How good are taurus handguns?

Status
Not open for further replies.
W

whm1974

member
Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Messages
3,051
When I was a teenager Taurus was the gun to get if you couldn't afford a Berrata or S&W. Although now I've heard people either dissed Taurus or say they rather have a Taurus instead of a S&W. I assumed the latter is due to S&W sellout...

So are Taurus handguns worth getting? They have a .22lr revovler I'm looking at.

-Bill
 
Tough question.

The fact is that all of the American manufacturers have had their days in the dog house on quality control. So you really can't fault the Brazilians if they occasionally have their QC problems.

While Taurus is not my first choice, I would feel confident with a Taurus I had run 300 break-in rounds through with no problemos.
 
I'm making sure that next time I go to a gunshop I woudn't be buying a dog when I see something at a good price.

-Bill
 
I am a Smith fan - older versions when I can but - Taurus can[/b] be OK. If you have a lemon then it seems you have to have the patience of Jobe, and more - to get results from Taurus.!

I have one hellish old M85 which is a great lil' snub - currently Mrs P95's purse carry gun. I also got some while back a M66 Taurus - might have been lucky but this thing - shot like a Smith - out the box. That is wife's (our) house gun - well, one of em! It's a 4" and a joy to shoot. She shoots it good too.

I'd not ''punish'' any Taurus the way I might other makes ... by vast thruput but - they have their place and if you get a good one, well - they are not junk IMO. But always hope nothing goes wrong with mine I can't fix myself!


m85_s.jpg


m66_s.jpg
 
Thanks. When I get to gunshop I'll check out what they have.

-Bill
 
Although not my first choice by a long stretch, I would trust a Taurus revo with my life. Not so with a Taurus semi-auto.
 
S&W has superior quality and their internal lockwork is superior too. If you ever see the lockplate off on these two guns, you'll see why. The only way I'd buy Taurus is if it was super cheap. That is, it can't even be comporably priced (that is to say $50-75 less) to the equivalent S&W. I'd buy S&W first.
 
I have 8 Taurus revolvers and 18 S&W revolvers and the quality of my Tauri has been between very good and excellent. I think that when it comes to .22 revolvers you really find a big difference in price between the Taurus and the Smiths. I got a nice 648 Smith in 22 MRF but I haven't been able to find a 617 or 17 at a decent price, which is why I'm looking to buy a Taurus 22 revolver myself.
 
I still have a model 66 that I bought 15 years ago. I was young, stupid, and just learning to reload. With all the +P++++ loads I put through it I’ve got no right to still own all my fingers. But the gun held up just fine.

I had to send it back to Taurus once about 10 years ago because I wrecked the extractor spring during a detailed cleaning that I was wholly ill-equipped to perform (I’m more of an auto guy, y’see). They fixed it at no charge & no questions asked. When I got it back it was noticeably tighter & smoother than before. I’ve got mostly Smiths now, but think Taurus is a good buy.
 
I had a taurus Tracker 970 .22lr.
It was a good revolver, never had any problems and would shoot 1.5" groups at 25 yards off a bench with open sights.
The trigger wasn't all that great in DA but single action was good. DA is slightly behind the trigger of a Ruger.
I had a lot of plinking fun with that gun but ended up selling it to get a 357mag.

For the money, they are pretty good. The nearest thing to a Tracker 970 is a S&W 617. I got the 970 for $285, I have not seen a 617 for less than $650, more than twice the price of a Taurus.

In fact I have not seen any S&W for within $100 of the price of the equivalent S&W.
If I could get a S&W for close to the price of a taurus I definately would .
 
I've had three Taurus handguns; a Mod85, a PT99, and the PT92AF that I currently own. I have had no problems with any of them. The only reason I let them go was in trade for other guns.

IMHO, they are solid, reliable firearms, if not as "slick" as others. As mentioned above, all makers have had QC problems at one time or another.
 
I have had several Taurus products and have not had any problems with them.

I just purchased the 24/7 in .45 ACP and am putting it thru the wringer now. So far no problems.

If its a fair price, I would by it with confidence.
 
Only two complaints about my late 80s vintage model 66: fragile firing pin spring (the manual says don't dry fire), and Taurus' cluster**** customer service that totally screwed up (as in charged the card, lost my order and wouldn't admit it for months :banghead: :banghead: (yes, I'll keep repeating this rant. I'm still pissed, a year and a half later) ) my order for the replacement part.
 
Last edited:
I've had 2 Taurus revolvers and the only issue I've run into so far is that the one I bought new came with sand in the action. After cleaning that out and lubing the parts it's been great.

