Whats the deal with Taurus

[BiggieFatz]

Well, I have been looking around for a revolver and with money being a little tight I can't really choose S&W. Well, a few dealers have highly recommended a taurus. Hearing a lot of bad stuff about Taurus I asked them about their quality and such, not one dealer said anything bad, in fact they said they have had no problems with any of the ones that they have sold. This is confusing for me because, I'm not sure if they are trying to get the sell or telling me the truth. This is where I will rely on you guys. You all seem to know much more than I and hopefully will know the dealer's incentives. BTW I am looking at a 4 inch .357 mag. Thank you all for any Info.

 

[mija]

Taurus is a S&W clone. It is a high quality tool that you will not regret. I have used their products for years.

 

[MCgunner]

There's a Taurus bash at least three posts a week. The bashers are vocal and often show their stupidity with statements that they've bought "20 Taurus handguns and had to send them all back" or some crap. Well, you're either the stupidest guy on the planet or an outright liar, but of course, you can't call a guy that on the high road. Good thing I'm posting this now so no one will think I'm talking about THEM.

Anyway, there was such a poll as this not long ago and, to my surprise, there was a huge Taurus affirmative vote to the vocal minority. I was amazed, on THIS board, who woulda thunk it?

There are bashers of every brand on this board. But I've had no problems, in fact a couple of my Taurus revolvers are personal favorites of mine. They're accurate and reliable and well made guns.

 

[PT1911]

Taurus is a very good quality hand gun.. I personally own 3 and I am working on a 4th... I have not had a single hiccup out of any of them. when you add a warranty that will pay to fix any problem ever and pay shipping both ways, you would have to be crazy to think it isnt a quality gun..... and the prices!!!!!

 

[Glockman17366]

I've had quite a few (10-12 or so) over the years. Had two requiring repair of some sort. One of the two I still have and used it for my most frequently carried gun for about 9 years.
I still own 3 Taurus revolvers: an 85, an 851 (both .38 snubbies) and a 627 Tracker (.357 Magnum).
Either the 85 or 851 always goes with me when I go out and about. The Tracker is, IMHO, a top tier larger revolver.

As mija wrote, they're great tools, but maybe not collectables.

If you buy any gun, especially if you intend to use it for carry or home defense, put 200-300 rounds through it ASAP. If there's going to be a problem, you should know it by the time you go through those rounds.

BTW, I always liked the revolvers...just never got enthusiastic about Taurus semi-autos.

 

[Nero_Atrum]

The only Taurus I ever heard bad things about was a PT92 that friend used to have.

 

[wankerjake]

I wouldn't call it a paperweight, but for the money I would buy a used Ruger or Smith before I bought a new taurus. I didn't vote for either.

 

[Floppy_D]

I carry a Model 85 regularly, it's a well built revolver. I've shot the tracker series as well, like those too. Nothing wrong with Taurus revolvers.

 

[GRIZ22]

I own 5 Taurus handguns, 3 revolvers and 2 semi autos made from 1988 to 2006. I had to send a 669 in as the rear sight loosened and flew off while banging off magnums 9my fault I should have checked the screw). My PT99AF went back when the leaf on the rear sight broke. i carried it as a duty gun for about 5 years so it did get banged around during that time. Turnaround was about two weeks both times.

I'd say S&W and Ruger has better triggers in DA revolvers but Taurus is nothing you can work with. I did buy a Model 85 that has a better trigger than contemporary S&W J frames so there are exceptions.

I would rate Taurus quality and reliability as good as comparable S&Ws or Rugers...well Ruger does get the durability award.

 

[codybrown]

I had a Taurus model 85UL that had it's innards fall out of it twice. I'm not sure how it happened, but I sent it back into Taurus for repair. When I got it back, I sold it. That instance turned me off from the brand. I know a couple of different guys that have Taurus revolvers and are happy with them. I will never buy another one, but that's just me.

