The author tries his hand (actually, both of 'em) with a blued Model 66 Silhouette. He was pleasantly surprised by the gun's handling qualities when unscoped, which are partially attributable to the lack of a full-length underlug.

I like short-barreled revolvers. When you're going to pack a wheelgun around all day, every day, there's nothing like a snubbie with two inches or so of tube out front. And for nearly all of my working life as a deputy sheriff, I carried and used the "cop's compromise," an easy-to-holster 4-inch number. But when it came to bulls' eye or PPC shooting, where you needed a little more precision, I was no different than most of my fellow competitors. I gave up on practical portability and opted for a full six inches of barrel length. Later on--when facing the challenge of a steel ram 200 meters downrange--I took up a big magnum revolver with 8 3/8 inches of barrel. When your target is way off, you just plain need more barrel.

Clearly, Taurus understands this equation. Determined to fill every possible shooting niche, these energetic Brazilians now offer a high-quality revolver with a barrel that measures one foot from forcing cone to muzzle crown. That's right--12 full inches of tube. Where modern revolvers are concerned, that has to be some kind of record. The gun itself is a variation of the company's bread-and-butter Model 66--a seven-shot .357 built on a medium frame. It's called the Model 66 Silhouette.

The Benefits of More Barrel
Longer barrels at longer ranges are better for two reasons. First, when the barrel is longer, the sight radius (the distance between the front and rear sights) is longer. And the greater this distance is, the more precisely the sights may be aligned. While a longer sight radius does not--in and of itself--make a gun more accurate, it does allow a competent marksman to get a little closer to the gun's full accuracy potential. But there is a downside to that long sight radius. A front sight that's farther away from the shooter is harder to handle. That distance magnifies tremors on the part of the shooter. But to be honest, when you're shooting from a rest or any other stable position, this is less of a factor than it would be when shooting offhand. As far as the new Taurus goes, I suspect many of them will be equipped with a scope or projected dot sight, and thus the sight radius problem will become moot.

The Model 66 Silhouette's rubber grips, in the author's opinion, are excellent and do as much as any- thing to add ergonomics and "pointability" to an outsized revolver.

The second advantage of the long barrel is that it gets the most from the ammunition. In most handguns, varying amounts of powder are left unburned when the bullet exits the muzzle. A longer barrel simply gives the system a longer combustion chamber. A great deal of current .357 ammunition comes loaded with fast-burning powder and light bullets. This is done in the interest of lowering the recoil impulse and making short-barreled defensive revolvers more efficient. But remember that the first .357 loads--made in the mid-1930s--came with 158-grain bullets and were loaded to some really hot (up to 1,500 fps) velocities. At present, you can buy .357 revolvers with barrels less than two inches to as long as a foot. You can also buy .357 ammunition with bullets as light as 110 grains and as heavy as 180. To get the most out of the long-barreled revolvers at their intended long range, use 180-grain bullets. The laws of external ballistics tell us that longer bullets of a given diameter tend to retain their energy and trajectory better than the shorter ones. And that is exactly why Taurus took the radical step of putting a 12-inch barrel on the Model 66. This is a revolver intended for serious long-range work.

Considering Ergonomics
The visual impact of this new revolver is pretty abrupt--the barrel just seems to go on forever. The Taurus logo--lasered into the barrel--seems isolated at the mid-point of the tube. My particular test gun was blued, but it can also be had in matte stainless. But I am pleased to report that an unscoped Model 66 Silhouette doesn't really feel awkward when you pick it up. That's because the designers bucked the current trend toward heavy, full-length underlugs. Instead, this gun has a short underlug that's just long enough to shroud the ejector rod. The remainder of the barrel is round with an integral sighting rib on top.

