Hiker's carry .357...Taurus?

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Zsnark

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Hi there Gunners,

I am a recent transplant to NoAZ (snowbird). I hike all over the place. Got a Taurus 9 shot 3" .22 which doesn't make me feel as secure as a similar sized .357 or .38+P would. I'd like to find a Taurus 605 SS 3". What do you all think about my wish. This little Taurus .22 has impressed me big time re quality and warranty support.

In the current doo-doo storm after those nut jobs blew away a bunch of little citizens and incurred the present anti-gun hysteria, I can't find a 605 anywhere.

First, anybody got comments on the small frame Taurus .357; and second, am I making a good choice? I'd load the first chamber with shot (for snakes) and the rest either .357 HP 125g or .38+P.

Be glad for any comments and/or reactions. Although packing a gun is legal here, I'd just as soon that it was not too obvious.

AAW
 
I like the Taurus, I have a few and they have been reliable and fairly well built. But if you can possibly locate a S&W 19 or 66 snubby, that would probably be my first choice @ about $400 - $450. They are definitely built to handle any ammunition choice, but they are a bit heavy to carry all day long, but depending on the specific model, the Taurus is pretty heavy too though.
GS
 
Taurus threads usually go downhill in a hurry, but IMO their small revolvers like the 85 and 605 are rock solid. Any revolver that size is a handful for practice with full power .357's though.
 
I suppose if you feel you might have to try taking out a bear a .357 would be a good choice. When I was an avid backpacker 30-40 years ago, I preferred a small .45 - the Star PD. These days, there are a lot of other small .45's out there - a Glock 30 or 36 might be good choices. As I'm a day hiker now and don't hike in bear country, I usually carry a Kimber Compact (CDP) 1911 or my Kahr PM9.

BTW, I have a Taurus M94 SS which is a 9 shot .22 revolver. It's great around the house with snake shot rounds for vermin but it's a brick to carry.
 
gamestalker said:
I like the Taurus, I have a few and they have been reliable and fairly well built. But if you can possibly locate a S&W 19 or 66 snubby, that would probably be my first choice @ about $400 - $450. They are definitely built to handle any ammunition choice, but they are a bit heavy to carry all day long, but depending on the specific model, the Taurus is pretty heavy too though.
GS
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Got a early 70s M66 2.5". Too big and if they were all that good, why's S&W stop making them. When production ceased the grap vine said that they were not up to the .357 job.
 
CSG said:
I suppose if you feel you might have to try taking out a bear a .357 would be a good choice. When I was an avid backpacker 30-40 years ago, I preferred a small .45 - the Star PD. These days, there are a lot of other small .45's out there - a Glock 30 or 36 might be good choices. As I'm a day hiker now and don't hike in bear country, I usually carry a Kimber Compact (CDP) 1911 or my Kahr PM9.

BTW, I have a Taurus M94 SS which is a 9 shot .22 revolver. It's great around the house with snake shot rounds for vermin but it's a brick to carry.
Click to expand...
Had a Star PD until about '92. It was nasty to shoot and it would not cycle with a .45 shot load. I wish I still owned it but I had difficulties with my daughters health problems and needed the $$. Incidentally, I am very sorry Star went out of business. I had a lot of them and loved most.
 
I, too had a Star PD back in the day.
Now, its heir a Colt Lightweight Defender .45 fills that slot.
However, back to the subject.
Back in the 1970s (!) I spent 4 years in the Army in S. Arizona. reasonably dangerous even then.
Bought a S&W Model 60 at Jensen's in Tucson and carried it everywhere on countless treks. A small Taurus loaded with 158 grain 38s should fill the bill.
 
rule303 said:
Taurus threads usually go downhill in a hurry, but IMO their small revolvers like the 85 and 605 are rock solid. Any revolver that size is a handful for practice with full power .357's though.
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By threads, do you mean rifling in the barrel. This would not be a problem for this 72 yr old dude. I don't think I'll live long enough to wear the barrel out.

Thanks,

AAW
 
I bought a Taurus 605 .357 Poly Protector a week ago. I've only fired 15rds from it so far.I can't make a reasonable judgment yet but so far it seems fine. I only shot the Fmj <38's out of it and I think I will stick with .38 Jhp for carry.
 
CSG said:
I suppose if you feel you might have to try taking out a bear a .357 would be a good choice. When I was an avid backpacker 30-40 years ago, I preferred a small .45 - the Star PD. These days, there are a lot of other small .45's out there - a Glock 30 or 36 might be good choices. As I'm a day hiker now and don't hike in bear country, I usually carry a Kimber Compact (CDP) 1911 or my Kahr PM9.

BTW, I have a Taurus M94 SS which is a 9 shot .22 revolver. It's great around the house with snake shot rounds for vermin but it's a brick to carry.
Click to expand...
That's what I carry a 3" m94. I don't have much experience with snake. Will a .22lr shot cartridge do in a snake?! I could load my Taurus with two shot cartridge and still be able to give something a little bigger severe heartburn. But, it wouldn't put anything nasty down.

AAW
 
slickone said:
I bought a Taurus 605 .357 Poly Protector a week ago. I've only fired 15rds from it so far.I can't make a reasonable judgment yet but so far it seems fine. I only shot the Fmj <38's out of it and I think I will stick with .38 Jhp for carry.
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Keep me updated about it. I have a negative reaction to plastic guns. But, I can be swayed from my prejudices.

