Taurus quality
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Kreyzhorse
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I think Taurus can make good guns. The issue is that they also make bad guns and it isn't tied to any specific model. One M85 can be well built and the very next one can be a total POS. From my experience, I got the POS M85 but there are lots of people who claim they got good ones.
The truth this, while there are homers and haters, not everyone is lying about their experience with Taurus. There are some very good Taurus guns and some very bad Taurus guns. It really comes down to the fact that Taurus has a very spotty QA department and it's largely a crap shoot what you get when you buy one.
The truth this, while there are homers and haters, not everyone is lying about their experience with Taurus. There are some very good Taurus guns and some very bad Taurus guns. It really comes down to the fact that Taurus has a very spotty QA department and it's largely a crap shoot what you get when you buy one.
Considerations
I own a Taurus semi-automatic .380, which I've been pleased with to date. My observation from all the discussion somewhat follows Kreyzhorse, but it seems to be from lot to lot rather than a grab bag.
I'm not sure if it is so much earlier editions which tend to have problems -- although all manufacturers have that problem -- so much as quality control back when they were ramping up production. However, almost (not quite) without exception, people have commented that they had good customer service when problems arose.
Knowing what I know now, would I have bought my Taurus pistol were I able to do it over again? Yes. Would I buy another Taurus? I would not rule it out, but would again research the heck out of the market as best I could before making a decision. (I'm sure I spent 10-15 hours online looking at reviews and comparing, plus visiting several gun shops, before deciding on the Taurus. Then . . . a few days later . . . it happened to be on a weekly sale at a nearby store . . . and the rest is history.)
Make no mistake: lemons occur from all manufacturers (although much less often when you get to the very high end). A firearm is a moderately complex piece of machinery. Two keys in researching are how often this happens and how readily the manufacturer responds to fix the problem. But these are only two criteria in your decision: others may count more.
I own a Taurus semi-automatic .380, which I've been pleased with to date. My observation from all the discussion somewhat follows Kreyzhorse, but it seems to be from lot to lot rather than a grab bag.
I'm not sure if it is so much earlier editions which tend to have problems -- although all manufacturers have that problem -- so much as quality control back when they were ramping up production. However, almost (not quite) without exception, people have commented that they had good customer service when problems arose.
Knowing what I know now, would I have bought my Taurus pistol were I able to do it over again? Yes. Would I buy another Taurus? I would not rule it out, but would again research the heck out of the market as best I could before making a decision. (I'm sure I spent 10-15 hours online looking at reviews and comparing, plus visiting several gun shops, before deciding on the Taurus. Then . . . a few days later . . . it happened to be on a weekly sale at a nearby store . . . and the rest is history.)
Make no mistake: lemons occur from all manufacturers (although much less often when you get to the very high end). A firearm is a moderately complex piece of machinery. Two keys in researching are how often this happens and how readily the manufacturer responds to fix the problem. But these are only two criteria in your decision: others may count more.
Hog Hunter
New member
I had 2 revolvers a while back and had problems with them short strikin the primer. My cusin just got a 24/7 pro. First time he went to shoot it the thing would only firre every 6 or 8th trigger pull. Sent it back and it works fine, he loves it. Me personaly, I will never own another one just cause of the random issues that they have with all diff models.
My dad has a Taurus revolver that he has had for over 30 years and he likes it. I find the trigger to be a bit gritty, but it is reliable. I would not personally buy a Taurus because of the inconsistency so well described by Kreyzhorse. It really does seem to be a "crap shoot," as he put it, and I would rather spend my money on guns with a higher probability of working correctly right out of the box. YMMV.
4runnerman
New member
1911--4000 rounds plus-No Issues yet?--
What I get from reading literally hundreds of forums on Taurus is that IF they are good out of the box, they will be good in the long term, but the percentage that have problems out of the box is much higher than, for example, Ruger or S&W. They make some compelling platforms (I'm personally drawn to the Tracker) and I think if you find a good used one from someone you trust to be straight, then you'll have a good gun. If you buy a new one, it's a bit of a crap shoot.
