Taurus quality?

A

Ares88ep

Inactive
When comparing Taurus to Ruger and S&W it undoubtedly always comes in third but is there actually anything wrong with Taurus or is it just not AS good. If I Can only afford a Taurus at this time would I be throwing my money away or should I continue to save for a Ruger?
 
You will get many answers that say Taurus are POS. However, they make many good guns. That being said, I would much much much much much rather have a Ruger than I would a Taurus.
 
I own two Taurus Raging Bull. They are both flawless and accurate. The trigger on both is perfect for me on single action... On double action it will take a getting use to but not too bad. I'm only speaking for the Taurus Raging Bull...
 
I've had a Taurus 650 for years now that has been flawless in operation. Other people have had very bad experiences with the company's products. There is a thread stickied to the top of this forum that discusses how to check out a revolver. I would suggest following those instructions to examine any Taurus that you're planning on purchasing in order to minimize the chances of getting a lemon.

Then again, I'd suggest saving up the extra money for the Ruger or Smith to minimize the chances of buyer's remorse.
 
The only experience I have with Taurus is actually a Rossi revolver I owned. It worked great for me but I used it as a car gun so I didn't put a lot of rounds through it. I think Taurus is one of those companies that you either have no problems out of their products or you get a lemon that has to be sent back for repairs three or four times.
 
My son must have gotten the good one. He's had a Taurus (clone of SW Mod 66) for about 10 years and it's been flawless. It is accurate, dependable, a real workhorse of a pistol. Handles both heavy .357 magnum and light .38 Special with equal aplomb.

It is fashionable in today's cycle to bash Taurus. By the same token, it's fashionable to bash other companies online as well. My experience with Taurus handguns is that they are solid handguns at a price point under the big names. They go bang every time you pull the trigger and they deliver the bullet to a spot near where you aimed it.
 
I have had two revolvers, a Model 85 and a 450 (discontinued). The 85 was really bad and the 450 was really good. So I would consider another but not for self-defense. Every manufacturer has problem guns, but Taurus seems to have significant issues and I have heard bad things about customer service. There are certain models that seems to be safe buys from what I have read here.
 
You hear all manner of mixed bag results regarding taurus but not so much about rossi.

Are they better or just less common?
 
Let the s+++ storm begin:rolleyes:

I have had a Taurus 357 for over 20 years, shot w/ ful house loads most of the time & have not had any trouble.
 
I will speak only of my personal experience with taurus. I have a Judge Public Defender Poly which has been 100% reliable, and surprisingly accurate. My other Taurus is a PT22 Poly which again has been nothing but a pleasure to own. Although not the classic beauty of a finely finished S&W, the Taurus guns I own have been perfectly acceptable to me. Next on the list to buy is a 992 22LR/22Mag convertible 4" revolver.
 
Most will admit that Taurus is pretty hit or miss with their QA. If you get a good one, it is pretty good. If you get a bad one, they are generally pretty bad. While any one can have a bad gun get out, the real test of a gun maker is how they handle the bad ones. Taurus, from my experience has a well earned reputation for terrible customer service. Combine that with their hit or miss QA and you are much better off saving your money for a Ruger.
 
A friend of mine called and told me her husband had bought her a Taurus 38/357 revolver. I do not know the model number but it is stainless steel with a vent rib.

We have had it out at the range the last three weeks and it has gotten progessively worse. Cylinder binds up. Careful cleaning has not really fixed the problem. There is no grit under the extracter star nor can I see any gap between the front of the cylinder face and the forcing cone. The lack of a visible gap may be part of the problem.

Rounds seem to chamber easy enough. .357 rounds on the other hand will not extract easily and are not easy to seat fully. All rounds are factory loads.

This lady spent 12 years in the army and she likes to shoot.

Anyway, she plans to send the gun back and have it looked at.

I have a Ruger Service six with rubber grips and a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum also with rubber grips.

Both have shorter barrels than the Taurus. I think the Security six is 4 inch and the Redhawk is about 4.5.

