Back in 2024 I wrote about my 500 round initial impressions of the Taurus 692 Executive Grade. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to more than double my round count on the gun. With over 1,300 rounds through the 692EG, how have my thoughts changed on this convertible revolver?
Refresher on the Taurus 692 Executive Grade
Here’s quick refresher for those who don’t remember the details of the Taurus 692 Executive Grade. This is a 7-shot, medium frame revolver which features a ported 3-inch barrel. Taurus includes two cylinders, which are quick detach, allowing shooters to swap between 38 Special/357 Magnum, or moon-clipped 9mm loads. A handful of OEM moon clips are included from the factory, so rimless shooters can get started right out of the box. Coming in at 35 ounces empty, the 692EG is a solid shooter without being overly heavy on our belt.
The Barrel
While I’m sure the porting is beneficial, part of me wishes it wasn’t there. While reduced recoil is nice, it does impact my ability to use the 692 in various gun games. Generally speaking you’ll be limited to Limited or Open division due to these ports, depending on your sighting system. Additionally, the ports tend to foul the front sight when using dirty ammunition. Porting isn’t a deal killer, and really doesn’t impact my range sessions, but an un-ported version would be a welcome addition to the lineup.
Grips
While attractive, the factory wood grips on the 692 Executive Grade leave something to be desired. When shooting quickly, the bell shape caused the gun to shift in your hand under recoil. For this review I swapped my grips for some stocks from VZ, a common practice for me and my wheelguns. These new grips immediately made a massive difference in the shooting experience. To further improve things, I used grip tape on the VZ stocks to improve my purchase and avoid slipping with sweaty or wet hands.
Recoil is more effectively distributed, thereby reducing felt recoil. The position of your hand in relation to the trigger is improved, making for a better feeling DA trigger press, reducing trigger finger fatigue. One handed shooting is dramatically improved thanks to this, as is mirror-image shooting. Compatibility with moon clips and HKS speed loaders remains, which is a bonus. I highly suggest swapping out the grips on your 692 Executive Grade if you plan on actually shooting the thing.
I do have one complaint about these VZ grips on the Taurus 692 Executive Grade. The grips will not simply fit the gun like I glove. I needed to shim two of the grip pins to secure the stocks in place. This was done by wrapping the pins in tape until they were girthy enough to stop any wobble of the grip frame inside the grips themselves. It’s not a difficult process, but tedious. The process is worthwhile in the end.
Sights on the Taurus 692 Executive Grade
The adjustable sights on the 692EG are still solid after more time on the gun. That said, they’re not perfect, from a subjective perspective.
I would prefer a narrower front post and rear notch for greater precision, especially as target size diminishes. The brass rod is pleasant to look at, but it isn’t particularly useful in poor lighting. If the rod stuck out slightly from the post it would catch light better, but being flush with the face of the sight doesn’t help much. A fiber optic insert would help here as well if you wanted to break from Executive Grade convention. A tritium lamp or would also be a welcome addition.
All that being said, the sights are good on the 692 Executive. I’ve made good hits on 10″x12″ target out to 75 yards with Magtech 115gr 9mm with these sights, which I’m pretty happy about. The rear sight has never lost zero, and clicks are positive when making adjustments. While they’re not my favorite, these sights are solid, and shouldn’t hold you back.
Range Time with the Taurus 692 Executive Grade
I used the Taurus 692 Executive Grade during portions of the 2024 Revolver Roundup, along with my own range time. The vast majority of my shooting was done using 9mm, however I did fire some 38/357 out of the gun for the review process as well. In total I fired 1,435 rounds from this gun. Below is the specific breakdown of rounds fired.
- 9x19mm
- 1x Blazer Brass 115gr FMJ
- 14x Remington UMC 115gr FMJ
- 21x High Desert Cartridge Company 115gr TMJ
- Limited compatibility
- 50x Fiocchi 115gr FMJ
- 50x Super Vel 115gr FMJ
- 1,050x Magtech 115gr FMJ
- 1x Failure to Fire
- 14x Aguila 124gr FMJ
- 21x Federal HST 124gr JHP
- 38 Special
- 26x Federal Gold Medal Match 148gr wadcutter
- 11x Magtech 158gr FMJ
- 50x Federal American Eagle 158gr LRN
- 20x Super Vel 90gr +P JHP
- 357 Magnum
- 20x Super Vel 110gr SCHP
- 2x Light Primer Strike
- Ignited upon second strike
- 2x Light Primer Strike
- 20x Speer Gold Dot 125gr JHP
- 2x Blazer Brass 158gr JHP
- 20x Underwood 158gr SJHP
- 45x Federal American Eagle 158gr SJHP
- 20x Super Vel 110gr SCHP
You’ll notice that I fired a significantly higher number of 9mm rounds compared to 38/357 loads. This is intentional, as the cost savings of 9mm is what largely drew me to this gun. The 692 Executive Grade is compatible with the rimless round, but it isn’t exclusively designed for it. That means accuracy suffers a little, being quoted as a 4-inch gun at 25 yards from Caleb Giddings, of Taurus. Not stellar, but not completely unreasonable either.