 

[MedWheeler]

My first handgun was/is a Taurus 66, purchased new in 1987. Only issue is that, after extended shooting or handling, the ejector rod works loose, locking the cylinder shut. It's easily freed, and a little Loctite fixes the issue, which is not known to be prevalent in newer Taurus revolvers.
Other than that, mine is a solid, good-feeling piece which, for a time, even saw sidearm duty when I was in LE (changed my mind after a few months upon deciding that, should I ever shoot anyone, I would rather have the city's gun languishing in evidence lockup during the investigation than having mine there.)
The city's was a Smith, and had a stiffer trigger than mine, albeit a little smoother. Mine, though, seemed more weight-balanced, but the comparison might not be fair, as theirs was a .38 (S&W Model 67), and mine a .357.

 

[MMCSRET]

I've owned 3. 2 revolvers and an auto. Still have the revolvers, sold the auto to pay for a revolver. Never a problem.

 

[Guillermo]

I've had a couple.

One garbage...the other fine.

Hopefully the good one, the newer one, is a sign that they fixed their problems.

They sure have some fun looking stuff but I am going to watch and observe for a while.

 

[sidheshooter]

Let's see here: a PT-22 (my dad also has one) a 9-shot .22 LR revolver, an 85, and a "carry pack" 605 (factory wiegand custom). All great guns for what they were, all totally reliable. Granted, the only one I still own is the pt-22 (I love that little thing), but that's just me, not anything wrong with the guns.

On the other hand I was around when a buddy of mine bought a brand-new GP100 and took it out to a club "tactical" shoot. It locked up tight as a drum on the second cylinder. He had to send it back to the factory (they eventually sent him a new gun).

Point is, everyone makes the occasional dog-even the Ruger GP100 line (and I am pretty darn fond of those tanks). As above, buy what you like and run several hundred rounds through it to convince yourself that it will work when you need it. Clean, maintain and repeat.

FWEIW.

 

[Landric]

I've had three, a 669 that was pretty much completely worthless, a 85CH that was good quality and a prefectly good weapon, and a 431 that I just got used. I haven't had the chance to get to the range with the 431 yet, but I'm hopeful it will be more like the 85CH than the 669.

I have a good friend that has a 85UL that works very nicely, I've shot it and it worked just as well as a S&W Airweight. I have another good friend that has a 905 (9mm J-frame size) that has a lot of light strikes.

I didn't vote for either category. I would say that Taurus is more hit and miss than Ruger or S&W, but the good ones are nearly as good as the good S&W and Ruger revolvers, there just seem to be more bad Taurus revolvers than bad Ruger or S&W revolvers.

 

[Deus Machina]

I own one, and looked at a lot recently.

Not the same quality as S&W or Ruger, but they're a lot less. The trigger (on my M85UL, at least) is smooth and consistent, but the tolerances are looser and there's a much wider barrel/cylinder gap on the Taurus than a comparable Smith.

But they're a higher quality/cost comparison than Smith, considering they're less than half the price at show rates, and certainly don't seem prone (time will tell) to opening up any further.

 

[jester_s1]

It really depends on how you define what "quality" is. If you mean do they work and will they last, then yes, Taurus makes a "quality" revolver, and some of their autos are "quality" enough to hold up if you don't shoot much. But if "quality" means on par with Smith & Wesson or (with autos) Glock or Springfield, then no. They aren't even in the same league as the mainstream brands.

If you don't believe me, then look at what guys are using in competition and look at what cops and professional security personel use. They are price conscious just like the rest of us are, and if a cheap gun would work well they would be using them. You won't find even a semi-serious competitor using any Taurus product, no Kel-Tec, and very few Rugers. They go ahead and spend a few extra dollars on something that will perform, and they get what they pay for. And I do mean a few extra dollars- if you add up the total cost even a casual shooter spends, an extra $200 spent on the gun is trivial spread out over the lifetime of the gun.

