Anyone have experience with both the Taurus 605 and Charter Arms Mag Pug? I'm interested in hearing feature of feature pros and cons. Not really interested in Taurus or Charter Arms bashing or anecdotal stories. Not interested in S&W, Rugers, or any other models or companies. I'm just wonder, if everything else is perfect, what are the main differences between the too models?
Taurus 605 vs Charter Arms Mag Pug
- Thread starter VAGuy
- Start date
the Taurus is a 6 shot the Charter is a 5 shot.
the Taurus is based on the S&W design and has better lock up than the Charter and its infamous cylinder wobble.
the Charter has superior customer service and quick turn-around time compared to the calendar pages time frame used by Taurus.
both are hit or miss in the quality of what you get off the shelf.
the Taurus is based on the S&W design and has better lock up than the Charter and its infamous cylinder wobble.
the Charter has superior customer service and quick turn-around time compared to the calendar pages time frame used by Taurus.
both are hit or miss in the quality of what you get off the shelf.
lee n. field
New member
I have a Taurus 605, and had 2 Undercovers. Close enough, I guess. The description of the Mag Pug makes me think it's basically an Undercover in .357.
The Taurus is in my pocket as I write. The Undercover(s) are years gone.
The 605 is a 5 shot gun. Are you thinking of the new 856?
Taurus is a sideplate design, like S&W. Charter has no sideplate. All parts fit in a slot milled down the center.
Taurus has the grip as an integral part of the frame, again, like S&W. With Charters the grip frame is a separate part.
Charter will sell you a spurless DAO hammer, and installing it is literally a 5 minute job. Taurus? ha! Factory only part, so solly.
Reinstalling the trigger in a Charter is a royal screaming pain in the whatever. Three hand job. Unless there's a magic special way I didn't figure out. Taurus, nothing too awful.
Lockup is different between them.
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Taurus 605 is a five (5) shot . Roughly the size of a S&W J frame and is steel , barrel is 2 inches long , comes with a black finish or stainless steel , 24oz,,It has a one year warranty ,
Charter Mag Pug is also 5 shot , basically the size of a Colt D size frame ..and it is also steel and has a polymer grip frame and trigger guard . barrel length varies from 2.25 inches to 3 inches or 4 inches ... finishes are blued , stainless steel , stainless steel with nitride finish or polished stainless weight is 23oz
Comes with a lifetime warranty, made in USA with great CS
Charter Mag Pug is also 5 shot , basically the size of a Colt D size frame ..and it is also steel and has a polymer grip frame and trigger guard . barrel length varies from 2.25 inches to 3 inches or 4 inches ... finishes are blued , stainless steel , stainless steel with nitride finish or polished stainless weight is 23oz
Comes with a lifetime warranty, made in USA with great CS
lee n. field
New member
Taurus has gone back to a lifetime warranty for new models, but now to original owner only.
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Great news
I stand corrected, sorry for the mistake, the Taurus is a 5 shot as well. its lifetime warranty is aptly named because it will seem like a lifetime before they fix it. LOL. I haven't had a lot of luck with the Charter cylinder keeping time and locking up properly with the harder recoiling rounds. some of that I want to attribute to the thin cylinder stop which is puny by any other revolver standard.
Bill DeShivs
New member
The Taurus 9mm is closer to Colt "D" frame size than S&W "J" size.
If are talking about the Taurus 905 , it is built on the same frame as the 605 .. Which is basically the size of the S&W J frame , except the full lug barrel ..
TruthTellers
New member
Have no experience with the 605, but I'm of the opinion when it comes between Charter and Taurus, give Charter a try first and if you don't like it or issues continue to pop up, sell it and try Taurus.
I would have recommended the .357 3 inch LCRx, but a quick look at the price shows that THEY COST JUST AS MUCH AS A STEEL FRAME SP101 AT OVER $500!
So, yeah, Charter first, then Taurus. If all you're going to do is shoot full power .357 from it, you're looking at the wrong guns to begin with, but if it's going to be a mix of .38 and .357, I don't see a problem with either.
I would have recommended the .357 3 inch LCRx, but a quick look at the price shows that THEY COST JUST AS MUCH AS A STEEL FRAME SP101 AT OVER $500!
So, yeah, Charter first, then Taurus. If all you're going to do is shoot full power .357 from it, you're looking at the wrong guns to begin with, but if it's going to be a mix of .38 and .357, I don't see a problem with either.
Of the two listed I'd pick the Charter Arms because of their fast and excellent customer service.
Finding positive reviews of Taurus' customer service is like finding a four-leaf clover.
So that still leaves you with a 38/357.
You said no Ruger, but I'll still recommend a used LCR in 9mm, mainly because of the affordability, availability, variety, and shootability of the ammo. Secondly, Ruger guarantees the gun whether you're the original owner or not, so you won't be stuck with costly repairs. If you go that route check it out first, especially the timing, lock-up, and end-shake.
Finding positive reviews of Taurus' customer service is like finding a four-leaf clover.
So that still leaves you with a 38/357.
You said no Ruger, but I'll still recommend a used LCR in 9mm, mainly because of the affordability, availability, variety, and shootability of the ammo. Secondly, Ruger guarantees the gun whether you're the original owner or not, so you won't be stuck with costly repairs. If you go that route check it out first, especially the timing, lock-up, and end-shake.
Bill DeShivs
New member
I have in front of me, a Taurus 905, A S&W 637, and a later Colt Detective Special.
