My heart's set on a Smith & Wesson 617 .22LR revolver but they're scarce and pricey. As a cheaper alternative (by about 300 bucks), looking at this Taurus M992 Tracker .22, which is a 9-shot compared to the 617 10-shot. Reviews seem pretty good although trigger is said to be heavy. Any advice welcomed. Thank you!
This guy seems to like it:
http://youtu.be/dC3ltKduHbE

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Enjoy and appreciate it for what it is if you buy it - 'cause you'll likely never get your money back out if it.

Just a sad fact of life.

It may do everything you want and if you can be happy with it, go for it. But if you buy the S&W and find you don't care for it or lose interest for something else . . . you shouldn't have a problem getting your money back.

Taurus has a spotty quality control record and there's a reason they sell so much cheaper than a S&W. You get what you pay for. Depends on your personal tastes and preferences, and of course, your budget. But I've never looked back later and had any real regrets about spending a few bucks more to get what I really wanted. Can't say the same when I went the other direction.

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Qui plantavit curabit

I had the 92 (or was it a 94?) .22 LR 9 shooter in 4".

Um, let's just say I don't recommend any Taurii anymore.

It was just impossible to extract the spent cases. We're talking steel ramrod difficult. No amount of buffing could help. To describe the trigger as 'heavy' will prove to be the understatement of the year, and, perhaps the century.

Go to the Taurus forum and see what they say.

My .02 would be that you get what you pay for - especially in Taurii and Rossi.

All that said; I actually recommend Taurus and Rossi for people who aren't shooting enthusiasts - I mean; if all you need is a gun that will generally go BANG I guess it would do. Maybe for a nightstand gun that you'll never use (and has a high probability of working when you need it to). But if you shoot it very much at all, it'll start making pilgrimmages back to Miami to be fixed at your shipping expense.

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But then, what do I know?

While i cant speak for the M922 i do have 2 Taurus's and find them to be fairly good. Customer support is more iffy than others but the
Tracker 45ACP ( I just wanted a revolver that shot the same ACP as my autos did) and the 44 mag. All of the triggers seem to be a little on the stiff side so i am guessing thats just the nature of the beast.

They are just ok, hold almost 0 resale value and have a lifetime warranty.

This being a 22 should be fine for just shooting the snot out of

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

My wife & I have been lucky with our Model 94's.
No problems, but the triggers are indeed heavy.

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Ogy

I've had four Taurus Revolvers over the years. They all worked just fine, and when it came time to sell/trade them, I never had any trouble getting my money back. One of them, an old, blue Model 94, I had people standing in line, in case the first fellow backed out of the deal.

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John 3:16 .

Worst gun I ever owned was a Taurus......what a piece of junk.

In my opinion friends should never let friends buy a Taurus.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

cajunbass, when you say you got your money out of them on selling, were they given to you in the first place? we call taurus handguns around here trotline weights.

I have a Model 941 .22 magnum.
The action is atrocious when compared to a Smith, and only ok if compared to a Ruger, but....
The stupid thing is pretty accurate and tons of fun to shoot. I haven't had any troubles with it since I bought it.

I have no experience with Taurus customer service, but the thing that Taurus has that nobody else does (Smith & Wesson - Pay attention to this...) is that they give a lifetime warranty to the gun, not just the first owner. That's got to count for something.

Friends don't let friends buy Taurus's
Had a 44 special solid design,shot good but the finish wore off the backstrap within a year, I may have fired at most 400 rounds.

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Thank you
Penmon AKA Jim

The first handgun I bought was a Taurus 357 mag. Bought it in 1997,,,still have it... still shoots great. tuffer than boiled owl.had a handload squib lodge in the barrel. drove it out with a large screwdriver and hammer. gun still performs as brand new.

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UNDER THE CONE OF SILENCE

Okay, let's address the obvious question.. The best Taurus is not even in the same category as a middling S&W in fit and finish.
That being said I own a Taurus 605,.357 magnum,3
inch barrel,satin stainless revolver as my primary HD firearm.
For several reasons. My wife find it difficult to rack a slide of any of my semi automatics.
She loves the heft and look of the Taurus and is a crack shot at 7 yards.
The 605 is well made,accurate,reliable,relativity inexpensive and is perfect for a firearm that will most probably spend it's life languishing in a bed side drawer, not to mention it's transferable lifetime warranty.

I have put 800+ rounds of .38 and .357 through her without so much as a hiccup and have no problem trusting a Taurus Firearm with my safety.

