While bashing Taurus revolvers is common, I find their products, while not as refined as S&W's, to be perfectly viable. I also appreciated the fact that they paid the 44 Spl. some attention, as these Model 441s and 431 attest.

Agree. For years I used a 441 Taurus. Shot very well. Wanting to "upgrade" I sold it and purchased a 21-4. The S&W arrived with several problems and had to make the trip to Springfield for overhaul. To date, I have never been able to get it to shoot as well as that old Taurus.
Let the hate begin!

50 shots D.A. @ 10 yds.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Krehmkej, your target makes me hurt.

Agree about the guns.

That is kinda like Raven MP25's .25 auto. Everyone that I have ever talked to about the say they are junk. I have owned a couple of the over the past 10 years or so and had 0 problems with either one of them. I believe it's like my dad said when i was a little boy, and asked him what was wrong with Studebakers and Hudsons, because I had heard folks call them junk. He told me that they are as good as any other car but they required a little more maintenance than some of the more expensive models. He also said that technology was far to advanced to turn out a car that couldn't measure up with proper care.
Kinda like guns I say. Your gonna get a lemon now and then no matter what it is your buying, gun, car, computer or TV.
Just my uneducated and uniformed opinion.
Peace,
gordon

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better have that checked

I bought this one that used to be a guy's nightstand piece. Not a problem yet. I also have to say it wears a grip that is the first magna style that fits my hand. It's just a little ugly but in a utilitarian way. It kind of mimics an old Model 10 five screw.



This one is my 445 which has also never given me a problem:



I'm also curious why the .44 special is always ignored by both the buying public and the manufacturers.

And this 605 has been my bathroom gun for years. I used to keep Golden Sabers in it but I got tired of the hand torture during practice. Now it is loaded with some of my own hand loads.



And while so far this has been all about revolvers I want to add this PT92 that has eaten about as much WWB as my Glock 17. It's an older model lacking the decock lever but the safety is very positive and feels so much better than the slide mounted level that Beretta went to years ago. This is also the one and only blued carbon steel firearm that has never tried to rust on me. But much like S&W, this older model exhibits much better polish and bluing than current production.



I'm not going to say they are perfect since I have seen some with problems, but then I have seen S&W's, Colts, and Rugers with problems. I've seen Beretta's with cracked frames and seen Sigs jam for no apparent reason. So I just think everyone puts out a turkey. For the price, Taurus used to be a good buy to me. Now I'm trying to buy American and won't buy them any more. But what I do have works just fine. Her Taurus 94 .22 had a ammo sensitivity issue but a local gun smith seems to have fixed that. He fixed it for free and did something to charge it to Taurus under their warranty. So I'm plenty happy with them.

Per krehmkej, "Let the hate begin!"

This was posted on the THR Forum. Is it hate?

