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Single action revolvers have been making a
steady comeback from the brink of extinction for just over fifty
years now, and the resurgence shows no sign of letting up.
Once declared by many as an obsolete design, the single action
plow-handled sixgun was just too good to die. The grand design
has always had a core following as a working gun and as a good
tool for hunting, but nostalgia and a greater appreciation for
its historical significance has led to a surge in the popularity
of the single action revolver amongst not only those who
participate in the sport of Cowboy
Action Shooting, but among hand gunners in general.
Before the turn of the twentieth century, a cowboy had to spend
a month’s pay or more to buy a new sixgun, but today, while
prices have certainly increased, good sixguns are more
affordable than ever, and are built of better materials. Today,
the market is rife with good sixguns, and shooters have never
had it so good. Most of the single action sixguns
available today are replicas of the classic Colt Single
Action Army; one of the most successful handguns ever devised by
man.
One of the latest to join in the production of
this grand design is the Brazilian firm of Taurus. Their
firearms are distributed in the United States by Taurus USA.
Taurus has been building handguns and rifles of increasingly
good quality for several years, and I was excited to hear that
they were introducing a new single action sixgun that they have
dubbed the "Gaucho". In Brazil, Gaucho means cowboy,
which is a fitting name for their new "cowboy gun".
Brazil is second only to the United States in worldwide beef
production, and like the cowboys in the American West, gauchos
in South America also needed a rugged and dependable sidearm
while working cattle and living on the pampas, and the Colt
Single Action was in use there also over one hundred years ago.
The Gaucho is offered in .45 Colt chambering and
in four different finishes; all blued, satin stainless, polished
stainless, and blued with a case-hardened frame and hammer. The
latter version is the one sent to me for review. It wears a five
and one-half inch barrel, and has the traditional Colt-style
front sight with a square notch rear. The rear sight is an
improvement upon the original in that it is wide enough to allow
a good sight picture for quicker, more accurate shooting. The
bluing on the sample gun is a very well polished deep blue-black
finish, with no visible flaws. Likewise, the color case-hardened
finish on the frame and hammer is beautifully done with shades
of blue, gold, and copper. The black checkered plastic grips are
well fitted to the grip frame, and are sized and shaped like the
original Colt grip frame that was first found on the 1851 Navy
model. The ejector rod is of the crescent shape, and the rod
housing is cam cut to facilitate operation of the rod. The
chambers line up perfectly with the loading gate when the hammer
is placed at half-cock, just as it should. The springs are
the traditional flat design, and the hammer spring has a
lightening cut up the center. The action on this gun is smooth
and the timing precise. The bolt drops into the notches of the
cylinder as it should, and the cylinder locks up just as the
hammer reaches it rearward full-cock position. The action is the
traditional four-click design, but it has an added transfer bar
safety to allow the safe carrying of a fully loaded sixgun. The
frame mounted firing pin cannot be struck unless the trigger is
held at its rearward position. The Gaucho also has the Taurus
Security System incorporated into the hammer, which is a key
lock that renders the action inoperable. It is a good feature
for those who desire such devices, and is unobtrusive and easily
ignored for those who do not. The trigger pull on this revolver
feels clean and smooth, without a hint of grittiness and just a
bit of travel before the sear release, and breaks at just under
two and one-half pounds. The trigger is of the narrow smooth
style, just like a Colt. It is one of the better trigger pulls
that I have experienced on any single action revolver. The
cylinder measured the same in diameter as a Colt that I had on
hand for comparison, and was just a bit shorter. Thankfully, the
cylinder throats measured .4525 inch, which should work
perfectly with most .45 Colt bullets. The gun looks, handles,
and feels like a single action sixgun should. With the five and
one-half inch barrel, it weighs 37.8 ounces unloaded. The
barrel/cylinder gap measured .005 inch.
Shooting the Gaucho proved to be very enjoyable,
as expected. I fired the sixgun with a variety of handloads and
factory ammunition. All loads tested grouped under two and
three-quarters of an inch at twenty-five yards using a two hand
hold over a solid rest. The best groups were with Cor-Bon
200 grain factory hollowpoint loads, which would group five
shots into one and seven-eighths inches. I regret that I had no
Keith style bullets available for testing. For some reason, I
had allowed myself to run out of them, but the Keith is my
favorite bullet for standard .45 Colt revolver loads. For me,
the Gaucho shot about one and one-half inches to the right at
twenty-five yards, with elevation naturally depending upon the
load. There were no failures to fire with any load tested,
and all cases extracted easily from the smoothly finished
chambers.
The Gaucho should be a hit with Cowboy Action
Shooters. It also would be great for an everyday working gun, or
just for bumming around the woods. It has a delightful feel to
the action, a great trigger pull, and is chambered for the
beloved .45 Colt cartridge. I like it better than most of the
Italian imports, and it is also priced below most of those.
It is a quality sixgun that shoots well, looks great, and like
all good Colt replicas, it has that wonderful grip that points
like the finger of God. I like it.
For more information on the Gaucho and other Taurus firearms,
check them out online at: www.taurususa.com.
Jeff Quinn
To locate a dealer where you can
buy this gun, Click on the DEALER FINDER icon at: |

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Click pictures for a larger version.

Taurus’ New
Gaucho Single Action .45 Colt Revolver

Taurus' new Gaucho sixgun is right at home in a fine rig
like El Paso Saddlery's money belt and San Pedro Saddlery's
"Duke" holster.




Taurus' transfer bar safety is effective, yet retains
the wonderful "four-click" sound that is beloved of
all sixgunners.

Chambers line up perfectly for loading and unloading.


The Gaucho features traditional flat springs, and a
lightened hammer spring (bottom).




Taurus did a great job of re-creating the feel of the
original Colt SAA grip. Bottom picture shows a Gaucho grip
panel atop a Colt Single Action Army grip panel.



The Gaucho's .4525" cylinder throats are sized
perfectly for most .45 Colt bullets.

The Gaucho features a crescent-shaped ejector rod with
cam-cut housing.

The Gaucho also features the Taurus Security System,
which is easy to use or easy to ignore as the shooter sees
fit.

Taurus' Gaucho is a good-looking, good-shooting sixgun
at a very attractive price.
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