A Wheel Gun: the Taurus 942 .22 Magnum
By MARJ LAW
“I really think I’d like a wheel gun,” Newbie says to me.
“A real gun?” I’m not understanding her.
“No, a wheel gun. One with the round thingie in the middle.”
“Oh, yes. A wheel gun. A revolver.”
“That’s it! I want a revolver. You just put your bullets in the holes and point and shoot. The gun is so easy to use and it never jams.”
“Okay. You want a gun that’s super easy to use.”
“Yes! There’s too much to learn with that other kind.”
“You mean a semi-automatic?”
“Yes. That one. You have to put bullets in a magazine, then the magazine into the handle. How do you get the bullets in there? How do you know if the magazine’s in all the way?
Then you have to pull the top of the gun back. How do you know if you’re strong enough? What if the gun jams? How do you fix it? And there’s all these levers and buttons on the side of the gun. I think it’s just too complicated to start out on a semi-automatic.”
“Okay, so let’s look at a revolver.”
“Sure. But not a .22. Jim said a .22 is just a peashooter. He says I have to have at least a .380 if I’m going to use it for self-defense.”
“So, let’s look at the Taurus .22 magnum revolver.”
“But that’s a .22!”
“It is. However, a .22 magnum has about the same stopping power as the .380. You can see that the round is a lot longer than the .22 long rifle round. This Taurus 942 is an 8 shot revolver. Most revolvers hold 5 or 6 shots, but this one holds 8. Let’s look at it.
I’m pushing this button, which is called the cylinder release button. Now we can move the cylinder to the side and notice that all the chambers are empty. Whenever you handle a gun, first always make sure you know if the gun is loaded or not.”
“I see all the holes are empty.”
“Now, I’m going to pass you the gun, always pointing the muzzle in a safe direction.”
“Why bother? We both know there isn’t any ammunition in the gun!”
“Because terrible things can happen. You’d think that on the set of the movie Rust, there couldn’t be a problem with a firearm. The set had an armorer, a first assistant director, an ammunitions supplier and a prop master. The actor, who was also the producer, shot off the gun, killing a person on the set. He should never have handled a gun because he didn’t know how to make sure it was a safe gun. If it’s in your hands, it’s your responsibility. All those people should have verified, but no one made positive certain that there were no active rounds in the gun.”
“Yeah. I sure heard about that movie. Okay. I’ve looked at every chamber and they’re all empty.”
I hand her the gun.
“Wow! It’s heavier than I thought it would be!” she exclaims.
“The gun is all metal. This is good because when you shoot, the mass of the gun will absorb a whole lot of the recoil. The Taurus 942 weighs 23.60 ounces.”
“It’s too heavy for my purse, but maybe I could wear it in a holster on my belt.”
“Yes, it’s probably too heavy to lug in your purse, but it’s still quite a small gun at 4.64” high and 1.34” wide. With its 3” barrel, the total length is 7.6” long. A lot of people will find it carryable. Others will keep it by their bedside or in their car. Some will do all 3.”
“Tell me. What is good about this Taurus?”
“Sportsman Outdoors Superstore says it is: ‘lightweight. Low recoil. Exceptionally reliable. The all-new Taurus 942 is an 8-shot 22WMR revolver that’s ideal for concealed carry, recreational shooting and skills training.’
Gun digest says of the Taurus:
‘Beyond the weight, part of that in-hand appeal is the ergonomic rubber grip, which seats well in my large, glove-sized hands. The weight and the grip make it a sound-handling iron.’
It goes on to say: ‘With no slide to rack, you can practice on easy repeat until your finger starts to blister.’”
“I like the rubber grip,” she says. “It fits my small hands. I like that it doesn’t have buttons and doodads to learn about, too.”
We are at the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) range. Since everyone at the pistol range has agreed that it is “cold,” we are able to walk downrange and put up our target.
We return.
The shooters all agree now that the range is “hot.” We can put on hearing and sight protection and cross the red line on the floor which indicates that we are now on a hot range.
At this point, we can put our guns on the shooting bench, load them, and shoot at our targets. Before we shoot, we discuss safety rules listed on the sheriff’s large sign. We talk about stance and grip, too.
“We will shoot this gun in what we call single and double action,” I tell her. “In double action, we pull the trigger and the gun goes off. The trigger both cocks the hammer and releases it so the gun fires. However, the trigger pull can be kinda strong in double action, so first we will shoot in single action. We will cock the hammer ourselves, then all the trigger does is release the hammer and the gun fires. When you give the trigger less work to do, it is much easier to shoot the gun.
Let’s try it. First put your thumb on the hammer and pull it all the way back.”
“That’s a little hard,” she says.
“Now we aim. Line up the rear sight’s empty square with the front sight. When the front sight appears to fill in the top of the rear sight’s empty square, you’re ready to shoot at your target. Squeeze the trigger: don’t yank it.”
She aims. She squeezes the trigger.
Blam!
She turns to me and grins.
“That wasn’t hard at all! I didn’t even feel much kick! Can we do it again?”
After several more shots, while paying attention to stance and grip, we shoot in double action.
“This time, all you will do is pull the trigger,” I explain. “Be prepared that your finger will have to work harder because you’re not cocking the gun first.”
She aims. She pulls at the trigger.
“Huh,” she says. “I’m going to have to pull harder.”
She does. Blam!
“It sure is a lot easier in single action,” she says. “But, if Mr. Bad had broken into my house and was coming after me, I know adrenaline will help me pull that trigger!”
“That’s right. But in the meantime, you can practice shooting in single action. This will help you to remember your good stance, grip, and aim. The Taurus 942 .22 magnum is a great gun to learn on and it is a lot more powerful than a .22 long rifle round.
Gun Digest sums up the Taurus: “The Model 942 from Taurus is a compact, quality, rimfire revolver at a price that can’t be beat. It could play a role in a self-defense kit or as a kit gun in the mountains or on the water. But, more than anything, it’s simply a fun and accurate plinker – ideal for training shooters, both new and old.”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.