Any thoughts?

[Oldschool shooter]

Was at my LGS yesterday and saw a Taurus 689 in .357 Magnum. It has a 6" vent rib barrel and adjustable rear sights. The gun looks brand new. No turn line, no discoloration on the cylinder face. The blueing is every bit as nice as any of my S&W revolvers. They want $400 for it. I know that Taurus had quality issues in the past, that's the only reason it isn't home with me now. Any thoughts? Is this a good revolver or should I pass?

 

[drobs]

I went to the Springfield, MO Gun Show yesterday and saw a similar condition blued Taurus 357mag revolver with a $600 price tag on it!!!
I thought to myself - wow are there now Taurus revolver collectors?

I personally am not a Taurus fan.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I have a Tracker 357. Had it for awhile. I think i paid around 400,00 new. But that was some time ago. I love it.

 

[LeftyRed]

That’s an older Taurus and I would have jumped on it for $400! I really missed their blueing in the older ones. Nothing like the sprayed on rattle can bbq paint they use now.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

That's kind of what I was wondering. If the quality of the older Taurus revolvers was better. Seems they wouldn't spend the time to make them look that nice if they weren't decent.

 

[Tallball]

$400 is a good price. If I checked it out and everything looked good and the trigger was decent, I would buy it if I wanted one.

I've owned a bunch of Taurus revolvers. All of them have gone bang except one. The real questions is whether the trigger is any good or not.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

That's kind of what I was wondering. If the quality of the older Taurus revolvers was better. Seems they wouldn't spend the time to make them look that nice if they weren't decent.

From about '86 to '04 or so, Taurus quality was pretty much on par with S&W. I had several from that era and they were fantastic. Definite buy at $400. My buddy has that same gun for sale for $750......if it doesn't sell at that price he is taking it home, lol.

I went to the Springfield, MO Gun Show yesterday and saw a similar condition blued Taurus 357mag revolver with a $600 price tag on it!!!
I thought to myself - wow are there now Taurus revolver collectors?

I personally am not a Taurus fan.

Wanna hear something crazy, there's a local shop asking $1200 for an old Taurus PT945. Yes, its the polished stainless "cartel boss" model with gold plated small parts, but still- yikes!

 

[shoebox1.1]

I would personally like to inspect in my hands a “good” Taurus revolver. From the golden years..apples to apples compare with SW

 

[drobs]

From about '86 to '04 or so, Taurus quality was pretty much on par with S&W. I had several from that era and they were fantastic. Definite buy at $400. My buddy has that same gun for sale for $750......if it doesn't sell at that price he is taking it home, lol.

Wanna hear something crazy, there a local shop asking $1200 for an old Taurus PT945. Yes, its the polished stainless "cartel boss" model with gold plated small parts, but still- yikes!

As much as I dislike Taurus, I wouldn't mind owning one of their PT92 or 1911 pistols in nickel or stainless with the Gold bits. I always liked the PT92 that starred the in the Supernatural TV show.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

As much as I dislike Taurus, I wouldn't mind owning one of their PT92 or 1911 pistols in nickel or stainless with the Gold bits. I always liked the PT92 that starred the in the Supernatural TV show.

View attachment 1139541

The biggest problem with the PT92 is that they have almost no parts compatibility with the Beretta- many bits are close but no cigar, even magazines.

Now that I think about it, I wonder if the locking blocks (the M92s Achilles heel) are even interchangeable.....

 

[mcb]

Taurus is a very mixed bag and their QC comes and goes, more often going than coming. The joke in the USPSA Revolver division circle is Taurus revolvers are fine but you need three. The one you're shooting, the spare in the range bag, and a third back at Taurus being repaired; rotate frequently.

That said my brother has a M44 that has been a very good reliable revolver even after several thousand rounds of some reasonably full bore 44 Mag ammo. Dad's light weight (aluminum frame) Taurus Judge has been reliable too for several hundred rounds of 410 and 45 Colt.

That said I have an S&W M29 that is configured nearly identical to my brother's M44. Both 44 Mag, N-frame sized revolvers, with 6.5 inch full under lug barrels. When you stand there holding both and shooting both one right after another you feel the quality of the S&W over the Taurus. The fit and finish and operation is just a bit tighter and smoother and you really feel it handling them and shooting them at the same time. If you can wing the money the S&W will be a better gun but if you get a good Taurus they are very serviceable revolvers, if you get a bad one... woe unto you. (S&W has had their QC issues too, to a lesser degree, and anyone buying a revolver is this day and age would be wise to inspect closely before putting money on the table.)

I will depart with this final controversial note: Skip the 357 Magnum. It's a Jack of all trades and Master of none. There are so many more interesting and fun calibers to chamber a modern revolver in. Try something big bore or even better rimless and moonclips! Moonclips Rule!

 

[Oldschool shooter]

I have a Model 29-3 and a Model 28 no dash. Also a 2 Model 10's, pencil and heavy barrel. The price on the Taurus just seemed pretty reasonable and it looked to be nearly unfired.

 

[ontarget]

I have a Taurus 689, and I can tell you first hand, it is definitely on par in fit and finish with any other brand from that era (1990+/-).
The trigger is great, and it shoots straight.
I would never part with mine for $400.

 

[br549arkie]

A Taurus revolver can be a good buy at the right price if you can do a very thorough revolver checkout on it and know what to look for. Plenty of them won't pass if you know what to look for and they are nowhere near the quality of a S&W and never have been. That said I do own four of them and three of the four had problems that I fixed.
They all now work reliably and I mainly mostly carry one of them around my farm working in conditions I'd rather not subject one of my S&W's to.