My Taurus 850 CIA Cylinder Fell Out on Ground

You were lucky. I hadn't even put one round in my Taurus Tracker and the cylinder fell out. To make a long story short, after 4 trips to Taurus, you still can't fire it single action or it'll lock. It sits in my safe...

I have come to realize that I will only own Smith revolvers.

And people wonder why in other threads, so many members do "not" recommend buying Taurus.

There's a little spring that goes between a small piston and the the yoke screw (3 piece yoke screw assembly). I sent my tracker in with the same problem along with a few others, and they did not fix it any of them. I called them when I got the gun back and asked if they would send me the part, and they did.

My advice to you would be to call them and ask for the "yoke screw assembly". When you get it all back together, sell it and buy a Ruger.

You guys are imagining things, revolvers NEVER malfunction. You need to read this thread:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=653822

sirsloop said:

I have come to realize that I will only own Smith revolvers.

Click to expand...

Why are you afraid of ruger? Taurus sure, but ruger?

1) You guys are just haters without any commonsense!!...or 2) you guys are being dishonest, because all of my Taurus guns have been great!! Therefore, either 1 or 2 above must be true about you. Sorry couldn't resist. I've been told all of the above for sharing my negative Taurus experiences. In all seriousness, sorry to hear about your problem. Hope they fix you up.

i personally do not trust taurus. But in this case, it is most likely a maintaince problem. Screws have been known to back out on revolvers.

Gee... (Knock on wood).

I haven't had any problems with mine, but maybe it's because I own a screwdriver...

Ya' think?

so do I, Old Fuff (own a screwdriver)

sort of makes you wonder why the guys at the factory don't ??
ya' think ?

^^^^!...

Gee... (Knock on wood).

I haven't had any problems with mine, but maybe it's because I own a screwdriver...

Ya' think?

Click to expand...

That must be why. I also own a screwdriver, and haven't had ANY problems with my Taurus revolvers.

(the fact that I don't own any Taurus revolvers may also have something to do with it )

oldfool said:

so do I, Old Fuff (own a screwdriver)

sort of makes you wonder why the guys at the factory don't ??
ya' think ?

Click to expand...

Maybe the factory uses screwdrivers made in Brazil too...and they are also all broken?

I haven't had any problems with mine, but maybe it's because I own a screwdriver...

Click to expand...

I got an idea.... Send that screwdriver to the Taurus plant in Florida with instructions on how to use it. It's very unlikely they've seen one before.

Keep up the good work Old Fuff, you could be the next to be chosen. I just read on the taurusarmed.net (or disarmed.net) that two of the moderators were chosen for a tour of the factory. How many tours have you had now?.....LUCKY

Well it's this-a-way...

I have found loose screws in just about all of the revolver brands you can think of. On the other hand I have one Taurus where the sideplate screws (including the one that holds the cylinder assembly in place) are so tight I worry about burring the heads trying to get them out.

When it comes to loose screw issues my Colt Single Actions (and clones thereof) are the grand champion, as the frame assembly is held together with 6 of them, with a grand total of 11 that includes the cylinder basepin latch. All of them will unscrew themselves if you simply give them a hard look.

The recommended cure is to put no more then a single drop of blue LocTite or clear fingernail polish on each screw and then reassemble the screw.

I recommend this procedure to those who own Taurus and other makes of revolvers that tend to self-disassemble.

I never know in advance whether I will get frustrated or have a good laugh when I read one of these threads.

If a particular handgun retails for about $300, and another for about $700, there is probably no magical way that the cheaper gun is going to be made with the same care and from the same materials as the more expensive gun. There is also less incentive to reject any parts or refit anything that did not assemble correctly the first time. Quality Control can help to drive costs down, but past a certain point the search for lower manufacturing costs will kill quality.

A lot of folks post on here that the more expensive gun is just expensive because of some intangible "snobbery", or try to imply that those who pay more are less intelligent or less experienced. I can accept that a little of that could be happening, but in a free market economy that would not last long.

The good news is that when you buy a Taurus and it is a lemon, you are only out about $300. If you buy a S&W and it is a lemon, the gun is likely fixable, but in the meantime your $700 is gone and you temporarily have nothing. Every consumer has to balance risk vs payoff in their investment.

lathedog said:

...The good news is that when you buy a Taurus and it is a lemon, you are only out about $300. If you buy a S&W and it is a lemon, the gun is likely fixable, but in the meantime your $700 is gone and you temporarily have nothing. Every consumer has to balance risk vs payoff in their investment...

