Taurus Revolvers...opinions?

S

Servo77

New member
Are they durable? Reliable? How are they compared to a Ruger? Looking at geting one in 45acp because I shoot 45 auto, but my wife doesn't like automatics. Anyway, are the moon clips easy to come by? ANy other things I should know about these? How would the revolver handle + P ammo?

Sorry for all the ???? :o
 
Taurus are very respectable. below is from www.chuckhawks.com

As for your other questions, each will depend on the exact model your are looking at.

Cant say they are better than Ruger though ;) Nothing beats a ruger.

Taurus guns

What is your opinion of Taurus handguns? Are they worth the money?

A: Well, some are better than others. Most Taurus revolvers are based on copies of the S&W action, and most Taurus semi-autos are copies of various Beretta actions. Personally, I don't usually have a lot of respect for products which are cheaper copies of something else. Years ago I would have classified Taurus guns as "junk," but that is not necessarily true today. I think some of their revolvers are actually better made than the equivalent S&W models they are derived from--a sad comment on the state of the contemporary S&W product. So, I guess the answer to your question is that in many cases I would say Taurus guns are worth the money, but I do believe that a higher quality gun, like a Colt revolver or genuine Beretta semi-auto, is better VALUE for the money, even though they cost more.
Click to expand...
 
i have a taurus .357 its a great gun you can get moon clips at most gun stores also i suppose you are talking about the tracker
 
I really, really like my Raging Bull (.454.) It's never given me a single problem in the 5 years I've owned it.

I do prefer Rugers in general, but I've never had an issue with a Taurus revolver & wouldn't hesitate to buy another for the right price.
 
Have had a .357 since 2000 and put probably 500+ mixed rounds through it. Quality, accurate, solid, durable, and beautiful.

GET ONE
 
I've had three Taurus snubs since `85. My first, a Model 85, blew up with department issued reloads in `94 or `95. Taurus replaced it free even though I told them about the ammo used. As soon as the replacement arrived, I traded it, unfired, for a Taurus Custom Shop Model 605.

After a few thousand rounds, the hammer strut broke. Taurus replaced it, also at no cost. When the replacement arrived, I immediately took it to a local shop and traded, unfired, it for a Smith Model 649. That was 7 or 8 years ago.

Taurus service was great but I'm not too impressed by the products. I still have the 649 but my "always" gun is now the "beast", my Smith 340SC,

John
 
theres been quite a few post on similar subjects...my personal oppinion save yourself alot of gunsmithing and trouble and just get a ruger...or S&W...youll be alot happier with the longevity of the piece in the end...my experience taurus are garbage...and the gunsmiths around here wont touch them do to soft and crappy parts....my .02 cents anyway.
 
Servo77,

I have been very pleased with the newest Taurus products that I have purchased, but I doubt any firearm compares with the Ruger in terms of sheer longevity. Ruger products are built like bank vaults...virtually indestructable.

If you are considering a .45 acp revolver, take a look at the Smith 625 stainless in 4" or 5" barrel length. Generally considered one of the very best. Or my favorite, the Smith scandium 325 snubby .45 acp revolver. I own both, and they are nice, nice guns.

Boarhunter
 
I endorse osirus101’s observations. Having read MANY threads re this subject, I believe it is more than fair to suggest Taurus has inconsistent quality and frequently poor customer service.
 
I disagree with Chuck Hawks. Some of what he has written is very mis-leading. First Taurus didn't 'clone' the Beretta fs92, they purchased their Brazilian factory and with that the gun lock stock and barrel. I think that's slightly different than earning Mr. Hawks disrespect because of copying.

Second, for a time they were sisters (companies) with Smith & Wesson, but there is NO evidence that they copied SW revolvers. In fact, after going it on their own, they leaned more toward European design than American.

