Taurus 650 CIA Snub Purchasing Question

A

AdamOwens

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Was really excited to purchase this firearm today. After doing some research on this forum I see most folks have nothing but bad things to say aboutt the Taurus/Rossi company. Pretty new to the firearm world, but being in the military I figured it was a good time to purchase a firearm to carry with a CC license. My question is has anyone had any good experiences with this company or would y'all suggest I steer away from them and go with like a more expensive option ie S&W..what are some similar models to the Taurus 650 .357? They had this one available at the BX on base for about $390 figured that was a good price for my first revolver but wouldn't mind shelling out a little more if its going to save me a headache down the road. Thanks all input is welcome.
 
I have 3 Taurus revolvers. A 44 mag, a 40 S&W, and a 38. None of them have ever given me any problems. The 38 is used as a loaner sometimes in the club NRA shoots and has had many rounds through it with no failures.

Check it our carefully before you buy it to be sure it is not binding or any other obvious issues and you should be good to go.
 
I have a Rossi 357 Snubby (Model 461).
http://www.rossiusa.com/product-details.cfm?id=138&category=1&toggle=&breadcrumbseries=
I have shot it a fair amount (roughly 1,000 rounds through it) and I love it. Never had any issues. My dad has a couple Tauri, and so does my sister in law. No problems with any of those either.

So here's the issue with Taurus/Rossi vs. say a Ruger or Smith. Anecdotally, you have a higher chance of getting a lemon with a Taurus/Rossi. They all make lemons except for maybe handmade ones like Freedom Arms(even they may have an issue from time to time). The other issue is that if you do have to send it back for warranty work, it costs you more $$ for shipping fees, and it takes much longer to get it back (4-6 months vs. 1-2 months).

So my take on them, if you get a really good deal on one, go for it. If you are up in that $400 range, I'd spent a bit more and look at the other brands. I just picked up a new Ruger SP101 for $500, not exactly what you are looking for I don't think, but it gives you a price range difference. You may want to give the Ruger LCR a look. They are fun to shoot with 38's. With full power 357s, brutal. There are also some nice Smith & Wesson options out there, but I'm not very familiar with all their models, so I'll let someone else chime in there. Also don't be afraid to look at used Rugers and Smiths.

Here's a little Ruger customer service story for you. My dad bought a used Ruger Vaquero for cheap, knowing that it was broken(the hammer wasn't working correctly). He contacted Ruger to see how much it would cost to fix. They sent him a prepaid shipping box that he sent it to them in, and they fixed it for free. No questions asked.
 
Gdawgs thanks for chiming in! That's great news and my confidence is growing by each positive response I receive. I do have a little extra to spend but just seen the deal this firearm had and though it was a steal just didn't want to something that wasn't going to last me. But it seems like I should be ok. Thanks again. I will look at the other options just to entertain the idea of spending a little more for a bigger name.
 
I own a Taurus, not a revolver but a 1911. Over 3,000 rounds thru it without any problems and very accurate right out of the box. I can’t see why their revolvers would be any different.
 
Thanks everyone for all the GREAT input. Nothing but great advice. I went ahead and took my buddy who's a lot more seasoned with the firearms and said everything checked out with him looked like quality and said we would go to the range and put some rounds threw it today. Obviously I made the purchase and can't wait to see how this bad boy performs. Ill post back with my reportings. Again thanks EVERYONE for making me feel welcome on this fourm! Not one negative comment from anyone. =]
 
what are some similar models to the Taurus 650 .357?
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The 650 is, which? Ah, the hammerless. The one I sometimes I wish I'd gotten.

I have a 605, the hammered version of what you're looking at. Mine has been fine, over 5 or 6 years of ownership.

Alternatives I'd be looking at would be the S&W 442 airweights, and the Ruger LCR. Both are internal hammer 5 shot .38 snubbies. Both are going to be considerably lighter than the all steel Taurus, which could be a problem. The steel snubby is not punishing to shoot .38 out of. The lighter guns might be, depending on your recoil tolerance. Both are going to be a bit more expensive than the Taurus.

If you get a .357 snub, you're probably not going to be shooting .357 in it much. Trust me on this.
 
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I'm actually a little nervous about poping off the .357! Make no mistake I got a few boxes so I can ease into it but I also purchased more of the .38 special. I need my wrists to hold up for at least 10 more years. =]
 
I have a 650 and love it so far! 357s were actually not bad out of it. I shot about 70 of them in my first outing and i am not to big on recoil. 38s are not far from a 22lr in it. The extra steel on the little gun was great.

Actually my sp101 with 3 inch barrel and longer grip bit me more then the 650.

Enjoy!!!!
 
And honestly a lighter one like some of the 38 only's may be nice to carry sometimes, but the fact i can shoot 357 and enjoy it in such a small package is well worth it. I actually found that little taurus grip to not only conseal awesome, but it handles the 357s nicer than just about any grip out there too.

Now you got me all worked up to go shoot some more! Dang MN winter! Next week maybe...
 
I had, until a few months ago, a Taurus 851 revolver (same thing I think as the 650 CIA you describe, except 38 Special, not 357 mag). I put almost 1800 rounds through it, in less than a year....and had no problems whatsoever. A reliable, accurate little wheel gun. Any of the 5-shot Tauruses are derivatives of their model 85 series, which (arguably) are the best Taurus makes....and quite good in comparison with other brands. I wouldn't be worried about buying that 650, if I were you.
 
I'm so glad y'all have had good experiences. I did pick it up today as was ready to hit the range..unfoutunly the MO snow would not allow my S-10 to drive into the 12' deep snow path leading to the shooting spot!! But the feel of this firearm makes me feel confident putting .357 threw it should be pretty smooth. Not many moving parts for this weapon to screw up on so I do feel confident in its reliability. Spent a little time running the Bore Snake threw it had nothing else to do so I cleaned it up a little from where the manufacture test fired it I assume. Got a sweet BlackHawk case for it only $11. No need for any kind of speed loader as I'm pretty quick with loading 5 shots. Lol the grips are actually not that bad either. Maybe ill paint the front sight orange seeing how the front and rear sights are the same steal color. No Big deal either way it's not really a long range handgun.
 
Well it's not the only firearm I keep for home defense. But it is one of two of which I keep loaded just in case things get hairy. So I would say yes in a wild situation I would need it to come threw for me..
 
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