Taurus 44 Special Opinions?

T

turkeestalker

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Ran into this Taurus model 431 in .44 spcl. today at a pawn shop I frequent.

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This one was manufactured in '92 and is smooth and tight. Not perfect, but not abused.

It puts me in mind of my stainless '95 manufacture model 83 which is an excellent revolver, smooth, tight, and accurate.

I'm curious if there are any members out there that own one of these and what they think of them?
 

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It looks like a nice weapon, I have a 3", 5 shot Rossi model 720 and its a great shooter. I'm not a fan of Taurus due to many problems I have had with them so if your interested in this gun be sure to check it out real good before you go for it. So what is their asking price on the weapon?
 
They are asking $425 for it but I'll be getting a 'faithful customer' discount of say $25 or so, even still it seems a tad high to me.
There are currently four on GunBroker but all have 3" barrels and only one of which is blue that currently stands at $350 with 3 1/2 days to go in the bidding. One of the stainless ones is currently at $499 with 3 1/2 days to go in the bidding, so maybe it's not so high after all.
 
I have had several very good Taurus revolvers from the early 90's and have heard good things about that particular model.

I have a somewhat similar revolver that I am thinking about trading in on something else at my LGS. My guess is they would give me $200 for it and sell it for $400.

FWIW, I took a gander over on GB. I saw that one had sold for $459 and one for $389. I didn't take my time and do a super thorough job, but it looks like $400 might be a pretty decent price.
 
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Well I pulled the trigger so to speak on my way home from work today.

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Now that I'm home with it I don't have any qualms about the price and I'm sure I won't be disappointed once I get to try it out.
 

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If it performs like I think it will, then I have a possible plan for it in mind.

My Father turns 85 later this month, and he's taken a couple of trips in the last couple years to hunt hogs with a couple of his brothers down in Northern Arkansas. He has a 9mm that I had given him that he's carried along as a form of back up.
That may be enough, and it may not be, I don't know.
Though I would rather he have a .44 magnum on him, at 85 I don't know that he would as he doesn't even care to shoot my .357 Blackhawk, or .357 at all.

Would a .44 special from a 4" be a viable alternative?
More effective than the 9mm with the right load?
I don't know, but I'm thinking that the recoil may be more manageable for him with the heft of this revolver.

Just a thought.
 
Yeah. This is just my personal experience, but 44 special and 45 acp and 45 colt (normal loads) all feel about the same to me.

44 special is much easier to shoot than 357, and it sure does throw a nice big chunk of lead.
 
I have a Trurus 445 in stainless and I bought it with a known problem. After a couple of rounds the cylinder would lock up. The clearance between the cylinder and the barrel was not square and to tight.
A gun smith fixed that and worked over the trigger. It actually shoots easier than a Bulldog due to the heavier weight.
Do a trigger job and you might be surprised how much better it will get.
Mine had a lot of metal shaving in the receiver. Its a fun gun to shoot and is reliable. But I don't carry it.
 
I too had the stainless. 3 inch with adjustable sights. Sold it around 5 years ago. Dumb move on my part. It was a great shooting gun.
 
Would a .45 1911 be viable? If it is, then the .44 would be too, because the ballistics are basically the same.
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Factory ballistics don't tell the whole story. Where that 44 special will exceed that 45acp is in the bullet choices. You load that revolver with a Skeeter load...Keith bullet over 7.5grs of Unique...it will set the dander on most things with 4 legs.

45acp will work pretty well with 250gr FN bullets, but that Keith bullet will smoke it on penetration...and, of course, these are handloads...if you are limited to factory loads...then, yes, they are near twins.
 
Nice find. I have had the 431 on my list for 12-14 years. I love K-frame sized revolvers, I love big bore, and I think a 3" K-frame is about the perfect carry gun. Due to the last part of that, I'm personally not as interested in a 4" 431, but a lot of people love 4" guns more than 3" guns, that is all personal preference. Anyway, I think you'll be happy (or your dad if you give it to him as you are contemplating).

I look forward to a range report.
 
Well I pulled the trigger so to speak on my way home from work today.
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One thing that you will have to do is make sure this gun shoots to the sights with the load. It does not have adjustable sights...so you will have to match the load to the sights...since you can't match the sights to the load. Also, don't expect one whole groups with that fixed trench sight...be satisfied with a 3"to 4" groups at 25yds. If it will do better, great...just don't be disappointed if it doesn't. The reason the groups will be opened up is that you cannot dial them in to the load.

I have 6 44 Specials and I shoot this cartridge more than any other... I will tell you that, typically, bigbore revolvers shoot lightweight bullets low...so, if I were you, I would try 240gr bullets first as they normally shoot that weight pretty good.
 
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Nice gun, looks like. I have what I believe is a m66 in stainless, 357 mag and 3" barrel but this looks to be a step up. Adjustable sights. Mine was a thousand bucks plus expenses but it all depends. :rolleyes:
 
There are currently four on GunBroker but all have 3" barrels and only one of which is blue that currently stands at $350 with 3 1/2 days to go in the bidding.
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Myself I would prefer the 3 inch barrel, but it sounds as if you bought a nice gun anyway.
I'm not a big fan of Taurus guns but I'm sure there's a few good ones out there.
If you are happy with your purchase that's all that matters, enjoy your new gun.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
 
The wife has two of the 3" barrel 431's. She loves them. Only problem ever has been some loosening of the cylinder latch, easily fixed with some Loctite.
 
With two different brands of factory ammo pushing a 240gr semi-wadcutters, the revolver shoots to point of aim at 10 yards with fixed sights and seems to function flawlessly thus far. I'm very happy with it.
This is an 8" target that caught a box of 50 rounds, please disregard the jerk on the trigger that caused the fliers. ;)

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You sure can't complain about that.

Having worked on a half-dozen or so Taurus revolvers, I have mixed feelings about the brand. I did have an excellent Public Defender which I probably should have kept. The one that appeals to me most is the 450T snub (45 Colt) but they haven't made them for years and all too often, they are priced as collectors items on internet auctions.
 
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