How good are taurus handguns?

When I was a teenager Taurus was the gun to get if you couldn't afford a Berrata or S&W. Although now I've heard people either dissed Taurus or say they rather have a Taurus instead of a S&W. I assumed the latter is due to S&W sellout...

So are Taurus handguns worth getting? They have a .22lr revovler I'm looking at.

-Bill

Tough question.

The fact is that all of the American manufacturers have had their days in the dog house on quality control. So you really can't fault the Brazilians if they occasionally have their QC problems.

While Taurus is not my first choice, I would feel confident with a Taurus I had run 300 break-in rounds through with no problemos.

I'm making sure that next time I go to a gunshop I woudn't be buying a dog when I see something at a good price.

-Bill

I am a Smith fan - older versions when I can but - Taurus [i]can[/b] be OK. If you have a lemon then it seems you have to have the patience of Jobe, and more - to get results from Taurus.!

I have one hellish old M85 which is a great lil' snub - currently Mrs P95's purse carry gun. I also got some while back a M66 Taurus - might have been lucky but this thing - shot like a Smith - out the box. That is wife's (our) house gun - well, one of em! It's a 4" and a joy to shoot. She shoots it good too.

I'd not ''punish'' any Taurus the way I might other makes ... by vast thruput but - they have their place and if you get a good one, well - they are not junk IMO. But always hope nothing goes wrong with mine I can't fix myself!


http://www.acbsystems.com/boards/thr/cb_gun2/m85_s.jpg


http://www.acbsystems.com/boards/thr/cb_gun2/m66_s.jpg

Thanks. When I get to gunshop I'll check out what they have.

-Bill

Although not my first choice by a long stretch, I would trust a Taurus revo with my life. Not so with a Taurus semi-auto.

S&W has superior quality and their internal lockwork is superior too. If you ever see the lockplate off on these two guns, you'll see why. The only way I'd buy Taurus is if it was super cheap. That is, it can't even be comporably priced (that is to say $50-75 less) to the equivalent S&W. I'd buy S&W first.

Taurus makes decent Revo's and pretty solid auto's too. I would trust one.

I have 8 Taurus revolvers and 18 S&W revolvers and the quality of my Tauri has been between very good and excellent. I think that when it comes to .22 revolvers you really find a big difference in price between the Taurus and the Smiths. I got a nice 648 Smith in 22 MRF but I haven't been able to find a 617 or 17 at a decent price, which is why I'm looking to buy a Taurus 22 revolver myself.

I still have a model 66 that I bought 15 years ago. I was young, stupid, and just learning to reload. With all the +P++++ loads I put through it I’ve got no right to still own all my fingers. But the gun held up just fine.

I had to send it back to Taurus once about 10 years ago because I wrecked the extractor spring during a detailed cleaning that I was wholly ill-equipped to perform (I’m more of an auto guy, y’see). They fixed it at no charge & no questions asked. When I got it back it was noticeably tighter & smoother than before. I’ve got mostly Smiths now, but think Taurus is a good buy.

I had a taurus Tracker 970 .22lr.
It was a good revolver, never had any problems and would shoot 1.5" groups at 25 yards off a bench with open sights.
The trigger wasn't all that great in DA but single action was good. DA is slightly behind the trigger of a Ruger.
I had a lot of plinking fun with that gun but ended up selling it to get a 357mag.

For the money, they are pretty good. The nearest thing to a Tracker 970 is a S&W 617. I got the 970 for $285, I have not seen a 617 for less than $650, more than twice the price of a Taurus.

In fact I have not seen any S&W for within $100 of the price of the equivalent S&W.
If I could get a S&W for close to the price of a taurus I definately would .

I've had three Taurus handguns; a Mod85, a PT99, and the PT92AF that I currently own. I have had no problems with any of them. The only reason I let them go was in trade for other guns.

IMHO, they are solid, reliable firearms, if not as "slick" as others. As mentioned above, all makers have had QC problems at one time or another.

7 shot taurus 817. 1000 rounds and no issues.

