Taurus, Ruger, or S&W?

Taurus carries an outstanding warranty,you might check with the manufacturer but I believe it stays with the firearm regardless of transfer.
My bias is with Ruger. I've always felt I get a great quality for a lower price.
With S&W I've always felt I was buying there name and getting a revolver as incentive. But at brass tax,you said bedside gun. Get the taurus. It exceeds the job you want it to do and doesn't break bank.



BTW, everyone else keep an eye on this,I bet he gets the S&W

Go with what you can afford. If you've set yourself a budget of $500, get the Taurus and some ammo. You might be able to squeak byt with the Ruger, if you are extremely lucky. Sadly, the Smith is probably out of the running at your set price point.

Ruger is a step up, but again, are heavy

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The Security Six models were not heavier than the Smith 19/66.
The newer GP models are bulkier and heavier.

I have two 4" Six models and they are both under 34 oz.

As far as what to get?? I would stick with Ruger or S&W. The 19/66 and Ruger Six Series are well worth the extra money.

This is my home defense and bedside revolver. I would trust my life with this revolver. I have owned both S&W and Taurus. But this is the revolver I trust the most.
Opinion only,
Howard
Ruger Police Service Six 4 inch

Smith and Wesson first
Ruger a close second
Taurus a distant third

I own the Taurus, built in 1987, and the Ruger, built in 1976. I do not own the Smith, but did carry a department-issued S&W .38 revolver (M67) for a few years back in the day. That was a great gun once outfitted with Pachmayr grips; I even placed at or near the top in some LE-revolver shoots with it.

I've owned the Taurus since it was new. It is a great performer, with one issue: the sleeve on the ejector rod sometimes worked loose, locking the cylinder shut. A little Loc-Tite on the threads fixes that. The gun balances well in the hand, and shoots pretty much to point of aim at 25 yards with 158-grain .38 Special stuff, much more of which I've shot from it than Magnum fodder. The Taurus handles the Magnum stuff well, but I've really shot probably a couple hundred rounds of that over the two-plus decades I've had it. My blued finish has held up, though it did suffer some while on the streets for two and a half years trading hands after being stolen in 1989 during a vehicle burglary.

The Ruger Police Service Six was my father's service revolver when he worked a stint in LE in a rural Colorado county back in the eighties. We didn't know each other back then, and I don't know when he got the gun, but I doubt he got it new. It remained his bedside gun until he died in 2010; he had showed it to me in 2004, so I knew he had it well before his death.
It's rock-solid, blued-steel with some noticeable holster wear, rubber (Pachmayr?) grips, and locks up tight, more so than the Taurus. The cylinder does not spin as freely as that on the Taurus, making this gun feel more solid and well-assembled. The rear sight is nothing more than a groove along the top strap, like that on a snub-38 or a Remington 1858. But, the gun does shoot straight out to 15 yards; I have not shot it past that yet. Like the Taurus, it has not seen nearly as much Magnum ammo as .38 fodder.

Of the two, for a defensive-use firearm, I favor the Ruger. Both have sentimental value to me, as one was my first handgun, and the other my dad's service weapon. For range fun, the Taurus would get the nod because of its adjustable rear sight.

Incidentally, the Ruger is on my hip right now.

Never owned a Taurus but would buy a Smith first and would not hesitate to take a Ruger in the six series.

From my experiences with Smith's and Ruger, I don't even consider Taurus, kind of like looking at a Henry J when you want a Mustang.

At your price point, the Ruger would get my $$$. The S&W is nicer, if you can afford it, but from a purely functional standpoint, it really doesn't offer anything more. The -SIX series Rugers are nicer and better handling than the newer GP100 series IMHO.
Back in the 90's I worked on a gun range. I saw significantly more issues with Taurus than any other brand.
As always, YMMV.

What do you want to shoot

dogg,

To me, the question is what kind of ammo are you going to shoot. The S&W 19 and especially the 66 were fine when used sparingly with .357 magnum ammo, but did not hold up well to a steady diet.
If you intend to mostly shoot standard velocity .38 Special, then I would say go ahead with the S&W.

