Would you trust a Taurus against dangerous game?

I've owned various manufacturers revolvers. Smiths, Rugers, Dan Wesson's, Rossi's, Taurus. I have had a couple problems with Taurus pistols but their revolvers have been fine. Model 66 is a very nice shooter and 856 is a nice 6 shot snub although I did put a wolf spring kit in that one. My M44 and tracker 44 have also been good shooters but I shoot mostly mid range loads in the tracker and wish it wasn't ported. I would prefer to have a Redhawk with if attacked by a wild animal but I have had the tracker on my belt many times and not been concerned as it has proven reliable. Truth is it's kind of light and handy for a 44 mag and with the porting its recoil is bearable but it is LOUD

No shades of grey here; everyone's opinions are in black or white... regardless of whether or not one qualifies his opinion with actual experience.

As one whose life actually depended on certain brands of issued firearms, I find discussions such as this somewhat pointless, as it appears no one has yet posted of a failure at a critical moment (when any person's life was in the balance). Absent that data, we must presume that, unless otherwise indicated, most modern production handguns are pretty much.... good to go, and we should be debating caliber or bullet weight/type rather than who produces the launcher.

JeeperCreeper said:

All the bear threads have been making me kick around the idea of a big bore revolver.

On paper, I really like the Taurus tracker 44 mag. Light, smaller, cheaper than the competition.

But it's a Taurus. I know there is a love/hate on the internet. And I would not hesitate for a fun gun or even a hunting gun.

But life/death. Would you?

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Okay, my 44 magnum is a Ruger Redhawk. Most likely I'd be carrying that with dangerous game around.

I have several Taurus handguns. If I didn't have the Redhawk I'd carry my 608 Taurus. I've read some guides found 9mm with FMJ great for dangerous game. I'd carry my Glock 19, Taurus PT98AF, Beretta 92, or S&W.

Old Dog said:

No shades of grey here; everyone's opinions are in black or white... regardless of whether or not one qualifies his opinion with actual experience.

As one whose life actually depended on certain brands of issued firearms, I find discussions such as this somewhat pointless, as it appears no one has yet posted of a failure at a critical moment (when any person's life was in the balance). Absent that data, we must presume that, unless otherwise indicated, most modern production handguns are pretty much.... good to go, and we should be debating caliber or bullet weight/type rather than who produces the launcher.

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There is none so blind as he who will not see.

I already posted at least two failures that I've personally witnessed. Others have posted their observations. The fact that these failures happened at a range, rather than mid-attack, is irrelevant. Those failures could have happened mid attack just as easily. The reason they didn't happen mid-attack has more to do that there are far fewer bear attacks than there are people shooting Taurus guns at the range. Taurus has a well-known and well-earned reputation for spotty quality, at best. The odds of a failure are higher with a Taurus than with other brands.

I've had good luck I suppose.

Taurus 85 early 2000s model nice shiny blueing. Lots of lead down range, that gun could shoot. Very accurate.
Several model 92 variants - always went bang, always had the correct frame mount safety great accuracy.
Judge - good to go for lots of rounds , cylinder fell off cleaning. 7 dollar local gunsmith fix
12 round compact -pt-something /millennium pro? I don't remember the model. It shared mags with p226. It shot fine, no jams no issues. Didn't like the trigger. Knock around gun and sometimes carry for awhile.
Ply-22: fed the crappiest bulk ammo and asked for more. More accurate at ten yards than a heavy double action should be. Good putz around yard carry. Pop up barrel is great. More reliable than the bobcat it replaced.
Tcp-tiny little bugger, no jams. Several hundred rounds. Friends wife needed it more than me.

That's all I can recall. But that is a pretty good sampling. Enough so that I don't automatically write the brand off. I shop for deals. I use my guns. I take good care, I change springs, I fix what I can. They get cleaned after every shoot. I have a good relationship with a local gunsmith. I'm not sure I would try the warranty route if the internet is even half honest.

Like them enough I grabbed a new 856 stainless.

3 inch barrel and 6 shot 38+p with a big shiny night site? I paid 350. A real bargain in covid- Biden -pacalypse 2022.

I've carried it hiking loaded with hardcast wadcutters. I've kept it on the nightstand loaded with critical defense or buffalo bore 158 gr std pressure lswc hps.

I can't shoot it as well as my 642 yet. It is heavier and carries an extra round. The trigger is different than a Smith, I am still figuring out how to stage it and fire as fast as site picture but I shoot 99% sw revolvers. It's a heavy double action trigger.

Lock up is perfect, great timing. Several hundred rounds, nice throw on the ejector rod.

If I have to loose it, I'll miss it less than any Smith. I dislike the new finish but the build quality and fitment of my 2022 856 is superior to my late 90s/2000s 85.

If they build their 44s like this 38, it would serve you well.

D.B. Cooper said:

There is none so blind as he who will not see.

