Taurus Tracker or S&W .357?

C

crash_t51

Inactive
I am looking to purchase my first handgun, primary use is home defense. Currently am considering either a Taurus Tracker 627 SS or a S&W Model 66 (4" barrel for both). Would be interested in opinions. I like the Taurus, but I've seen some folks who say their quality is lacking. gun-tests.com did a test that included the Tracker and they were marginal about recommending it, their test gun had binding problems.

Thanks - JP
 
S&W

The smith would be the way to go, Taurus guns are always prone to having problems after prolonged use. The main reason people buy them is that they are cheaper than smith, and to me that's not a good enough reason.
 
This doesn't surprise me

...they were marginal about recommending it, their test gun had binding problems.
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Many of the new ones that I have handled have exhibited this. Usually, the forcing cone rubbing on the face of the cylinder. I would suggest a used S&W instead.
 
I own the SW model 66 with 4" barrel and it shoots really well. I shoot .38 +p at 17 yards (free standing) and shoot >90% within 1" of target (2" ring). I like the SW design better than Taurus for many reasons, smoother trigger pull leads the list. Taurus still uses a coil mainspring which can cause problems (this month's issue of Gun Tets magazine covers this).
 
Had a Taurus model 85 Ultra Lite that gave me nothing but grief. The cylinder would bind after only firing ten rounds. That was fixed and then the trigger broke.

Should had listened to the telltale signs and not bought the gun in the first place. The original gun that I was going to buy, the latch was stuck and would not allow the cylinder to open.

Spend the extra money and buy the Smith & Wesson. That is exactly what I ended up doing.

Gabriel
 
The main reason people buy them is that they are cheaper than smith, and to me that's not a good enough reason.
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Really? Huh. The main reason I bought my Taurus 731UL is that the small-frame Tauri have smoother, lighter triggers with less stacking, as well as tighter lockup and a tighter b/c gap, than their J-frame competitors. *&* has never refined coil-sprung ignitition guns to the extent of their leaf-sprung K/L/N-frame brethren; Taurus has, period.

I think that in the J-frame sized guns, Tauri are clearly the better revolvers right now by any objective standard revolvers can be measured by. When you're talking about K/L-frame vs Tracker, that's a different story; especially the Total Ti guns. (My guess is it's easier to have an "off day" when machining a complete gun from Titanium. *&* should try it sometime...)
 
RUGER

I am surprised that no one here has recommended a Ruger.

1) Rugers are more reliable than Taurus and for home defense I am sure reliabilty is very important.
2) Rugers are less expensive than S&W and Taurus.
3) Rugers are made in the U.S.A and not Brazil.
4) Ruger is not an evil company like S&W

Those four points should tell you to seriously look at Ruger revolvers for your home defense need.

J33Nelson
 
One more for a ruger.
Either a 3" sp101 or 4" gp100.

If you have positively decided on one of choices you posted, I vote used *&*.
 
I have owned a S & W 686 in the past and have a Tracker SS with a 4" barrel now. To tell you the truth, I like the Taurus better. Me and the wife shoot it every weekend and have put many different loads (factory) thru it without fail. I have no problems recommending this weapon to anyone. The polymer series of semi autos, now thats a different story.

As far as using it for home defense, depends on your living conditions. If you live in an apartment then you need to worry about shooting thru walls with the .357. Even more so if you live in a house with kids at home. Also, the porting in the Tracker may cause a little flash blindness in darkness. Even though a .357 will flash alot anyway the porting adds to sight recovery problems in darkness. Maybe you might want to use .38 in the .357 pistol for home defense.

Either way, both guns are a good choice. Dont be afraid to give the Taurus revolver line a try, you wont be disappointed.
 
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