For somewhat long range shooting, I’ve been able to keep 5/6 rounds on a 10″x12″ target at 75 yards using Federal HST 124gr, standing unsupported. Not exactly an A-Zone, but still reasonable in my opinion. Shooters will see improved performance with 38 Special and 357 Magnum loads using the 692EG. For drills, I ran through the HiTS Super Test, and my revolver qualification test several times, along with the FBI Bullseye Course and more.
Recoil and Bullet Selection
Coming in at 35 ounces empty, the Taurus 692 Executive Grade handles magnum recoil fairly well. I’m no glutton for punishment, but I was able to shoot a few boxes of 357’s back to back without much issue. Underwood’s 158gr SJHP is the hottest load tested here. While it got into “unpleasant” territory, it was never painful, nor did I experience any significant flinching with these hotter loads. Porting on the barrel appears to help here, though I don’t have a way to objectively measure that at this time.
The 692EG seems to prefer lighter weight bullets in terms of precision. Groups were worse on target with 148gr Gold Medal Match and 158gr American Eagle, despite those usually being good performers. Fast, lightweight bullets, such as those from Super Vel, gave better results consistently.
Stoppages, Malfunctions, and Odd Occurrences
In general, the Taurus 692 Executive Grade has been a very reliable revolver. That said, there are a few things that caught my attention throughout the review process.
Stuck Brass
Towards the end of this review process I began experiencing some issues with sticking brass in 9mm loads. Small slivers of brass began sticking inside the cylinder, preventing rounds from fully seating. This in turn, prevents the cylinder from rotating when pressing the trigger. Unfortunately, this isn’t always detectable through sight or feel when loading, regarding cases being proud from the cylinder face. That said, I can typically see the reflection of fresh brass on the inside of the cylinder if shining a flashlight into the charge holes when this occurs.
To fix the problem I have to unload the cylinder, then use a pick to scrape out the slivers of brass. This is time consuming, and absolutely a show-stopper. If this were to occur during a match or defensive encounter, you’d be in trouble. I’ve experienced this problem with both Magtech and Super Vel 9mm loads, using both OEM and TK Custom moon clips. To date I haven’t had similar problems with other loads, or the 38/357 cylinder, but time will tell.
Puncturing Primers
Throughout the review process the 692 Executive Grade has been intermittently puncturing primers with 9mm. From what I’ve been told by Taurus reps, this should be expected in a multi-caliber revolver. That the headspacing is different enough to causing the revolver’s firing pin to puncture primers, which can lead to reduced longevity of the firing pin.
I have not had this issue to date with the rimmed cartridges. Nor have I had any issues with reliability, extraction, etc with the 9mm rounds. In short, this is somethin to keep an eye on, but hasn’t been a cause for concern to date.
Limited Compatibility with Certain Loads
Curiously, I had serious compatibility issues with High Desert Cartridge Company 9×19 ammunition in the 692EG. Unfortunately the rounds would not seat properly in the gun, despite using OEM, TK, and RIMZ moon clips. These rounds worked perfectly in my Glock, and appeared fine visually.
Previously I’ve had great luck with High Desert loads in other guns, so this may just be a tolerance stacking issue. No other rounds fired during this review presented a similar issue.
Wrapping Up the Taurus 692 Executive Grade
I really like the Taurus 692 Executive Grade. This has been a very educational experience for me, getting into the weeds on moon clips, and a more modern revolver (that isn’t a snub). I love my classic blue steel guns, but the 692EG has found its way into being my go-to revolver for practice and competition. I would love to see an option where shooters could pick either 9mm OR 357 variants to save a few dollars, but overall this gun is a hell of a value. If you’re looking for a full size revolver, give the 692EG a serious look.
MSRP on the Taurus 692 Executive Grade sits at $1106.99 as of this writing.
Support My Work
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Writing isn’t my full-time profession, and nearly everything I do comes out of my own pocket. Between ammunition, tuition, range fees and more, expenses add up fast. If you like what I have to offer, consider making a donation to my Patreon.
Every bit helps bring more work like this to you, and contributes to shortened timelines or more in-depth work on my part. You’ll also have more direct access to me, offering suggestions for future projects, looking behind the scenes, and getting early access to some content. You can find my Patreon >>HERE<<
Be the first to comment