.................................Tau-7 Junior; Review Buy Rada Plesinger

Tau-7 has been around for a number of years without much change.  When I visited the factory they have the first model they ever made and the number one of all the modifications made thereafter.  To me they are the same pistol.  Sure some have a better grip an adjustable grip, different sights, but the basis is the same.  In the 80’s a shooter who purchased a state of the art pistol could expect it to last at least 10 years before something new came along.  The Tau-7 has been here long before that and is still pretty much unchanged and still competing very successfully indeed. Not only on the 10 meter range but on the silhouette range as well. I am always amazed that a new product introduced at IWA show in Nuremberg in the beginning of every year will disappear in the middle of the same year.  Or some other manufacturer is picking up the design but not releasing it until the following year.  But not the Tau-7, it is the same and it only shoots better from year to year with better barrels.
     Most of the changes encountered on the Tau-7 are after Mr. Uhrinchak died in the 1988.  The first addition was an adjustable grip to accommodate almost any shooter.  Prior to that the Tau-7 was imported with non-adjustable grips by Century arms.  Some adjustable grips made their way to the States by the way of Canada.  But those were the only changes that were seen.  At least until I came along and met the people at Tau.  Since I shoot silhouette and try to shoot the 10 meter game I not only wanted the pistol in .177 but in .22, my favorite.  So the stipulation was made that if enough orders are forthcoming I can have my .22.  I had enough order and the first ones that came over were with a 10 inch barrel.  Then came changes to the trigger mechanism.  So all of a sudden there was a Tau-7 Standard, Sport and Match.  Sport and Match have the same trigger but the Match has a select barrel.  In Europe there is a rating of barrels or pistols as to what sort a center to center group spread a shooter can expect.  Most seem to have a rating of 7-9 mm.  And the Tau-7 Standard and Sport are in that category.  The Match is rated at 5 mm or better, same as the Walther LP-300.  But what I read so far in the European publications all those ratings are on the large side.  Most of the pistols will shoot little better as to the group size.  When Tau made the improvement to the trigger and the barrel to improve accuracy it was a significant start. 
      Then came the Tau-7 Silhouette on the scene with the same trigger as the Sport and the Match.  At about this time the Standard was dropped from the line up.  There were enough .22 sold and enough negotiating with Mr. Kachlir the current owner/main engineer and most important also a shooter.  That we could request and get some improvements done to the models TGAG orders.  One was a compensator with amazing efficiency.  The value can be seen shooting the .22 set at 525+ fps with the comp. mounted and then without the comp. It is still available from TGAG to upgrade some of the models that came without it.  Grips were also upgraded depending on ones opinion.  The laminate grips that come with the pistol today are rather slippery in wet climate but are more appealing in my opinion at least.  Then instead of the 10 inch barrel the current Silhouette models come with a 12 inch barrel.  That length not only optimizes the balance of the pistol but makes the best use of the CO2 for higher velocity.  The suggestion for 12 inch barrels can be traced to the LD pistol from Mac-1 with the same length barrel.  At one shoot I was talking to Tim and L.D. who suggested they found that 12 inches to be optimal for CO2 pistols.  So, off I went and cut a down a 15 inch barrel by one inch increments to 12 inches.  I kept the setting the same on the pistol and just chronographed the velocity output at each increment.  I went down to 9.5 inch barrels before I agreed the 12 inch is the best for velocity and balance not to mention sight picture.  And that is the length of barrel I requested Tau to provide.  Also I wanted a scoped mount as an option for the serious silhouette shooter.  I seen some interesting mounts for the pistol up to that date but Mr. Kachlir surprised us once more with the solid and well thought out mount that now comes as standard equipment with the Silhouette model.  TGAG again has them as extra for the previous models.  I use them to find the best pellet for the particular velocity not to mention silhouette competition.  It is also worth pointing out Silhouette model comes in .177 and .22 caliber.  All models have the same velocity adjustment to optimize either the velocity or the consumption of CO2.

And now there is a new model the Tau-7 Junior also known as "Pistolka."  Pistolka translated means little pistol.  It is aimed at (pun intended) at the smaller shooter or one that simply likes the lighter pistols.  This model weights in at 700 grams, almost half of the standard model Tau.  Also the barrel is 2 inches shorter and much thinner. Grips are smaller but can be accommodate the standard grip with some adjusting.  I am sure the factory will provide the regular grip for adults who like the lighter weight.  The fore end is also smaller and thinner. I even notice the trigger guard to be profiled for more saved weight. Even the screws have been changed to save weight

The normal screw that holds the fore end in place is a rather large slotted screw.  Now there is a small allen head screw holding things in place.  The compensator is of the double baffle kind much lighter then the complicated comp. that comes with the other models.  When opening the top breech cover to load a pellet one can see there has been a large U shaped notch machined out to save even more weight. 
The normal screw that holds the fore end in place is a rather large slotted screw.  Now there is a small allen head screw holding things in place. 
The compensator is of the double baffle kind much lighter then the complicated comp. that comes with the other models.  When opening the top breech cover to load a pellet one can see there has been a large U shaped notch machined out to save even more weight. 
......How does it shoot?  This was amazing, how can something made for the starting shooter be so accurate?  Most companies simply cheapen a product and make it monetarily more accessible for the younger crowd or the starting shooter.  Not the Pistolka, not only is it not cheep retailing around $400 but it does not cut any corners in the accuracy department.  The example I was allowed to test has a test target that center to center is less then 3 mm.  That is amazing since it is smaller then the one that came with the Walther LP-300.  I spoke with Mr. Kachlir about the barrel and even he said he was amazed how accurate this is.  In fact he said as soon as they cut the barrel to the present length they seen immediate results in accuracy.  Then all they did was make it slimmer.  Today Tau makes its own barrels at the factory.  Before they had to go to CZ at Uhersky Brod and purchase time on the machines there.  Now they have more time to make a better barrel.  And as I was told is in the polishing procedure before the rifling is cut and quality control after the finished product.  Plus the velocity can be adjusted for the pellet and so can the compensator to match the velocity.  This combination can make the shooters brand of pellet simply shoot through the same hole.  It does take time, but I found a general rule the faster the pellet the longer the space between the muzzle and the first baffle in the compensator.  This seems to hold true no matter what make of pellet or pistol.  Pistolka is most welcome addition to the Tau-7 line, hopefully a lot of new and veteran shooter will appreciate it.     

Thanks
Rada