Taurus Snubbies

[Guillermo]

I owed you one MrBoreland.

And you have to give me credit...at least I didn't turn something unrelated, like a discussion of college basketball, into an IL rant.

 

[DeepSouth]

There is a bigger difference in quality than in price, IMO.

 

[MCgunner]

Taurus is fantastic. I've got a 14 year old 85UL that's better in function than any J frame I've ever fired. I have a couple of 66s I like a lot, too, but the little 85 has the best trigger out of the box that I've ever felt on a revolver, very impressive, and it's as accurate as any snub, about 3" at 25 yards off bags, about as good as I can shoot such a gun.

I'll not waste my money on a new Smith. Old ones, maybe, depends on the gun and the price.

 

[chicharrones]

I have not shot a Taurus 38 snub, but have shot their small frame .22. The Trigger was awful. I bought a S&W 442 lightly used for less than a new Taurus and I am very happy.

The small frame .22LR/.22mag model 94 has a reputation for a stout double action trigger. Something to do with a heavy hammer spring for reliable rimfire ignition.

The centerfire Taurus revolvers do not have as heavy of a double action pull. The single action pull can be fantastic, once the trigger has been pulled through enough times to smooth it out. My Taurus 85UL has one of those really good triggers, with no gunsmithing required.

 

[old4x4]

Go for it, but inspect it closely. I purchased a brand new 444 Ultralight 2 1/4" snubby last Thurs, went away for the weekend, so I really didn't play with it until Sunday. The barrel was installed rotated out of position (to the right). I hadn't noticed it at the shop but didn't think I had to. Never fired it, either. Cust service was great and it's on it's way back for repair. Everybody has a bad day, I guess.
I also have a 445 in 44spc that I love and a very accurate 45 ACP tracker that's also problem free.
Inspect, inspect, inspect...

 

[oldbear]

My Taurus 617 2" has worked just fine and I've been happy with it. It is my understanding that with Taurus you will either get a very solid and workable revolver or one that may never be correct, no matter how many times it is sent to Taurus.

 

[SouthronBoy]

I've got a 605 that I like, and is in my carry rotation.

I like my J frame much better, but it's my barbeque gun.

 

[Yo Mama]

I had a 85, the main horse in their snubby line. I sent back 2 times with problems with the forcing cone jamming the cycling when pulling the trigger.

I sold it. Discussed it here.

I have a full size Taurus revolver, and an auto. I love both, and wouldn't sell either. I'd stay away from the snubby.

 

[esq_stu]

I have owned: 650, 606, 941, 450, 445, 455, 905

I had issues with ALL of them. The only revolver brand I will ever own again will be S&W and Ruger (I own a 642 and an SP101).

 

[NMGonzo]

I voted yes, but I'd add a P.S. of "after thorough inspection"
Not that I wouldn't advise the same of any firearm purchase.
I bought an 85B3 this weekend myself actually, and am glad I did. Fit, finish, rifling, timing, lockup... all topnotch. Shoots tight groups to point of aim. For the pricetag, can't ask for much more than that!

All boils down to is how you inspect the gun.

Taurii tend to be tight at the cone, so bring a feeler gauge.

 

[tackleberry45]

OK, this is interesting at how close the results are. I am leaning towards to many negatives and will not buy it right now....

 

[MCgunner]

Your loss, I assure you.

 

[KevininPa]

I have two 605s

My wifes blued one is great. Shoots .38 and .357 nicely. Even found a nice wood grip to go with the bluing. Bought a stainless one for myself because hers was so nice. Mine took two florida vacations to Taurus CS in the five month period after purchase. Now it works pretty good and I tested it pretty heavily with .357s. But it will be gone when Charter brings out their CARR in .45. Thus somes up my experience with Taurus snubs. I voted the last option. Mine really are 50/50.

 

[eqlzr]

I would say if you know something about guns, you're pretty safe getting a Taurus gun cuz you can spot a ringer from almost the get go, or you won't let a problem go unresolved by the company. The best way to prevent issues is to be extra familiar with guns and check it over well before it leaves the store. Every company has duds, which is very unfortunate and particularly painful for a newbie, so take along an old saw and let them inspect your Taurus, Rossi, whatever carefully before plunking down your credit card. You should be right then.

 

[NMGonzo]

If you are scared of the taurus, buy a ruger.

 

[MCgunner]

Or, you can pay twice the price for a new Smith and Wesson and take the same risks.

I agree, read the stuff on revolver check out and CHECK it out, Ruger, Taurus, Smith, whatever. Put the odds on your side.

 

[Bboomer]

I have only 1 Taurus its a 605M SS 2 3/4 in BBL. I bought it about five yrs ago for $279 n tax. I've shot the crap out of it and its still tight. Its shoots POA very well. Its handled some heavy loads through it w/o any signs of wear.

Its one of my main carry revolvers. That said I've no issues with at all.

Although I like my 605, I'll probably never own another Taurus. My niche is S&W, which btw I just rescued a pre 10 2" in snub @ 95% + cond. Although I haven't fired it yet, I'm patiently awaiting for a warm day.

But like I said, I only have one Taurus (605) and its been a good'n, as I have not experienced any other models.

 

[Hondo 60]

Brand new??? I wouldn't buy anything but a Ruger.
S&W, Taurus, Rossi, Charter etc - not worth the time or money.

 

[wankerjake]

I would save my money for a Smith or Ruger. You could probably find a used Ruger SP101 in the $350-$400 range and it would most likely be far more reliable. That's my opinion. I haven't shot any NEW Taurus pistols, but we've owned several in the family. They ALL had problems, I think we had 3 total. We're not likely to buy another.

With Taurus, you're gambling with the money you save. I've gambled, and I've lost. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

 

[au01st]

Picked up a Rossi (owned by Taurus) .357 yesterday with a 3" barrel from Academy. Cleaned it up and went to shoot today. No issues hitting a coke can on a stick at 20 yards with .38+P, so I'm very happy with it. (My dad laughed beforehand just cause he can't hit a 10" circle at 10 yards with his S&W 642, he wasn't laughing as the coke can spun around.)

From some people's reviews online, I thought this gun might explode in my hand on the first shot. It didn't...not on the first, or the second, or the hundredth. Planning to run it as back-up to my back-up at home, or in my pocket if I don't feel like open carrying. Planning on 5 rounds of .38 gold dots, and the final round as a .357 should I need it.

 

[wankerjake]

From some people's reviews online, I thought this gun might explode in my hand on the first shot. It didn't...not on the first, or the second, or the hundredth.

Yeah my Rossi 357 revolver shot great for 300-400 rounds...then it didn't. I hope you don't have the same troubles as I had with mine. Also I bought mine used, so who knows about round count.

 

[atlctyslkr]

I've had a M85 for about 14 years. I have had no trouble out of it and put hundreds of rounds through it. Trigger is smooth, might actually be smoother than my S&W 649 (my other snub).

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

We have had two since the early 90's and like them both. My wife likes them better than the Smith and Wesson snubbies that she tried...

 

[sideways]

I've carried a 7 shot 357 titanium for a bunch of years now and spent lots of time at the range with it never had problem one.

 

[bannockburn]

I thought about picking up a Taurus snubbie today at the gun show, but found a new S&W 638 with a 2.5" barrel and decided to go with it instead. Compared to the Taurus revolvers that I looked at, the 638 had no cylinder play, had a nice tight lock-up, and a really great DA/SA trigger pull. What really sold me though was the longer barrel. Balance was just about perfect, the front sight was easy to pick-up, and the full length ejector rod was like icing on the cake. The best part of all was that it was priced a little less than what a comparable Taurus would have cost me.