S&W 642 v. Taurus 85ul

[beardking]

Alright, all the purists out there, leave me alone. I'm looking to replace the S&W 642 that I bought for Christmas and ended up having to take back because the front sight was off. I'm probably going to just replace it with another one (that I check over a bit more this time), but I was noticing that the Taurus 85ul with Crimson Trace grips runs a bit less than the S&W 642 with Crimson Trace grips and was wondering how the two compare. They look to be the exact same gun to me, but I wanted to get others opinion before I haul off and blow a load of cash on something.

Thanks in advance.

 

[kymasabe]

I'm admitedly no revolver guru...this is purely observation from shopping for a small j-frame gun recently and renting a few revolvers. I've been looking for a S&W 432, is a .32H&R Mag j-frame. I've shot one and loved it and now can't find themso considered bumping up to .38cal. So rented a Taurus and a S&W .38 and tried both, as well as a Taurus .32H&R...no comparison. The S&W has a much better set-up and break than the Taurus. Trigger feel was smoother in the S&W. Anoteher point to consider...at some point you may want to have a trigger job or action job done by a reputable gunsmith. Many that I checked out will only work on Smiths and Rugers...not Taurus. Spend the extra $100...it'll be a better gun and hold it's value better too.