As a revolver guy, the rising cost of ammunition is especially painful. Even sticking to standard pressure .38 Special can get pricey in short order when picking up factory ammunition. I’d been tossing around the idea of a 9mm revolver for a few years, but nothing really fit the bill. Then in 2024 Taurus announced the 692 Executive Grade and caught my attention. It seemed to check a lot of boxes that I was looking for, and I decided to finally pull the trigger, pun intended.
Design of the Taurus 692 Executive Grade
The Taurus 692 is a medium frame, stainless steel, double action revolver. Its 3-inch barrel features eight ports for recoil reduction, and a recessed crown for improved durability and accuracy. Sights are click-adjustable for windage and elevation, and the front post includes a brass rod to match others in the Executive Grade lineup. Attractive wooden grips ship from the factory, and in an awesome move, they work perfectly with both moon clips and speed loaders. Unloaded, the gun comes in at 35 ounces, making it a reasonable choice for wear along the belt for extended periods.
One of the more interesting features on the 692 Executive is the quick detach cylinder. A simple push-button the right side of the frame allows for tool-less removal of the cylinder. This eases maintenance and cleaning, however that isn’t the stand-out benefit here. Taurus includes dedicated cylinders for both .38 Special/.357 Magnum, and for 9×19. The 9mm cylinder is cut for use with moon clips, of which five are included in the box from Taurus. This is what sparked my interest in the 692EG, but we’ll touch on it more later in this article.
Range Time with the Taurus 692 Executive Grade
I picked up the Taurus 692 Executive Grade from my FFL in October of 2024 for purposes of this review. During this time it made its way to Revolver Roundup, a local steel match, and my regular practice. I’ve put approximately 570 rounds through the gun since its arrival. Below is the specific breakdown of rounds fired.
- 1x Blazer Brass 115gr FMJ
- 21x High Desert Cartridge Company 115gr TMJ
- 50x Fiocchi 115gr FMJ
- 469x Magtech 115gr FMJ
- 14x Aguila 124gr FMJ
- 15x Federal HST 124gr JHP
As we can see, nearly everything put through this gun is 9mm. My main goal with this gun was to have a quality revolver that is cheap(er) to feed than my normal stable of wheelguns. In short, I think the 692 Executive Grade largely accomplishes that goal.
Knowledgeable wheelgunners will know that a multi-caliber gun like this will suffer degraded accuracy when using 9mm rather than .38/.357 loads. I’ve been told to expect 4-inch groups at best using 9mm. This may be a deal killer for some, but it hasn’t hampered my performance. As an example, during my first range session I managed to go 5/6 on a 10″x12″ cooking pot at 75 yards, standing unsupported, using Federal 124gr HST with the 692EG.
Outside of this, I’ve made multiple clean runs of the Casino Drill, the HiTS Super Test, and my Revolver Instructor Qualification course using Magtech 115gr loads. Sure, you won’t get match grade results with the rimless European wonder bullet, but it’ll do just fine. Expect improvements in performance with .38 Special or .357 Magnum loads.
Moon Clips
The Taurus 692 Executive is my first real foray into the world of moon clips. In addition to cheaper ammo, I really wanted to learn more about this form of loading to help broaden my revolver knowledge. I’ve definitely learned a lot over the past several weeks with this gun.
Taurus provides 5x Taurus brand moon clips with the 692EG. Initially I was worried, as none of them got retention on any brand of dummy rounds that I own. Luckily this fear was quickly washed away with success using live ammunition. I know of two other shooters who have experienced the same issue with snap caps, along with the same positive luck with live ammo.
I have a deep dive on this gun coming in 2025, where I’ll speak to more detail on this subject. For now I’ll leave you with a few quick thoughts.
- Pick up the TK Custom moon clip loader tool, it’ll save you a lot of time and effort.
- A de-mooner tool will also be helpful. Speed Beez, TK Custom, and others offer solid options.
- TK moon clips may not be compatible with all clip holders, look for something magnetic.
- OEM Taurus moon clips enjoy wider holder support, but are fragile.
Initial Impressions of the Taurus 692 Executive Grade
Overall I’m really pleased with the Taurus 692 Executive Grade. It’s a solid shooter, looks good, and has been a great learning experience for me. That said, I’m not done with this revolver yet. I’m going to keep working with this gun, and will provide you with a long term review in 2025. We’ll get some more 9mm through it, along with trying out the .38/.357 cylinder, along with more depth on moon clips and other accessories.
Until then, I feel confident in recommending the Taurus 692 Executive Grade at this time. MSRP as of this writing is $1106.99.
Author’s Note: The 692EG was sent to me on loan directly from Taurus for purposes of this review. No expectations of a positive review were given by any party.
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