QUOTE
Heffron Firearm Classics

Charles City, Iowa 50616

(641)-330-9560

NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

3/6/2011: TAURUS and THE STUFF I HATE TO DO: So; what do I hate doing? Well, weeding the garden is no fun. Probably my least favorite is moving snow. Last spring I purchased a skid loader for moving snow. I played with it all summer like a big Tonka Toy. It worked great. When we got our first snow in November, I drove the skid loader about 50 feet and it broke. I just got it back on Friday. Thank goodness for a nice neighbor North of me. But, the thing I really, really hate doing? Announcing a new service and then immediately pulling it. It makes me feel.......... bad!
THE STORY BEHIND IT? Well, Taurus. Through the years, I have received many, many requests from Taurus revolver owners wanting to know If I could tune their firearms. Based on some experience I had with them I always said "no". Then........ I researched this. I worked with a number of revolvers. Some we purchased, some were loaners. We came up with a system of tuning that offered great improvements. The revolvers we tuned showed great promise. This is why we offered the services. Keep in mind, this research was not based on 2 or 3 revolvers either. We worked on good number of them. I felt good about it. Ahem.........
Since marketing the services, we have received 22 revolvers for various levels of tuning. Out of these 22, only 4 were reasonably fit/built/finished from the factory. The other 18? Well, I really don't mean to be cruel, but the words "Paper Weight" or perhaps "Boat Anchor" come to mind. Where were these when we were researching? RRRRRR!!!!!
To get into further detail, please allow me to present the following list with issues found on many, many of these revolvers.
-Grossly oversized throats. Try like .035"+ oversized in some cases.
-Grossly oversized forcing cones. Same dimentional errors as the throats. In addition to this, FAR too deep. Like by...... .080"!
-Excessive endshake. So much so that firing pin impact pushes the cylinder into the rear of the barrel.
-Extremely loose cylinder lockup. If it wasn't for the oversized throats and forcing cone, there would be so much lead shaving one would swear it's a shotgun.
-Poorly fit crane latch. Poorly fit as in........ .100" or so of slop.
-Missing springs. Some of these revolvers actually are missing springs, right from the factory.
-Rough barrels. If I lapped them enough to really get them smooth, the rifling may actually be gone.
-Double Action shooting malfunctions. Such as binding, skipping cylinders and sometimes not moving at all.
Remember the 4 that were O.K.? Well, that is actually now 3 due to double action issues on a .22 Tracker in Kansas.
All of the Taurus revolvers HFC has serviced will have the HFC warranty honored. However, I have no choice but to discontinue service on Taurus revolvers. Our customers expect a certain level of performance. Research years ago revealed that tuning Taurus was a bad idea. Research months ago revealed that it could work. Recent reality has showed that this was NOT one of my brighter ideas.
I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, but to maintain OUR quality assurance, this is the way it has to be.
Many years ago, I received The Gospel According To Roger (my Dad) which stated: "When it comes to revolvers you've got Colt, Smith & Wesson, Dan Wesson and Ruger. Everything else is just a noise-maker." To that list of the "good ones", I will add Freedom Arms and U.S.F.A., but how right he was; oh yes, he was.
Again, my apologies. I guess as always, we must stick with what works......consistently.
Have a great week everyone and easy does it. -Mike
END QIOTE

Now, of course not all Taurus guns are defective, and they produce very attractive and diversified guns. Some of their .38s and .44s, for example, have proven to be worth the money, until you have the misfortune of dealing with their phone reps and then learning that you have to pay the shipping costs (as many times as necessary) for the "free" repair.

I do not own a taurus.

thank you.

You stopped short of common sense. Lets modify it to "I do not own a Taurus, nor would I".

They're like the prancing trans-sexual in the parade. They kind of have the right shape, but its all smoke and mirrors, with no substance underneath.

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Dick Burg

Taurus revolvers help me to better appreciate how well made and aesthetically pleasing my Smith & Wesson revolvers really are.

Taurus revolvers are less aesthetically pleasing to virtually all older model Smith & Wessons; but some of the newer ones do a better job by comparison. Unfortunately, the relatively fewer number of Taurus revolvers makes their older, poorer quality handguns cast a shadow over even their better recent models.

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Laus Deo

You are giving "The Bull" far too much credit....

I actually like the previous generation Model 85's. They have a unique design that I wouldn't mind owning one.

I own 19 Smith and Wesson Revolvers, 3 of them have the lock and I like them just fine, I wish they didn't have the lock but I still like them just fine. I have 5 Ruger Revolvers, 3 old H&R's ,and one unfired Colt Python.

I recently bought a Polymer Judge because it was the ugliest thing I have ever seen. I went out with my two son in laws and two grandsons walking from one end of a farm to the other and had more fun with that thing than I can remember.

Because of that experience I picked up a Taurus Slim in 9mm. Cleaned it, fired 100 rounds of ball, cleaned it, fired another 100 rounds of ball, cleaned it a third time, took it out with 3 different defense loads took the most accurate for use and shot up the rest. Not one malfunction.
Whats not to like.

