Taurus or not?

The 686 is a terrific weapon, but if it doesn't "fit" you, you probably won't be happy with it. The Ruger GP series are excellent revolvers also, just not as nicely finished as the 686 and trigger, IMHO, is not quite as light as the Smith. I have one of each, so am speaking based on personal experience and observation. I like both and would have a hard time parting with either.

That said, I also have a Taurus Ultralight. Trigger pull is similar to Ruger. The fit and finish is very good. It also goes "bang" every time I have pulled the trigger. Accuracy wise, I think it's pretty close to my model 60 (Smith 2" 5 shot .357).

I suggest that you also give the Ruger a fair shot and then decide. Go with whatever "feels" best to you.

One last note. I had to have my model 60 serviced. Smith turn around was excellent. Had it back in 10 days. Ruger's turn around on an auto loader was somewhat slower, but I had returned it in the middle of hunting season, probably a peak time for repairs. Have not had a reason to sample Taurus service.
 
Smith makes the best revolvers. We all agree on that, right? ;^)

I've had good luck with the Taurus Model 85. I've owned four over the years, and all have been reliable, without the misfires, skipping, etc. that others report. (I keep giving them away to unarmed family members and friends.) IMO, a good Taurus is an excellent weapon. Unfortunately, it seems that you have a higher risk of buying a lemon if you buy a Taurus. I don't know this for a fact, I just base it on the number of complaints I've read in forums like this one.

That said, I presently own a model 85 of recent manufacure that is 100% reliable, and shoots directly to point of aim (into one ragged hole) out to seven yards. If you buy a Taurus snubby, get the full-weight, stainless model with the traditional exposed hammer. My experience suggests that this configuration is generally reliable.
 
I've had good luck with Taurus revolvers. Owned maybe 6 or 7, lost count. Presently I have a Taurus mod 415 41 magnum. Fit and finish are excellent and no problems after about 150 rounds or so. I like their revolvers but not their auto pistols. Best, J. Parker
 
Love my M44 DAO Stainless with 3" bbl. Nary a problem with it. I have been willing to admit when a peice that I own is junk. Just got rid of a Llama MiniMax 1911-copy that just wasn't reliable for me. That Taurus is NOT junk.

It was a purchase I have not regretted. I'll just have to wait and see about longevity with such a powerful caliber... but so far I have no reason to doubt that it'll do fine with that too.

As soon as I get a box of the Garrett .44 mag loads, I'll be trusting my life with it eveytime I go packing into griz country.
 
Smith-Taurus

Coil springs are harder to tune? Quite the contrary the word stacking was coined to describe the crummy way smith's flat springs get harder to pull the farther you pull the trigger. Taurus supports the NRA while Smith tried to sell it down the river. Coil springs on Tauri are virtually unbreakable unlike the smith flat springs which break at inopportune times. I would go Ruger for strength or Taurus for quality and price. GP-100s are noted for steller accuracy unlike the current Smith and Wessons.
 
Red Label....

Just re-read you post. You are joking right? Garretts loads are way too hot for a standard Taurus. I love Taurus but dont get me wrong. I would be concerned for your safety using those loads in that gun. You can easily duplicate Garrets loads. All they are is regular cast loads. The cheapest bullets there are to make. And then you can load them to levels more appropriate for your model.
Garretts loads are very hard cast and hot, something that can drive pressures way up and or crack forcing cones if the gun is not just right. I would load them only in a Ruger due to it having a good safety factor if something goes wrong.
 
About 10 to 12 years ago I seen my first Tarus. I was appalled at the workmanship of that revolver. The side plate was raised about .020 from the frame, the cylinder to forcing cone gap was excessive, and the over all quality and workmanship looked as if some 7 year old in Brazil put it together in a sweat factory during his recess from school.
Since that time, I had a bad taste in my mouth for Tarus.
I understand the workmanship and quality of the guns have gone up alot since that time.
I just can't get over that first impression of that revolver though. That has steered me away from even looking at them in the stores where I live.
I have a friend that had one, he says he loved it. Tough decission.
 
Last edited:
NO, WE DON"T AGREE.................

IMNSHO Taurus -REVOLVER- quality is sporadic at best.

Ruger makes the best revolvers (although DW is turning out some superior product again).

No dis' to Taurus; my "off-body always" is a PT22.
 
Ummm... yeah, that's the ticket rugercollector, I was just joking -- NOT!

Garrett makes two loads for .44 magnum. One load is recommended ONLY for Ruger revolvers. That is because it is a longer bullet that will only work correctly in the longer Ruger cylinders (and I admit that there may be something to the fact that Rugers are damn stoutly built). The other one is recommended ONLY for well-built, quality firearms. I deem my Taurus to be well-made and quality. YOU may not. Mine is stainless, and I would prefer that it be one of their case-hardened steel models such as the .454 Raging Bull. But I deem it to be of sufficient strength to handle those Garrett loads. Do I target practice with the Garrett loads? No. But that is more of a function of affordability than it is of my worry that the M44 will blow apart. I do not hand load as of yet. The gun is SOLID. I have fired many rounds through it. There isn't one shred of doubt in my mind when I fire it.