Click to expand...

That's why I like Ruger the best.
They are priced in between the two and built tougher than both.

The good news is that when you buy a Taurus and it is a lemon, you are only out about $300. If you buy a S&W and it is a lemon, the gun is likely fixable, but in the meantime your $700 is gone and you temporarily have nothing. Every consumer has to balance risk vs payoff in their investment...

Click to expand...

So, the $300 gun "isn't fixable"? Really? A loose screw, after the gun has been fired, missed by the firer, and then assembled without all of the parts, is a lemon?

Read the threads about problems with less expensive guns, regardless of brand. There, you will find some of the oddest complaints ever heard. A new gun that had the cylinder fall out? Did it even get looked at before purchase? Or during the initial cleaning? Screws that back out are plainly visible before they fall out of the gun.

I always check various features before buying ANY brand of gun. On a revolver, things like barrel-cylinder gap, timing issues, canted barrels, loose screws, and lock-up. When I get it home, it's field-stripped, and cleaned and lubed thoroughly. Most off-shore manufacturers ship guns in a preservative, much like cosmoline. Failure to remove it will result in the same issues as not removing cosmoline.

Actually LOOKING at the guns before purchase can allow you to avoid so many problems. In many cases, the problem isn't the Brand of the gun, it's the purchaser.

FYI, pricing of guns may vary widely because of labor costs, insurance costs, EPA regulations, legal representation costs, and the profit margin necessary to impress shareholders. American manufacturers pay a LOT more in labor costs, salaries and benefits, than just about anywhere else in the world. Add in the costs of EPA regulations, local business taxes and licensing fees, mandatory insurance, unemployment benefits costs, worker's comp costs, and legal representation in our law-suit happy nation. That can add as much as 30% to the bottom line, compared to other manufacturing nations.

It's funny to hear about how one brand is so much better than another, even when the "better" brand purchases parts from still another manufacturer of guns.

harmon rabb said:

Why are you afraid of ruger? Taurus sure, but ruger?

Click to expand...

well with Ruger...same reason I would not buy a Colt... dont like the cylinder release. I wouldn't buy a Taurus revolver cause they are clunky and i've seen tons of them fail.

sirsloop said:

well with Ruger...same reason I would not buy a Colt... dont like the cylinder release. I wouldn't buy a Taurus revolver cause they are clunky and i've seen tons of them fail.

Click to expand...

The only Smith I have ever owned was a 6" model #19 Combat Masterpiece 357....and it was a SWEET revolver! Beautiful, well balanced, slick as snot trigger, and accurate as all get out too. I'd still have it now had I not ran into money trouble once upon a time and sold it.

That said though, I like the Ruger cylinder release better. Pressing stright in against the frame feels more natural and easy to me than sliding a release forward on the frame.
Now Colt on the other hand....trying to pull the release backward is a pain in the butt. I "REALLY" do not like the Colt cylinder release what so ever. It makes no sense to me at all!

full disclosure

I did have the cylinder fall out of one my own guns like that
and it was a Taurus..
but it was my own fault, ought know better, and I do own a screwdriver and loctite, and Old Fuff is 100% right on that

It's an old model Taurus 66 six shooter, likely had thousands of rounds through it before I bought it, 100s since, shoots great for home and range, but mostly does muzzle insert pulse laser w/ snap cap duty at home on rainy days (just because I have more revolvers than I really need come range day)

Pretty amazing how many thousands of "rounds" you can run per session thataway in DA rapid mode, no reloading you know, you can just keep going until you wear out your trigger finger. So, I took it out of the safe, opened up cylinder to load up snaps, and the cylinder fell right out on the floor. My fault, really ought check those screws every few thousand rounds, it can happen. Lesson learned. Better learned at home with snap caps that at the range, or on the street.

When you clean-em, check the screws, it's a habit in these environs!

Mike

Why some of you think it's OK to have a NEW gun fail and to say it's the users fault is mind boggling.

Click to expand...

I don't think anyone here thinks it's O.K. for a new gun to have defects that it shouldn't. But today, in the real world we are smart enough to go over any gun we aquire - new or used - and when necesary correct minor issues that are easly fixed, and a partly loosened screw comes under that heading. Trying make make a major fuss over a loose screw is a bit too much.