While I consider myself a S&W guy, I'm also a fan of the 44 Special, and when there were no new S&W's made in that caliber, there WERE Taurii and Rossii. I've owned one of each. The Taurus was a bit on the sloppy side, the Rossi (which I still own and shoot often) was and is far better. I wonder if it was the inspiration for the S&W 696, the two are fairly similar.

It Ain't No Smith, but for $225, it was a good buy then, and still a good CCW gun. I'd rather have a 696, but the last one I saw was $900 and abused. BTW, for those with smallish hands, the factory grip on this Rossi is without peer.

I have a new M85 Taurus that has been giving me a little bit of trouble now and again. What was happening is that the cylinder would not rotate every once in a blue moon it trigger has pulled or hammer was cocked manually. Then it wouldn't rotate at all when cocking the hammer manually. I took side plate off and what was happening is the hand was moving straight up and passing over the ratchet while manually cocking hammer. But, when pulling the trigger the hand would immediatly move towards the ratchet engaging the lugs just like it's suppose too. I sprayed it with gunscrubber and worked the action slowly and it started to work fine again. Not sure if there was/is some machining debris in there, or if the hand pin was binding.

Wrong! I own quite a few pistols and revolvers. In my safe room resides Colts, Smiths, Dan Wessons, a Remington 1911, Kimbers, Rugers, and 3 Taurus. The 1911 Taurus goes to the range with me every week and has never failed. I have modified it to suit my tastes not because I had to but because I wanted to. The PT 92 needed a trigger job but so did my Colt. The PT 145 is my daily carry piece. I shoot it on a regular bases so I remain effective with it.

Folks that bash Taurus may have had a bad experience or may know someone that had a bad experience. I have a Colt that I had to work on to get it to shoot thru a full magazine. I still like my Colts. I have a Ruger that Ruger had to replace because of poor machining. I have a Browning that had to have its broken trigger replaced.

Taurus produces some of the best values in the gun world. I can make that statement because I use their products weekly and know I am getting a good bang for my buck.

how many LEO's carry Taurus products as their primary service weapon?

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Pat Henson

I've owned some Taurus but currently don't. There's a reason for that.
I'm not a hater so to those that have good luck with them, that's great.
I'm sure there're some good ones out there.

In my neck of the woods LEOs have 40 cal. Glocks. However political correctness make them use what they call the New York trigger. The pull weight is 12 lbs.

But I guess with your statement the same would apply to many other MAJOR gun makers. Did we ever think that our military would give up Colt 1911s for the 9MM Berettas?

I know I am not making any friends here but Taurus is still out there making a lot of guns and a lot of money while some of the old line companies are just shadows of former glory. The real Winchesters, Mossbergs, Colts entire DA revolver line, Smiths non-locks, Belgium Brownings, Hi-Standard, so on and so on. All gone, all out of production.

But I gotta go, I need to zero in the scope on my Japan made Browning designed Winchester.

Back when I first heard of Taurus I was told they bought old S&W tooling when it was retired for new, refurbed it and started making their revolvers. Hence why they looked so much like S&W designs.

I've never owned one of their revolvers but own two of their semi-autos.

I bought a PT745 when looking for a compact .45 ACP on the recommendation of a friend. Found a used stainless at a show for $325. Its mag catch broke shortly after buying it. Taurus sent a new one free. It has given no other trouble at all other than not being too fond of cast lead. I'm still working on that. I can carry it in a front pocket if I strech the definition of pocket gun a bit.

My brother sneers at the thing because he had a .40 caliber version of the same series and early on the takedown pin (which is also the link for the barrel) sheared off while firing.

I bought a PT-22 on a whim because it was only $160. With the right ammo it gives no trouble at all. The only ammo I've tried I didn't like was recent manufacture Remington Golden Bullet.

At one time I said I'd never own a Taurus, but that was before I purchased a 445. Maybe I got a good one but I like this gun. Not sure if I'd own another but what I got works well.

As to why the .44 Spl isn't popular I can only say ammo is hard to find and expensive.