I already posted at least two failures that I've personally witnessed. Others have posted their observations. The fact that these failures happened at a range, rather than mid-attack, is irrelevant. Those failures could have happened mid attack just as easily. The reason they didn't happen mid-attack has more to do that there are far fewer bear attacks than there are people shooting Taurus guns at the range. Taurus has a well-known and well-earned reputation for spotty quality, at best. The odds of a failure are higher with a Taurus than with other brands.

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I've seen far more failures with S&W, and I've experienced far more failures with S&W. The catch, of course, is that there are far more S&Ws.

The hill I will die on, though, is that if you can put 500 trouble-free rounds through it, you can stake your life on it. The rest is internet BS.

I would say yes, if I had to. One of my Carry guns is a Taurus, and for a compact 40 s&w it does what I ask of it. Have an 85 too. After a cleanup it has been reliable. And a close friend had a tracker in 41 mag when they first came out that we shot all the time. No issues. But I have fixed and troubleshot a few others that had issues. If I had a choice I would save a little more and get an American brand like my Ruger super Blackhawk or my redhawk, or a s&w 29 like I used to have. Ironically though, the 29 and the redhawk both had issues at about the 7k round mark...

Well, I have never owned a Taurus revolver but I have considered them for a couple of applications.

In the OP case, if he like the Taurus and gets one to shoot well, then he needs to assess the reliability of the revolver for the task at hand.

If the revolver is not abused in practice, it should perform well in an actual need.

I've heard good things about the raging bull

I’ve never owned a Taurus. My friend has had an assortment of the smaller revolvers and autos. The ones he’s had I’ve shot, and all were good as to accuracy and reliability. They appeared to be good quality.

I’d trust one if I vetted it myself a while. That would include having a look at the guts. If I didn’t like what I seen there my opinions would change.

The reason I’ve never had a Taurus is partly because they have a bad reputation, and partly because of models I’ve looked at in the store with issues.

JeeperCreeper said:

Alaskan critters

I normally carry a 45 Super, 255gr hardcasts for reference

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Given this, what more are you hoping to get from a .44 Magnum? It can certainly offer more than the .45 Super, but if you're wanting to shoot top end heavy hitting .44 mag loads, or even +P, that would probably be relevant to the topic.

D.B. Cooper said:

There is none so blind as he who will not see.

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Sly little insult there.

And there are none so blind as he who is apparently incapable of actually thoroughly reading through another's writings -- as well as every other post in a thread -- and comprehending context.

Lots of folks here who focus on the one post they agree with, pile on, and ignore the opinions and experiences of others whose experience varies.

As an aside, every Taurus I've seen seized at a crime scene, or upon subsequent arrrest of someone who perpetrated a crime while using one, has functioned exactly as it was intended.

Interestingly enough, John Taffin, who's forgotten more about big-bore revolvers than most of us will ever know, has some extensive experience (he owns some) with some of the Taurus big-bores and has still a lot of very complimentary comments to give.

Old Dog said:

Sly little insult there.

And there are none so blind as he who is apparently incapable of actually thoroughly reading through another's writings -- as well as every other post in a thread -- and comprehending context.

Lots of folks here who focus on the one post they agree with, pile on, and ignore the opinions and experiences of others whose experience varies.

As an aside, every Taurus I've seen seized at a crime scene, or upon subsequent arrrest of someone who perpetrated a crime while using one, has functioned exactly as it was intended. Interestingly enough, John Taffin, who's forgotten more about big-bore revolvers than most of us will ever know, has some extensive experience (he owns some) with some of the Taurus big-bores and had a lot of very complimentary comments to give.

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What you say in regards to Taffin is part of why I would consider getting one.

JeeperCreeper said:

All the bear threads have been making me kick around the idea of a big bore revolver.

On paper, I really like the Taurus tracker 44 mag. Light, smaller, cheaper than the competition.

But it's a Taurus. I know there is a love/hate on the internet. And I would not hesitate for a fun gun or even a hunting gun.

But life/death. Would you?

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Yes, assuming I had inspected it carefully before purchase, and tested it.

The transfer bar will break!

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I did a web search, couldn't find much mention at all of Taurus transfer bars breaking. I have a .44 Tracker. I've had it apart. The transfer bar is a fairly beefy part (much more so than, for a totally non-random example, Charter Arms').

The worry is not that it will break someday, but that it will break during that crucial 1 to 5 shots that I really need it. I judge the likelyhood of that to be very low.

Old Dog said:

Sly little insult there.

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Sorry about that. I really did intend for that to be used as a cliché, not as an insult. In retrospect, I should have seen that coming.

lee n. field said:

The worry is not that it will break someday, but that it will break during that crucial 1 to 5 shots that I really need it. I judge the likelyhood of that to be very low.

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If that's your only concern, then buy a cheap gun (Taurus), fire it for function test, then holster it and never fire it again until you "really need it." You should be fine.

