makes it a direct competitor to the recently reintroduced Colt Cobra – another 2″ wheelgun that holds 6 rounds in the cylinder.

This gun appears to be a reintroduction of the prior steel framed model 856 revolvers. Those were also 2″ steel framed guns that held 6 rounds and weighed 22.2 ounces. The original 856 revolvers appear to have been discontinued in later 2012. The guns appeared in the Taurus 2012 catalog, but not in the 2013.

The above photo is of the original Taurus 856 from 2012.

Older 856 revolvers also had an option for a magnesium frame that dropped the weight to less than a pound. The new guns do not appear to have this option.

Model 692

(Update: This rumor has been confirmed, though with a few detail changes. See the details on the Taurus 692 here.)

While the two rumored revolvers previously mentioned have older versions of them, this is one that may be a new entity entirely.

The Taurus 692 is supposed to be a .357 Magnum revolver that comes with a 9mm conversion cylinder. This means that you could shoot .38 Special, 9mm and .357 Magnum from the same gun. I know that Taurus offers a 9mm revolver and convertible rimfire revolvers, but I don’t recall ever seeing a centerfire convertible revolver from them previously. (Feel free to comment below and let me know what I’m forgetting.)

The gun is said to be available with a 3″ or 6″ barrel and have a steel frame.

Final Thoughts

While these new guns are just rumors at this point, all of them make sense to me. Taurus has not had a lot of new product introductions in the recent years and could do with an injection of some fresh models. As some of these seem to be reboots of older guns that were popular in their time, I see them as quick wins. With a new CEO dealing with legacy quality control issues and a class action lawsuit, grabbing some of the low hanging fruit is a smart – and safe – move.

Last Update: October 17, 2022

Categories
Rifles

AlphaWolf Pistol Caliber Carbine – New Rifle from Lone Wolf Distributors

AlphaWolf Pistol Caliber Carbine

AlphaWolf Pistol Caliber Carbine

Lone Wolf Distributors will show a new pistol caliber carbine at the SHOT Show in January 2018. The new AlphaWolf Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC) appears to be different from the existing G9 carbine platform the company currently offers.

According to the company, the new gun was specifically designed to provide excellent accuracy and superior reliability. Not surprisingly, Lone Wolf Distributors states the guns will feed from Glock magazines.

Although the new rifles appear to be AR-pattern guns, they will use a short stroke gas piston system instead of a straight blowback design. According to a press release issued by Flint River Armory, the system used in this rifle uses the same rotating bolt and piston system as that company uses in its own guns. However, the system has been updated to feed from Glock magazines.

While blowback guns tend to be reliable, they generally require more weight to counteract the rearward force of the bolt carrier group during the firing process. This can also result in more felt recoil. A short stroke piston system tends to be heavier than a direct gas impingement system, but is likely lighter and better balanced than a blowback system. Felt recoil should be reduced somewhat.

Lone Wolf Distributors states that the AlphaWolf pistol caliber carbine will be chambered for both the 9mm and .45 ACP cartridges.

The company states the upper and lower will be machined 6061-T6 aluminum and matched to a 16″ barrel made of 4140 CrMo steel (aka chromoly or chrome-moly.) A pistol version of the gun will have a 10″ CrMo steel barrel. Both the carbine and pistol versions will be equipped with M-LOK compatible handguards.

These guns will be side chargers with the handle accessible on the left side of the gun. It does reciprocate.

Controls will be similar to those of an AR-15. The buffer tube and buttstock will be AR compatible.

I’m looking forward to seeing this new gun. However, I do have a few questions. For example, I’d like to know if the fire control groups are AR compatible. I suspect the answer is yes, but I would like to confirm that.

No word yet on a target price or shipping date of these guns.

As a side note, Flint River Armory states it is no longer making its own rifle – the CSA45 PCC. Instead, the company is now exclusively producing the AlphaWolf PCC for Lone Wolf Distributors.

Categories
Handguns

New Color: FNS-9 Compact in FDE

fn fns 9 compact fde featured

fn fns 9 compact fde

FN America is now selling a flat dark earth version of the FNS-9 Compact pistol. This announcement comes two months ahead of the 2017 SHOT Show, suggesting the company could be reserving a few big announcements for January.

Continue reading “New Color: FNS-9 Compact in FDE”