Member consensus on Taurus

[brutus51]

Just saw the cover of guns & ammo with a new Taurus revolver.
Never shot one or known anyone who has owned one.
Always heard it was a brand to steer clear of because of quality problems and bad customer service.
Just curious.

 

[derek45]

Not a fan.

 

[TarDevil]

Always heard it was a brand to steer clear of because of quality problems and bad customer service.

Where did you hear that?

 

[DDDWho]

This Taurus is as well made as any gun I own including Smith, Kimber and Ruger. I can find no fault with it. It may be the last one I would ever sell. It has features less available elsewhere. If its possible to love an inanimate object count me in.

 

[chickasaw_hunter]

I haven't bought a Taurus in years so my advice might be dated for today's Taurus. My experience with Taurus was always a crap shoot. I've rolled the dice a few time and came up with a couple of good pistols. But I didn't win with every roll of the dice. Now days I just stay clear of them, but if the right pistol came along at the right price I could be tempted, but knowing I could lose the toss of the dice.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I own quite a few Taurus guns. No complaints at all. Only one revolver though. A tracker in 357. But laying it next to my Ruger GP100. You can see the quaility differences.

 

[entropy]

I have had nothing but positive experience with my two Tauri, and buying a third soon. Mine are autos, but my son had a Model 66, and it was a good gun. He even got a deer with it.

 

[George Dickel]

I've owned a Model 709 Slim semi auto, a Model TCP in .380, a model 85 with the concealed hammer and a Model 44 in 44 Mag. I had no problems with the Model 709 other than it and me didn't work well together, just didn't feel right in my hand. The TCP had a problem with the firing pin retaining pin walking out. Taurus sent me a new retaining pin, but it walked out also so the rep told me to send it in and they sent me a new pistol that worked well. The Model 85CH I owned for almost 15 years and never had a problem with it. Fired a lot of ammo through it. The Model 44 I bought used and after about 200 or 300 rounds the firing pin broke. As it was used, I don't know how many owners it had and how much it was dry fired without using snap caps. I sent it into Taurus and it was retuned about 3 weeks later in working order, repaired at no cost to me. My major complaint about Taurus revolvers is the finish isn't polished enough for me. Are they a Smith or a Colt, no!
I've heard the complaints about their customer service but I have always been treated fairly, politely and they promptly fixed the problem.

I recently purchased a new S&W Model 41 target pistol in .22lr that couldn't get through a magazine without a jam, stovepipe or failure to feed. A local gunsmith polished the chamber and it has worked properly since. On another forum for this model and there have been numerous complaints about the newer manufacture pistols. Some of my fellow bullseye shooters have had similar problems with this model. This is a $1,300 pistol and it should not have these problems. I had another new Smith pistol that wouldn't fire the first round. It was returned to Smith, repaired and functions as it should. Do enough reading on gun forums and you will read all kinds of complaints about every manufacturer and model.

 

[Frulk]

I’ve never owned one. Like the look of several models they have. My only personal experience with one is a buddy was shooting his .44 Mag next to me at a Vegas indoor range and the front sight flew off his gun while shooting.

That’s not enough to put me off on buying one. I’ve had a number of Factory new Rugers with issues that had to be fixed. Vaqueros which needed basepins replaced. Single 7’s which needed loading gates enlarged etc.

Always liked that Taurus Tracker 992 .22 Mag revolver.

 

[LiveLife]

new Taurus revolver ... Always heard it was a brand to steer clear of because of quality problems and bad customer service.

I haven't bought a Taurus in years ... My experience with Taurus was always a crap shoot.

So the OP asks about a new Taurus model because the OP "heard" about quality problems and another member who haven't bought a Taurus in years suggests buying a Taurus was "always a crap shoot".

And we have these from other members

This Taurus is as well made as any gun I own including Smith, Kimber and Ruger. I can find no fault with it. It may be the last one I would ever sell.

I own quite a few Taurus guns. No complaints at all.

When a coworker wanted to buy a compact carry pistol for wife, I suggested Glock 19. When hand size became an issue, we tried different pistols at the store and Taurus G2C fit her hands well. When coworker asked about reliability and accuracy of the model, I did some research and found it to be favorable enough to recommend the purchase.

After the purchase, I had a chance to disassemble, clean and thoroughly test before training the wife on defensive shooting. Other than trigger pull/release that was further back than G19 and reset further forward, it shot accurately and was reliable and wife did well with defensive shooting training.