I made the mistake once. I purchased a new Taurus 651 to save money. It fell apart in my hands thankfully after a shooting session and not during. I returned it under warranty, went through a painful process with customer service that had me tearing out my hair, had it repaired and promptly sold it. Less than 200 rounds through it.

I have a Taurus 44C in .44 magnum and I really like it. It has a 2½ barrel and is ported. I have looked at the .22LR and passed on them. My LGS had one almost forever asking $300. I would like a .22LR snub, but I passed on this one because of the awful trigger. I cannot understand why S&W sells Airweight .38specials for $375 and gets over $500 for .22s.

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Luke 22:36

Before I would spend money on a Taurus, I would take a chance on one of the Czech revolvers discussed in this thread: http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/...#post136775631

I would only do that if I didn't want a Single Six, or one of the other Ruger SA .22s.

I owned three Taurus model 85 38 specials. Broke each one in less than 50 rounds of standard factory round nose lead bullets. I didn't learn my lesson and bought one of their single actions for use in SASS. Never made it to a SASS match with it. It broke in less than 100 rounds of 38 special. Some people I know swear by them but a lot more of them swear at them because of problems with their quality control. I wouldn't take another one even if it was free.

Well, so far a mixed bag, which is what I expected. I guess it boils down to the old saying, "You get what you pay for."

Only Taurus I ever owned was a Model 441 44 Special.
A very nice, smooth, accurate revolver.
Sold it to "upgrade" to a S&W 21-4.
Big mistake as that S&W was the worst gun I've ever had.
So many problems that even 2 trips back to the factory couldn't make it right.
Never found another 441, so I opted for a 696, so all well that ends well.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Bought a Taurus 941 .22 mag for my lady friend, did a mild clean up/polish up of the internals, helped the trigger some. She shot it about 50 times one day at the range and its never been fired since. Accuracy not too bad with CCI rounds, but it's not a S&W in any measure. That being said since it will most likely spend it's life in a drawer, never fired it is a reasonable gun for the $$$, but as mentioned above, you get what you pay for. If you are looking for a .22 for just plinking I would go with one of the Ruger .22 semi-autos for about the same $$ a much better value.

I have a Taurus 94 that I bought in 2001. Between me, the kids, the wife and friends we've averaged about 3,000 rounds a year through it. Some years more, some less. Yeah, I wish it was a Smith but I doubt I'd have shot a Smith more.

I wouldn't recommend one. There is no way they even come close to an S & W. When I first started shooting again they had Tauruses at the range for rental guns and a couple of lonely old S & Ws. They hand you the Tauruses first and I tried them but after that went and dug the old S & Ws out. As old and tired as they were, they were still a better, more balanced and way more accurate gun.

You get what you pay for, but it is possible to get a good deal on a good S & W if you keep looking.

I've owned several Taurus revolvers over the years. A model 605 2 inch .357 that was my primary carry gun for years. I actually sold that one for $100 more than I paid, as the new 605's are not finished like the old.
Bought a new 94 .22LR. worst double action trigger ever. Nothing helped, not even springs so I traded it off. Had a 7 shot model 917 .22 (blued) for a while. Very accurate, decent trigger after two new springs, but it was just too heavy for a medium frame .22 LR. More trade fodder.
My wife bought a model 85 Ultra Lite. Very accurate for a snub, better than my model 642, in fact. Unfortunately the gun jumped time in just a few rounds. Taurus repaired it. Then the yoke screw assembly stripped and went missing. It took nearly six months to get the three little parts form Taurus. The new assembly held by just one thread like the old. I loctited it an traded it of for a big loss.
I still have one Taurus revolver, a 441 blued .44 Special 3 inch. Found it in un-fired but used condition. Dates from around 1993. Beautiful fit and finish. Decent trigger and not a bad shooter either, especially for the price I paid.

Hard choise--Should I buy a Rambler or a Corvette????????????????????

I’ve had a Taurus 2” 617 for several years now. I’ve put 2,000 + rounds of assorted 38 special +P, +P+, and .357 magnum ammo through it only had one problem I let it set for a year or so and all the factory lube froze up. After a degrease and re lube it has worked just fine; it’s as accurate as I am.

From my reading and personal experience I’ve concluded that Taurus makes two types of handguns; one that is a decent value and will give years of no frills service, or one that will never be right, no matter how many trips back to the warranty station it gets. I got lucky and got a good one, the first time out, so I don’t think I will press my luck by buying a second Taurus product.

