Taurus Model 94

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dispatch

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Okay- Taurus Model 94- .22 LR has got a lot of bad press. I had gift cards I had to use so I picked one of these up. Haven’t shot it yet, but every thing on the revolver is as it should be. It does seem to have a really heavy double action pull, but it is crisp in DA and SA mode. The bluing is beautiful- reminiscent of older Smiths. Grips are too small- any advice appreciated.
 
For best accuracy I suggest using at least a 40 grain bullet in it. The lighter bullets do not stabilize well in the 1 in 15 twist of the Taurus. I have found so far that mine likes CCI best.
 
My ex and I had one quire a few years back. I had bought it for her as a learning and bedside weapon. Gave us no problems whatsoever, and was reliable, and reasonable accurate. I had (and still have) a Model 66, so the 94 seemed like a logical .22 companion for it. Both seem to have been well made. I bought the Model 66 in 1987, and the 94 in 1990 (I gave her the 94 when we divorced in 1996.)
 
I've this love hate thing going w/ mine. I hate how the rear sight shifts on its own -- only gun I know of w/ self adjusting sights--, the DA trigger is long & heavy on the verge of crappy. Over the years, the bluing has unevenly worn and replaced by rust.
On the good side, I figured long ago that if I learned to shoot this gun I could shoot anything. So, over the years, I've put 1000's upon 1000's of rounds through it, learned to shoot DA wheelguns pretty well :cool:
 
shiny2.gif
I got mine (upper left) used and had a $80 dollar action job done on it.
It's now a great little gun.
That being said I'll trade anyone straight across for their K-22 masterpiece.;)
 
I had one and traded it after a while.
Shallow rifling leaded up with plain lead rounds.
Accuracy wasn't impressive.
The trigger got a little better after a few thousands rounds but was still heavy in DA.
Carefully putting a dab of flourescent hobby paint on the sights improved them dramatically.
 
I have wanted to give one of these a chance in the past... pickings are pretty slim nowadays for a DA .22, not a whole lot of options.

But I agree about the bad press. What I have heard over the years was just too hit-and-miss to go through with it.


10-Ring: You don't want to blue Loctite that rear sight in place?
 
I think the manual reccomends 40gr bullets. All the 94/941 revolvers I've had have had issues.
 
horrendous trigger pull

gritty action. Least favorite handgud. Rests comfortably in the back of the safe.
 
All rimfire revolvers have a heavy DA trigger. Its the nature of the beast due to the striking power needed to assure consent firing.

I had one and have shot several. Some good, some bad. But, then the same can be said about the S&W 317s I've shot.

If you aren't set on the Taurus, I would suggest the Charter Arms Pathfinder. Its my next pruchase after firing a few at the range. And they are American made, with good costumer service, and priced right.

If not, and the Taurus is a must, then I would get the steel version of the 94 and stay away from the ULs. The ULs seem to be the ones with the most problems.

The 94 isn't a target or hunting handgun. Its a nice small frame wheelgun to plink with, use for snake guns, and teach new shooters with. And, the same can be said for the very more expensive S&W 317.

22lr
 
Colt46
But it's still in the safe? I'm working this one hard enough to make finger and thumb sore, but I've done that with Smiths and Rugers too. Have'nt been to the range yet. We'll have to see where in the safe it resides.
 
Liked mine a lot. Trigger was heavy. Keep an eye on the windage adjustment screws on the rear sight. They'll back out & get lost.

Tuckerdog1
 
I had one for about a year. The double action pull was just too stiff for my tastes, and even cocking the hammer to shoot single action was uncomfortable as the checkering bit into my thumb too much. Supposedly, they smooth up after a lot of shooting, but I didn't have the patience for it. I traded it in for a Single Six, since I was shooting so much in single action mode anyway. I don't have anything against Taurus in particular, as I own an 851 snubby and am perfectly happy with it.
 
Ive got a older blued 94 without the underlug. Its a great little plinking gun, light enough to not notice on a walk thru the woods.
I also recently got a SS 94 w/5" underlug barrel, its trigger is muuuuuch heavier than the older 94, or my Rossi 518. But its a nice crisp single action which is how i will shoot it 99% of the time so the heavy dbl action doesnt bother me.
 
Have a pair of early 4" versions. One in Stainless, and one blued. They have literally thousands of rounds through them, with no problems.

While neither is a target grade gun, both are easily minute of 12 ga hull at 15 yards.