I told her I would meet her over at the indoor range and bring both guns and let her try the Redhawk with .44 special and the Service Six with 38/.357.

I am betting after shooting both of them, she would prefer either of them over the Taurus.

I know many have no problems with them but a lot of folks do.

The Redhawk probably has less than 300 rounds through it and the Service Six probably has 5k through it.

I would bet my life on either of those guns before I would take another chance with the Taurus.

Her husband works out of state and he shoots a Kimber and he bought this gun for her. I am not sure why.

I told the guy that I normally shoot with about the gun and he was present at the range the first time out with the gun.

We all know each as we attend the same church.

His response was that Taurus is well thought of by many on the PD where he works and he also said to send the gun back and have it looked at.

At this point and considering the problems I have read about on this forum concerning Taurus, I think I would opt out.
 
I have never had good reports on Taurus. But lately I know two guys that swear by them. So maybe they are coming around to making a decent firearm? Personally I do not want to find out on my own.
 
taurus is a very big gun maker. you don't get that big by making junk. i have at least 7 taurus handguns both revolver and semi auto pistol that i have never had a problem with. i have a number of other handguns of "better thought of brands" but the taurus guns work as well as any.
 
Currently I Have the following Taurus products
1. Model 445 44SPL snub
2. Model 85 38SPL snub
3. Model 605 357 mag Snub
4. Model 709 Slim 9mm
5. Model 990 .22 4"
6. Model 24/7 OSS 45acp 5 1/2"

The 709 Slim is NIB unfired, I am selling it to get funds to buy a Model 44 44 magnum 4". I really am growing to prefer double-action revolvers over semi-autos.

I find Taurus to work well and keep me in my budget limits as well. Would I like to have that same list in all Smiths or Rugers, Yeah, but reality says I can't afford it.:o
 
Here we go again . . .

You'll hear positive and negative . . . some think they are POS . . others don't. I've never owned one but have handled them . . the ones I handled seemed O.K. You'll hear lots of pros and cons no matter what make/caliber/style of pistol . . . forget about what others say . . . go to your LGS and look at some Taurus pistols . . lay them next to some other brands . . then decide for yourself. That's not only the best way . . it's the only way IMHO.

As an example, I own/have owned a number of makes - Colt, Ruger, S & W, Bersa, H & R, Heritage . . . .

I own a Colt Python . . . . I bought it as an investment and to see what the "big deal" was . . . personally, I don't care for it after shooting it. I'd rather shoot my vintage 38 S & W M & P Target model or one of my Rugers. I know that "disliking" a Python is close to a mortal sin but I really don't care for all of the "extra iron" on it. Check out some different makes and give Taurus a "fair chance" in the comparison . . . a lot of folk have 'em, like 'em and enjoy shooting 'em.
 
My experience with selling Taurus guns for about 4 years taught me to buy an S&W or a Ruger. Many of the new Taurus guns had to go back for warranty. You may get a good one or a bad one but you don't know what you'll get. If it's a used gun the opwner may let you try it out, if it works thru a box or 2 of ammo it's probably ok. I recently bought a used S&W model 15 for 365.00. Shop around and find a Ruger or S&W gun.
 
Go to a gun show[here like 50%+ are Taurus] Go to a table and see tons of black little Taurus boxes.

Feel all the Taurus revolvers lock up's and go feel a few S&W's. The Taurus are pretty sloopy IMO. I enjoy their 22 revolvers, they are good for the money.
 
I'd save for the Ruger.

Especially on a first revolver. When I bought my first Taurus, I didnt have any experience with revolvers - - just semi-autos. That new gun was terrible - all sorts of mechanical defects - and I ended up trading it in.
If you're experienced you can check out a gun to see if its acceptable. Not as well when youre not experienced.
I own two good Taurus guns now, but the odds are much better that a Ruger or S&W will be problemfree, than with a Taurus.

Heck, people used to save up for stuff, and put them on layaway all the time in the past. You'll have your Ruger before you know it. And you may keep it for many years.
 
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