Two Taurus revolvers here, one Model 94 in .22 LR, and its fraternal twin, a Model 941 in .22 WMR.

Both of them have been back to the Taurus mothership for light strikes / failure to fire, and one of them has made a second trip because the whole gun locked up, trigger would not budge, I forget what the broken internal part was that Taurus replaced.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
Taurus is one of the few brands I warn people to stay away from. I've handled them and shot them. I never liked them and never will. If you want a cheap handgun, buy a Ruger.

Tony.

Have you priced a Ruger lately? The only “cheap” one is the .22LR “”Wrangler”.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
In 1995 I bought a PT945, a semi-compact 8-round-magazine .45. It was such a steaming turd that to this day, when I pass a gun show table or store display, I look right past all the Taurus guns. Words can't describe what a POS it was. Yes, I do realize it was a long time ago, and some of their guns (older revolvers and the Beretta semi-clone PT92) have decent reputations. That still hasn't changed my mind.

The PT 92 and 99s with frame mounted safety (non-decocking) were good guns. Not quite as well finished and fitted as the Beretta 92s from Italy, but reliable and a good value in the late 80s.

Not sure when the QC went down...I know that Rossi revolvers built after the merger are not well liked either.

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
I could never understand buying a cheap gun that just might be good enough to save your life. Or not.

I agree. I didn’t buy either of these with the intention of using them to save my life. These are range toys.

I don't see why you would buy a cheap gun even for a range toy. The potential for frustration at the range isn't worth it.

No thanks about Taurus. There are far better brands for not much more new or used I learned a long time ago it is well worth it to cry just once

I shot about a 100 rounds through a perfect looking (condition) and perfectly clean Taurus .357 mag 6" barrel that closely resembled a 686. With several different brands of ammo, the cases would stick in 2 of the chambers so hard you'd have to beat on the ejector rod to get them out. I will never own a Taurus. The brand they copied (whether it be Beretta, S+W) is usually only about $200 more, always worth the $200 more and works like it's supposed to, I don't skimp on firearms.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
I shot about a 100 rounds through a perfect looking (condition) and perfectly clean Taurus .357 mag 6" barrel that closely resembled a 686. With several different brands of ammo, the cases would stick in 2 of the chambers so hard you'd have to beat on the ejector rod to get them out. I will never own a Taurus. The brand they copied (whether it be Beretta, S+W) is usually only about $200 more, always worth the $200 more and works like it's supposed to, I don't skimp on firearms.

I don’t know when the last time you priced guns was but if you can find me a new S&W snub nosed 9mm revolver for under $500 I’d love to see it

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
I could never understand buying a cheap gun that just might be good enough to save your life. Or not.

I agree. I didn’t buy either of these with the intention of using them to save my life. These are range toys.

I don't see why you would buy a cheap gun even for a range toy. The potential for frustration at the range isn't worth it.

I suppose it’s all in what frustrates you. This gun is nothing but a toy. If I gotta send it back it’s not a tragedy to me. I’ll send it back and not give it much thought until it ships home. It’s never going to breach the top 50 things that frustrates me.

I've owned several Taurus revolvers. I don't care for their autos at all, but the revolvers have been just fine.

I have a Taurus 85 snub nose j-frame size .38 special that feels and shoots the same as a chief special. I've had various .357 revolvers which were no different than their s&w counterparts in terms of endshake and play, trigger, function, gap, etc. They could have been improved, as most revolvers can be, but I didn't bother. They were fine as is.

I don't carry them, though I could. If one were really on a budget, I'd say a Taurus revolver would be a better choice than some other things on the market; certainly far better than a charter arms or other low-end revolver. If one really wants a .357 that will still be the same and functioning the same 80 years from now, get a GP100, and if one wants finesse, get one of a number of S&W offerings. I don't like S&W as a company and have little respect for them these days, but for production revolvers, they're generally okay. With one exception, every revolver failure I've ever had has been on a S&W, including two broken firing pins and lock-ups due to movement of the roll pin holding the firing pin, hand breakage, etc.

That said, I haven't shot the Taurus pistols to destruction, and as noted, I don't carry them. I wouldn't be concerned about dropping the Model 85 in a pocket. It's a low pressure cartrige and easy to shoot, and there's not a lot to fail or go wrong, but so long as I have a 642, I'd carry that first. I have other handguns I'd prefer, so the chances of my carrying the Taurus are low.

They're not that expensive. I think the notion that if you buy a Taurus, it will need to go back for work, is ridiculous. It might; other manufacturers do. It's not the best option available, and some of their products are junk. If you can afford something better, why not? If you can't, or if you have a good deal on a Taurus revolver, they can be decent shooters and I wouldn't turn one down.

I have no interest in a "raging bull" or wild colors or massive cartridges; and even for .357 they're not my first choice, by a long shot. I think of Taurus in terms of .38 special revolvers, and for that use, they're not bad.

quote:

Originally posted by T.Webb:
I had a buddy, since passed, who brought 2 Taurus revolvers ... a .44 Mag Raging Bull and a Judge.

The first time out with the guns I watched both barrels flying down range. Somewhere I have a photo of the Raging Bull with its 2 piece barrel assembly and his face all cut up from the lead shavings that spit back at him.

I should add that I've owned (and still own) a Taurus 1911 for better than 9 years. I've shot 10's of thousands of rounds through mine and while the finish is wearing, it's been rather flawless. And that's been my experience with other Taurus 1911's as well as their Beretta 92 clones. I'd have no problem trusting my life to "this" Taurus.

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
I suppose it’s all in what frustrates you. This gun is nothing but a toy. If I gotta send it back it’s not a tragedy to me. I’ll send it back and not give it much thought until it ships home. It’s never going to breach the top 50 things that frustrates me.

Hey, if you don't mind owning toys that don't work -- good for you.

I don't like anything that doesn't work as designed. And I sure won't waste money on a firearm that doesn't function properly and shoot accurately.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
I suppose it’s all in what frustrates you. This gun is nothing but a toy. If I gotta send it back it’s not a tragedy to me. I’ll send it back and not give it much thought until it ships home. It’s never going to breach the top 50 things that frustrates me.

Hey, if you don't mind owning toys that don't work -- good for you.

I don't like anything that doesn't work as designed. And I sure won't waste money on a firearm that doesn't function properly and shoot accurately.

That’s not what I said though is it? I want it to work of course. It’s just that the process of getting it to work is pretty easy and little stuff like that doesn’t bother me. I’ve sent back guns from almost every major firearms manufacturer including ones I’ve paid four times as much for and including revolvers from S&W and Ruger.

If the idea of going to UPS frustrated me all that much I’d probably quit shooting all together.

quote:

Originally posted by amhaynie:
I have been a firearms instructor for a long time, and the only single brand of gun that has consistently failed in my classes are made by Taurus, revolvers and bottom feeders alike. I won't touch anything they make.

My experience as well. I have seen more malfunctions with Taurus on my range than with all other makes combined.