I have had no luck with them. Some folks swear by them, but I would rather not try to save money on a hand gun, buy a cheaper hammer and put the extra money on the gun.

I have an older steel Model 85 with a semi-concealed hammer. The function, fit and finish is good. The barrel is aligned correctly and there are no blemishes on the finish and there were some S&W's shipped that you can't say that about. My Smiths are all older and are fine guns but regardless of some of the opinions, not all Taurus products are worthless.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

Been lots of good luck with them here. There have been some trips back to the mothership but that can be said of several S&W, Ruger and other brands that I have.

Model 44 8 3/8" has been a great hunting revolver
Model 669 357 Mag 4" has been super accurate, easy shooter
Model 856 Hy-Lite 38 Special is in my pocket
Model 94 4" 9 shot 22LR, trigger is finally nice after thousands of rounds
Model 94ULSS 2" 9 shot - 22LR lightweight (sort of) great snubbie practice

Pure junk.

I have seen first hand more Taurus products than any other gun go back for repairs. Those who say that they have the same amount of problems as anyone else is wrong!!

Most of the area gun shops have stopped carrying Taurus products because they are sick and tired of customer complaints and poor service from Taurus.

I tried Taurus several times and each time the gun broke during normal use.

They cannot be trusted to protect yourself or enjoy at the range. And this is not my opinion. It's fact!

I've had a 85.... pretty nice gun.

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Don't look, reload and shoot!

Hmm..a friend bought a Taurus .22 Tracker revolver recently...and had all sorts of trouble with it.

The main issue he was/is experiencing was that it was only capable of going through 4 or 5 cylinders full of ammo before it got too tight from powder debris to run without help turning the cylinder.

Just a few left-over flakes of powder behind the ejector star would/could lock it up!

I have a Taurus .41 mag snubby as I couldn't find a S&W. I carry it often in the field and shoot it rarely. It's been okay so far. I've had two other models with good luck too.
I'm not sure I'd take my chances on another but my experience has been positive.

I've owned 3 Taurus revolvers prior to switching to S&W. First was an older "686" 6". Very good copy of S&W's without the lock as it was made in the 80's. Shot well & the trigger was nice. Traded it in for a decent amount.

Next 2 were a 44 mag with 4" ported barrel & 651 CIA model 357 mag. These had the lock built into the hammer. No problems with either. The 44mag was very accurate and the porting did a great job. Ended up trading them away as I moved into S&W. I figured I'd rather have the quality of a used smith (prelock of course) for the same price as a new Taurus.

But I would agree with above that they would be a fine choice for a truck or beater revolver.

My very first gun was a Taurus model 66. It was their version of a model 19. It was blued, and the trigger was pretty smooth. I thought long and hard before selling it ten years ago, but I wanted that model 19 Smith a lot.

I may have just gotten lucky, but I found their quality to be good. I also own a model PT-99 which is exactly like a military M9 except that the safety is frame mounted, not slide mounted.

Their lifetime warrany is backed up by reality in my opinion. In the 22 years I have had that PT-99 I have shot the lands from one barrel and gotten a free replacement, and had the slide replaced due to a tiny crack in the frame that allowed the rear sight to dislodge. They lived up to their warranty without a word, and that says a lot to me.

At the end of my Taurus .22 story; I paid $370ish OTD for a Taurus 94 4", sold it for a loss, then bought a S&W 34-1 (with nary a turn line) for $450 OTD. I do wish that I'd just paid the $450 up front and saved myself all the time I wasted...

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But then, what do I know?

it's good the taurus guns come with the lifetime warranty...you,as a taurus owner will become very familar with same!

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

I pack a 38 titanium and can put 4 out the 5 n a paper plate at 20 yds. all I can ask out of an everyday carry. Taurus is not a bad choice, just as good but alot less expensive. When I think I might need a gun for certain I pack a 45 springfield and three clips , spray and pray. hope you stay out of the way, if you piss me off.

I had a Model 94. I fired many rounds through it and the trigger/action was pretty stiff when new but it smoothed out nicely after putting a bunch of rounds through it. The $300 price difference will buy a lot of ammo. Take a chance, you might be surprised.