I've seen them in the holsters of some of the smaller police departments in the area. Personal weapons..not issued.
If I remember correctly, Taurus products are not authorized by the larger agencies. When I was in the police academy, we were told what would happen if we even attempted to bring anything made by Taurus or Rossi to the range for qualification in a somewhat blunt, dramatic, and unpleasant way!

I have a relative that owns a Taurus .38....same size and design as a Model 10...I have tested it, fired it, and cleaned it. Trigger sucks, accuracy is good for a bedside gun (about eight feet), and it will get off six shots. IMHO that's about all that I can say good about it. I would never CCW it or carry it into a dangerous situation.

After examining the more modern ones which can be found in as great a number as Glocks at the gunshows around here, I'll save my hard earned $ for a real revolver or pistol.

Do NOT get me started on their pink, gold, or creepy looking products or "The Judge."

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The Last Standing Knight

Having owned over a dozen Smiths through the years I never thought much about Taurus until I saw a used 96 in a shop a few years ago. I thought it was a Model 17 at first until I saw the $249 price and then the grips which were not Smiths. The revolver looked almost new.

The shop knocked off another $10 and I decided to take the chance. My first range session started with a bang , then click , then click , bang again and so on! I thought , now I see what the bashing is all about and I'd been had!

Later I discover the coil mainspring actually has a tension adjustment nut. A few adjustments and no more misfires! The 96 turned out to be a much more accurate revolver than my the 617 I owned which was not a shooter in the least. The Taurus does not have that crisp glass rod break SA trigger pull of a Smith but for the price I'm glad to have it.

I'll bump that

I own 2 model 85's, one a SS and one UL. I own 2 J frames, both aluminum frame and believe it or not, I find them to be pretty comparable.
I also have a Tracker in .17HMR and find the trigger to cheap and unpleasant.
I would buy a small frame Taurus in .44spl if I ran across one. When you get to k frame size and larger the S&W and Taurus can't even be compared to each other.

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Old revolvers are works of art

As bad as I detest plastic semi autos, for the most part they work every time you pull the 12 lb trigger. The same cannot be said for Taurus products. Yes the classic days of S&W and Colt are gone because in part the quality costs too much to produce these days, but for me, as long as I can still find quality used S&W's, Taurus products aren't even a consideration. I'm not a LEO, I am a person who appreciates finely made functional things.

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Pat Henson

Taurus like any well made firearm is OK for a casual shooter, I find the problem to be quality control. I have owned Taurus revolvers in the past. I found that after 1000 round or so things start going wrong, Where the S&Ws I have some having as much as 7 or 8 thousand rounds, No problem. I no this is only my personal experience But with the price of the two brands not being all that far apart. (with the exception of the every thing is collectible crowd) I always go for the S&W.

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The absence of pain is...death

What am I missing here???

I'm shooting my Taurus 431 five shot 44Spl and loving it.

My S&W 21-4 six shot 44Spl is in the hospital (S&W) .

Is that reverse bashing??

For your first post you don't get any points!!!!!!

taurus is like driving a VW and the S&W is like driving a Porshe. You can't even say they are in the same group, Since this is a Smith & Wesson site everyone is getting our floors dirty with this taurus BS. You need to take it to the lounge area where it is a bottomless pit area.

Yes sir! Either tow the party line or off to the Gulag with you.

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Old revolvers are works of art

Recently picked up a model 85, Ultra-Lite in a .38sp. I find it functional and carry it at times going to the local "shop & rob"....Not crazy about the DA pull, but found most revolvers, including my S&W's to be about the same...Certainly not a range gun, it stings!!!!

A few weeks ago, I took out my 442 and a friend took out his girlfriends j-frame equivilant Taurus. Aside from the Taurus being woefully neglected(oil was more like syrup, probably from sitting in a truck in too many New Mexico summers) it shot fine. Trigger is a bit gritty compared to my 442, but it seemed like with a good cleaning it would be a perfectly serviceable self defense weapon.

Will it be around to give to your great grand kids, like a Smith, no. But will it do its basic job, yes.

