Taurus or not?

J

jlflegal

New member
I'm about to purchase a .357 Model 66SS. But I have these nagging doubts about Taurus products. Everyone says buy the 686 Smith but the Taurus feels better and I like the trigger action better. One guy swears by Taurus, another at them.

So, PLEASE, help me settle this matter!
 
Taurus or not

Go for it. They are really quite nice revolvers, the price is right, and they have a lifetime service policy.
 
Quality Inconsistent in Taurus

I've been a Taurus user for about ten years. During that time I've watched their products get better and better. A friend and I both purchased new Trackers on the same day. The Tracker is a 7-shot .357 magnum and, IMHO, is an good looking gun. Mine has shot flawlessly and I think it is terrific. My friend has had nothing but trouble with his and has had it back to Taurus several times. Just can't seem to get it right. The gun store owner where we bought them has had a lot of trouble with Taurus and now refuses to stock them any more. In my experience, their guns have a degree of quality but there is a lot of inconsistency.

While this is not a rant against Taurus nor a commercial for S & W I've never ever had a problem with any of the S & W revolvers that I have owned over the years. Take it for what it is worth. Good shooting!
 
I've had Taurus' before that worked and shot perfectly fine---no problems-----but they still weren't a S & W.---- I don't have any of the Taurus' I've bought over the years, but every S & W that I've bought is still here.
 
I have a Total Titanium Taurus Model 85 and a Stainless Model 85. Both look and perform perfectly. I am considering getting the Police Model 85 soon. For some reason I am addicted to 38 snubbies...... :)

my2taurus38s.jpg
 
If it is your only gun...

If it will be your only gun then choose something else (Ruger), if you can afford to wait if you have to send it back to the factory multiple times, then go for it. Everyone can have a lemon, but from personal experience and posts on this board, Taurus "seems" to have way more than their share. While they have gottem better, they still have inconsistent quality control both in manufacturing and repair. In October of last year I bought a M85, after 3 months and 3 trips to the factory it is a great gun, but out of the box it had a 50% to failure to fire.

Terry
 
True Taurus story

A few years back my barber ask me to look at a revolver he had, that was broken. He gave me a old Taurus 357 M66 blued 4 in. barrel to look at. I checked it out and it was missing some parts and just totaly a piece of junk. But he really wanted to keep the pistol. So I gave him the address of Taurus and told him to write them and tell them about the revolver and to request a parts list.
Because of it's age, Taurus ask him to send the pistol to them so that they could check it out and advise repairs and cost. He sent it in. About 3 weeks later he gets a box from Taurus which contains a new M66 with a letter saying; "your revolver was not repairable. Taurus guarantees it's products for life so accept this new revolver as a replacement".

Oh yes, he had taken the revolver in lew of a $75.00 debt owed him.

Not to bad for a company to do that. I wonder why Colt and the others don't do that?

Recommendations: I own Taurus weapons, Colts, Springfield and others. I think that Taurus makes a fine revolver for the price. I have owned / used a S&W 686, it was a piece of junk. I still own a S&W M36 revolver. Super nice shooter, so it depends on the person and each unique weapon. My old 686 was probably a "friday" gun.

Clem
 
Get the Taurus

You've answered your own question in the post with "the Taurus feels better and I like the trigger action better" If the Taurus feels better than the S&W get the Taurus.

As others have posted Taurus can have inconsistant quality, all of their revolvers except 1 (their first 44 magnum) that I've been around have been great.
 
Taurus makes great guns for the money. They seem very willing to back their products up with a very nice warranty. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one.
 
I just sort of played around and got them to balance on the film canisters. They never fell either as, I am always careful not to drop or scratch my guns in any way.

Here the little beauties are again..... :)

my2taurus85s.jpg
 
I think the bottom line here is: "Well, it's no S&W".
The Smith can have a action job done that will put most any other handgun to shame. Taurus uses coil springs in their actions, which are difficult to tune to the same quality as Smith. Taurus started as a lesser quality copy of the Smith, and has been trying to improve their quality.

If however, it just 'suits' you better, by all means, buy the Taurus. If your anything like the rest of us, this isn't exactly the LAST gun you'll buy. Maybe the Smith next time.
 
My $.02 Worth

I have owned Taurus revolvers and semi-autos and have generally been pleased with each and every one. They have proven to be accurate and reliable shooters. Like others who've posted on this subject previously, I've also owned S&Ws and Rugers which were simply a POS. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Taurus (as a matter of fact I just bought a PT945 that I got a deal on) but don't expect "top shelf" quality 'cause that's not what you're paying for. If every revolver was the quality equivalent of a Colt Python and cost the equivalent of a Jennings - wouldn't it be a wonderful world. All guns need a break-in period where all of the moving parts begin to wear against each other. In my experience dry firing helps, but can't replace just shooting the pistol. If you like the styling of the Taurus then buy it - like was said previously - (hopefully) this won't be your last handgun. Good shooting.
 
It probably won't be as reliable, as well built, or as strong as a Ruger or Smith & Wesson.

I hear a tremendous amount of problems with light strikes and cylinder binders reported with them.

They look cheaply built when compared to Smiths and Rugers.

TFL member Tyro has also stated that the manual with his Taurus Tracker said NOT to dry fire.

The non-removable, built-in gun lock is a gigantic leap in the wrong direction in small arms development.
 
Lightsped, I need to keep a tally on how many times you've posted that Taurus/canister pic. :D

True, Taurus is reputed to have a "lemon grove", but I have had absolutely no failures or problems with my 617. I carry it on me every day and I have complete faith in it.
 
I have a S&W mod.66, around 25 years old and love it. Heard both good and bad about taurus. Had a mod.606 .357 mag. and the cyl. never did lock-up right.
 
Don't Shoot why wouldn't you bet your life on one? Any firearm can fail at any time, you never know when some hidden flaw in the metal might rear its head - this can happen on a S&W just as easily as on a Taurus. I've but 5,000+ rounds through my Taurus PT92 without a hickup, I've put hundreds of rounds through my M85 CH Taurus without a problem. I don't have any reservations about trusting my life to my Taurus firearms.

I wouldn't trust my life to ANY firearm that I hadn't personally put several hundred rounds through to confirm that it's in perfect working order.
 
I like Taurus, but.....

I have had the worst luck with them, the last two I bought have both been light strikers and needed repairs.
I kept the 415 41magnum, cause I like pain and loud noises. :p I got rid of the 605 after it was repaired and my faith in Taurus is greatly diminished.
I would carry one for protection, but only after extensive testing, far beyond the norm for me, and only then would I trust it with my life.
I just bought a Ruger SP101 dao in 357 and I love it, no problems of any kind.
I am not dissing Taurus, just reporting the problems I have had with them in the past. I like the feel, fit and they have the best grips going on their revolvers.

Here is the link to my posting and the postings that followed when Taurus broke my heart. :(
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=64073

Best wishes,
Mikey
 
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