I own a Taurus 94 in a 2inch. I want a 617. Like you said there is a big gap in price. The Smith is superior in about every way. I will say that maybe I got lucky but I did my homework and my 94 is a shooter. 1st thing to do with a 94 if you buy one is take the rear sight apart and clean all the oil off and then lock tite it back togeather. The little screws will fall out and that little blade will go flying. Taurus's lifetime warranty doesn't include sights. They know this is a problem and will not fix it. (Easy fix)
2nd thing is use copper coated 22's and clean the cylander frequently when you first start shooting. Like every 50 rounds. I have done this and I have never had a problem with the cylander binding.
3rd look for a deal. You won't get much for it in selling it but if you get one like mine you won't want to sell it. It is very accurate.
Good luck in your choice..

I have heard a lot of storys about poor reliability and bad service. Are they true? I don't know. I guess maybe if there is that much smoke there may be some fire. (of course the "junk" storys were all on non-Taurus sites)

The only thing I can tell you for sure is, I had a Taurus .45 ACP 2" Bbl. revolver for 2-3 years only fired maybe 200-300 rds...No problems, just a little too large & heavy for CC.

Bought a used Taurus Tracker .22 and had it for about 6 months it was okay but nothing special. Trigger was awful when I first got it, tinkered with it and improved it a little, but still wasn't satisfactory. Found a real nice model 18-3 so the Taurus had to go!

after the gun is one year old -- the "current" owner pays shipping...

I own exactly one, this WWII commemorative my sister gave me for Christmas. I love it because she was thoughtful enough to give it to me, but I doubt I'll shoot it.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I had this same model and I didn't get a lifetime warranty for the gun. My cousin was shooting mine & using CCI Maxi Mag in it and had a case to blow up in the cylinder. I think he was shooting DA when it happened. It hurt his hand but thankfully he had gloves on which offered some protection.

Taurus said that the ammunition manufacturer caused this malfunction and they would not fix the gun. I think CCI offered or gave a free box of 50 but that didn't solve my problem as I was stuck with a non-functioning gun. The cylinder never cycled right after this.

I am not sure why it happened but it did and I won't buy anymore. I still have one Taurus left, a M431 3" 44 special that is very nice. It was made in the early 80's and the design was much closer to that of a S&W so maybe that explains the M431 being a good one.

I learned my lesson and am not buying anymore of that brand. Sure, one might save a few dollars but to me it just isn't worth it. Also, check the warranty on sights with Taurus, they do not honor that either; original owner or otherwise.

I'm glad I read this thread. I was thinking about buying a Taurus but after I read this I think I'll just keep looking around. I've never owned a Taurus just Smith's and a couple of Colts and was going to try one. After reading what all you folks have to say it doesn't sound like a gun that I would be happy with because I like to shoot my guns a good bit and I don't like things that break or don't work properly. This wasn't my thread but thanks for all the information anyway.

I have one it is the large framed 608 357 4" ported. I got the gun used and the previous owner said he shot about 100 rounds through it with no issues. I shot around 75 rounds of 357 and about 150 rounds of 38 with zero issues. The fit and finish is decent and the factory grips are so-so. I replaced them with exotic Hogue wood grips. The trigger is about the same as my 586 in both SA and DA. The lock is on the hammer and it never gave me any issues. So far it has been a very good gun. I do hear more bad than good when it comes to Taurus so I highly doubt I will buy another one. ~James

My mother always said if you can't say something nice, don't say anything. With that in mind, I don't own one but have shot them and I do have an opinion. Based on my experiences plus knowning too many folks that have owned them and from their observations told to me, that is why I don't own a Taurus.

I'll just make two observations here (may end up being more) and this is coming from an SW fanatic:

1) I you follow the "Guns for Sale" ads here, new SWs that are advertised really don't move all that well either. If you buy a brand new SW (or any other gun) at your LGS you are most likely not going to get your money back any time soon. This is not unique to Tauri.
2) The beating that Taurus is taking in this thread realated to quality, pales in comparison to the drubbing SW has taken about their internal locks, for example.

...just sayin'

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

My son and I purchased Tarus 94, 2" for our wive and subsequently sold them as the trigger pull was excessive on both. I later found a model 94 with a 3" barrel and wood grips that was made in '93. It is one of the sweetest most beautiful little guns I own. The trigger pull is like butter. So maybe some of the older used may be a better bet. Also my son has a .44 mag that locks up every so often, just for a shot or two. So I guess it depends on the individual gun and it's personality.
I have not had any issues with my Smiths. A Smith will cost $300 more only once, and you have a better investment. Twenty years from now you won't remember it cost more, only that it's still worth more.

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Endeavor to persevere. <><

Difference of night and day between the two. I have an 18-0 and it is just fantastic. Great to see you got your hands on one.

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Endeavor to persevere. <><