So this ain't junk!
attachment.php


And neither is this...
attachment.php
 
Last edited:
1985 Taurus .357 Model 66 Blued 4" w/Pachmayr Grips

My Dad bought this pistol for me used in 1988 for $165, what a deal. It came with the original wooden grips (I still have them) but it was a little fat feeling for my hand. I put a set of Pachmayr rubber grips on it,..... YESSIRRR, It was Perfect.
It's had at least 2500 rounds of 357mag and another 1500 rounds of 38 Special fired through it. It still looks and feels like new. Very tight, VERY VERY ACCURATE (even at 25 yards), WONDERFUL TRIGGER ACTION, and the Bluing is still bright and shiney.
All it takes to keep them looked and working like new is CARE; good cleaning after use and regular cleaning while NOT IN USE. This particular gun is my "night stand" defense piece. It lays in the drawer in a nylon Bianchi holster, year after year. I shoot it about 4 times a year and clean/oil it about every 8 weeks. I would stake my life on this weapon.
Ron Zara
 
We sold them for years

I have never owned one, becouse for an N frame if it dosent have S&W I dont want it.
With that said, we had few of the Taurus's (to many s's) returned. THey seemed reliable and straight forward guns. There quality seemed to vary a little with the tightness of there revolvers but then again at the price (1/2 a Smith) you cant complane.
From selling them I found that their like used cars, there are lemmons in every group. But there are also smith lemmons.
Shoot it before buying and if you like it and it shoots well your going to be happy.
But if your looking at an N frame clone, save your money and get a Smith.
 
Stellar Tracker

I have owned several Taurus revolvers and feel they are a good value. My current "carry gun" is a 2 in. Stellar Tracker .45ACP. Factory trigger was not very good; a gunsmith made it better; still not as good as any of my Smiths but the small size and light weight is nice to carry. You can "kiss" the cylinder holes with a countersink and mounted triangle stone to provide a bevel for faster reloading. Works well and .45 ACP spaces on the front of the round. Gun is very accurate out to 10 yards; shoots quite well but the factory barrel porting does "flash" and the front sight will not stay painted no matter what you use (it becomes black after just a few shots); factory grips feel funny - kinda fuzzy rubber to absorb the recoil (which is not really bad) and aftermarket grips seem non-existant. I ordered some finger groove grips from Taurus which are much more compact but hard rubber translates into lots of felt recoil after 100 rounds; moon clips from Taurus (you get 5 with the gun) are split between the circles which aids in loading and unloading them. The rounds, however, seemed a little loose for carry so I bought some solid ones from Steve at Ranch Industries. Price is about the same. No gun shops in my area (Charlotte, NC) carry any moon clips. You can order from either but be sure to tell Taurus to not send them FedEx. I wasn't home, FedEx would not leave them nor redeliver, so I had to drive 20 miles one way to their terminal to pick them up. They thought the envelope contained a gun!! Steve mailed them to me via US P.O.

Not many of the holster makers have a plug for this gun, but K frame Smith is almost identical. Rob is sending me a Heritage for a K frame to see if it will work O.K. Will be glad to let you know if it does.

Only regret I have about buying the 2 in. Tracker is that it is now discontinued and I wish I had bought two. My wife wants this one.

John
 
I bought a Raging bull stainless in .44 a month ago and LOVE IT!!!

It’s just beautiful, I think Taurus is more creative with their guns than probably any other gun makes, and I like that…
 
While I like the guns I have not had good luck with them. I've only owned 2 different models. The biggest problem being both had fail to fire's in double action. I suspect weak springs because a shim inserted under the mainspring cured the problem in both but increased trigger weight. I'm also having trouble with cylinder lockup on my current one. The locking pin is sticking when the cylinder is closed and I suspect it is bent.
 
JCM928, how can you blame the Model 85 if reloads blew it up? Just be glad that Taurus wasn't S&W, and advised you to read your owners manual, the part that says that they won't guarantee the weapon if reloads are used.

Taurus has put a lot of effort into upgrading their products in the past twenty years. You may still get a bad one, but we all see posts about that from every manufacturer on this Board.

If a Taurus feels good to you, and it meets the basic checks given to any new weapon prior to purchase, I say go for it. :)
 
how can you blame the Model 85 if reloads blew it up? Just be glad that Taurus wasn't S&W, and advised you to read your owners manual, the part that says that they won't guarantee the weapon if reloads are used.
Click to expand...
I think in my Taurus manual it says the same…. Like I can afford .44 factory ammo :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top