What are the differences between Taurus and S&W revolvers?

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10 Ringer'

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Besides the lesser pricetag, what are some of the more important differences between recent make Taurus revolvers and S&W wheelguns and why would you chose one over the other? I already have a Taurus 605 .357mag snubbie, and aside from a slight loosening of the cylinder release button, it shoots just fine. Plenty accurate, durable, mechanically sound, and the blue finish isn't all that bad either... for $200 or so less than it's S&W inspirataion... why go for a used Smith when a new Taurus (under lifetime warranty) goes for less?

Thoughts and opinions on this one?
 
Shoot, this question can be asked of anything. Why pay for a BMW when a Chevy costs so much less? Why pay for a custom 1911 for $2000 when a Charles Daly is only $400?

There are tangible quality differences even though you may not immediately see them.

It's also possible your Taurus is fine, will shoot straight, and have no problems. But if you bought 10 of them, and 10 S&W revolvers, I'd put my money that more of the Smiths would be good, and more of the Taurus's would be lemons.

Its hard to evaluate just one, but I'm glad you like it.

-Robert
 
Superior engineering

S&W has superior lockwork. Next time you have a chance to do a side by side comparison of the two, you'll see why S&W is more expensive. Better internal mechanism inside and more safety features (rebound slide). Given a choice between two revolvers of the same caliber, barrel length, and weight, I'll pay the extra for a Smith anyday.

BTW, I think S&W is more honest in upholding their "lifetime" guarantee than Taurus.
 
S&W wheelguns tend to be nicer from model to model compared to the Tauri. When you find a nice Taurus revo, they're nice guns at a nicer price. Also down the line (if you decide to sell it), the S&W revolvers will be worth more.
 
I was shooting next to a chap with a Ti Taurus .44 Special some time back - not really a problem from him, as his Taurus locked up regularly. Friday found me shooting my new S&W M66-6" from sandbags at metal plates @ 110yd , using my .38 Special hand loads (...and yes, I actually hit them!). The same guy was next to me - again - this time with a Rossi .357 snubbie. I chased him off... and for good reason. I still have scabs on my right forearm and over my right eye where some of his round's copper spit drew blood. I have seen powder residue spit from a S&W's gap - but never lead or copper cladding. I have never had a S&W lock up. I have seen both Taurus and Rossi do both. I will own only S&W's, fewer than the number of other's I could afford, but more reliable, I feel.

In my own family, my son loves his Rossi revolvers - and my brother-in-law loves his Taurus' - so, take your chances. Not me, I'll stay with S&W and Ruger.

Stainz
 
You've got to give Taurus credit. They're coming out with some INTERESTING designs. I mean, you don't see Smith making a 5-shot, .41 Magnum snubby.

Now that Smith has an internal lock too, well...

From what I've heard, Taurus' titanium models remain problematic, but their steel ones are fine. FWIW.
 
>>I mean, you don't see Smith making a 5-shot, .41 Magnum snubby.<<

Probably because there's really no demand for one.

;)
 
IMHO, 4v50 Gary nailed this one VERY well.

I own many Smith (and Ruger) revolvers and have yet to have any reliability, durability, quality, or accuracy problems (and, by the way, one of the S&Ws is a 30+ year old P&R'ed 27-7 that has fired thousands of rounds and is every bit as good today as when t left the factory).

I must admit I have never owned a Taurus. However, several friends have and ALL have eventually had to return their weapons to the factory for repairs (some successful and some not).

A fundamental, life-long lesson is QUALITY counts. Frequently, you get what you pay for.

Regards.
 
At the recent Shot Show I was able to handle many Taurus guns and S&W and in every case the Taurus has a cheaper feel to it.
Hard to describe but the Smiths are more solid.
And I never have a problem reselling a Smith often at an appreciated price, while the Taurus guns are harder to sell and lose value.
 
I agree with those who believe that Smith & Wesson
stands on the better side of Quality.:D In most
cases, if it ain't right when it leaves the factory; they
will strive to make it right for their customer(s).:)

And the Tauri "Limited Lifetime Warranty"* seems
to be somewhat of a big joke!:rolleyes: :uhoh:


*FootNote- if in doubt, just re-read the many threads
on this subject.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
My only wheelgun is a Taurus 669 and it's good, but the quality is definately not up to S&W or Ruger levels. I don't mind a little extra heft so I tend to prefer Ruger revolvers.

My Taurus has been reliable and accurate and the trigger has improved over time but I haven't shot it as much as my automatics. I've maybe put 500 rounds through it . . . one of which was a double charge (oops). The metalurgy is good, I'll give them that :D

However if my life was on the line I had to use a wheel gun I'd definately rather have a Ruger or a S&W in my palm. Can't make good on a warrantee if you're 6 feet under.
 
When looking for another wheelgun, I always seem to pick the well used $300.00 S&W over the brand new Taurus. The only Taurus that I've owned was a Millennium that had such a bad trigger I traded it before I even shot it, so I can't speak about the capabilities of Taurus.

BUT...

so far, every used S&W I've found has still felt better and had a better trigger than any New Taurus I compared it to.
 
Taurus bad! Smith good! Taurus metal bad - forcing cones erode on revolvers with factory loads, follower on semi magazines break apart - poor quality metals/metalurgy. Bad, bad triggers. Smiths last a lifetime. Spirit that dwells in Smith revolvers is very strong. Taurus spirit is weaker and speaks poor English. Dennis
 
Spirit that dwells in Smith revolvers is very strong. Taurus spirit is weaker and speaks poor English.
Click to expand...

Now that is funny! :D

(That's why I'm not into "Brand X" revolvers; you know, off brands like Taurus, Rossi, Ruger, Colt... ;) :p )
 
The one area where I think Taurus has really caught up with (and maybe passed) Smith is the J-frame-sized guns.

Taurus uses a crane-mounted detent, rather than one on the end of the ejector rod, providing a longer ejection stroke. Taurus also relocated some pin locations in their small-frame guns back around '99 or so which provided increased leverage for the trigger, giving their small frames a lighter DA pull, on average, than their S&W equivalents. Lastly, Taurus seems to be more adventurous with materials and calibers, leading to a wider variety of guns than Smith offers.

They may lag slightlyelsewhere, but I think they've pulled even in the small guns...
 
To me the difference is clear.
Once a S&W earns my trust, I will carry it and trust my life to it.
Smiths have never let me down.
My taurus tracker has never earned my trust, and I had it before I had many of my smiths.
It has always found some way to mess up every few hundred rounds, and it's never been accurate for me.
As a result, it sits in the back of the safe, and never gets shot.
And because it's a taurus, it has very little resale, so it's not worth selling.
This has been the result of my time with one taurus firearm since 2001, and I have no intention of buying another.
 
I've had to use Smith's Lifetime Service deal three times over the years. Granted that some issues really shouldn't get past the QC guys. But each time, all I had to do was ship the gun FEDEX to them on their tab and they got the gun back to me within a week and a half tops.

Service. That's Smith's biggest pro to me. Living in Kali's oppressive (AFA gun rights) climate, I especially need my firearms to last awhile.
 
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