Thanks,

AAW
 
I will.Go to www.youtube.com and look at some of the reviews and judge for yourself. That's what I did before I bought it. By the way I'm three yrs older than you, and I try to think things out a little more than when I was a young whippersnapper.
 
slickone said:
I will.Go to www.youtube.com and look at some of the reviews and judge for yourself. That's what I did before I bought it. By the way I'm three yrs older than you, and I try to think things out a little more than when I was a young whippersnapper.
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Hey,

You must be the only dude in the world older than me! I haven't heard the term Whipper Snapper since Gabby Hayes said it in Roy Rogers movies. In fact, I have used it myself and the young'ns have given me odd looks.

Rock N Roll


AAW
 
I think that the smallest version of the Judge would be a good choice. Put a combo of cheap birdshot and expensive 45LC hunting ammo in it and it should do what you want.
 
Zsnark, I use that .22 birdshot for packrats, not snakes but I have little doubt they would dispatch a snake easily as long as it was a head shot. Nice thing about a revolver is being able to mix loads. I'd be hesitant to do that in an autoloader.
 
I'm with Ash (post 12) on the Ruger Police Service Six. That affirms that I'd carry a revolver, but it's typically loaded with .38 +P ammo, as that's what it's loaded with at home, and I usually don't bother to switch.

I do have a Taurus in .357 which I'd trust any day of the week on the trail loaded with Magnum stuff, but it's the M66, and is bulkier at the grip and at the sights than the Ruger is. A smaller one like the one you seek might be good for me, too, but would admittedly be a little harder to handle and shoot loaded with full-power fodder.
 
Zsnark said:
Hey,

You must be the only dude in the world older than me! I haven't heard the term Whipper Snapper since Gabby Hayes said it in Roy Rogers movies. In fact, I have used it myself and the young'ns have given me odd looks.

Rock N Roll


AAW
Click to expand...
And let's not forget Nellie Bell. :)

Don't know what part of the Grand Canyon state you retired to, but we're seeing some increased hog activity in the SE part.

I'm a big fan of the .357mag, but with heavier bullets in rural areas, heavy hardcast depending on recent sign - tracks, rooting, scat et al.

I no longer carry snake shot, this Diamondback survived three very close snake shot hits from a 686P;

Ambush007.jpg

This was a late October encounter, DB bit a Basset in the ear and the neck and I finally dispatched the DB with a single 125gr SJHP hit behind its head.

What I've learned living at my place is to carry a platform that points naturally without the use of sights. If you are in a rural area and enjoy spending a lot of time outdoors, you will be shooting your carry to protect yourself, family member or pet. I can go outside thousands of times without incident, then a string of encounters will happen within a short period of time and I'll need to dispatch rattlers or 4 legged vermin.

After the Basset recovered from her rattler bites, about a month later, we were charged by a feral dog that came out of mesquite at a full run. There was no time for a two handed grip or sight picture, a head shot from a 1911 38 Super immediately ended the threat.

I've recovered from an extended illness that also caused extreme fatigue, with a significant strength reduction I appreciated .357mag performance with the recoil of a G17 out of a fast handling 1911. But then again, I've had extensive training with the mag and 1911, qualified and carried both in past years.

Lots of wild critter encounters over the years at very close ranges, single hand grip and without the use of sights. Whatever you choose, it should be a pointer capable of rapid follow up shots single handed.
 
Zsnark said:
I don't have much experience with snake. Will a .22lr shot cartridge do in a snake?!
Click to expand...

I've lived in rattlesnake hell since 2005 and the short answer is NO. The discontinued Remington shot load work SOMEtimes, but I totally gave up on 22 LR shot loads. I have a Rossi 3" .38 Special, It and my home-rolled shot loads will shred a rattler 100% of the time. Bang. Dead. Period.

35W
 
I've had several Taurus. The only one that hasn't needed its lifetime warranty was a 17 mach2. Bad triggers, failure to bore out a cylinder, cracked frame. The reason Taurus threads go downhill quickly is that there are a lot of lemons out there. When they work, great, but after years of owning guns, selling guns, and fixing guns (all for a living at some time or another), too many have crossed my wake broken (a significantly higher percentage than almost any other major brand) to ever trust my life to one again.

S&W 19, 66, 586, 686, 27, 28, etc. Ruger Security Six, Police Six, Service Six, SP101, GP100. All good options. Some even reasonably priced...
 
I take offense to someone bad mouthing a S&W 19 / 66, as would most who own one. I have a 66-2 that has been fed nothing but full tilt H110 / 296 loads since I bought it in the 1980's, it is still as tight and accurate as the day I bought it. My other, a 66-5, has had the same exclusive and steady diet of full tilt loads fed though it, and it is also still in pristine working condition. I'll pit a 66 against anything out there for reliability and longevity, knowing it will withstand, proper care and maintenance provided, as with any fine handgun.

If they were junk, why would S&W have manufactured them for so many decades!

GS
 
The .357 Magnum revolver is a fine choice for an all-purpose hiking gun. I don't think the 3-inch 605 is currently in production, so you're limited to the used market if you are committed to that particular gun. However, Taurus quality is hit and miss. My recommendation for a current production .357 of that size is the Ruger SP101.

Now I may be in a minority, but does anybody else carry two revolvers when hiking? In those circumstances my LCR is loaded with shotshells for snakes and my GP100 is loaded with hardcast for everything else.
 
Gamestalker

I take offense to someone bad mouthing a S&W 19 / 66, as would most who own one.
Click to expand...

Unless the guns were your creations, why would you take offense? Offense, by its nature, comes from a personal attack.
 
Zsnark said:
By threads, do you mean rifling in the barrel. This would not be a problem for this 72 yr old dude. I don't think I'll live long enough to wear the barrel out.

Thanks,

AAW
Click to expand...
This had me laughing out loud!
By "threads", he meant topics or subjects that are responded and added to on a forum.

That is because Taurus has many detractors and a Taurus "thread" can turn ugly fast!
 
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