Virginian
Member
I have had a Taurus 431 in 44 Special for many years, and I wanted one of their Model 605, 3", 357s back in the 90s, and I missed out. Well, they have them again, so I just got home with my brand new Taurus 605, 3". I stopped by the range and fired some 38s to check function. A-OK there. Been looking over it very carefully. Whoever has the job of lubrication on Taurus' assembly line is way too enthusiastic. Everything else I can find is just right. Barrel to cylinder gap 0.007"; endshake 0.002". Two sets of rubber/synthetic grips, only slight differences I can see between them, I guess some people prefer the pebbled finish. The one piece barrel shroud doesn't bother me nearly as much in real life as it does in the pictures. Balances pretty well, decent trigger in DA and SA; haven't measured anything yet.
At a little over $330 for this, versus over $600 for a new Smith, or $425 to $470 for a new Ruger, depending on type, right now I would have to say I think this Taurus was the best value in my case. And, I like the size, sights, weight, etc. best in this exact combination. I couldn't find a good used one. I will give an accuracy report next trip, but with my greatly diminished capabilities I am not sure it will really be fair to Taurus, but we'll see how she shoots.
I am not a real fan of any of the on-board locks, but since it has one, I may use it to keep it loaded and accessible. I haven't heard of any unintended engagements with the Taurus system, and I like it better than the hole in the side type. I must say I trusted my kids in the presence of firearms a lot more than my step-kids, just because I know how they had been raised and taught from the cradle. Such is life.
P.S. - One idiosyncrasy that I just noticed. You have to look close, and be a nitpicker like me to start with, but looking at it from the top, it does not look like the cylinder is properly aligned with the barrel. But, then I get to checking closer, and the chambers are not centered exactly in the not fluted sections of the cylinder. The chambers are exactly lined up with the bore.
I bet this thing is going to be just tons of fun with full house 170 grain Sierra JHP handloads.
One more thing. If they fired this thing for function test, they did the most amazing cleaning job in history afterwards. My bet is they do not function test fire every gun. I don't care, but it is a first for me.
At a little over $330 for this, versus over $600 for a new Smith, or $425 to $470 for a new Ruger, depending on type, right now I would have to say I think this Taurus was the best value in my case. And, I like the size, sights, weight, etc. best in this exact combination. I couldn't find a good used one. I will give an accuracy report next trip, but with my greatly diminished capabilities I am not sure it will really be fair to Taurus, but we'll see how she shoots.
I am not a real fan of any of the on-board locks, but since it has one, I may use it to keep it loaded and accessible. I haven't heard of any unintended engagements with the Taurus system, and I like it better than the hole in the side type. I must say I trusted my kids in the presence of firearms a lot more than my step-kids, just because I know how they had been raised and taught from the cradle. Such is life.
P.S. - One idiosyncrasy that I just noticed. You have to look close, and be a nitpicker like me to start with, but looking at it from the top, it does not look like the cylinder is properly aligned with the barrel. But, then I get to checking closer, and the chambers are not centered exactly in the not fluted sections of the cylinder. The chambers are exactly lined up with the bore.
I bet this thing is going to be just tons of fun with full house 170 grain Sierra JHP handloads.
One more thing. If they fired this thing for function test, they did the most amazing cleaning job in history afterwards. My bet is they do not function test fire every gun. I don't care, but it is a first for me.
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