From my own personal experience I had a Taurus revolver Model 605 .357. After ~4-500 rounds through it I experienced hammer lock issues as well as free-spinning cylinder problems and had to send it back. They did indeed repair it for free and turnaround time was only 7 days. I promptly sold it simply because I did not feel comfortable with it anymore.
Just for fun 
I will be buying a Taurus 22lr revolver one day.... I would never trust anything larger, if the timing is off I do not want a .38sp blowing up in my face. Then I will laugh when I have problems and post my true experience with them. :barf:
Just youtube and google taurus revolver problems, The semi auto line does not have as many bugs as their revolvers..... Trouble for about half of anyone who buys a revolver made by taurus :barf:
Oh I had the honor to hold a taurus mod 94 at a gun show, the trigger was 20lbs+ not normal. Very gritty.
I will be buying a Taurus 22lr revolver one day.... I would never trust anything larger, if the timing is off I do not want a .38sp blowing up in my face. Then I will laugh when I have problems and post my true experience with them. :barf:Just youtube and google taurus revolver problems, The semi auto line does not have as many bugs as their revolvers..... Trouble for about half of anyone who buys a revolver made by taurus :barf:
Oh I had the honor to hold a taurus mod 94 at a gun show, the trigger was 20lbs+ not normal. Very gritty.
Daugherty16
New member
This never goes away...
A brief history of Taurus:
Taurus produced its first revolver, the Model 38101SO, in 1941 and began exporting its revolvers to the U.S. market in 1968 through a series of importers. In 1970, the Bangor Punta Corporation, then the parent company of Smith & Wesson, purchased 54 percent of Forjas Taurus, allowing the two firearms manufacturers to easily share information regarding design and manufacturing. In 1977, Taurus was purchased from Bangor Punta by its current owners, and its ties to Smith & Wesson were severed.
In 1980, after Italian arms manufacturer Beretta had completed its contracts to produce firearms for Brazil's military, Taurus purchased Beretta's São Paulo manufacturing plant along with the tooling, technical drawings, and work force necessary to produce several different pistol designs. In order to more effectively tap the U.S. market, the company created a subsidiary, Taurus International Manufacturing Incorporated, also known as Taurus USA, in 1984. In 1997 Forjas Taurus purchased the rights & equipment to manufacture Rossi brand revolvers. They currently manufacture three .38 special models & four .357 magnum models under the Rossi name, manufactured in São Leopoldo, Brazil.
In my experience, since purchasing the Beretta plant Taurus quality has vastly improved. Still, they make so many models in such quantity, some defects slip through. Ford makes a lot of great cars but has some warranty repairs and recalls too. Taurus manufactures pistols for the economical-minded purchasor. Their lifetime warranty is always honored. Sometimes that takes a long, long time. Ruger has had recent recalls for problems with the SR9, but a lot of folks still swear by those handguns. I guess your own experience tends to flavor your opinions.
All that said, i own two and love them. A .357 model 689 4"SS, and a .45ACP model 845 in SS and polymer. Flawless, accurate, dependable, they have never failed fire. I often shoot 200-300 rounds each in a single range session, and they work hot, cold and in between.
A brief history of Taurus:
Taurus produced its first revolver, the Model 38101SO, in 1941 and began exporting its revolvers to the U.S. market in 1968 through a series of importers. In 1970, the Bangor Punta Corporation, then the parent company of Smith & Wesson, purchased 54 percent of Forjas Taurus, allowing the two firearms manufacturers to easily share information regarding design and manufacturing. In 1977, Taurus was purchased from Bangor Punta by its current owners, and its ties to Smith & Wesson were severed.
