S&W 629 vs. Taurus 44SS6

B

Bandit01

Moderator
I want to purchase a .44. I wanted to get the S&W 629 (mainly because it's a S&W) but I'm not to happy with the price. Someone at my local shop suggested the Taurus 44SS6. He said that it was modeled after the S&W but it's a whole lot cheaper--$499.00. I've never owned a Taurus and I don't know anything about this revolver.

In terms of stability, accuracy, etc., which of the two is better? For those that actually own either one, what are the pros. and cons. of them.

Thanks!
 
The Smith is better, but depending on your needs, the Taurus is probably plenty good enough. I do not own a Taurus .44, but I have the .357 Mag. M607 (seven-shot) which is built on the large frame. Very sturdy; good shooter. The timing is not up to S&W's standards, but it lines up all right, and doesn't spit lead. For the money you save...well you'll have to judge whether or not it beats the spread. How much do they want for the Smith, and what will you use it for? Hunting? Bowling pins? Good time milk jug busting?
 
I believe he was just refering to the fact that he does own a taurus revolver and was making a comment on quality in general. I could be mistaken though. I am also currently lusting after a 629 but they are a little pricey. So, I have also been looking at the taurus line up. Ive owned 2 taurus revolvers in the past and they were both fine guns. In fact, I wish I still had them. IMHO, i think the several years ago, taurus did have some quality issues, and I even think that they owned up to that after some things had been corrected. I also think they won Manufactuerer (sp?) of the year in '02-03. That might mean they are doing something right. Since I am in a similiar situation, I cannot offer much advice as I have not even made up my own mind yet, but I am actually starting to lean toward the taurus for it's "value". Do I think it is as finely crafted as S&W...lately even smith has had a few duds if what I have been hearing from others is correct. There is no question in my mind that you are paying for the Name and Rep. of Smith and wesson, and they do offer a lifetime commitment to repair. The thing is Taurus does too. The taurus will probably never get the looks the smith does but I think it is probably worth the money, but it will not retain nearly as much resale value as a smith. I dont know if that is important to you or not. I have decided that I am never again sell a firearm i own. If I just absolutly dont want it, I'll just give it to a friend or somthing. I'm getting off track now. Sorry. I look forward to others comments on this, and since we are kinda in the same boat at the moment, please feel free to email me anytime and we can trade info and stories about what we know for sure and what we have heard from others. Either way, please let us know what you decide and how happy you are with your decision. I'll do the same. :)
 
With some shopping around you can find a used M629 in that price range. Make sure it's a -3 or later model and you will have the Endurance Package built in.
 
Bandit01,

alphamaniv is exactly correct. I was offering my opinions on the general mechanical differences between Smiths an Tauri based on my experience with both. I thought it was clear that I was talking generally about the brands' products as I have experienced them, in a friendly attempt to help shed light on your conundrum. I am sorry if this information was misunderstood, and therefore useless to you, dude.
 
where are you located at? I'm in central IN and round these parts 400 bucks will buy you any used 629 you want, the last one I bought or will every buy (simply because it is the greatest hand gun I've ever own) is a performance center with smoothed down cylinder, diamond shaped hammer, comp trigger, polished and gold inlay. and the best of all 2 and 7/8 inch barrel. so much more balanced then a 4 incher. it was sold to me by my local gun shop and it was fresh from the performance center when he got it, paper work to prove it. I gave $425 bucks fer it, if you look around you can find great deals on them. as far as which is better? taurus revolvers aren't bad from the experinces I've had with them, but there is a reason why they are copies of smiths
 
A comment on Taurus 44 revolvers.

I own a S & W 629 and we all can agree it is a fine revolver. Nuff said! My personal experience with Taurus revos in general and 44 mag in particular has been that production quality control can be inconsistent. I have had to send more than one NIB revolver back to Taurus to fix or adjust something. Taurus has a life time warranty and they do stand behind it. Having said that, I also must say that when Taurus finally "got it right" the guns worked just fine. Good shooting;)
 
I would stay away from Taurus as well. I have never owned or fired any S&W or Ruger, new or used, that did not fail to operate very well. I had a brand new Taurus 617 however that locked up on my first range trip.
 