As part of my shooting evaluation, I tried several one-handed shots at a bulls'-eye target and it was easier than I thought; the long barrel isn't all that heavy. The gun comes drilled and tapped for scope mount bases on the barrel, but since I didn't have time to install a scope for my range test, I removed the base in order to use the excellent plain black sights. The rear is adjustable for windage and elevation, while the front is an integral ramp. This sighting arrangement is just what it needs to be--large and easy to see, plain black, offering a clear and distinct sight picture.

The "issue" iron sights on the Taurus Model 66 Silhouette are excellent. The rear (left) is fully adjustable, while the front (right) is a serrated integral ramp.

I also like the grips very much. They're rubber and of a shape that Taurus has developed over several years of experimentation. Completely surrounding the square butt frame, the grips are shaped with shallow finger grooves. They are also just a little smaller at the bottom (where the little finger sits) and taper upwards to where the long middle finger comes around. The shape is excellent and contributes to the general pointability of a really outsized gun.

It's a relatively easy revolver to manage. This subjective impression was reinforced when I tried the trigger. Taurus uses a DA/SA revolver action that is usually quite good, but the single-action trigger on my specimen was excellent to outstanding--clean and crisp at about three pounds, with no creep and very little overtravel. That's exactly what a handgunner needs in a tool intended to shoot long-range targets.

It's a fact that long-range shooting is now well established with American handgunners. With this model, Taurus has introduced a gun well suited for shooting varmints and at least medium-sized and (possibly) deer-sized game. In competition, the new Taurus qualifies for the Unlimited Class in IHMSA shooting. But aside from these specific uses, I suspect the revolver will become a "just plain fun" gun. Taurus also offers the Model 66 Silhouette in .22 Long Rifle and .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire.

Range Results
Preparing for a trip to the range, I loaded the ammo box up with an assortment of nine different loads. For the reasons already stated, I chose ammunition with the heavier bullets. There were four 180-grain loads, one 165-grain, three of the traditional 158-grain weight and a single 140-grain load. I like to try every .357 revolver that comes along with that Hornady 140-grain XTP, as it is probably the single most accurate .357 Magnum round I've found.

I was very pleased with the results. This particular revolver was happy with just about everything in my ammo assortment. After firing all nine loads and measuring the groups, I averaged the group sizes and found the Model 66 Silhouette would reliably produce 7-shot groups (once around the cylinder, one shot from each chamber) which averaged 1.48 inches. That is excellent performance from any revolver of any make. The best group was fired with Federal 180-grain JHPs and it measured 1.07 inches. I was a little low on my supply of that load, but I strongly believe that, if I had the ammo, I could have eventually produced a one-hole group measuring well under an inch.

SPECIFICATIONS
TAURUS MODEL 66 SILHOUETTE
Importer:	www.taurususa.com
Action:	Double-Action Revolver
Caliber:	.357 Magnum (also .22 LR and .22 WMR)
Capacity:	Seven rounds
Barrel Length:	12-inches
Overall Length:	17 1/4-inches
Weight:	50 ounces
Sights:	Fully adjustable rear, integral ramp front
Grips:	Rubber
Finish:	Blued or matte stainless
Price:	$414 blued ($461 matte stainless)

So what does this level of performance really mean? Well, if the gun did not produce this kind of accuracy, that long barrel would be little more than a joke. But when it so strongly demonstrates its ability to really shoot, you have to sit up and take notice. This is a fine handgun, well made and well suited for its intended role. The damned thing shoots with the best of them. And considering the fairly modest price tag, it's a real bargain.

One final comment: Just before leaving the range, I picked up the target frame and put a fresh cardboard in it. Then I walked to the 50-yard line and set the frame down. Reflecting for a moment, I then picked it up and walked all the way out to the 100-yard mark. Back at the firing line, I fired a few rounds to ensure the gun was on the paper and shot my last five rounds of the Federal 180-grain JHPs. When I recovered the target, I had a neat group of five close to the center. The cluster measured 3.48 inches from the centers of the two most widely spaced holes.

That's pretty hard to beat.