You can keep your Rugers, or S&W's, et al. I like my Taurus and I tire :o of the routine threads on this board where lovers of those two brands of revolvers question the quality of Taurus' products. It works for me, I believe in it, I use it, and I just plain LIKE it. That's all that really matters to me.
 
rugercollector -

I just reread your post after posting the above reply and find that perhaps I was a little bit defensive in my post. I think that it was the "surely you must be joking" statement that got my dander up. I stand by all that I said, but I want to make sure that the tone of my reply is softened. Just to repeat, I do not believe that the occasional use of Garrett loads is too much for my Taurus. I certianly would not want to shoot them all the time. But I wouldn't hesitate to use them for their designed purpose of penetrating a grizzly deep enough to stop an attack. The whole reason that I ended up with the Taurus is it's short barrel length (3 inches -- it's easy to carry while backpacking), it's hammerless DAO feature (no snags on the way out of the holster in a quick draw situation) and it was available and reasonably priced NIB. I have seen NO Rugers that fit my criteria new or used, and have not found any used S&W that fit as of yet either. Perhaps one day I will find one of those brands that does it for me, but until I do my Taurus will give me the peice of mind that I need when packing in bear country. Peace...
 
rugercollector - you say:
... All they are is regular cast loads. The cheapest bullets there are to make. ... Garretts loads are very hard cast and hot, something that can drive pressures way up and or crack forcing cones if the gun is not just right.
Click to expand...

Randy Garrett does indeed use hard cast bullets, but the ones he uses are not the cheapest there are to make, they are specifically designed for their intended purpose. His loads are not hot, that is they do not exceed the pressure limits of the guns in which they are intended to be used.

I have to ask for your source of information on a single instance where a forcing cone was cracked with Garrett's or any other ammo for that matter. If a gun is "not just right", and I assume you mean it is way out of time, then that gun should not be used to fire any ammo no matter how mild it might be.
 
Thanks Mal!

The info that you stated was known to me, but I did not feel confident in my ability to present it to rugercollector in a way that wouldn't open myself up to disagreement by another forum member. Your factually-based post was just the ticket. :)
 
I don't get over here to revolver land as often as I should.:( I have two Tauri revolvers. An M85, and a M605. The 85 has been good to go from day one. The 605 had to be sent back to Taurus to have a pin put back in. While it was there, I had the barrel ported. It has been fine ever since. :)
 
quote:

"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."

JohnK,

It may happen with any gun but your chances with it happening with a S&W revolver are as good as you winning the lottery
 
Have I mentioned yet that I like Taurus revolvers :cool:, and that I have already used my custom M605 to convince two gang punks that were sizing me up for a robbery to leave me alone????:)
Do the right thing, and buy the Taurus.:D
 
jlflegal

I have owned both - a model 85 Taurus and a model 686 Smith.

Both had to go back to the manufacturer for repair.

The Taurus was assembled with the barrel turned in too far throwing the sights way off, & the DA pull would not reliably ignite a round. My own stupidity resulted in the gun having to go back twice for these problems - I didn't try the DA pull until after the gun had been returned with a new barrel - so I can't really blame Taurus for the amount of time it was in the shop. But, I seem to remember getting anxious for it to return the 2nd time. No other problems ever surfaced; I sold the gun to buy a smaller piece for CCW carry a while later. I know the buyer, he has had no problems with it.

My first ever firearm purchase was the Smith. I went with a 686 over a 66 after being advised it was a better choice for shooting a steady diet of magnum loads. It developed excessive cylinder end shake after about 1 year & the cylinder would bind on the forcing cone. It was returned to the factory & has been fine ever since it was returned to me, & I still have it today.

(Just a note: I asked S&W to replace the red insert in the front sight at the same time. While this gun was bought with a Lifetime Warranty, I advised them that I felt the discoloration was my fault due to improper cleaning. The did replace it, but also charged me $25. While it wasn't their responsibility, I thought charging for the replacement was a little cheap.)

I haven't handled a Smith lately - and I won't. When I bought my guns, I thought the S&W product was generally finished better, but no more reliable than the Taurus. Since the snub was going to be tossed into a glovebox, bicycle bag, back-pack, etc., I saw no reason not to buy the Taurus.

Assuming quality of the Taurus & Smith are the same as they were back in the late 80's & early 90's, if making a choice today I would go for the Taurus.
 
Damn Gunaholic, I need to start buying lotto tickets then. :rolleyes: I had a nice Smith K frame shatter a hammer nose the other day which rendered it inoperable until replaced. :(

Any firearm can (and will) break/malfunction at anytime. It's just a manmade mechanical instrument. I own no Taurus's (or is that Tauri?:D ) at the moment, but am planning on buying a Mod. 85ul for my fiance soon. The two Taurus's that I have shot extensively were perfect.


Smith and Wesson products will not be on my buy list until they recind the agreement. Probably not even after that. Rugers fill the bill for single actions and strong double actions. Taurus's fill the bill for good, light weight revolvers for CCW.

Kilgor
 
Go for it...

I have a model 605 (.357 2/25" barrel) and a model 85UL. both have been 100% reliable, and I mean 100%!!! Absolutely no failure to fires!!

The best of all, I still had money to buy ammunition!!
 
Went campin' last week. Took several guns which included my Taurus mod 415 41 maggie. I can't say enough about this revolver. Probably shot 60 or 70 rounds (41mag ammo just a bit expensive). Mostly 175gr Silvertips but a couple of cylinders full of Rem 210gr softpoints (ye hah!). After a fair amount of shooting the cylinders don't get sticky or gun doesn't start binding. The finish is outstanding and the grip is plain heaven. If somebody wants a portable, powerful handgun I highly recommend it. Best Regards, J. Parker
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top