I must retract my earlier statement about Taurus. I apparently just got one that wasn't up to par in the 617. My local shop owner showed me a Taurus 650 CIA .38 special yesterday, and as he is very honest about his guns, I purchased it.
It fires very well and has not had any problems whatsoever.
 
Of all the Taurus Revolvers I own (5 in the last 10 years) I only had one that I didn't have to send back to the factory to be fixed. It was the Mod 44 magnum 4 inch barrel. I sold it last week with the idea that I would never buy another Taurus. I, on the other hand, have 4 S&W revolvers, the oldest dating back to 1978(mod 29 .44), 625(5 inch and 3 inch) from 1990, 686 from 1987.......all have been wonderful and have never needed any work.
FWIW
 
Just an update on my comments from earlier. I am about at 90% on going with the smith 629 trail boss. Anything I have will be carried at some point, this one most likely in the woods as..imagine this...a sidearm :) I just dont want to pack anything with too big of a tube and even though all guns can have problems, the look of the smith and the 3 inch barrell are about to win me over. The unfluted cylinder is a personal fave too. I might as well enjoy looking at it as well as shooting it. :)
 
What about a Raging Bull? They seem to have a good reputation. I was thinking about buying one in .41 Mag down the road?
 
Bandit01,

Dude, I was asking about the S&W 629, .44 magnum, not a S&W .357. I have a S&W 686 .357 magnum.
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He was informing you, sir, that he possessed a Taurus 607, a model identical to the one you are looking at save for caliber, and found it to be satisfactory. Do with that information what you will.
 
I own both.
The only "Problems" with the Taurus is that the trigger action is a bit rougher than the S&W. Thats about it.
Is that a big deal with you? If so, you might choose the Smith. If not, you might choose the Taurus. Also, is there a revolver smith around who can do an action job on it and still keep the overall price under what the competition wants?
I once owned a brand new Smith 629 that would freeze up if fired DA slowly. It had a burr on the ratchet onthe face of the cylinder. Five minutes with a stone by a smith and it worked okay, but if you think every single gun must function 100 percent perfect NIB or the whole company is junk, I guess that means Smith and Wesson is Junk.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, EVERY manufacturer slipls out a substandard model every now and then. I think taurus and smith have better reps overall though, than say, General Motors.
 
629

Tamara, that's a dead issue. If you're not going to contribute anything useful to my question, I'd appreciate no response.
 
What about a Raging Bull? They seem to have a good reputation. I was thinking about buying one in .41 Mag down the road?
Click to expand...

That might be something to look at. It is all hearsay but I have heard some folks in the gunshop comment that the raging bulls got the most attention as far as QC and such. Just something I heard though. Like I stated earlier, the barell length is an issue for me, but in re-reading you post, I see you want a six inch barell. I think half the fun is in the research and shopping. :) Please let us know what you finally get.
 
update

I found 2 629's. One used which is going for $499 The other brand new is going for $550 shipped. My dealer is charging $30.00 for the paperwork. Since there's no big difference in the price, if the dealership that's selling it for $550 will wait another week or so, I'm going to buy that one.
Thanks to all that give me helpful/useful advice in making my decision.
 
Bandit01,

Tamara, that's a dead issue. If you're not going to contribute anything useful to my question, I'd appreciate no response.
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May I humbly suggest using the excellent PM feature, or perhaps emailing people, then? When you post public threads, the public is likely to respond. :)


(If, when you are looking for answers about the quality of N-frame Smiths and/or Large-frame Taurii, and someone answers your question, and you don't find it "useful", I'd submit that you should perhaps endeavour to rephrase your question. ;) )

Sincerely,
Tamara, Happy owner of 11 N-frames.
 
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