And for the price:

Taurus 851 Protector .38 Spl+P 2" Stainless $286.00 SHIPS FREE

286

Smith & Wesson Model 438 38Spl. 2" Matte $367.00 SHIPS FREE

367

A lot of people will go cheap. I did not say value because when you buy a Smith, its an investment, the Taurus seems to be a commodity.

I like the Beetle/Porsche arguement!

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686-4 442-1

While this is a Smith and Wesson site I think discussing other competing manufacturers products is perfectly acceptable. S&W products do not exist in a vacuum. The innovation shown by Taurus is quite unique, and when it actually influences our beloved Smith and Wesson products, it should be recognized. The S&W "copy" of the Taurus Judge says something about Taurus.

While my primary focus is S&W I do own one Taurus ,
An older Model 79 in 22lr that is just too nice to consider getting rid of.
(center)


Trigger spring is a coil but actually quite light and pleasent ,
Fit N finish is better than current production Taurus but still a step down from S&W IMO.


Much heavier barrel profile when compared to Model 17 S&W


Cylinder face is similar in appearance to Colts


They seem to be priced about $300 to $400 which is well below the Model 17 which sells between $500 and $700 in my neck of the woods.
If you have a chance to pick one up I highly recommend it.

I bought a Taurus M85ULSS when I first got in to shooting and concealed carry. Out of the box the cylinder was loose. When it was locked up one chamber was tight, two were kind of loose and two were even looser. It shot OK but after 150 rounds the center pin on the cylinder would get stuck and the cylinder would not lock into the frame, making the gun inoperable. I sent it back to the Miami and 6 months later it was returned saying that nothing was wrong, I must have been shooting dirty ammo and it got into the cylinder pin. After 15 rounds, the center pin got stuck again. I then freed it up, cleaned it up and traded it for a S&W model 36 of a 1978 vintage. The model 36's cylinder did not have much play, it locked up tight all the way around and the trigger was superb.
I do not hate Taurus. They are always coming out with new impressive designs. I would buy a Taurus again because NOW I know what to look for in a revolver. Cylinder play, lock up, Cylinder gap ect. I like their New 9 shot 22 magnum but it weights 55oz (more than a 454 raging bull 51oz) and the DA trigger is horrendous.

I have shot their 44mag Raging Bull and was impressed with it. BUT that M85 was very poorly built.

I just picked up a used taurus model 94 in 22lr w/4 or 5'' barrel i believe. I wanted something for my misses and sons who are getting there CCW permits to pratice with. My misses shot it the other day at the range and i think i lost this revolver to her now, she says its hers now. I laugh and say its ok with me. I got her hook on guns after 38 years of marriage finally. The taurus 94 is a great 22 revolver but its lacking on the length of the grips. The grips need to be about 1/2'' to 3/4'' longer so it will fit a man sized hand better. My pinky finger has no spot on the grips. Other wise the misses has an awesome 22 revolver to shoot and play with. Bill

The OP spoke of it being common to "bash" Taurus.......well the reason so many people bash Taurus is because they are poorly made and have been poorly made from the beginning.

Apparently, management at Taurus is content to continue to manufacture an inferior & cheaply made product knowing that "cheap" sells to a certain segment of the buying public that is unwilling to pay extra for quality.

I've personnally owned one Taurus (that was one too many) and have shot a lot of others..........virtually every one them was inferior to any S&W, Ruger, Colt, Walther, Browning, SIG, Glock, etc, etc,..........the only thing attractive about a Taurus is their "cheap" price.

I don't go out of my way to bash Taurus, but I just roll my eyes when someone defends them on quality or tries to favorably compare them with a S&W, Ruger etc........it just makes me think the person doesn't have much experience with good quality firearms or maybe a Taurus is all they could afford (certainly nothing wrong with that), but please don't try and tell me how good a Taurus is.........we get enough BS slung at us by politicians.

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Laus Deo! <><

I have owned Taurus revolvers. Still keep a Model 94 in .22-LR for plinking. It has thousands of rounds through it. No complaints. I had a Taurus 85 UL for years and had no problems. Only reason I switched to S&W was a good price was offered by a local dealer. Never had to return any of three Taurus revolvers to the factory.

