Taurus 94 lr (1986)

[357smallbore]

Just bought a like new 1986 Taurus 94 in 22lr. Gun is blued and has a 4in bbl. I've always wanted an older one of these. I know the double action pull is like 14 lbs, yet the single is pretty good. This is just going to be a plinker fun gun to have around the ranch.
Anyone have one or knows the reliability? I've read pro and con. Most con seem to be Taurus haters venting.

 

[lincen]

I have a 5” barrel model 94 that has been trouble free and accurate. I have 22’s by Colt, Smith, and Ruger. This Taurus gets shot a good bit and folks that shoot it are always surprised that it’s a Taurus .

 

[ontarget]

I have an older Taurus 94. Not sure just how old it is though since I got it used.
Yes, very heavy DA trigger.
Mine gives me rather frequent failures to fire (seems to be light strikes) but usually will set them off with another try.
I have always planned on taking it apart and smoothing things up, but never got around to it.
It's a solid revolver, and feels like it has potential.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I had one similar to Lincen's (long barrel and adjustable sights), purchased brand new circa 2010. It locked up while shooting my second box of ammo through it, so somewhere under 100 rounds. Removing the sideplate I found that one of the pins on the transfer bar had sheered off.

I contacted Taurus; they would not send me a replacement part and demanded $35 for warranty service at the factory. They also did not offer me a prepaid shipping label. Not the way I would build customer loyalty.

GPC didn't have a replacement part for this model so I had a local welder rebuild the transfer bar and sold it on with full disclosure. YMMV

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

I have the Tracker version in .22 lr, it has the vent rib on top and came with a 22 mag cylinder as well. It's been a solid and accurate pistol. I did put a pair of old Smith and Wesson grips on it, that "ribber" grip that came with it was absolutely gross.

 

[ditmo]

I have a '94 w/ 4" bbl from the early 2000's. Double action is very stiff. Tried springs and slicking but got light strikes. Put factory springs back in it. Single action is acceptable. Never had a problem with it. It's got less than 10K rounds through it. I've got other 22 revolvers I shoot a lot more.

 

[DesertFox]

Once you put a bunch of rounds through it, it will loosen up a bit. Have a vintage one myself who's trigger isn't half bad. The 94 UltraLight Stainless Steel snub on the other hand has the 20# trigger pull still...

 

[Terry G]

A good shooter. Never had a problem with it. 1986, I think.

 

[JN01]

I had a late '90s version. Horrid DA pull, frequent light strikes, tight chambers would make extraction very difficult after firing a couple cylinders full, would sometimes spit lead.

It was accurate though.

 

[Riomouse911]

I bought a 4” SS Taurus 94 off GB over 20 years ago. Like the other posters, this gun is a good shooter with a heavy trigger pull. I painted the front sight orange because the SS sight washed out in bright light.



I also have an 8-shot 941 .22 WMR. This has the later full lug barrel. It is not as reliable as the 94 as it will occasionally light-strike, but it is a pretty accurate little gun when things are going as they should.

I can compare the Taurus to the S&W Model 34 .22/.32 kit gun,


and the Airlite 317, here with the Taurus 941,



as I have those guns, too. The 34 has a better trigger than the 94 but the 3 extra shots in the 94 are a nice touch. The 317 is so light that tough to hit with wearing the factory V rear/Hi Viz front, I put a square notch rear blade on it and it seems to shoot a bit better for me.

The Taurus 94 is a cool little plinker or tackle box gun that won’t break the bank like a Model 63 or 34 can. I think you bought a nice one, congrats!

Stay safe.

 

[Crosshair]

I had a snubnose 94 that was more accurate when thrown than fired. Sold it and bought a 4" one that shoots surprisingly well. As accurate as I am.

 

[jstert]

i had a taurus 94. trigger pull was painfully stout, away it went. i have come to my own conclusion since then that 22lr revolvers are best had in single-action format.

 

[MedWheeler]

Bought one in 1989 for the then-wife to stow bedside when I worked nights (one month out of every three.) It shot well and seemed pretty solid. I let her take it when we divorced several years later.

Bought a new one in 2014. It shoots remarkable well to point of aim and feels good in hand. However, fired cases are extremely difficult to extract. I think the chamber diameters are just a bit too high, allowing the cases to swell into place when fired.

 

[CajunBass]

I've had to fight the battle of tight chambers in 22 revolvers over the years. I've always found an easy starting place is get yourself a lead wipe away cloth, and cut little patches from it and use those patches to really scrub the charge holes. They'll build up a lot of "crub" that makes it difficult to extract a spent cartridge, if not to chamber a fresh round. You'll use a lot of those little patches and they get filthy. Then clean as normal. It's never failed to take care of the problem for me.

Now, on topic, I've owned a few of those Taurus 22's over the years, both 94's and the seldom seen Model 96 (think Model 17). Maybe not as smooth as a Smith and Wesson but generally sold for quite a bit less. Good guns IMHO.