Ruger or Taurus in snubbie .357?

S

shunt

New member
I plan on purchasing one of the two handguns this weekend. The gun will be used primarily by my wife for home defense and legal concealed carry. Considering that the tech specs are nearly identical for the two, which would you recommend?

Ruger SP-101 .357 stainless/hammerless 2.25" barrel

OR

Taurus 605CH .357 stainless/hammerless 2.25" barrel (1/2 ounce lighter than Ruger and $75 less expensive)

I'm concerned with accuracy, trigger pull since these will both be DAO, reliability, and my wife prefers the heavier gun. Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
 
I would vote for a used pre agreement smith 686 2.5"bbl. Trigger better than most off the shelf and with lighter rebound spring it becomes a double action delight.

Sam....just a minute, I know I put it somewhere.
 
shunt; I've owned a Taurus 605 stainless. My buddy owns it now. I had no complaints whatsoever. Light, durable(stainless), and powerful. The grip was real nice for magnum loads but a little long for serious concealed carry. You might consider the Taurus model 617. I have one and I like it alot. It's a snubbie .357 maggie, blued, SEVEN shooter. I believe it's about two oz. heavier than the model 605. Never owned a Ruger SP 101. They came out along time ago and there're classics. Built very stout and nice packable guns. As you know they are pricier than the Taurus revolvers. You can't go wrong with either. Good Luck, J. Parker
 
shunt; Ops, forgot. Accuracy of the mod 605 and the 617 really surprised my buddy and me. You can't expect to much from snubbies with fixed sights but from 7 to 10 yards they'll get the job done. I'm sorry but I don't recall the trigger pull on the mod 605 but the trigger on my mod 617 is really sweet! Surprised me to say the least. Smooth and light. Do I like Taurus's? Yeh I do. I think they'll excellent values. Ok, I'm done. Best, J. Parker
 
Ruger--big time.

They make quality stuff. Always have , probably always will.

I have owned several.

I will never try another Taurus. I had a .38 Taurus that had woefully over-sized chamber mouths. They sent bullets tumbling/key-holing from only 21 feet!

Why risk it? Just get the quality assured American made Ruger. You can't go wrong.

Another point in the Ruger's favor is that the sp-101 (and GP-100) are the most advanced revolvers there are. From the grip "post" design to the awesome frame they are the most modern wheel-guns you can get. There lock-up is amazing and the ejector rod ONLY ejects spent cases it does NOT turn with cylinder rotation. Neat.

Only complaint one could make with Ruger is that there factory triggers are NEVER as sweet as the equivalent Smith & Wesson. But they are a bit cheaper than S&W and don't carry the political baggage.

[This message has been edited by WebHobbit (edited September 06, 2000).]
 
Taurus offers decent quality at a good price. Ruger offers EXCELLENT quality at a good price. Ruger's C.S. dept is the best in the business. Spend the slight extra money and get the Ruger!
 
Shunt,

My very best handgun value was a Ruger .357 magnum revolver. Although it is not what you're looking for, the specific firearm was a GP100 (the KGP-141 model) for $315 NIB. I suspect you'll find the SP100 is high quality, very durable, reasonably accurate, and an excellent deal for the money. That's one opinion anyway.
 
Taurus had a probelm with quality control. However all those problems have been addressed and the quality is evident. Taurus now offers (and honors) a life time warranty of all their guns...including the older models built before the improvements. Additionally Taurus is giving a free annual membership or renewal to the NRA for anyone purchasing a new gun. Ruger gave us the so called high capacity ban.
Don't get me wrong. I like Rugers. I just see Taurus as equal to, if not better than, Ruger in the terms of quality. I would hate to see anyone not purchase a Taurus based on out dated views of the quaility of their older products when they first entered the gun market place.
Having said all that, I would recommend your wife get the gun she is the most comfortable with. Based on the criteria you out lined (the criteria we all use when contemplating a new purchase) I do not think you could go wrong with any of the chooses.....including the used Smith.
Let her pick it and you will both be happy. :)

------------------
Gunslinger

I was promised a Shortycicle and I want a Shortycicle!
 