When my sister/BIL who recently moved to Texas inquired about compact carry pistol, I suggested Glock 19 but due to my sister who has small hands (She liked my M&P40 with small grip insert and TOOK IT to compete in matches because she shot it well), I actually suggested they try Taurus G2C along with G19. When I was visiting them few weeks ago in Texas, we got to shoot the G2C at the local range and both were satisfied with the performance/accuracy and I bought them his/her G2Cs because they were my "favorite sister/BIL" (Actually my only sister/BIL ).

When I shot their new G2C, I was impressed with the trigger (Dryfiring did not move the front sight when the striker was released) that allowed fast follow up shots and accuracy out to 15 yards. As to fit and finish, I was also impressed that all the parts were tightly assembled yet operated smoothly.

Of course sister's M&P40 shot more accurately at 25 yards but for closer defensive shooting, I was pleasantly happy with G2C's accuracy and reliability during several hundred rounds of factory/reload testing out of the box.

Since my limited experience with "new" Taurus pistols may not translate to the "new Taurus revolver", I suggest OP continue to research for actual user reviews with "new/newer" Taurus revolvers.

 

[FL-NC]

From a guy who uses (or would like to use) all of his guns pretty hard, they aren't for me, unless it was just something I was going to keep in a truck or drawer of my tool chest and rarely if ever fire. Probably right for someone who wants a gun but isn't a real "shooter".

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Im going to share a story about my 2 Taurus PT'S the 111 and the 140 (40sw) for those who are not familar with that model. I also had 2 SW SDVE'S. One in 40sw and a 9mm. I kept the 2 Taurus. The Taurus's had better triggers and it enabled me to shoot them much more accurate. And traded the 2 Smiths for my 2nd 1911 even up. The 1911 i got was an RIA tac model 45 with the fiber optic from sight.

 

[Obturation]

I've had ups and downs with them, seems common. I've got a gaucho in 45 colt with a trigger pull well below 1#, not sure that's a good thing. Had a tcp that was reliable but was flimsy and very very difficult to shoot well. Had another gaucho that would lock up tight with the hammer at full cock and couldn't be dislodged or unloaded (with my knowledge at the time). So yeah, they make some cool guns but they aren't for a guy like me, I like my guns tough as nails and with a good company behind them. Nothing against Taurus I know there are good ones but I'm not rich enough to spend money to find out.

 

[bangswitch]

I have a Taurus in my safe, but have only fired it once, many years ago. It is actually my wife's gun, her dad bought it for her when she went off to college in the late 1970's. I don't even know what model it is, a 5-shot .38 Spl snub nose. I wouldn't buy one, not because they aren't any good, but as long as S&W makes revolvers, I'll get one from them if I need one.

 

[Varminterror]

The all Steel revolvers are generally fine, and have been throughout the history of Taurus. The Tracker and Raging series revolvers, specifically, are great products.

The Ultralight series revolvers have had critical issues which I can’t really forgive - the hardened steel insert bushings used on the firing pin and the main pin have been poorly tempered and crack within the frame, seizing their respective pins and rendering the revolver inoperable, and effectively irreparable - but Taurus does replace them… but maybe that failure mode in your defensive revolver carries a steep consequence.

The polymer pistols have also been terrible. I’ve done action jobs on a lot of these, the various generations of the Millennium pistols and the Curve… just needing a lot of attention typically to run right.

The clones like the M92 and the 1911 clones are great values, typically of fit and finish commensurate with their price, but well functioning.

 

[Anchorite]

I picked up a 357 snub once, can’t recall the model offhand, it was a steel model not a lightweight alloy revolver. I let it go because it just was not as nice as my Rugers or Smiths, quality wise. Shot fine, just a low(er) budget revolver that I didn’t have a need for. I’d probably take a chance again on their revolvers. No experience with their autos.

 

[Zendude]

Here’s an anecdotal case of a new 856 from an experienced Taurus owner

 

[12Bravo20]

The all Steel revolvers are generally fine, and have been throughout the history of Taurus. The Tracker and Raging series revolvers, specifically, are great products.

The Ultralight series revolvers have had critical issues which I can’t really forgive - the hardened steel insert bushings used on the firing pin and the main pin have been poorly tempered and crack within the frame, seizing their respective pins and rendering the revolver inoperable, and effectively irreparable - but Taurus does replace them… but maybe that failure mode in your defensive revolver carries a steep consequence.

The polymer pistols have also been terrible. I’ve done action jobs on a lot of these, the various generations of the Millennium pistols and the Curve… just needing a lot of attention typically to run right.

The clones like the M92 and the 1911 clones are great values, typically of fit and finish commensurate with their price, but well functioning.

