S&W 638 vs. Taurus 651

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Round on the ends, HIGH in the middle.. oHIo
I want one of the two of these. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE LOCK I've shot the airweight 638. It handles nice, but hurts my hand after about 100 rnds. I havn't handled a Taurus. The price difference on the Taurus is nice. I just read a thread that talks about Taurus' terrible customer service. The place I rented the 638 said that Taurus' quality control sucks. (though, they didnt have a 651, but they did have a 638 for sale) I went to another store and one guy said Taurus revolvers suck, and another guy that was showing my a 638 said that he has a Taurus and loves it. I'm confused... they suck, then they're great. I've read around the internet and have seen a lot of 2nd hand stories.

I'd like to know if anyone has any FIRST HAND (that means you've been there and witnessed something with your own eyes) experience on the Taurus 651 or the S&W 638.
 
Don't believe the hype!!!!:eek: Taurus makes a great gun, I have a 650 .357 and it is the best:D I had one lockup with it ,but that was because i was using OLD Double Tap ammo once i switched ammo it has been th best ,I SHOT 290 rounds through it and not one problem,Ithink most of the negative comments just come from the S&W, Ruger and Colt purist, from what I heard at my gunshop is that it is a big hassle to have guns returned to them and have them send it back to the mfgr. so they only stock guns that they have little complaints about, guess what one brand is? TAURUS:neener:
 
I own a S&W M638 and I'm glad that was my choice. I have nothing against Tauaus but in a Snub Nose revolver, S&W is the way to go IMO. 100 rounds is a lot to shoot out of that little pocket cannon and a set of Pachmayr Compac or Compac Pro grips would help tame it a bit so your hand won't hurt. (Compac Pro grips leave the backstrap exposed, the Compac grips don't)
 
the biggest difference between a Tuarus wheely and "todays" s&w wheelys is the great customer service from S&W and the poor c.s. from Tuarus....
 
I've read your review before. I looked at a Taurus with Ti cylinder. It was over $500, which I thought was pretty high. I also looked at a 638 at the same store that was around $340.

Taurus 651s are hard to find. There is one listed on gunbroker at this time. 638's are all over the place...
 
I have a 638 & like it a lot. The only Taurus revolver I have any experience with was a 9 shot 22LR model 94UL. The 94was a good little gun. My only complaint was it had a pretty stiff trigger. The 638 has a really nice trigger. I had 1 small service issue with the Taurus, and it was handled just fine. No complaints from me.

Tuckerdog1
 
Here's my direct experience. I've owned several Taurus handguns, and have had problems with them so often that now I won't even consider owning one for any reason, let alone safeguarding my life. The final straw was one of their 5-shot, short-barreled .41 mag revolvers, which I wanted for kayaking in bear/gator habitat. I bought it new and took it to the range, and it shot fine until about the 20th round, when the hand simply snapped, completely jamming/immobilizing the gun. In my experience, a typical Taurus moment.

In my opinion the Smith Model 38/638 is the best lightweight concealed-carry handgun ever made. I've been carrying one for 30 years with ZERO failures of any kind.
 
I have two Taurus 651 revolvers: one in titanium and one in stainless. Both of them were manufactured and purchased in 2005. Both of them have had several hundred rounds through them. They have been flawless to date in performance, fit and finish. The titanium 651 is my 'bicycling' gun since it is so lightweight and corrosion resistant. I have been happy with my Taurus revolvers and own four all together.
 
$500 is WAY out of line for a Ti 651. Be sure the seller knows it is made from titanium, not gold.
 
I prefer the S&W trigger to the Taurus. Also, S&W better warranty, better customer service. A little more expensive but worth it IMO.
 
The seller of the Ti is the largest seller of handguns in Ohio... I'm sure they know what the price is. I looked at the guy, and said, "That's kinda.. no.. that's REALLY high.. really really high." the S&W wasn't that expensive...

And I forgot, but if you purchase a new S&W firearm, you can get a free $42 rangebag!! ( i just did that with my 686..)
 
When I was out shopping for a wheel gun I was looking at 686 (which I bought) and a Taurus. Noticed the used price of the S&W was about that of a new Taurus. Asked the dealer and he mentioned something about Taurus using fairly cheap and flimsy casting for a lot of small parts. Stuff he claimed were more prone to breakage than their higher priced American counterparts. Hearing that kind of deterred my from buying a Taurus. Then again I was only 22 and fairly new to buying handguns. Also, I got the impression that Taurus guns were almost like the Brazilian equivalent of Chinese copies. That kind of turned me off, also I was turned off by seeing stainless 92F clones in cases.

I know I should be more objective about different brands, but Taurus got a bit of a soiled rep just from word of mouth.
 
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