To me, cheap guns like Taurus, Charter, Rossi, Kel Tec, and a few others exist just to appease cheap people. There are alot of gun buyers who just really like to buy guns. They don't shoot much, they don't know much about guns, but they save a few dollars every month to buy something new once or twice a year. And those are the guys whom cheap guns are made for. They will never shoot them enough to see whether they are durable, and they don't care enough about performance to notice the rough triggers and poor accuracy. Cheap guns exist so that cheap people can say, "I have a gun" or "I have 20 guns." If you just want to be a gun owner, then the Taurus is the best of the lot among the cheap makes and you can probably trust it. But if you want to be a shooter, then go ahead and save pennies for another month or two and buy something good.

 

[PT1911]

Taurus is a very good and dependable brand that is well on its way to surpassing some of the brands that old loyalists hold dear.. tell me something... has anyone picked up a new COLT AR-15... they are junk. nothing like the old ones they once produced.. there is more to a gun than the name and reputation behind it. In just a few years Taurus will have become a brand that is regularly named with smith & wesson, Glock ( I kringe to say), sig, HK, CZ,Springfield, and many others. they are producing new and innovative guns and stand behind each that they sell... much the same can be said of Kel Tech..

I own both a Taurus PT1911 and a Springfield compact 1911. The Taurus is just as well made and actually shoots and handles consistently better.... even though the springfield has a wilson combat barrel, has been polished and throated, custom trigger and many other mods.

the same can be said of my 608, it handles and shoots better than smiths of comparable configurations. And,granted it has been modified, actually has a better action than any Smith and wesson revolver I have handled.

I am not saying Taurus is a superior brand to the more well known and common brands, but they are far from sub-par weapons. They belong in any conversation including all the aforementioned mainstream brands

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Neither of your two choices is even close to the mark.

 

[ACBMWM3]

I own a STi. HK USP's, SVI Infinity etc...
And my Taurus 24/7 is still my personal fav. handgun.

Its all about preference.
Sure there are some bad quality handguns out there, but hey if its what you want get it. I'm not here to tell someone that they are dumb. Sure you can give feedback but in a nice way.
For example.
"I personally wouldn't buy X because I had an experience when X did Y..."

 

[BENELLIMONTE]

I own 3 Taurus weapons; Taurus 444 Ultralite .44 mag revolver, PT1911 .45 ACP pistol & PT 92 AF 9mm pistol. All are decent quality for the money spent. No complaints thus far. I also own S&W, Les Baer, SigArms, Ruger & Heckler & Koch revolvers/pistols. In weapons you pay more for the higher quality brands. But Taurus definitely gives you a good product for a good price.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Taurus is by no means a paperweight but I'm not crazy about their products. In the past they were a lot less expensive than S&W or Ruger handguns so that was a selling point. Now their revolvers are close in price to those made by Ruger and S&W. If you are going to pay that much why not buy what I consider better products.

Prices from Bud's Gun Shop:
4" Ruger GP100 - $505
4" S&W M668 - $627
4" S&W M619 - $488
4" Taurus 608 - $445

 

[Arcticfox]

Trackers are really nice! No complaints here.

 

[moooose102]

personally, i think they make a decent product. just hope and pray you dont need customer service. because in my experience, it is LOUSEY at best!

 

[jester_s1]

Looks like the consensus is that Taurus revolvers aren't as good as Smiths, yet they cost nearly as much. Note the resale values of Taurus guns vs. Smiths. The cycle I see over and over is some cheap guy buys Taurus, shoots it a while and figures out why it was cheap, then wants to trade it in on a quality gun. If a used Taurus at retail brings 1/2 what it cost new I'm impressed, while a used S&W will bring 70-80%. IMO, if Taurus pistols were priced accordingly at retail, say 50-60% of the price of S&W, I'd say they were a good buy because they do work. As it is though, they are a sub-par gun with a mainstream price tag.