In 1980, after Italian arms manufacturer Beretta had completed its contracts to produce firearms for Brazil's military, Taurus purchased Beretta's São Paulo manufacturing plant along with the tooling, technical drawings, and work force necessary to produce several different pistol designs. In order to more effectively tap the U.S. market, the company created a subsidiary, Taurus International Manufacturing Incorporated, also known as Taurus USA, in 1984. In 1997 Forjas Taurus purchased the rights & equipment to manufacture Rossi brand revolvers. They currently manufacture three .38 special models & four .357 magnum models under the Rossi name, manufactured in São Leopoldo, Brazil.
In my experience, since purchasing the Beretta plant Taurus quality has vastly improved. Still, they make so many models in such quantity, some defects slip through. Ford makes a lot of great cars but has some warranty repairs and recalls too. Taurus manufactures pistols for the economical-minded purchasor. Their lifetime warranty is always honored. Sometimes that takes a long, long time. Ruger has had recent recalls for problems with the SR9, but a lot of folks still swear by those handguns. I guess your own experience tends to flavor your opinions.
All that said, i own two and love them. A .357 model 689 4"SS, and a .45ACP model 845 in SS and polymer. Flawless, accurate, dependable, they have never failed fire. I often shoot 200-300 rounds each in a single range session, and they work hot, cold and in between.
So until you purchase one, maybe you should hold off bashing a product about which you admittedly have no first-hand experience. I mean, not to burst your bubble, but reading something found via Google search or watching it on YouTube doesn't necessarily put you in a position to speak with great authority or accuracy. It only enables you to spread hearsay, which is hardly what we need on a forum like this.
Regarding the OP, "Do they make anything good?" I've owned two previous Taurus revolvers (a 605 .357 snub, and a Tracker in 44 mag), and now own a Taurus Ultralight 44 mag. All of them have been flawless handguns, hence the reason I've continued to purchase them. I can't and won't comment on anyone else's experience, but I can confirm they do make some things good because they made all three of my personally owned firearms really good.
If you want something affordable...
I own a 1911 and a 24/7. Both performed great. As with any semi-auto firearm, you may get FTFs, FTEs, etc, but other variables other than the pistol itself go into that equation. My friends own Taurus firearms too and they don't seem to have problems either. If you are getting into competitions, resale value and such, you may want to spend some more money, but for home defense/target practice a Taurus will serve you just fine.
I own a 1911 and a 24/7. Both performed great. As with any semi-auto firearm, you may get FTFs, FTEs, etc, but other variables other than the pistol itself go into that equation. My friends own Taurus firearms too and they don't seem to have problems either. If you are getting into competitions, resale value and such, you may want to spend some more money, but for home defense/target practice a Taurus will serve you just fine.
spclPatrolGroup
New member
I have a model 85, got it on clearance for $245 brand new so it was a no brainer purchase. So far so good, not one problem. I also used to have a raging bull .44 that I never had a problem with, but eventually traded it in on a differnt gun.
I have a pt24/7 pro .40 and I pt111 mil. pro 9mm. Both have been great guns. They are both in my carry rotation, though I tend to carry the 9mm more often due to its smaller size. I haven't had a single problem with either and if I ever do it is nice to know that I can get them sent back and fixed.
The only thing I would do different if I could go back is get them in ss. I have noticed that the blued finish is easier to mess up than the stainless would have been. But I guess that happens when you actually carry your guns every day. I don't really worry about the marks as much on them as I would on my smith & wesson just because of the lower cost of the Taurus.
My opinion...they are good guns. Especially if you are on a budget like me.
The only thing I would do different if I could go back is get them in ss. I have noticed that the blued finish is easier to mess up than the stainless would have been. But I guess that happens when you actually carry your guns every day. I don't really worry about the marks as much on them as I would on my smith & wesson just because of the lower cost of the Taurus.
My opinion...they are good guns. Especially if you are on a budget like me.
Bamashooter
New member
I have 2 now and used to have 3. They are all good reliable guns. Dont believe all the negative things you read or hear. There are alot of people that just bash for the sake of having something to do.
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