A question for the collective wisdom of this forum.

I am looking at a Taurus .38 Special, Model 82, Blue 4 inch 1979 Pre-Lock Heavy Barrel 6 Shot Steel Frame TT TH from a dealer in Henderson, TN.

What are the opinions on this gun? What I need is a gun to open carry on my property, a work gun. Would this fit the bill? Or perhaps a better year, many are available.
Thank you for your remarks in advance.
Cheers, Brian.

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"Chiefs Special" 637 & 442

I've had several Taurus revolvers, and the quality has been hit or miss, generally functional but not smooth. My gunsmith charges about $150 to clean up the Taurus action. I would consider that in the price unless it is exceptionally smooth.
My personal preference for a "walk around" belt gun is a used 4" 686 in a synthetic belt holster with .357 handloads stout enough for hogs.

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Science plus Art

I have had bad luck with Taurus guns my semi-auto would not hit hard enough to dent the primer and my .357 would lock up after a few shots. I would look for a nice used model 10 smith, they can be had for under $300.00 on the internet.

Some of the older Taurus revolvers were very functional and good guns.

As said before, they are inconsistent as far as action smoothness goes.

Check it carefully just to make sure that "Bubba" didn't do a kitchen table
action job on it....

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Take your time..quickly.

I had one from about that time. Shot just fine. If the price was good I'd get one.

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John 3:16 .

if the asking price is even remotely close to a used S&W K frame say like a four inch 66 or 64,I would look for S&W, having said that ,I was issued a T==82 back in the seventies by an armed security company,that particular 82 was a very nice gun.

It is below 200...with shiping plus... the 20 to my FFL = 220. That puts me at about 150 under a model 10...thats not very much the more I look at it. But it could be 150 in ammo.

Cheers, Brian

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"Chiefs Special" 637 & 442

You came to a Smith & Wesson board to ask if you should by a Taurus?

Certainly the price is nice, but consider that you have to ask whether or not to buy it at all...

No one wants to lay down dollars on something that might not work well, and there's always some risk no matter what brand you buy -- the question is how much risk, and is it worth it with so many other options?

In this case, I'd say no it isn't.

General consensus, which isn't always right but often is, reflects what you've gotten in this thread: Taurus is very hit-and-miss.

You're looking for an open carry, average-sized .38 Special working gun?

For a few bucks more than the Taurus, there are many shooter-grade 4" heavy-barreled Model 10s and 64s that perfectly fit the bill; if you do the proper pre-purchase checks, you'll be buying yourself a piece that you wouldn't have to ask these kinds of questions about.

Consider the replies you've gotten in this thread, and compare them to threads on this forum asking about buying a Model 10 or 64; everyone says as long as it checks out mechanically, do it. There are rarely caveats or qualifications.

That tells you something.

Best of luck no matter what you choose -- the specific Taurus in question might be a fine purchase.

I'd opt for a Smith and take a great deal of the uncertainty out of the equation.

Well said Hapworth...
I am going back to the model 64-5...not much more and it is the gun I want.I was thinking I was being frugal but perhaps I was being cheap.
Cheers, Brian

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"Chiefs Special" 637 & 442

I was going to come back and emphasize the 64 because it's stainless; stands up a little better to outdoors work.

Glad to see you're ahead of me.

Do your pre-purchase checks; if you need a brush-up on what to look for, some excellent threads onsite about it. Good threads here on what various grades of 64s are selling for now, too.

Good luck and enjoy.

sent you a idea in a p.m.

I have had 3 Taurus's all 3 junk, you get what you pay for, stick to Smith and wesson.

Bluegrass

SOSS is shipping LE/Corrections turn-ins for $249. I understand these are 64-5 and 64-6 models. They are calling them mechanically excellent. There's your stainless S&W .38 Special +P rated for only $50 more than the Taurus.

By the way, I'm not Taurus bashing, but the fact that you're asking that question on this forum means you obviously have some subconcious reservations yourself about that Taurus.