7 shot taurus 817. 1000 rounds and no issues.

Only 1000 rounds?

-Bill

I have had several Taurus products and have not had any problems with them.

I just purchased the 24/7 in .45 ACP and am putting it thru the wringer now. So far no problems.

If its a fair price, I would by it with confidence.

Only two complaints about my late 80s vintage model 66: fragile firing pin spring (the manual says don't dry fire), and Taurus' cluster**** customer service that totally screwed up (as in charged the card, lost my order and wouldn't admit it for months :banghead: :banghead: (yes, I'll keep repeating this rant. I'm still pissed, a year and a half later) ) my order for the replacement part.

I've had 2 Taurus revolvers and the only issue I've run into so far is that the one I bought new came with sand in the action. After cleaning that out and lubing the parts it's been great.

I'd trust my new Taurus for carry if I wanted something lighter than my CZs. I also have a S&W and a Ruger and as far as reliablity goes I don't think you can beat a Ruger. It's much simpler than than either the S&W or the Taurus and is a lot less likely to jam or bind when dirty. My 1st choice in a carry revolver would be a Taurus. Too bad they're almost all huge and heavy.

Doesn't matter. They teamed up with the New Jersey legislature on the smart gun project so they are therefore banned for life with no chance of reprieve no matter what they do. They don't exist.

The only two Taurus products that I have more than cursory experience with are my M 94 .22 revolver and PT 100 AF.

No significant problems with either. The little .22 has had several thousand rounds through it. Quite accurate with its preferred ammo, and good enough for plinking with any. Nothing has broken nor worn out. While it doesn't look new, it's held up to hard use very well. Still tight and well-timed.

I haven't run more than a few hundred rounds through the .40, but it's been 100% reliable with everything from 155 gr. HPs to 180 gr. ball. Shoots dead-on for POA with 180s at 25 yds with 2 - 3 1/2" groups typical. I like the frame-mounted ambi safety/decocker much better than the Beretta's slide-mounted outfit, FWIW.

Both are well-made, and were inexpensive to acquire. What else can one ask in a utility gun?

Taurus backed out of the "smart gun" deal with New Jersey shortly after they announced that they had teamed up with them. I remember when the President announced that they wre teaming up on the radio show "Gun Talk". He took alot of heat during that program (some of it came from me). Shortly after that I heard that they had backed out of the deal. I'm not sure if it was from customer pressure or the realization that they were just being used as bankrolling pawns by the antis. Maybe someone with that info would care to shed some more light on the subject.
And to offer full disclosure, I've purchased two Taurus revolvers since then. They offer configurations in certain calibers that aren't available anywhere else. I've also forgiven them for their previous transgressions. :D

S&W has superior quality and their internal lockwork is superior too. If you ever see the lockplate off on these two guns, you'll see why. Could you explain/talk about this a little more? I'm curious. Is it the fitting, the metallurgy or what?

Side by side looking at the lockwork of my S&W 646 and my Taurus 455 here's what I see:

Hammer spring is a leaf on the S&W and coil on the Taurus. This is supposed to make for less stacking on the DA pull of the S&W but it's hard for me to tell. The S&W definitely has a nicer DA trigger pull than the Taurus but it seems to have as much to do with the trigger shape as anything else.

Both are pretty much entirely filled with MIM or cast parts (sometimes hard to tell the difference).

The Taurus is a little simpler with more room for debris to get out of the way. Lots of tight flat surfaces in the S&W where debris can gum up the works but also makes for a smoother and lighter action.

There are more machine marks in the Taurus. Particularly on the side plate. Side plate fitting on the S&W is noticeably smoother and consistent which makes reinstalling the side plate easier and less likely to damage the frame.


When I open up my Ruger SRH they both seem complex and frail compared to the much more modern Ruger design. Where as the Taurus is a development of the S&W the Ruger is totally different involving fewer and heavier cast parts that don't require such tight tolerances or clean working conditions.