I was issued a S&W model 13 (fixed sight, K-frame) in .357 magnum when I graduated the academy. We carried and qualified with the "MILD" 110 grain jhp and out of the 47 guns issued to my class, 11 had problems.
A year later, we were given warnings not to use the 125 grain jhp load for any reason. Some of the model 13's had been fired with it and the forcing cone split.
If you want a S&W, look for a 681 (fixed sight) or the 586/686. I have found the L-frame revolvers to be very well built and you can get a terrific trigger if worked properly. These will shoot .357 magnums all day.

None of these problems seemed to have occured with the RUGER Security Six or Speed Six which were issued to earlier classes.

I have not had any experience with TAURUS .357 magnums, but I liked their 5 shot .38 Specials well enough.

Jim

I have owned revolvers all my life. I have seen several S&W 38 spl revolvers that had cracked or damaged frames. I have seen enough damaged frames that unless I am hanging out with auto racers that can get stuff magnafluxed real cheap I won't buy a used S&W. Between the bad start that taurus had and the poor finish on most taurus pistols I have never bought one. Rugers are very dependable but the cylinder carriage is the weak point on a ruger. So many people flip the cylinder open/closed I have to be able to shoot a ruger double action before I will buy it.

If you're not planning on CC your revolver, then I think the Ruger is an easy choice. I own and LOVE S&W, but there's something about a nice rugged Ruger that has always apealed to me. I've never owned a Taurus, but I hear good things from those who own/shoot them. 15 years ago you couldn't have said that about Taurus, but they've stepped up their game since then.

So in short - I like the Ruger.

1) Ruger Security Six or Service Six
2) S&W Model 19 or Model 13
3) Taurus Model 66

Ruger Six or a used GP-100.

I'm currently seeing them for $400.-$450..

It would be nice if we all had unlimited funds but certainly that's not too many people I know. First of course S&W is nice but of course their price is getting crazy. Ruger well I think we've all owned one at some point in time.They are certainly good quality bu the've never turned me on,and if their price is close to a S&W I'll take the Smith. I like Taurus especially their revolvers.I work in armed security and carry a model 85S everyday. Does it have the trigger of a Colt certainly not, but double action at 10-15 yards every shots on target and single action it's even better.Of course their price is just tough to beat. In the end however it's your choice.Best of luck.

I've owned revolvers by all three (plus Colt). I agree with most people in that I'd rate them the same as most, (1) Smith & Wesson (or Colt), (2) Ruger, (3) Taurus. But I wouldn't put Taurus as far behind as most seemingly would. I've owned three, including one Model 66 in .357. It was a pretty decent gun, for not a lot of money. It wasn't a bad looking gun either.

Buy the best and you will seldom be dismayed....S&W all the way.

d-dogg said:

To answer a couple of questions:
Since this is a bedside gun, I will practice with the ammunition I will depend upon in case of emergency. Probably either Winchester 125 grain JHP, or Hornady 140 grain FTX.

Pricey for range ammo, but I want to practice with what I will shoot in a SHTF middle of the night scenario.

This will not be concealed carry - kind of large to conceal, and I have a .380 for that mission. We can open carry in VA, but, well, we don't need to have that discussion.

I have expanded the search to include the Ruger Security Six, as it seems there is a lot of sentimental attachment to the Police Service Six thus keeping their prices high.

Now be vewwwwy qwuiet... There's a Service Six and a model 19 hovering at $400 right now.

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A suggestion d-dogg. I have found on my Police Service Six that a good practice round is the CCI Blazer 158 gr hollow point. I practice at 10 yards most the time and get good results. As for self defense I use the Buffalo Bore 158 gr LSWCHP 38 +P. Both of these rounds shoot about the same on the range and the Buffalo Bore has a excellent track record. If you get a Police Service Six or a Security Six I believe you will get the same results I do.
Good luck with your decision.
Howard