Much as I like S&W, I cannot say they are perfect. My current EDC has been back to the factory twice. It is a Model M&P340 and had its barrel come loose and a firing-pin spring break. So, S&W do break, they do need repair, just like anything mechanical. I just wonder how a revolver gets out of the factory with a loose barrel? It had but ten-rounds fired through it before I noticed the loose barrel.

Chevy cars run good, Ford cars run good. Own one, bash the other. Same goes for firearms.

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GA Carry member
Vietnam Vet

Once owned a Mod 85 and was suprised to discover that standard speedloaders did not work with the factory supplied rubber grip. Just no way there was enough clearance to fit the darned things. Also found the trigger pull on DA to be horrendous, even after cleaning the internals. At that time I noted VERY rough maching present, nothing like the interior polishing that is common on lots of Smiths and Colts.

Got rid of it shortly thereafter. Was purchased as a wifes bedside gun and the more I thought about that grip the more I wondered about the quality internally. So...I decided she was worth more than a "bargain' blaster and upgraded her to a 686-4+. She digs it, has some nice resale value if I ever want to sell it, and the quality is so much higher that the only common factor was .38 special and they were both snub handguns.

Won't own another one unless I saw something very different in quality control.

You are quite right. People always try to defend their purchases. To not think you have the better product is to admit you made a mistake or perhaps you are not as smart as the guy that bought the other one.

As a mechanical engineer, I really enjoy looking at the innards of my mechanical toys. And when I take apart a Colt or a Smith I can appeciate the work and fitting that went into the parts. I can also see that some parts on a Taurus are not as finely finished. But if it doesn't affect function then I am okay with paying a bit less. Is a forged part better that a cast part? The answer is....it depends. Is a MIM hammer inferior to the older case hardened Smith hammers? The answer is........I don't know. I have a hammer of of a 57 no dash that is cracked at the spur. The MIM hammer on my 610 looks like it is doing okay. Will I get more rounds out of my pinned and recessed 27-2 then my 27 Classic? The answer is no because I put the 27-2 in a semi-retired mode due to it's value. I do know I had to put a shim in my 28-2 to get rid of an end shake problem but I can't seem to wear out a Ruger Blackhawk with that inferior cast aluminum frame.

Is my wife's C6 Vette as good as that Beemer Z? I don't think so but I couldn't fit in the Beemer. And that last recall really ticked me off.

Maybe, but you can bet you butt on it that the Smith will be built better and last longer than any inport will. Don't blame S&W letting the VW try the ice to see if it fall in and sinks before they bring out the race ready Porshe .

I read the same thing about 'new' S&W's, new Ruger's, pick one. Taurus makes mid-range price revolvers and autos. I have a Taurus PT 24/7 ProDS in .40SW and it has been an outstanding weapon. It has fired and ejected any and all ammo I have fed it and that includes some steel cased Russian stuff the my buddies Glock wouldn't (sorry, Holy Grail handgun). My 24/7 is my go to gun for home now replacing my 629 MG loaded with .44 Spls.
There is a topic on this forum (at least one) that slams the new Smith's. Sorry guys, get over it. PRICE will deterine the buyers and Taurus, Smith and Ruger seem to understand that. The days of hand fitted lock work and rich blueing are gone.
One last thing and I am done, most of the Taurus bashing is by people who have NEVER owned one. Same with the new Smith's, they only repeat what they have heard on the i-net or some gun store commando said.

21 years ago I bought my boy a Taurus 94 in blue. At the price for a kid it was good. I liked it so much when the stainless steel came out I bought one. It does not have the fit and finish of a smith. I still have it and the box for it. Shot it a lot over the years with no problems. However that is the only Taurus I have. There is just something about Taurus, I would rather have a Smith. I like the older smiths better. I do own a new no lock 642 and it is my carry gun and I like it.