That has been my experiences as well with Taurus products. I currently have a 3" Model 85, 2" Model 856, and a 2" Model 942 and all have been good to go for me. I definitely did not care much for the Taurus 24/7 Pro--C I had years ago. While it was accurate, I could never get use to the mile long trigger pull. And every Taurus PT92 and PT1911 I have worked on or shot has been fine too.

 

[entropy]

The Gx4 has a much better trigger than the G2/G3 series guns, which is why I'm switching.

 

[wcwhitey]

I was trying to remember the Models of the Tauri I have owned over the years. A 92 Beretta copy, a Model 85 Snub and a Model 74 .32 Long Kit Gun like revolver. All were good guns, really no complaints all were Brazilian imports. I would pay double what I sold the 74 for to have one like it. I do not know much about the current crop though. The Trackers seem to have a fan base. The 856 3” is a great idea, I have seen good and bad. I would give a similar revolver a shot in .32 Long, Mag or .327.
I will say that it seems to me from everything that I read is that every maker has some negative press lately. Not sure if it is COVID related as the workforce is still unsettled in many ways or something else. Ultimately though if you see something you like give it a try! If you like it keep it, if it breaks send it back, if it sucks sell it and move on. There really is no way to guarantee you get a winner with any maker, folks are sending back Colts, Smiths, Rugers and Charter Arms guns for problems all the time.

 

[Charlie98]

I've had 2 Taurus pistols... .45 ACP PT1911's. I bought them because they were $400, and supposedly had forged components.

Pistol #1 shot left... far left. I fitted a different barrel on it hoping to bring it around, but no. I swapped parts between my 2 PT1911 pistols to try to find a magic combination of parts, but no. Further, the trigger was not fitted well... it drug on the grip safety. You had to have that grip safety smashed into the grip to get the trigger past it to fire.

Pistol #2 shot well enough. I put about 1000 rounds through it until the slide metal started to peen from the hammer. It actually peened so bad, I couldn't get the firing pin retention plate out of it's slot. Sure, I could have taken a file or Dremel to it... but that told me how well the slide had been heat treated.

This is a horrible photo... but the slide metal has flowed over the firing pin retention plate...



No... not a big fan of Taurus pistols.

 

[LiveLife]

Here are some Hickok45's recent review of Taurus pistols:

• Taurus Raging Bull
• Taurus G2C
• Taurus G3
• Taurus G3C
• Taurus GX4

 

[Beck]

I have a Taurus in my safe, but have only fired it once, many years ago. It is actually my wife's gun, her dad bought it for her when she went off to college in the late 1970's. I don't even know what model it is, a 5-shot .38 Spl snub nose. I wouldn't buy one, not because they aren't any good, but as long as S&W makes revolvers, I'll get one from them if I need one.
View attachment 1085724

That's an original Model 85 (a J-frame in S&W terminology). I bought a stainless 38 Spl 3-inch barrel version for my wife 30 years ago. She still has it and has put many rounds through it. These are quality revolvers, as good or better than S&W.

I have an original 6-shot "K-Frame" Taurus Model 66 in 357 Mag that I bought about the same time. It's a twin to the S&W Model 19 on the outside, with some internal differences. It's a great shooter, has been very accurate and reliable. It will outlast any S&W Model 19 due to the 19's forcing cone issue.

I am a big fan of Taurus. Great products, great customer service. I've never had to send any of my Taurus products in for service. Never had a failure. But I've had some nice conversations with Taurus CS. By the way, the Model 85 is rated for +P.

~ Beck

PS: Taurus hasn't always produced quality products. A few of their offerings have been dogs, like any other manufacturer. But overall I give Taurus an A rating.

 

[hemiram]

My Taurus experiences ranged from disaster to dreamland. My first gun period was a Taurus 83, a .38spl POS that spit lead when I got it, and the barrel would lead up almost instantly. It had totally messed up rifling that literally ripped off jackets from jacketed rounds and hunks of lead from lead bullets. I sent it to Taurus twice. The first time they fixed the timing, but didn't fix the barrel. The second time they refused to even admit the barrel was defective, and sent it back to me untouched. I sold it off and didn't buy another Taurus gun for about 32 years. I bought an 809 after a friend had one I really liked. It was much better than my previous Taurus, but it was very ammo picky, so it was sold off to a friend who has it running 100% now, after several years of playing with it.

I bought another 809, and this one is fine, zero issues, and seems to eat anything it's given. I have a PT92, a 658 8 shot .357 revolver, and three PT111 G2's. I have no complaints about any of them.

 

[DeepSouth]

Your not going to get a consensus. Which may indicate the “hit or miss” theory is correct.
Myself, I pass on them these days, I tend to spend a little more and get nicer stuff.