If I were to bet my life on one, it would be the Ruger 1st with the S&W and Taurus pretty much tied for 2nd. Any example I'd want to test thoroughly before carrying regardless of brand or model.

That's my observations anyway.

whm1974, thats all i've been able to put through it so far.

I only own 2 Taurus handguns both of them the PT-99 9mm semi-autos, and have never had a problem of any kind with either of them. They have been good dependable handguns and shoot just fine for me and my 2 large hunky sons. We all have rather large hands and the Taurus handguns fit us well. I have purchased both of mine used and have never had to have any repairs done on them but the Warranty on a Taurus handgun if forever and I have heard good things about them taking good care of their customers. I like them and have no reservations about suggesting them to a friend as a good buy and a good handgun. Sorry I have no experience with their revolvers. :)

I've had 2 Taurus and 1 Rossi (that's now made by Taurus) and all three are 100%. My curent is a 605 357 and I just couldn't see paying $100 more for a comparable S&W.

M85 - older one bought in 1985. M617-7 shot 357 snubbie. 608-8 shot 357 with a 6" barrel. These three have been shot a lot with no problems to speak of.

851BUL - bought this one last December. I put about 200 rounds through this one so far, no problems with it either.

I end up carrying the snubbies a lot. I find them to be accurate and reliable.

I have 200 rounds through my 85. When I first got it, it had lockup problems. I sent it back to Taurus to fix, got it back 6 weeks later. The gun works like it should. I'm still on the fence whether I really like it or not, but that is mainly due to it being a revo. Its different than shooting a semiauto.

I just picked up a new PT145 Millenium Pro .45ACP. A dealer at a local gun show had a NIB for sale at $315. I had fired a friends PT145 and it was pretty accurate and he said he had no problems with it.

I have about 200 rounds thru it right now, mostly Remingtom Golden Saber 185gr JHP and there have been no failures of any kind. If it will go another 200 rounds with the GS with no problems, I will be pretty satisfied.

With a 10+1 capacity, 22 oz weight and no wider than my 1911 even being a double-stack, it should be a decent carry gun.

I bought an ultralight stainless 85 several years ago. I was a little wary about buying a Taurus also, but the only choices for ultralight revolvers were Smith and Taurus. This was shortly after Smith sold out, and I refused to buy anything made by Smith and Wesson. I bought the Taurus, brought it home, and have had no problems with it whatsoever. Smith probably makes a more refined pistol, but my Taurus has gone bang every time the trigger has been pulled, and that is all I can ask for. Taurus does have the life time warranty which is a plus for them. From what I have heard, they will "eventually" fix your problems, it just may take them a while and a couple of tries. I have several friends with some of their larger revolvers, and they like them also. They make great boat and truck guns and are pretty tough. I have no experience with their semiautos though.

My three favorite CCW handguns are;

Colt Government .45 acp
S&W 29-3 3" .44 magnum
Taurus 445 2" .44 special

If I was to go back to carrying a Centennial or Bodyguard style revolver I would choose a Taurus instead of a S&W.


Just my tuppence.
YMMV

Someone told me that Taurus uses an old S&W factory to make its guns, I have no idea if that's true though.

I have the Model 608 Taurus revolver in .357. I use this 8 round wheelgun for pin shooting. It has a very good trigger and is real slick in double action. I have never had a problem with it. It will shoot the 200 grain logs, using .38 special cases and Blue Dot powder, and does a pretty good job on the pins when I do my part. The problems that Taurus had years ago with metalurgy (sp) have long since been resolved. I have heard that they have a problem with customer service, but I have never had to find out. JoeyT

Parallax: It's not true. This is part of the continuing misconception that Taurus was once owned by S&W. It was not. Both were once owned by the Bangor Punta conglomerate back in the '70s. While some engineering and manufacturing data may have flowed both ways during that period, they did not use any of the same facilities.

I don't subscribe to the belief that Taurus started out as a 'cheap knock-off' of S&W either. To a great extent, function dictates form. That the lockwork of a Taurus would resemble that of a S&W should surprise no one, as they both perform the same function and innovation for its own sake is pretty poor engineering practice. They started a proven mechanical system, and adapted components in the interests of improved performance and efficiency of manufacture as the progress of their tooling and engineering art developed.