I always cringe when someone asks about a Taurus revolver. I have shot some great pistols from Taurus but the one I bought was a piece of junk. I know that Taurus has pledged to make better quality guns and I think they will......but I always cringe. If you want a good revolver buy a Smith and Wesson. If you cannot afford a Smith buy a Ruger, if you cannot afford a Ruger buy a, Charter Arms or a Taurus.
Before you buy a revolver, do your homework. Know what the specs are........

Got it, thanks holo

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"Chiefs Special" 637 & 442

Model 10's by me are $250 for a shooter...for $30, there really isnt much to think about.

Model 10's are $370 by you???

I posted this thread last week - used model 10's for $199 or $219. Plus shipping and FFL puts you a few beans higher than your deal.

My experience with Taurii is not great. IMHO; I would not buy another Taurus. YMMV.

Inexpensive 10-5s and 10-6s

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But then, what do I know?

I had two of them, both junk.

I have a model 85 from about 1990. Not a Smith by any stretch but a good servicable gun. I think I paid about 275 for it new. I would buy another for that price. Jim

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That's just somebody talkin.

I bought a Taurus 66 2.5 inch (copy of the S&W gun of the same design) on Sunday for $250.

A) because they didn't have a 2.5 inch model 19 at the gun show

and

B)they knocked $100 off the asking price since I also bought a new S&W 442.

All of the function tests/problem checks. I'm taking it to the range either Thursday or Friday. I'll let you know how it goes.

I had a Taurus Model 66 snub for a little while. It shot & functioned well enough. Only sold it to help fund the purchase of my 586.
I still have a Taurus 941 .22 mag. Good shooter & a fun little gun.
I had no problems with either one, but I did sell a Taurus to buy a Smith.

I've said it before, the one thing I like about Taurus above other gun manufacturers is that they give a lifetime warranty to the GUN, not just to the original owner - that's something many others could catch up on.

Another nice thing about buying a used gun, in my experience, if you decide you don't like it, you can sell it and not take too much of a beating on it. You pay used price, you sell used price. Win-win.

All that being said, if I could find a comparable Smith for not too much more money, there's not even a question.

bluegrassrules,

A S&W 64 is a Great Choice. There are Used and Police trade-ins out there at dealers. J&G Sales in Arizona has 64's with BOBBED HAMMERS (DAO) police trade-ins for $270/$300. I have a Very Nice one from them myself.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

The Taurus revolvers I've personally owned I’ve been satisfied with. However you mentioned “shipping”. I would NOT buy a Taurus revolver that I could not personally handle and inspect first. If you spend the extra $40 or so for a used K-frame you will only feel the pain for a little while. In a year or two it will seem like a bargain. I could not believe I spent $150 on a police trade in 10-6 just a few years ago. Now I wish I’d bought a couple at that price.

I have owned twenty-one Taurus handguns and only had problems with one, a PT 22 pistol. Back in 1996, right before the Olympics came to Atlanta, every gun toting agency in Georgia swapped their revolvers in for Glocks. I bought a dozen Taurus 82's that were Wells Fargo trade-ins for $75.00 each. These were in GC, though three of them did not shoot very well. I swapped my last one about four years ago for my nickel S&W 30-1, a pretty good trade.

Avoid the older Taurus revolvers with grooves in the cylinder flutes, most of those did give problems.

My Taurus 82 with target stocks. These fit my hand perfectly and improved my shooting with this gun. It was one of the three that did not shoot well at all. I bought the Taurus 85 snubbie in the photo off a GSP officer for $100.00 and carried it for years. One night, while eating at the neighborhood pizza joint, a young woman was accosted by her ex husband and the police had to be called. The officers suggested she arm herself so I laid that on her table as I left, along with a speedloader. I got a few odd looks, but her little sister was our baby sitter, I did sort of know her. She still has the Taurus, and got herself a new husband too.

A ton of these were imported from SA in the not to distant past. Is the one your looking at a heavy barrel with a lanyard loop. These guns are hard to find parts for. Is your intended purchase got the firing pin in frame? I'm not gonna bash Taurus, but I'd choose a S&W. I've had Taurus 66 4", 65 3" and 65 2.5". I bought each one because price was right. They are all gone.

As a serious pistol shooter and R.O. at a large gun club I have seen way too many problems with Taurus stuff and for that reason I would stay way away from that brand.