I consider failure at a critical moment the same as failure on the range, and the opposite is of course true. The gun will only fail when you fire it. If it fails on the range, count your lucky stars, because it could failed at the critical moment instead. (Given that we fire far more rounds at targets rather than in SD, it is far more likely to have a failure on the range.)

.38 Special said:

I have to admit to a bit of a surprise at the Taurus hate. I've used them for several decades, and while the early ones weren't the quality of older S&Ws, etc. they certainly were strong and reliable. Given the improvements in Taurus and the troubles I've experienced with recent S&Ws, I'd say the odds of getting a better or worse one from either company are about 50/50.

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There's a bit of a mental block with some people, especially on the internet, who cannot accept anything that is not among the best brands of guns because once they accept that what they have or are using isnt the best it causes a low level of psychosis and paranoia about the potential "what ifs" in the event of failure.

Anything can fail, but what surprises me is how quickly people are to crap on a cheaper brand's failure vs a more expensive one.

If I had a Smith or Ruger that cost twice what a Taurus did and failed, I'd be livid. I pay a high price to avoid such inconveniences, but with a more economical brand I can live with issues as I expect them at some point.

I dont buy products expecting them to be the best, I do expect them to work. Taurus has worked for me while Charter has let me down a few times. I'd trust Taurus over Charter, that's for sure.

.38 Special said:

I've seen far more failures with S&W, and I've experienced far more failures with S&W. The catch, of course, is that there are far more S&Ws.

The hill I will die on, though, is that if you can put 500 trouble-free rounds through it, you can stake your life on it. The rest is internet bullsh!t.

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I too, have seen, and repaired/cleared far more failures with S&Ws, Colts, SIGs, Springfields and Glocks than with Tauruses. More because I have seen more of those than Tauruses shot or brought in to any shop I worked at. The only "malfunction' I've had with any of mine was with the PT145, and it is my failing, not the guns. I hit low with the sights on it, so I simply took them off. I also shoot SIGs low, but I don't own any of them, the M17 and M18 are the only ones I have any interest in, and them only due to being issue guns.
I don't go bad mouthing any of these guns, except Glocks, and that only in fun.

I have been lucky enough to own several Taurus firearms, both revolver and semi-auto. One of my favorites, that I will never sell is my Stainless 415 in .41magnum. I have over 600 rounds, from mild to wild through this gun and it has never failed me yet. It is accurate for a 2.5" snubby, and the ported barrel and funky ribbed grip really tame the recoil of the loads. I had one of the stainless railed 1911's in 45acp that I customized. I ended up selling it to my best friend a few years back and it's his EDC to this very day. I also have a PT-145 compact auto in .45acp. I've lost count of how many rounds I have through the gun. The only round it did not like and would jam on is Winchester White Box in 230.gr FMJ. otherwise if fed anything I could stuff into the magazines.

I can't speak to their 44mag, but I currently have 4 Taurus pistols, two are revolvers. I Have a 65 and a 605 in 357. I have shot them both reliably at my home range, but the 65 did lock up once. My wife was using it in a belly holster while she mowed and moisture caused the cylinder bearing to rust and lock up. I'm not talking months of use either, maybe a couple weeks between me testing it and finding this issue. From this experience, I would not trust their revolvers against bears or for edc.

I do trust my Spectrum and my G3c enough to use as ankle holster back ups or glove box duty, but that's as far as my trust goes.

My Taurii are not reliable enough for me to trust any life to. But they are not revolvers: i have a pair of PT-22 semi auto pocket pistols and a pump action 22 rifle. They like to jam. Not all the time, but any consistent jamming is intolerable for carrying.

Ruger BH or RH or a Smith Xframe for me. And im a Colt guy. My custom 5" X-frame 500 mag weighs in at 58 ounces empty iirc. Thats pretty light for 2500 grains worth of projectiles!

I actually traded a scoped Super Red Hawk for a Raging Bull because the Raging Bull was ported and I liked shooting it. But I'd rather carry my Ruger Security Six than the Tracker 357 I had. I dunno, never had any trouble with the Tuari I had. I have kept a Taurus at my cabin because we get bears once in awhile.

d2wing said:

I have kept a Taurus at my cabin because we get bears once in awhile.

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I think a Taurus is good in that role. They're cheap(-ish) so if the cabin is broken into and the gun stolen, you haven't lost as much as if it were a Ruger or Smith; the gun probably never ever gets fired, so it will last forever.

Absolutely Yes! I've owned an old model 66 (6-shot) 357 Magnum for over 25 years. It's hard to tell apart from a S&W M19 from a distance. It's been trouble free. I'd bet my life on it in any encounter with man or beast.

Did someone say Old Model 66? This one is from the early 1980's. It has an internal trigger block, unlike the transfer bar on modern Taurus revolvers. Its trigger and accuracy are like a nice S&W.