Need some Taurus advice.

There is a current thread about TAURUS IN THE "General Handgun" section - you might want to look at it for comments. Like most brands- there are lovers and haters.

I recently bought the 44 mag version and love it. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=529088

A good resource that is definitely under used is "taurusarmed.net Check it out, really good for answering Taurus questions.

my only personal experience is with the taurus 1911, and it's worked out great for me. I've got a friend with the smith 686 clone that he really likes.

personally I think they are a decent company that has a slightly higher % of lemons than any other, and because they are in brazil it's hard to get service. if you get a good one, YAY, if you get a lemon, well, it may take some time and $$ to sort it out. I would buy a taurus, especially a known used one, but it wouldn't be my first choice, all things being equal (which is also my take on american cars, but that is neither here no there.)

I've heard plenty

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You won't learn much from hearsay. I don't have any experience with the Raging Bull but do have a Model 44 in .44 Rem.mag and love it. The trigger is indestinguishable from my S&W Model 29-2 or M686. I also have and have had several other Taurus revolvers snubbie and otherwise,except for weight there is no difference between my S&W Model 36 and my wife's UL85.

Ask the gunshop which brands they have to send back to the factory the most, and stay away from those brands if you want to lessen the odds of having to do so yourself.

I've been told that, for revolvers, S&W is the most consistently trouble free brand.

Ask the gunshop which brands they have to send back to the factory the most, and stay away from those brands if you want to lessen the odds of having to do so yourself.

I've been told that, for revolvers, S&W is the most consistently trouble free brand.

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I new it wouldn't take long.... I've been told that Smith and Wesson SUX. A guy at a gun shop told me that and he's an expert, nay, might I say GENious 'cause he makes 7 bucks an hour in a gunshop.

Best thing to do is just check one out for yourself. If you can rent one or borrow one, do so. Go to a gun shop and handle one, run it through the revolver check. See what ya think. Don't rely on me or the gun shop or especially the internet. Opinions abound and it seems Taurus is very polarizing when the subject comes up. Outside of religion and politics, I can't think of another subject so sure to start a fight.

I had a Raging Bull 454 in the long barrel, that I think was eight inches. I recently got rid of it. Shooting 454 is not at all pleasant. I'm not one bit recoil sensitive, but that gun is over the top. It hurts. It's expensive to shoot...and it hurts. It's cool to look at, but it's expensive to shoot, and it hurts. Did I mention that it hurts to shoot it?

With a five inch barrel? Forget about it.

45LC is okay, but I'd rather go 44 magnum.

You can load .45 Colt to do anything a .44 mag can do. Actually, you can load it hotter in a gun like the Raging Bull, or if you need a break, you can shove a 255 flat point with 8+ grains of Unique or you can get some cowboy loads.

I do like the Blackhawks for heavy calibes....or something like a Freedom Arms in .454. I prefer the way the grip rolls in the hand to dissipate recoil.

is it worth the money

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Yes

I also have the 605. trouble free shooter with lots of rounds

Ask the gunshop which brands they have to send back to the factory the most,

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After a long life of hard work in the military, police dept and being an R. N. I retired and got my dream retirement job in a gun store. No taurus is not one of the ones we send back the most.

I buy a Taurus, save a little money. Work the kinks out of it(if any) and know I have an absolutely reliable firearm. If it's not, don't use it for HD, you haven't worked all the bugs out. I have bought some rather expensive firearms, had to work the kinks out of them too. The less you pay (generally) the more potential for those kinks. I have flawless hi-points (operational wise) that had a couple of kinks to iron out at first (magazine). Now if I have to grab one, I know the dam ugly thing will fire. If I have to do a little work to a firearm of mine, I just get to know it better. I even have a (gasp) Jiminez 380 that has worked perfectly for over 200 rds and still going strong out of the box! I have had problems with a kimber, didn't blame the manufacturer. Just fixed it. As a general rule, if I buy a low cost firearm, I plan on doing a little work to it from the get-go. Or others may have to send it to a gunsmith, or back to the manufacturer. If you are worried about a firearm having problems and not working perfectly out of the box, quit buying firearms....

Dimitrios said:

I've heard plenty of spotty things about Taurus regarding their autoloaders but that their revolvers weren't half bad. I was looking at a Raging Bull with a 5" barrel for about $425, primarily because I want to shoot .45 LC and I figure why not have the added option of shooting .454 as well. Any thoughts on this pistol, is it worth the money or should I look elsewhere? Oh and personally I just plain don't like the looks of the Vaquero's and the old SAA style revolvers which is why I haven't considered them.

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I have six Taurus Revolvers®....................

• Mdl 85B2CH 38 Special purchased in 1994
• Mdl 85B2 38 Special purchased 1997
• Mdl 85SS2UL 38 Special+P purchased 2007
• Mdl 669SS4CP 357 Magnum purchased 1996
• Mdl 617SS2 357 Magnum purchased 2003
• Mdl 605SS3 357 Magnum purchased 2006

Each of these guns have had several thousand rounds through them. They function flawlessly. The only difficulties I've had are as follows.....