Also have a S&W Model 17, 6". The triggers on both Taurus 94's are easily as smooth now as on the Model 17. The Model 17 also gums up faster than the Taurus.

Neither of my guns has any problem with the rear sight.
 
Its one of my favorite .22 revolvers and I have 5 Smiths to compare it to, its the equal of any of them in fit finish and function. It has a better DA trigger than my 1956 K22. My son and daughter also like to shoot it, and they have no problem with the DA trigger, they both do have a problem pulling the DA on my K22s. I bought mine in 1996 and probably have 20,000 rounds fired at least, with zero problems, accuracy is excellent and mine seems to prefer the 38 grain federal copper plated bulk pack bullets. When I take newbies shooting its the gun I use to teach them how to shoot. BTW mine is a 4" and I have a hogue wood finger groove grip on it.
In short its a great revolver, and my son likes the fact that its 9 shots.
 

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any advice appreciated.

Ok, first thing is to not try to go to a lighter spring. You will get misfires. I swapped the springs out for a lighter one, then swapped it back. I still had the same amount of misfires.

Second thing, it's a Taurus revolver, so crack open that sideplate and look for metal shavings. It's a "feature" with this revolver. I blew mine out with compressed air and relubed.

Third thing, it's not reliable. Misfires will constantly abound, you will get frustrated.

Fourth thing, trade it off or see if you can return it for a refund. If there's a 15% restocking fee to pay, pay it and be glad that you got off easy. You won't get much for a used Taurus.
 
any advice appreciated.

Ok, first thing is to not try to go to a lighter spring. You will get misfires. I swapped the springs out for a lighter one, then swapped it back. I still had the same amount of misfires.

Second thing, it's a Taurus revolver, so crack open that sideplate and look for metal shavings. It's a "feature" with this revolver. I blew mine out with compressed air and relubed.

Third thing, it's not reliable. Misfires will constantly abound, you will get frustrated.

Fourth thing, trade it off or see if you can return it for a refund. If there's a 15% restocking fee to pay, pay it and be glad that you got off easy. You won't get much for a used Taurus.
 
Who the HELL uses a .22 for self defense? That said, who the HELL shoots at a rabbit using DA? I frankly don't care that every DA .22 revolver I've ever fired including Rugers (even center fire Rugers suck out of the box) and Smiths have heavy triggers, even a K22 Masterpiece.

I have a little stainless Rossi 511 Kit Gun and it's a dandy, very accurate, DA sux, big deal, SA is budda. It's a "knock about" gun and even shoots the occasional squirrel, very accurate. If I didn't have the Rossi, I wouldn't hesitate to try the Taurus. I have 3 centerfires that are awesome.

All .22s will misfire occasionally, nature of rimfire. I get much fewer misfires in all my .22s with CCI. Of the ammo I use, Federal Lightening bulk pack is the worst. My Ruger Mk 2 will misfire a couple out of every range trip, have a Ramline Exactor that is fine with CCI and will NOT fire more than 5 out of a mag of 15 of Federal. The Rossi fires 'em pretty reliably, rarely a misfire. My thought is that the rather large, round firing pin tip dents more of the rim on firing and is less apt to hit a dry spot in the priming. My rifles are the same way, some CCI always fires, Federal not so much. But the federal is accurate and CHEAP!

One word of advice that always seems to work for me, my mama always told me this. Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. If I'd believed all the BBS bashing of Taurus I've read, I'd not have three of the best centerfire revolvers I've ever owned right now. Actually, I could say that about Ruger, Kel Tec, and Rossi just off the cuff. Go over to the autoloader forum and tell 'em you like Ruger P guns or the Kel Tec P11. Sheesh!
 
You've owned SEVEN Model 94 pistols? Talk about a glutton for punishment.

Perhaps the problem lies with expectations, rather than performance. Have you had any better luck with anyone else's pistols?

Sounds to me as though you'd be much better off with a semi-automatic for your style of shooting.

Weren't you, and this story, over on RimfireCentral before? I've only heard about the "metal shavings in the action" once before. That's pretty hard to believe that you've purchased seven Model 94 revolvers over the years, and ALL of them had these mystical metal shavings in them. Got any pictures?

Depending on the brand of .22 ammo, and the position in their price line, mis-fires are all too common in the lower price range.

NO .22 revolver should have it's springs replaced to lighten the trigger pull, unless you WANT mis-fires, or are using true target ammo.
 
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