IMHO Paul

I have a 669 that I traded some EAA piece of **** 9mm Witness for. On that very same table sat a used Model 66 that I didn't notice until the deal was well underway. I should have gone with the 66. The Taurus shoots okay, but the cylinder pin would unscrew and jam the cylinder. I fixed that and now the hammer sometimes locks up. Reliable? Absolutely not. Also, it isn't as smooth as an S&W because the mainspring is a coil and not a flat spring. All Taurus does is cut corners. I would never buy another Taurus anything and the resale value is ****, too.

Taurus fills a "niche" and they sell a TON of handguns. They may not be as good as the "big boys" but the average Taurus buyer does not shoot their guns heavily, and if they can get an 85 snub for $325 NIB over a $500 Model 60, the choice is pretty clear for a gun they will maybe shoot 20 rounds through.

The PT92 has long been regarded as one of the best things to ever come out of Taurus. Back in the late 90's, every gun guy I knew had a PT92 as their "range beater", because they were priced pretty cheap years ago. Now Taurus seems too proud of the PT92, a new one isn't too far below the price of a new Beretta 92fs.

Taurus revolvers have a bad rep for the firing pin spring getting mashed into uselessness. Also a bad rep for timing issues, and poorly fit internals, i.e. "cap gun triggers".

I have not heard of many Taurus "collectors" but I imagine there are some out there. Check out the Taurusarmed.com forum, there are some big time Taurus fans on there.

I own 4 Taurus revolvers, all were security trade ins, and all were bought for a price so low they were nearly free. They work, 3 of them needed some tweaking to get them up to par, and they fill a "niche" as "out in the barn" guns, truck guns, beaters, etc. Taurus' "base model" guns like the 82, 65, 66, 85 etc. are all in the $320-400 range, but like I always say, "half the price, half the quality".

My personal opinion on Taurus, is if you get a good one, you will be happy with it. But the odds are decent you may get a garbage one too. It's a dice roll, really. Out of my 4, I would say only 1, a Model 80 made in 1992, was the only one that I didn't need to do anything to and it works perfectly.

Taurus fans tell me my 82's will last just as long as a Model 10, and that the 82 has a beefier slide and forcing cone. I feel Taurus beefed up the parts to make up for spotty steel quality. Either way, I don't plan to put enough rounds through any of my Taurus' to find out how long they last. The last time I fired my 82 it was to dispatch a groundhog.

I have been searching for a short barrel .41 mag to use for CCW.
I found a used 1 year old Taurus 415 for $350 , so I bought it .
First time shooting it I got so many FTF `s that I lost count . It would take 5 go rounds of the cylinder to get all 5 shells to go bang.This was DA only, Sa it was ok.
It also suffered the occasional failure to cock the hammer while the cylinder rotated on fast DA .
I was very fortunate and most relieved to have a honorable seller who agreed to buy it back.
The little Taurus was just the right size and caliber , and was exactly what I wanted... too bad the quality and reliability was so poor!
Taurus has some good ideas and innovative designs , but I will never buy another.

when I see a taurus I throw up a little in my mouth, finding a good one is as common as finding a bad smith, it don't happen often. But hey, some folks buy Shaffer beer.............

Taurus knows their role in the market. If they upped their QC and finished the guns better, they would cost too much and no one would buy a Taurus if a S&W or Ruger were only $30-50 more.

I agree with what was said above,most of the Taurus and new S&W bashing is done by people who haven't tried them.

Taurus has a place in the market, as low cost guns that give people something that goes bang to use for CC or put in the sock drawer, and most of them are not sold to people who plan to put 10's of thousands of rounds through them.

Nothing has changed, over 100 years ago makers of plain jane budget guns like Harrington & Richardson and Iver Johnson sold boatloads of cheap revolvers to people who needed a gun but didn't want to pay for a Colt or S&W. Instead of Brazil, back then small Belgian and Spanish gun makers flooded the market with cheap knockoffs of S&W's and Colts. There will always be a market for low cost guns and this is where Taurus comes in. Not everybody wants or needs top quality when they know the gun probably won't ever see it's first 100 rounds.