• Mdl 85B2CH 38 Special purchased in 1994 - replaced firing pin after 11,000+ rounds.
• Mdl 617SS2 357 Magnum purchased 2003 developed increased gap (Cylinder to Forcing Cone,) of .011"; so I sent it in for repair in 2009. I got it back in exactly 5 weeks - they adjusted the crane & yoke and replaced the cylinder.

Both of these guns function perfectly. I would not hesitate to recommend a Taurus® revolver to anyone! If you want accurate information, FROM TAURUS® OWNERS, as to the good, bad, and ugly of Taurus® firearms go here..................

• Taurus Armed.net

If you buy a used Taurus® firearm - it's STILL UNDER WARRANTY - whether you are the 2nd owner or the 20th! A Smith & Wesson® only warrants the original purchaser; TAURUS® WARRANTS THE GUN ITSELF - FOR LIFE!

I have owned 3 Tauri (2 autos and a SAA Gaucho) and all have/do work very well. I think there has been some great advice already given, especially checking out the Taurus forum.

The one thing I would add is, before buying ANY firearm, carefully inspect the one you are buying. Not the one in the display case (if you aren't buying that particular one) but the one in the box you're taking home. Check it over like you would any used firearm. Make sure everything is up to snuff. IMO that's the best you can do when buying any firearm as lemons are bound to come out no matter who manufactured the piece. My .02 cents.

Personally I own two guns (now ) that fire 45 Colt; a Taurus Judge and a Rossi M92 lever gun in 454 Casull. I went 454 Casull for pretty much the same reasons you are thinking of going for da bull ... shoot 45 Colt most of the time, but ability to switch to 454 if the mood strikes you.

Now, that said, if ALL you do is shoot store bought ammo, 45 lc is going to be harder to find, and there will be less "variety" than with 45 lc. I reload, so that is not an issue.

The things I like about 45 colt is the versatility (800 fps 255 grain lead semi-wad cutters to 2000+ fps 250 grain jacketed hollow points ... but then again I handload), the larger case (easier for my getting daily older fingers to deal with), and the fact that it leaves BIG HOLES.

Nothing wrong at all with 357 ... but I can deliver a lot more "whomp" with 45 colt.

I'd skip the Raging Bull and wait for the Raging Judge.

Taurus is making their infamous Shotshell revolver, in a .454 base.

.454 for "serious" moments
.45 colt for Yukking it up cheaper without Injuring yourself.
.410 for when "you mean it" at close range.

Taurus not as well fit on every pistol, Some shoot like a dream, some fail after a while, (or immediately) I've got a 2 of 3 positive experiences shooting them (.22, 357, 1911) and their warranty is a lifetime one that apparently covers the gun through every owner (not just the first)

http://gunblast.com/SHOT_2010_3.htm

From Gunblast's trip to SHOT show.

found the link to the right page in the "whats new" catalog.http://www.taurususa.com/2010newcatalog/?catalog_page=12

I wanted the Tracker Long barreled one, but it was only in 2.5" not 3" .410, 6" barrel Raging Judge looks pretty attractive to me now.

The Raging Bull is the one I would get if I wanted accuracy at long range for hunting. Increasing free bore has only a negative affect on accuracy.

The 3" barrel and the small lass holding the gun make the Raging Judge Magnum cylinder look huge!

I like it... if someone pulled it on me I think I'd need to change my shorts...

You want some Taurus advice?

Don't buy one.

Raging Bull 454

I own one.
I like it.
I have 50 plus revolvers mostly Smiths, Colt comes in second and taurus is last behind Ruger.
I have owned a Freedom Arms 454 Casull, I did not like shooting it much.
It was great for hollowpoint 250 -300 type loads.
It was very annoying for my lead reloads, even with a LEE factory crimp die
I could not consistently use lead bullets, why ? tolerances are way too tight in my opinion,
I own a BFR in 45 Colt Plus power, shoots anything. My Ruger Blackhawk shoots anything.
My Taurus Raging Bull 454 Shoots anything and is the softest shooter of them all.
Don't buy one because of what we tell you.
Please don't not buy one because of what some Taurus bashing knucklehead on the Internet tells you, check it out ! Yourself that is . They really have something in their grips.
I do not like the look of rubber grips, but man o man theirs work for recoil reduction !!!

inthelineofire said:

You want some Taurus advice?

Don't buy one.

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That's it? No first hand account why?

^^^ driveby ......most likely never owned or used one personally. That's why I disregard all such responses.

If you want some good advice...do a search for "Taurus" and "Customer Service". When you are done reading those threads (should take a week or so) you will be better prepared to make an informed decision.

Executive summary:
Taurus QC is suspect, and that is putting it mildly.

If you get a good one, you will be happy.

If you don't (and the chances are fair to good that you won't) you will be posting here six months from now grousing about how you had to pay for shipping (which will not happen with S&W) and your firearm still isn't back six weeks later...or is back, but not fixed. Neither is unusual.

And to the naysayers, yes, I have owned one. I had a 431 3" .44 SPL. It cost about 1/2 as much as my S&W 696 and the reasons for that were obvious...it was 1/2 the gun.