Picked up a new snubbie.

[ddj8052]

I had recently tried to order a S&W 637 Airweight from a local shop. Unfortunatley they kept screwing around so I got my money back. I went to a diffrent shop that assured me that they could get the gun for me in a couple of days so I went to order the Smith. Well they happend to have a NIB Taurus 85SHC TOTAL TITANIUM MODEL 85 .38 Spl. REVOLVER. I really liked this gun. It is about the same weight as the Smith, but it has porting to help tame recoil. The finish is really nice looking grey color. The trigger was actually very good, I have heard that they tend to be hit and miss but this sample had an excellent pull. So long story short I ended up buying the Taurus. I got it NIB for $425. As I did a ton of reaserch on the Smith I am less familliar with this Taurus. So although it is after the fact I would appreciate any input. Is this a good gun? Does anyone have any experience with it? Also how would you all compare it to the Smith I passed up? Thanks for the input Juan.

 

[Erich]

My first gun was a stainless Taurus 85, way back in the mid-'80s. It had lovely workmanship, and I never should have gotten rid of it. It developed a problem with light primer strikes, but a visit to the factory set that right. Gotta love that Taurus lifetime warranty.

I recently bought a Taurus 415 Ti (the .41 magnum snub in titanium), and have been impressed with it. The gun packs very well and is good on accuracy. The "ribber" grips and the porting make it quite controllable, for a 21-oz .41 magnum. I have not found the "Taurus Lock" on the hammer to be in any way annoying (it has never turned itself on - unlike some reports I've heard about S&W's idiotlock), and it seems like it might be useful.

Your all-Ti 85 weighs a little more than the 637 would have, but it ought to be hell for strong. Compared to the Smith, it's a little bulkier and probably not as nicely put together (in terms of shroud-gaps, polishing of trigger components, etc.). As mentioned, I prefer the Taurus lock to Smith's (tho NONE would be a nice option). I'm not sure I'd ever want porting on a .38 (I didn't really want it on the .41, but I just ran into a phenomenal deal - $299 brand spanking new - on it), since it's not too feisty for me: the porting will drop your muzzle velocity somewhat, but will certainly help you to control the gun for a well-placed next shot.

Your Taurus should serve you very well for the rest of your life as a personal protection gun. Congrats and use it in good health!

 

[otomik]

whats their deal with porting, every titanium gun they make has it. it's more difficult to clean the gun, loses performance and blinds you real quick in a dark confrontation. tom gresham should get in bob morrison's face next time he's on. taurus is run by idiots that don't have the foggiest idea what their consumers want.
evidence:
ported barrels on EVERYTHING
the 24/7
the millenium series
their smartgun program (they used to be the pro-RKBA alternative to s&w)

 

[Jim March]

Well there's SOME good news: Taurus dumped the smartgun thing.

 

[BluesBear]

I am lucky enough to hve found one of the Taurus 445 (2" blue steel .44 special) that was NOT ported. I love it!

I would love to have on of their .41 Magnum snubs but I just can't stand those ports. If Taurus feels there needed to control muzzle rise on their lightweights then why in heck to they insist on putting them on all steel guns?

I saw a woman looking at on in a local shop. She asked "What are these holes in the top for?"
"They help control recoil Ma'am."
"Oh that's good. But doesn't stuff come up through them?"
"Well yes I guess it does, a little."
As she handed it back to him she said, "Well I want all of the stuff going THAT way. (motioning forward) I don't want any stuff shooting UP."
The guy behind the counter just nodded his head. Hard to contest that logic.

Her grasp of technical jargon impressed me. I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[shooter58]

Well, I remember Taurus back when nobody had heard of them. To be "idiots that don't have an idea what the consumer wants", they have sure done a good job of growing and selling guns. My wife has had a M85 (ported) 38 spl. for several years and where it really helps her is in shooting +p loads. She is somewhat recoil sensitive and it makes a real difference. She shoots it well enough that I wouldn't stand out there and let her shoot at me.
They make the occasional mistake like all other makers....I don't think Colt or Smith and Wesson have a perfect record either.

 

[sturmruger]

Good luck with the Taurus. I don't have any Taurus guns, but my buddy does and he really likes them. You are missing out on the Smith 637!! I just bought one from CDNN for $299 NIB. It is a joy to shoot and has the best single action trigger I have ever felt.

 

[JERRY]

i have 2 tauri.

one is a stainless .22mag snubbie, the other is a titanium 850 cia.


i like my ported ti .38 it helps alot in recoil control........i have alot better follow ups than i did with a model 60.

i also dont find the porting blinding at all. in fact, its no more "blinding" than the normal snubbie flash from a non ported gun. maybe my eyes are less ensitive to those things or they adapt very quickly because i just dont have a problem with it like i read some other guys, or maybe its cause i do n.d.t. all day and just got used to being in the dark........who knows?, who cares?, it works.

 

[denfoote]

My wife has a first generation Taurus M85UL in aluminum.
She bought this while we were still dating and has had it for a long time.
It shoots to POA, but has the same fault as most of the light frame revolvers have. Mainly, when you try to shoot heavy lead bullets, the recoil causes the rest of the rounds to slip their crimps and bind up the gun!!

For this reason, I don't like the exotic metal alloy framed guns!!!
Just be careful as to what you shoot in it, especally for self defense.