FWIW with all the hoops you have to jump through in NY I would not want to waste my time adding something I do not trust on to my CCWP and then have to get rid of it a bit later!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

I am a serious hoarder of S&W revolvers, while I may buy other brands from time to time I do not keep them. My LGS often gets in firearms from LE agencies that are confiscation, stolen/recovered, evidence, turn-in, T&E, former duty items. These types of guns vary in quality and are often good buys. I have right at $300.00 in these six S&W's, and that includes the price of the baking sheet they are laying on.

My pal just bought a police trade Taurus 82 4" yesterday...seems like a perfectly servicable revolver.

I owned a similiar Taurus 82 some years back..and it was a decent enough revolver. It's only issue was the barrel needed turned a bit to line up the sights so the gun would hit the target.

That said..Taurus doesn't have a very good reputation for a reason. I've seen numerous issues with Taurus auto-pistols. The 92 series pistols seem to be the best of their autos.

I have 3 Taurus revolvers, two Model 82's and an 80 I bought 3 years ago, they were security trade ins. This was before the flood of the SA security trade ins came in.

I forget what I paid, probably about $200 each for them. They are all serviceable, but I recently worked all of them over with Wolff springs. I replaced the weak factory bolt springs with a clipped Wolff spring from the "small spring pak" and also replaced the firing pin springs. The Taurus' are fun to tinker with, the 82 in the top picture is finally "done", I had been working on it for a few days. I filed off the SA notch to make it DAO, and added a Wolff 10# mainspring and return spring. The action is very smooth now, and this gun is surprisingly accurate.

I clipped two coils off of the Wolff 12# mainspring, and used it in the Model 80. I left the 80 in DA/SA. I also added the somewhat lighter return spring that came stock in the above 82, the only non-Wolff spring I used. The early 90's era Taurus revolvers came with longer and heavier springs.

Very slick gun now. I also found NOS factory wood take-off grips on Fleabay for all of the revolvers. $30 for springs, maybe $50 in grips and I was under $700 for 3 decent shooters.

I plan to work on the other 82 soon, I think I will also make this one DAO and use the 12# mainspring and return spring to give this one a heavier pull, and use it as a "garage gun" or something to toss in the glovebox as a backup gun.

They are neat to play with, but I don't think I'll make buying Taurus revolvers a habit. The $150 82's are tempting as a cheap way to "scratch the itch" for a new "range toy" since they are all over gun shows near me..........but unless I could inspect it myself I wouldn't buy a Taurus sight unseen.

There are a TON of forum threads on other forums, about these 82 trade ins and half are from those who love the guns and got a great bargain, and half are from those who got guns with issues.

I can't speak to the durability of Taurus revolvers...........will the 3 I fixed up hold up to 1,000's of standard .38's? I guess I'll have to see. They seem well built enough, but I doubt they'll give you the round count a Ruger or S&W will.



I also recently got this .38 Special Ruger Service Six for about $350, in pretty much new condition. I have gotten several other "beater" grade Ruger Sixes in the $200-300 range, also. I guarantee they will last longer than any Taurus and have much, much less probability of giving you any issues.

Security guard agencies used to love Taurus 82's because they were cheap, and I'm sure if you bought a bunch of them they were like $150-200 a piece brand new...some people call them the "rent a cop S&W"..the average guard company probably qualifies once a year, if that, and the guns see MAYBE 100 rounds a year, so durability is not really an issue....a NIB 82 will cost you about $320-350 right now, retail.

Taurus is a good deal, IF you understand what you're getting. It's not going to be a S&W, they are NOT S&W "clones" and despite the fact that S&W and Taurus used to be owned by the same company, this had no effect on Taurus' quality. People have issues with the very early 1970's era revolvers, right up to the ones you buy today.

And there's a lot of differing info on them, some people say the ones with the "lined" cylinder flutes are the best ones you can get, and the "closest" to a S&W as Taurus got. Others say the mid 80's models are the best. Either way, it's a roll of the dice and you may get a great one or a piece of junk.

What a gentlemanly thing to do. My hat's off to you, Sir, or it would be if I ever wore one.

That was a most kind gesture.


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Wheel guns are real guns too.