Gunsmith Question - Taurus 357

B

Bowhunter57

New member
I was considering the purchase of a Taurus (Stainless Steel) 66, in 357 Mag., but after talking to two different Gunsmith Shop Owners, maybe not. Apparently, they see quite a few (more than other brands) of the Taurus revolvers in their shops for repairs. :rolleyes:

My question is to both Gunsmith Shop owners and Taurus revolver owners:
Are you seeing a fair amount of repairs, for Taurus revolvers?

I appreciate your honest opinions and experiences. :cool:
 
Friends don't let friends buy Taurus.

I worked on them and I hate them.

Metallurgy on transfer bar is bad OR they don't stress relieve it after its bent. Hence they always break. Do you want a broken transfer bar when some critter is about to attack?

Buy American.
 
I have two model 66 3" barrel .357. I have had them since the early 1990's and never a problem. They have been shot a good bit and are still tight. Best wishes
 
There are very few spare parts available for Taurus revolvers. Yes, they may have a lifetime warrantee, but:
1. They charge an up-front $35 fee if the gun has been monkeyed with by the consumer.
2. For repair work, they normally won't pay the return fee.
3. They don't have parts themselves for guns not in the current lineup.
I sent in a model 94 (.22 revolver) a few weeks ago, and they can't fix it because they don't have the parts. It is covered by their warrantee, but what they offer is a discounted price on a new gun. Yes, it is a good discount, but my customer doesn't want to pay $350 to replace his fishing gun, when all he wanted was new springs and a rear sight blade.
 
I know more than one person that encountered the same issue of no repair parts and the only option given by Taurus was "buy a new one 'at cost'".
I faced the same with a PT38, pre-millenium, pre-B. Taurus did a silent recall on them. They did not put out a press release, and they did not tell anyone that they were recalled. They just refused to let them leave the repair center when they were sent it after breaking. (*When*, not 'if'.)
 
I will say I have seen a number of Taurus revolvers over the past years, but I assume it's like a doctor who thinks all kids are always sick because that's all he ever sees.

I am sure not all Taurus firearms are breaking just because you look at them, but since I only see the broken ones that's the impression I get. I see a lot of brand new Braztech (Taurus, Rossi) guns that won't work, they are ssembled by minimum wage labor, not by people who know anything about guns. They often have some very attractive offerings, things I would love to own, different features or different chamberings that sound very exciting! Would I own a Taurus? Weeeeeell, maybe not.

As far as how to fix them, I typically tell the owner to contact Taurus directly since I can't get parts for them. And that is probably the number 1 reason I don't take in Taurus guns for repair: Taurus does not make parts available for the gunsmithing trade. If a Taurus comes in broken, I cannot get parts from any parts distributors. None available. I have to send it in to their service center, when I know I could fix it if I could get parts.

The other thing that drives me crazy about Taurus is that they have no parts for older guns they produced. It may look like their current offerings, but it is a different model, so no parts from them. Since guns are durable goods, with expected lifetimes of 20 or more years, this is aggravating.
I faced the same with a PT38, pre-millenium, pre-B. Taurus did a silent recall on them
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I'mnot sure if those were the ones affected by the lawsuit they had, but I ran into a similar issue with a pistol about 10 years or so ago. The gun got to them and they said it could not be repaired or returned and offered my customer the choice between a couple of newer models in their current line-up. The customer was a bit upset, but chose one that made him happy.
 
Wow! :rolleyes: These are the replies that I expected.
I appreciate your replies, thus far, gentlemen! :cool:

I see a Ruger GP-100 or S&W 686, in my future. :)
 
I had the 66 and it was considered the Taurus flagship at the time. Smooth trigger & accurate. Finish & grips were good, too. Trigger was comparable to my S&W's. My only concern would be with their customer service. Since I'd never had to send one in, I can't say.
 
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