In the past decade or so, Taurus has come to be a leading innovator in the handgun field. When it comes to breaking new ground in choices of chambering, configuration, or use of once-exotic materials they are unsurpassed these days. IMHO.

Although not my first choice by a long stretch, I would trust a Taurus revo with my life. Not so with a Taurus semi-auto.
I've had a Taurus PT-92AFS since 1992. It has NEVER failed to fire, it has NEVER jamed or malfunctioned in ANY way. I would buy a Taurus semi-auto before I'd throw my money away on a Glock, Beretta, or even a S&W semi-auto.

Of course, that's just my humble opinion. :D

My current carry is the first generation Taurus M85UL. (ultra lite)

It weighs 17oz.
At the recent THR Buckeye shoot I had occasion to put about 200 flawless rounds through the gun. Several of the others there shot it and were impressed. The accuracy, while not on par with my Smith 28-2, is good enough for the close in work the gun was designed for. Like any snub, my view is that it is,at best, a 10 yard gun. However, that day, I was shooting at 15 and putting rounds into the black. Yeah, I think the gun will put 'em where I want 'em to go!! :evil:

My first revolver was a Taurus 605. My first semi-automatic pistol was a Taurus PT-92. Both were stainless. I never had any problem with either, except for a squib load which locked-up the 605 until I tapped it out with a dowel rod, and that can't be blamed on the gun.

Having said that, my next snubbie, for pocket carry, will most likely be a S&W with a shrouded hammer. I have a S&W 686 with a stock trigger that is amazing.

i love Taurus, they are my favorite firearms company. They stick by their products with the lifetime warranty and are innovators in gun design. I would trust my life with many of their products and hold their products to be on the same level as FN, HK, and Beretta.

I have a Taurus 650 CIA 2" .357 magnum. It shoots where I point and goes bang everytime. What else could you ask of a CCW gun? It is my CCW gun 40% of the time as it is a tad more concealable than my 92FS. My wife has a .22lr in a 4" model 94 for use around the farm. She likes hers too.

In my experience, Tauruses are junk. I am a security officer, and four years ago I was issued a model 82. Needless to say, it is quite unerving to be on the range when suddenly and without warning the revolver locks up. We now carry S&W model 66's. I have also had their 9mm, .22 small auto, and the model 94. The revolvers lock up, and their autos are jam-a-matics. Junk. :barf: :barf:

My first Taurus, a PT-92AF was purchased in 1996. NEVER a problem or failure.

Over the years I have also purchased a Taurus PT-945 (.45), a Millenium Pro PT-145 (.45), a model 617 revlover (7 shot, .357) and a model 651 revolver (5 shot, .357). The .45's have about 1000 round through each. The .357's have about 500 through each. Never a failure of any kind from any of them. The Millenium Pro is my main carry weapon.

I also have a .38 special that I inherited when my Dad died. I don't shoot that one much.

I always keep them well cleaned and oiled. I think that's the main reason I never have had any problems with any of them. Then, again, maybe I've just been lucky.

Either way, I love them all.

Jim

Put me in the "Taurus is fine, even if they're not Smith & Wesson" column. As I sit here typing this my ported M85-CH-Ultralite sits in my pocket loaded with Mag-Safes. I have put at least 200 rounds of various types through it and not suffered any issues except that CCI .38-.357 shot cartridges don't quite fit in the cylinder.

I also have a PT22 that purchased kind of on a whim. I have fired all kinds of .22 LR rounds through it with zero failures, including Aguila 60 grain SSS rounds (however, they keyhole a bit).

I've purcheased aoucple Tauri handguns..sold the 380 (hated it!) but have kept the 22 wheelgun. I taught myself how to shoot DA revo's w/ this gun. The trigger was so bad that everything else since has been nice.
The ones I've tried have not been of the quality I now look for in a good firearm.