If it's strictly between the Taurus and a Ruger save the money and buy the Ruger. Your more likely to be happy with the Ruger and not bother with the Taurus later on. If you buy the Taurus, more likely than not you'll still want the Ruger later anyways. So you'll end up with two guns for $800 instead of one for $500. Like one other reply said - try to buy what you really want and don't settle for second choice. With handguns that is good advice since everyone wants a quality gun somewhere along the way. Skip buying the economy models and you'll get the gun you want sooner.