chaim
Member
A couple guys caught that the Taurus 85 is my favorite. They also pointed out something I was concerned might happen, that people would make their 442 v. 85CH suggestions based upon their brand preferences, where what I more want with them is other opinions regarding practical considerations. So, for argument sake, pretend both are Taurus (the steel framed, DAO 85CH, and a lightweight version of the 850) or pretend they are both S&W (a 36 with a bobbed hammer v. the 442). Steel frame v. aluminum frame, otherwise quite similar. The steel version can be pocket or ankle carried, the lighter aluminum version will be much better at that role. The aluminum version won't get as much practice though since it is much less pleasant to shoot (especially with defensive loadings) so I won't ever shoot it as well, and follow up shots will be slower. Of course, I can always load some low power/low recoil practice loads for my 442, but then the POI will likely be no where near the POI of my carry loads.
For Taurus and Taurus era Rossi, I now have had two bad guns and they aren't isolated incidents.
My Taurus PT140 was a great gun for about 2K rounds. Then the sight came off. Then the firing pin randomly stays engaged (well, at first it was random/occasionally, now it is pretty much permanent). That luckily just jams up the gun, since if it went into battery with the firing pin engaged the gun would go full-auto. At first it didn't sour me on the gun, I planned to get it fixed and use it for a defensive gun again. But, then there was the class action lawsuit. It has been (semi) settled with Taurus agreeing to (owners choice): fix the gun (if possible), replace the gun, or buy back the gun (for up to $200). The problem was they made many polymer autos that fired on their own (documented, and the problem was admitted to by Taurus, not negligent discharges where the owner tried to blame their negligence on something else). So, my gun had an issue, and a related issue was a widespread problem.
With my Rossi, when firing magnums the 2" gun would have the cylinder bind up. I'd have to use excessive force or a rubber mallet to get it open. This wasn't something that happened once or twice, it happened every cylinder (sometimes after only one or two shots) with a particular brand of ammo. With another brand I was eventually able to get through a couple cylinders, but I didn't experiment beyond that. I don't know if it is just the one brand and weight that causes problems (American Eagle, 158gr), or if it is just the one box that works. If this was just something that happened with my gun and I couldn't find others with the same issue, I'd retire that gun but probably not have a problem with other Taurus era Rossis. However, I've seen many reports (without even looking) of other Taurus and Taurus era Rossi revolvers doing the exact same thing. Recently, I was considering the Taurus Tracker (again) and many of the online sales sites had reviews where the buyer complained of the same problem. So, current production Taurus and Rossi make me very nervous.
So, my 85CH has never given me problems (neither has my 3" Rossi but I haven't put very many rounds through it yet, and no magnums). Why not trust them? Because my Taurus P140 worked for quite some time, before it died (I say it died since it is currently completely unusable- and the lawsuit issue may or may not be fixable). How do I know I have a good one or one that is just working for now? With the 85CH, I think I can get over that worry since it is 16 years old, it has never given trouble, and few owners of Taurus revolvers of that vintage have complaints. Similarly, with a S&W, troubles are uncommon enough, and usually not of similar enough issues, that I feel I can be confident of their future performance (as with my willingness to at least consider future Rugers).
OK, that all said. I guess I need to sell the 2" Rossi. I doubt I'll ever get to where I trust it. I need to throw some rounds out of several loadings of .357mag so I can have some confidence it was an issue with the one kind of ammo (and report that to the future owner) or I will need to tell the future owner it has issues.
I hope I can come to trust the 3" Rossi. I love 3" K-frames, they aren't made anymore, they are expensive, and the 3" Rossi is a little smaller but still a 6-shot revolver. If I can trust it, and if it is reliable, it will be a great combo of features for a defensive revolver (hence why I bought it even while I was nervous about Rossi). No one can help me decide if I trust it or not, so it stays or goes totally on my own emotion I suppose.
So, the question is the 85CH or the 442, and back to the first paragraph of this post.
For sure. I would love to pick up a Rossi 720 if I never run into a 431 that is the right blend of condition and quality. Though, the 5-round capacity has both much lower on my list than they used to be.
That would have to depend on other factors. I have had two bad Ruger autos, and while it does make it tough for me to actually buy another, they are usually in consideration when I am buying a gun for which Ruger makes something in that class.
For Taurus and Taurus era Rossi, I now have had two bad guns and they aren't isolated incidents.
My Taurus PT140 was a great gun for about 2K rounds. Then the sight came off. Then the firing pin randomly stays engaged (well, at first it was random/occasionally, now it is pretty much permanent). That luckily just jams up the gun, since if it went into battery with the firing pin engaged the gun would go full-auto. At first it didn't sour me on the gun, I planned to get it fixed and use it for a defensive gun again. But, then there was the class action lawsuit. It has been (semi) settled with Taurus agreeing to (owners choice): fix the gun (if possible), replace the gun, or buy back the gun (for up to $200). The problem was they made many polymer autos that fired on their own (documented, and the problem was admitted to by Taurus, not negligent discharges where the owner tried to blame their negligence on something else). So, my gun had an issue, and a related issue was a widespread problem.
With my Rossi, when firing magnums the 2" gun would have the cylinder bind up. I'd have to use excessive force or a rubber mallet to get it open. This wasn't something that happened once or twice, it happened every cylinder (sometimes after only one or two shots) with a particular brand of ammo. With another brand I was eventually able to get through a couple cylinders, but I didn't experiment beyond that. I don't know if it is just the one brand and weight that causes problems (American Eagle, 158gr), or if it is just the one box that works. If this was just something that happened with my gun and I couldn't find others with the same issue, I'd retire that gun but probably not have a problem with other Taurus era Rossis. However, I've seen many reports (without even looking) of other Taurus and Taurus era Rossi revolvers doing the exact same thing. Recently, I was considering the Taurus Tracker (again) and many of the online sales sites had reviews where the buyer complained of the same problem. So, current production Taurus and Rossi make me very nervous.
So, my 85CH has never given me problems (neither has my 3" Rossi but I haven't put very many rounds through it yet, and no magnums). Why not trust them? Because my Taurus P140 worked for quite some time, before it died (I say it died since it is currently completely unusable- and the lawsuit issue may or may not be fixable). How do I know I have a good one or one that is just working for now? With the 85CH, I think I can get over that worry since it is 16 years old, it has never given trouble, and few owners of Taurus revolvers of that vintage have complaints. Similarly, with a S&W, troubles are uncommon enough, and usually not of similar enough issues, that I feel I can be confident of their future performance (as with my willingness to at least consider future Rugers).
OK, that all said. I guess I need to sell the 2" Rossi. I doubt I'll ever get to where I trust it. I need to throw some rounds out of several loadings of .357mag so I can have some confidence it was an issue with the one kind of ammo (and report that to the future owner) or I will need to tell the future owner it has issues.
I hope I can come to trust the 3" Rossi. I love 3" K-frames, they aren't made anymore, they are expensive, and the 3" Rossi is a little smaller but still a 6-shot revolver. If I can trust it, and if it is reliable, it will be a great combo of features for a defensive revolver (hence why I bought it even while I was nervous about Rossi). No one can help me decide if I trust it or not, so it stays or goes totally on my own emotion I suppose.
So, the question is the 85CH or the 442, and back to the first paragraph of this post.
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