The 905 is almost exactly the same size as the Colt. The S$W is smaller.
The 905 is almost exactly the same size as the Colt. The S$W is smaller.
silvermane_1
New member
I say go with the Taurus 6-shot in 357. 
I have owned a couple of 905's and 605's & 85's ..I used a J frame holsters for all
The Taurus lifetime warranty for the original owner only applies to the guns that have changed since they implemented the limited warranty. They changed several slightly and renamed them but to my knowledge, the 605 has remained unchanged so the lifetime warranty regardless of ownership would still apply.
I have an older 605 made in 2002 (bought it because it is hammerless and polished stainless). It is a very nice and solid gun that I like. I also have a 6 shot 856 that is also good. I have a Charter Arms in another caliber that is good. I wouldn't hesitate to buy either the Taurus or the Charter Arms but would base my decision on the one I like the best and which one has the best price.
I've never owned a Charter Arms, but I have had a Taurus 605, 82 (a medium frame .38) and I have a 85CH (factory bobbed hammer). I also have a Taurus 856 that I bought recently, and a non-Taurus S&W 442 (similar in that it is an inexpensive 5-shot small frame snub) and a non-Taurus but Taurus made 2" Rossi 461 (unreliable and part of the recall over safety issues) and 3" 461 (part of the recall over safety issues).
My preference is the aluminum lightweight 856. I don't have enough range time to say it is reliable yet, but it is barely any larger than the 5-shot J-frames, Charter Arms, or Taurus 85 or 605 (and much smaller than the Rossis) but have 6 rounds instead of 5 (20% more). I have the aluminum one so it is very light, thus suitable for pocket carry. Personally, I'd rather have 6 rounds of more controllable .38spl or .38+P in that size gun than 5 rounds of .357mag which will be much slower to bring back on target. The only carry revolver I have that I like better is my 3" new model Colt King Cobra (and saying it isn't in the Charter Arms/Taurus price range is an understatement- I could buy 3 of the Charter Arms or Taurus for the price of the King Cobra).
That said, I have had some trouble with Taurus and don't fully trust them. My Rossi 461 (made by Taurus but an older Rossi design) has been unreliable. Both Rossi 461's are subject to the Rossi safety recall. My Taurus PT140 Millennium Pro had a major failure several years ago (I still need to return it for repair, I'm not in a hurry) that could have caused an AD and/or chain fire easily (the firing pin is stuck in the firing position). And of course, it was also subject to a safety recall.
Both are less reliable than options from Colt, Ruger and S&W. So, why do I recommend the Taurus 856? I figure that in the worst case, if one gets a bad one, it costs about half what you'd pay for several competitor guns and at least 1/3 less than the cheapest competition, so you can get two for the price of one of most of the competition, and you aren't very likely to get two bad ones in a row. That was my thinking when I got my 856, likely enough to be a good one, 6 rounds, and I was on a budget (just bought a few guns in the past few months and had several unexpected expenses just before I bought it).
Now, for what you are considering...If you definitely want to go with a .357mag and don't mind 5 rounds (we are all different and value different things) it seems like a wash to me. I haven't had a Charter Arms, but for the right gun I would be willing to buy one. I like the basic design of the Taurus better, and there seems to be more aftermarket support if you want different grips, or you need a holster, etc. The Charter Arms seems to have better customer service. Which is more important to you?
My preference is the aluminum lightweight 856. I don't have enough range time to say it is reliable yet, but it is barely any larger than the 5-shot J-frames, Charter Arms, or Taurus 85 or 605 (and much smaller than the Rossis) but have 6 rounds instead of 5 (20% more). I have the aluminum one so it is very light, thus suitable for pocket carry. Personally, I'd rather have 6 rounds of more controllable .38spl or .38+P in that size gun than 5 rounds of .357mag which will be much slower to bring back on target. The only carry revolver I have that I like better is my 3" new model Colt King Cobra (and saying it isn't in the Charter Arms/Taurus price range is an understatement- I could buy 3 of the Charter Arms or Taurus for the price of the King Cobra).
That said, I have had some trouble with Taurus and don't fully trust them. My Rossi 461 (made by Taurus but an older Rossi design) has been unreliable. Both Rossi 461's are subject to the Rossi safety recall. My Taurus PT140 Millennium Pro had a major failure several years ago (I still need to return it for repair, I'm not in a hurry) that could have caused an AD and/or chain fire easily (the firing pin is stuck in the firing position). And of course, it was also subject to a safety recall.
Both are less reliable than options from Colt, Ruger and S&W. So, why do I recommend the Taurus 856? I figure that in the worst case, if one gets a bad one, it costs about half what you'd pay for several competitor guns and at least 1/3 less than the cheapest competition, so you can get two for the price of one of most of the competition, and you aren't very likely to get two bad ones in a row. That was my thinking when I got my 856, likely enough to be a good one, 6 rounds, and I was on a budget (just bought a few guns in the past few months and had several unexpected expenses just before I bought it).
Now, for what you are considering...If you definitely want to go with a .357mag and don't mind 5 rounds (we are all different and value different things) it seems like a wash to me. I haven't had a Charter Arms, but for the right gun I would be willing to buy one. I like the basic design of the Taurus better, and there seems to be more aftermarket support if you want different grips, or you need a holster, etc. The Charter Arms seems to have better customer service. Which is more important to you?