Observations on the Taurus .22LR revolver for a new shooter

I had a 941 in 22 mag and had the same terrible trigger, traded that for the M327 when it came out after 2 trips back to taurus for ftf's and stuck cases,it still had the same problem, lesson learned sold it back to the dealer and paid the difference for an sp 101. problem solved. wont even look at a Taurus product now. but I do have to admit that my Taurus 1911 has been flawless and I will never part with it. it's hit and miss with taurus and I'm not a gambler.
 
My first 22LR I ever shot was a Colt Officers Model Match Target..So the bar was set very high at a young age and has ruined me for life. :p
No other wheel gun has ever come close
 
There are some smiths out there that do action jobs on Taurus DAs.

I had one done on a model 66 which I eventually sold. Did not like the idea of having to do an action job on a new revolver, but 19lbs of DA trigger pull is unacceptable.
 
Frankly Taurus makes some great revovlers. My model 608 is an absolute gem (I sold a S&W and kept the 608).

The model 94 is a fun little .22 revolver, but out of the box it definitely needs trigger work.

My father got a model 94 for my somewhat frail grandmother to keep for protection. But after range testing it, he handed it over to me for trigger work first.

I stripped it of oil, packed it with a fine polishing compound, filled the cylinders with empty .22's and dry fired it a few hundred times. Took a dremmel tip to a few of the more obvious bearing surfaces too. Cleaned it out, re-oiled it... It was a a smoother pull, but it still had very stiff spring tension.

So I detail stripped it again, and forced some of the pressure out of both the hammer spring and the trigger return spring. Most of the stiff pull was due to the hammer spring which was way too strong, but the trigger return spring is a bit overzealous too. I clipped some of the hammer spring out until I was happy with the tension in it. I made the trigger return spring a bit gentler too. Bear in mind though that a .22 from any maker will tend to work best with a slightly stronger hammer spring than a centerfire would use.

End result was a very pretty polished stainless 3" 9shot .22 with a butter-smooth 10lb trigger (originally I'd guess the trigger was around 15+lbs)

From what I understand, originally the 94's had too soft of a spring set, and then they overcompensated with a 'way too strong' spring set to correct the defect. They have yet to find the Goldielocks zone for their model 94 springs. But at least with too-strong springs, it's not hard to fix (with a bit of care).
 
Taurus - Ever notice how they always seem to rate reviews like...

"Not that bad"
"I've only heard a few complaints"
"Most of them are pretty good for the price"
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Frankly Taurus makes some great revovlers....

The model 94 is a fun little .22 revolver, but out of the box it definitely needs trigger work.

...after range testing it, he handed it over to me for trigger work first

...the trigger return spring is a bit overzealous

...They have yet to find the Goldielocks zone for their model 94 springs
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Hmmm. Great revolver...;)


Sgt Lumpy
 
I do a trigger job on any/all guns I get for myself anyway.
the 94 just took slightly more finessing.
and yes, it did turn out to be a fun little revolver after a couple hours of tinkering.

But yeah, they really should tweak those spring settings better at the factory.


Now, my Taurus 608 is a different story, out of the box it shot circles around my S&W model 27. The 608 has a dreamy trigger, and is the most accurate handgun I own. I sold the smith and came out money ahead. Talk about win-win. And the Taurus PT92's are really good too.

Taurus's don't all suck. "Some" Taurus's suck. The models that don't suck are some of the best bargains in the handgun industry.

Brand reputations are grossly overstated. Just for example, I've had some Ruger's with spotty quality issues, and the widely admired Magnum Research makes the least reliable guns i've ever fired. I have permanent hearing damage from both a S&W's and Beretta's "safety" decock. I've even seen an unreliable glock (and i rather love glocks). None of the brands out there have perfume farts.

The model 94 is a good buy for anyone who's not afraid to detail strip a revolver and tweak it, but out of the box it's trigger pull is quite stout. Frankly though, neither you nor I would have a problem with it. But if you're getting it for a weaker/elderly/younger shooter, it needs tweaking. I'd tweak one anyway, if I owned one, just cuz I'd get to take it apart & tinker then.
 
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Normal? Yes but not good at all.

Taurus Model 94. Horrible, horrible trigger in both DA and SA mode out of the box.
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Yes, it's a 94 and yes, that is normal for them. Normal in this case, is not good. There have been many previous posts on this problem. when trying to do some serious shooting and get past the normal problems, it's very hard to get past this one. An interesting point, is to look at the strike on a rim and you will notice that it hits hard, as compared to you other pistols/revolvers. I too looked into a wolf spring kit and could not find one. I know how to take spring data and will have to approach it from that angle. .... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
I too looked into a wolf spring kit and could not find one. I know how to take spring data and will have to approach it from that angle. ....
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Yeah, I didn't see a wolf spring kit for them either. that was my first thought as well.

So I just made the springs slightly shorter instead.
 
I had an older Model 94 not long ago. I want to say it was from the early 90's or so, it had wooden grips anyway. That was a really nice little gun with a decent trigger both in D/A and S/A. I sold it to some guy that wanted it more than I did. The newer ones with the rubber grips don't even feel like the same gun.

I found a Taurus 96, with a 6" barrel, from back in the day, yesterday and stuck it on layaway. Nice gun. Not a Smith & Wesson Model 17 of course, but it was considerably less expensive than a S&W K frame 22. It'll do for a plinker.
 
Pahoo said:
Yes, it's a 94 and yes, that is normal for them. Normal in this case, is not good. There have been many previous posts on this problem. when trying to do some serious shooting and get past the normal problems, it's very hard to get past this one. An interesting point, is to look at the strike on a rim and you will notice that it hits hard, as compared to you other pistols/revolvers. I too looked into a wolf spring kit and could not find one. I know how to take spring data and will have to approach it from that angle.
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Advantages of being a packrat. I have an older Wolff paper catalog that lists the spring kit for the Model 94. The same kit also fits several centerfire revolvers built on the same frame. The current on-line listing does NOT include the Model 94.

You need Wolff part number 30151
 
Advantages of being a packrat. I have an older Wolff paper catalog that lists the spring kit for the Model 94. The same kit also fits several centerfire revolvers built on the same frame. The current on-line listing does NOT include the Model 94.

You need Wolff part number 30151
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Cool info and fine help!
How about a stock weight (or GREATER than stock weight) hammer spring for a Taurus Model 66? Mine is a fine gun but will light strike in DA, maybe once out of every 4 or 5 cylinderfuls. It's annoying when DA is how I much prefer shooting. Last I checked, Wolff only offers reduced power, and I'm looking for a hell-for-stout hit.

I shoot only handloads, and I only use the hardest primer on the market and I'm not will to change.
 
The smaller a .22lr revolver gets the heavier the trigger pull gets regaurdless of the make.
I do have a older 1988 model taurus 94 .22lr that was used for a training /practice pistol for a taurus 85 38sp I carried for 20 years.

Yes it had a heavy 9lb DA trigger and yes 10 bucks can make a heck of a difference in trigger pull. Mine has had a wolff spring set in it for many years. It did finally have to go back for a tune up as it stoped fireing rounds. New fireing pin and wolff springs reinstalled and its back to normal. Even the stock model 85 springs make a big improvement.

Remember too some 22 ammo is easier to fire off than others so lighter springs may cause you to find different ammo. maybe.

The couple J frame sized .22lrs I have seen were also nothing to get excited about but when .22lrs get to the size of a model 17 or a dw 22 revolver they have great triggers. My DW 22 has a 4 1/2 lb da pull thanks to wolff.
 
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