I'd trust my new Taurus for carry if I wanted something lighter than my CZs. I also have a S&W and a Ruger and as far as reliablity goes I don't think you can beat a Ruger. It's much simpler than than either the S&W or the Taurus and is a lot less likely to jam or bind when dirty. My 1st choice in a carry revolver would be a Taurus. Too bad they're almost all huge and heavy.
 
Doesn't matter. They teamed up with the New Jersey legislature on the smart gun project so they are therefore banned for life with no chance of reprieve no matter what they do. They don't exist.
 
The only two Taurus products that I have more than cursory experience with are my M 94 .22 revolver and PT 100 AF.

No significant problems with either. The little .22 has had several thousand rounds through it. Quite accurate with its preferred ammo, and good enough for plinking with any. Nothing has broken nor worn out. While it doesn't look new, it's held up to hard use very well. Still tight and well-timed.

I haven't run more than a few hundred rounds through the .40, but it's been 100% reliable with everything from 155 gr. HPs to 180 gr. ball. Shoots dead-on for POA with 180s at 25 yds with 2 - 3 1/2" groups typical. I like the frame-mounted ambi safety/decocker much better than the Beretta's slide-mounted outfit, FWIW.

Both are well-made, and were inexpensive to acquire. What else can one ask in a utility gun?
 
Backed out

Taurus backed out of the "smart gun" deal with New Jersey shortly after they announced that they had teamed up with them. I remember when the President announced that they wre teaming up on the radio show "Gun Talk". He took alot of heat during that program (some of it came from me). Shortly after that I heard that they had backed out of the deal. I'm not sure if it was from customer pressure or the realization that they were just being used as bankrolling pawns by the antis. Maybe someone with that info would care to shed some more light on the subject.
And to offer full disclosure, I've purchased two Taurus revolvers since then. They offer configurations in certain calibers that aren't available anywhere else. I've also forgiven them for their previous transgressions. :D
 
Gary said

S&W has superior quality and their internal lockwork is superior too. If you ever see the lockplate off on these two guns, you'll see why.
Click to expand...
Could you explain/talk about this a little more? I'm curious. Is it the fitting, the metallurgy or what?
 
Side by side looking at the lockwork of my S&W 646 and my Taurus 455 here's what I see:

Hammer spring is a leaf on the S&W and coil on the Taurus. This is supposed to make for less stacking on the DA pull of the S&W but it's hard for me to tell. The S&W definitely has a nicer DA trigger pull than the Taurus but it seems to have as much to do with the trigger shape as anything else.

Both are pretty much entirely filled with MIM or cast parts (sometimes hard to tell the difference).

The Taurus is a little simpler with more room for debris to get out of the way. Lots of tight flat surfaces in the S&W where debris can gum up the works but also makes for a smoother and lighter action.

There are more machine marks in the Taurus. Particularly on the side plate. Side plate fitting on the S&W is noticeably smoother and consistent which makes reinstalling the side plate easier and less likely to damage the frame.


When I open up my Ruger SRH they both seem complex and frail compared to the much more modern Ruger design. Where as the Taurus is a development of the S&W the Ruger is totally different involving fewer and heavier cast parts that don't require such tight tolerances or clean working conditions.

If I were to bet my life on one, it would be the Ruger 1st with the S&W and Taurus pretty much tied for 2nd. Any example I'd want to test thoroughly before carrying regardless of brand or model.

That's my observations anyway.
 
Taurus handguns?

I only own 2 Taurus handguns both of them the PT-99 9mm semi-autos, and have never had a problem of any kind with either of them. They have been good dependable handguns and shoot just fine for me and my 2 large hunky sons. We all have rather large hands and the Taurus handguns fit us well. I have purchased both of mine used and have never had to have any repairs done on them but the Warranty on a Taurus handgun if forever and I have heard good things about them taking good care of their customers. I like them and have no reservations about suggesting them to a friend as a good buy and a good handgun. Sorry I have no experience with their revolvers. :)
 
I've had 2 Taurus and 1 Rossi (that's now made by Taurus) and all three are 100%. My curent is a 605 357 and I just couldn't see paying $100 more for a comparable S&W.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
Taurus handguns
2 3 4
Replies
76
Views
7K
Bezoar
B
DTL
  • Locked
How good are Taurus Trackers
Replies
12
Views
626
wiscoaster
W
3
  • Locked
What Handgun for Very Large Hands?
2 3
Replies
69
Views
30K
crabkiller
C
T
  • Locked
good self-defence AND target handgun?
2
Replies
43
Views
2K
TMM
T
J
  • Locked
first handgun of 06 advice
Replies
2
Views
382
poppy
P
Back
Top