Taurus
Long the red headed stepchild of the industry, Taurus has transformed itself into a first rate value firearms manufacturer over the past few years.
You won't see the machining and fit and finish of the best American manufacturers, but Taurus isn't that far off, and the price more than reflects the more austere finish.
Tracker
This is the latest double action revolver from Taurus. Small frame, best had in the small calibers. This particular one is chambered for 17HMR.
The Tracker looks for all the world like a S&W K22 frame, with a very smooth lugged barrel put on it. Quality of construction is quite good. If they have cut corners, it isn't evident.
Trigger pull is good, but not quite outstanding. A bit rougher than a Smith or Colt. That's being worked on.
It is interesting to compare this pistol to my other 6" rimfire revolver, the Colt Diamondback. In size, they are quite similar. The Colt is a bit lighter than the Taurus. The only difference that really stands out is the trigger pull - the Colt has that silky smooth action. The Colt's double action pull is quite a bit lighter than the Taurus, and it never misfires. Attempts to lighten the DA pull of the Taurus usually ends up with misfires.
Lest you think I'm pounding the Taurus unfairly, consider price. The Taurus in stainless can be had for $300-325. What does a clean Colt Diamondback sell for? Considerably more - around $800 the last time I checked.
17HMR in a target revolver is an interesting cartridge. Surprisingly enough, not that much velocity is lost. Whereas the typical 17HMR fired from a rifle is around 2600fps, it is only reduced to around 2000fps in this pistol. It's loud, and has that uncomfortable high pitched bang that the 17HMR has in a rifle, there's just a lot more of it. Like the rifle, it hints at recoil, but doesn't really jump much. And like the rifle, it's very accurate, considerably better than the typical .22LR.
A look down the muzzle. The barrel seems to be standard across 17 and 22 calibers, hence the tiny little hole in the end and that hole is oversized - the actual crown is recessed.