Suggest higher owner satisfaction with Ruger.

Your results may vary.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Last year I picked up a Rossi .357 snubbie. Great trigger, lifetime Taurus warranty, and mine shoots very respectable groups for a snubbie (last year using 158gr lead semi-wad .38's I was hole for hole with 4 and 6 inch Rugers and Smiths at a local compitition out to 15yds). At about $100 less than a Ruger.
 
I got a Taurus 605. It kicks like a mule, but it gets the job done for less cash than the Ruger. :) :) :)

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Yeah, I got a permit to carry,it's called the friggin Constitution.---Ted Nugent

"Glock 26: 17 rounds of concealed carry DEATH comming your way from out of nowhere!!! THAT'S FIREPOWER, BABY!!!"
 
My vote goes to Taurus.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Only complaint one could make with Ruger is that there factory triggers are NEVER as sweet as the equivalent Smith & Wesson. But they are a bit cheaper than S&W and don't carry the political baggage.[/quote]

No political baggage? Ruger is THE reason we have a 10round magazine limit.
You people bash S&W, and then endorse Ruger? Kinda a double standard if you asked me. I don't care how much "blood money" Ruger gives the NRA, I will never own a Ruger, or endorse one.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BB:
My vote goes to Taurus.

No political baggage? Ruger is THE reason we have a 10round magazine limit.
You people bash S&W, and then endorse Ruger? Kinda a double standard if you asked me. I don't care how much "blood money" Ruger gives the NRA, I will never own a Ruger, or endorse one.[/quote]

Oh, I agree with the double-standard thing!

I just bought a NEW 686, so I don't agree with the idea of punishing S&W or Ruger for that matter. What I meant by my post was that MANY gun-people will wanna flame-roast your ass for buying a new S&W. Not, me though.

:D

I realize that S&W (and Ruger too a lessor extant) are MUCH more than the idiot CEO that made that awful deal with the devil. They have a lot of employees that you will also be "punishing". Besides I will NOT buy an inferior product/brand over politics.

And YES, I do mean that Taurus & Rossi ARE INFERIOR products.



[This message has been edited by WebHobbit (edited September 08, 2000).]
 
We are getting way off topic from Shunt's original question but....I agree that Bill Ruger sold us out long before Smith did. Personally I find what Smith did worse than what Smith did. But the sad fact remains that both did gun owners and the second amendment no favors.
To remain in topic the idea may be to only purchase used if you decide to go with Smith or Ruger. Both are good guns and the companies politics do not affect their function. Of course Taurus has no gremilns lurking in their business closet.
 
If you can find a good used S&W centennial model go with that. It'll have a better trigger and the concealed hammer will allow it to be fired from inside a coat pocket if necessary.

Otherwise, go with the Taurus because Barami doesn't make a hip grip for the Ruger.

Good luck.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>And YES, I do mean that Taurus & Rossi ARE INFERIOR products.[/quote]

In your opinion. IMO, the handguns Taurus is putting out today are at least, if not better than, anything Ruger ever made.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BB:
In your opinion. IMO, the handguns Taurus is putting out today are at least, if not better than, anything Ruger ever made.[/quote]


Taurus handguns are very good nowadays. But IMO there is no comparing them to Ruger. The latest P-series pistols (95,97) are excellent handguns, as are the Ruger revolvers--with the exception being the $hitty trigger pulls/actions. I think Ruger holds an advantage over Taurus in quality(in general).
 
Ruger. It's a better made gun and withstands a lot more abuse than any other revolver on the market. The older Security Six/Speed Six/Service Six (all shared the same action) was tested Texas style. It was tied to a rope and hauled through the sage brush and through a puddle of water. Dirtied and scratched, the revolver was picked up and fired without a hitch. That's tough. Consider now that the GP/SP are improvements on the older SS designs.
 
I recently purchased a Ruger SP-101 hammerless in .357. Replacing the factory grips with Hogue grips greatly enhanced the feel and control of the little gun. I really enjoy shooting my little Ruger, but it does have significant recoil when firing magnum loads.
 
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