I can only remark on the Taurus 445 UL 44spl in a revolver. It uses Al frame w/2 1/8" brl. The bluing is very nice and the trigger is smooth. I bought it new though this model has been discontinued.

Yes, they as others at times imitate S&W. Sometimes the flattery is more detailed than others. This is one of those times and for three & half bills quite a value for carrying a lot shooting little.

I changed the larger ribber grip for a smaller Rossi 357 grip w/slight modification. Loaded w/5 Blazer 200gn flying ashtrays it weighs less than 1 1/2 lbs on a physicians beam scale.

Unloaded my mod 60 357 w/3" brl comes in at 28 grams. I like both of them.

As well the Taurus pump 45 colt "Lightning" imitation has a deep blue that is striking. I was well aware of issues, attributed in part to the design and construction, before purchase. It cycles rounds w/o incident though the short stroke lacks the familiarity of a pump scattergun.

Never warmed up to the 45 colt/410 combo.

Different strokes for different folks ...

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Caveat venditor.

Your humble opinion is worth what I paid for it in this case. I've owned three Taurus handguns and shot thousands of rounds through them. They are most certainly NOT "junk". I find that most people who dismiss the brand so completely are either guilty of the group-think internet mentality, gan-boy cheerleading for another brand, or have only experienced the older Taurus products. I won't change any minds with my post here. But let it be known that I've owned and shot many, many firearms from many manufacturers over the past 44 years... and if Taurus was "junk", there'd be no argument from me. So many blanket statements on the internet. There's your truth, my truth, and THE truth.

I've had two Taurus revolvers. I don't have them anymore. They just weren't very nice. They are cheap priced but get what ya pay fer. IMO

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No gold. Only lead. Bobby

Do some research on Taurus and their big recall they had a while back and will tell you all you need to know about Taurus.

Friends don't let friends buy Taurus.

I shot a Judge and I would not buy one. The trigger needed a tow truck to pull the trigger. I wasn't at all impressed shooting the 410.
All Taurus are junk? I beg to differ on that. I have a PT92 that is very comparable to my Sig P226. For a $350 clone of a Beretta 92 it sure isn't junk.
I have two Rossi revolver clones of S&W revolvers and both are very good guns. No way are they junk and under $200 each bought in excellent used condition. But they were designed and made when S&W and Rossi were under the same parent company.

I don't have any use for anything Taurus makes. I have shot
the Judge, several of them. Accuracy of 45 was lousy, the only
reason for it is to make it legal. I have no interest in S&W
Governor either. I have not shot one yet.

Sure not a Taurus fan, but can tell you that when I was working p/t in a large, busy LGS in 2010 through 2012 we sold every single Judge or Judge variant we could get our hands on. People would drive from 6 or 8 counties away to come and buy one.
In the more rural areas, they're considered ideal for keeping under the tractor seat or in the farm pickup.

Lots of rabbit hunters bought the 6" version and really enjoyed tumbling running bunnies ahead of beagles with them.

For urban dwellers, the ads have been very effective in selling them as a HD gun.
Was not my job to track sales, but guarantee we sold hundreds of them while I was there.

Sold all the new-generation .410 defense ammo we could get also.

When S&W came out with the Governor, yeah, sold several, but it's at a higher price point and doesn't attract as many buyers due to the intended (beater?) use.
I have no dog in the fight. My wife owns a Judge, and loaded with Win. PDX .410 defense ammo, I'd hate to be the wrong one in the hallway.

Do find it interesting in considering the Governor - - how many times has S&W come out with something to emulate what Taurus was doing??

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I think it would be fun to play with a .410 handgun, but I'd want the versatility of a 3" chamber, and a longer barrel. My bag is varmint hunting, and one of these would be fun to cap close range varmints, plus use in places where you don't want to be firing regular bullets overhead into trees. It would also be a lot more effective as a snake gun than .38 or .44 CCI snake shot load. (And yes, I have first hand experience with this. One of the reasons why I picked up a used Mountain Lite .44 - more effect than a .38 shotshell.)

However, I'm not a fan of Taurus because there are just too many complaints about quality control, slow repair time, and no parts availability (everything has to be done by their service center).

The S&W Governor does not interest me in its present version. Want a longer chamber and longer barrel. And it has the new style barrel in a shroud. While that may not seem to be a big deal, there is a company that machines threads into the Taurus for choke tubes, and that cannot be done for the S&W. These choke tubes help negate the quickly dispersing pattern due to the rifling, increasing the utility of the gun.

So in both cases, I'll pass.

Anyone realize this thread is about 7 years old? There is a Judge on my nightstand, along with a M66. Whichever one I find in the dark will do the intended job.

Ahh but there are...made by 5 Star Firearms. I own 4 of them!

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"The Dude abides"

I have a Taurus 710 series all Titanium light blue color 2"bbl, 7 shot that is a fine 357 caliber revolver.
The workmanship in this one is exactly like S&W quality.
Also very pricey!

My first CF pistol was a Taurus PT99... got it in my early 20's... I am in my 50's now... other than grips and recoil spring it is as I bought it... have put well over 10,000 rounds thru it... maybe 20k... never will sell it... even got a 22 conversion for it... My S&W collection runs from 1959 to 2006 and I have 5 times as many so I like them a lot too... the PT99 is not my only Taurus... PT1911 45acp, tracker Talo 44C 3" 44 mag & 450 UltraLite 2" 45lc - unported... and a second PT99... they are all fine weapons and would trust my life with any of them... I for one have never understood the bad rep they get... I am not that lucky and I would think if they stink as bad as some people say at least one of mine would be a hunk of junk... I prefer to shoot my PT1911 more than my Series 70 Gold Cup or Early Kimber... blindfolded you probably couldn't tell the difference between the Kimber and the Taurus... IF any of you want to rid themselves of the worthless Taurus they got fooled into getting let me know... I will take all you want to give me and make sure they go to a good home...

I saw a "Raging Judge" at a gun show this past weekend. I gave it a brief glance, and kept walking. No opinion of it one way or the other, as I see no need for it in my personal collection or in any type of personal self defense situation.

I think some Taurus products are innovative from an engineering and design standpoint. That doesn't mean I think they're practical in every case.

What does that mean, "the only reason for it is to make it legal"? Make what legal?

As if Smith & Wesson has never had any recalls.

I'm sure they have. I'm not a S&W fan boy or anything like that. This thread is not about S&W it's about Taurus.

Friends don't let friends buy Taurus.

May be an old thread but I like that...a lot!

I have been a Smith fan boy for years and own many but I just recently bought a Taurus M85 SS Ultralite. Being in Calif. it's in jail right now and haven't shot it yet but I checked it out at my FFL and so far am mighty impressed with it's build quality.