Just sharing my recent experience.

In March 2014 I acquired a new Taurus 85 revolver. Beginning July I saw that there was rust on the frame. I contacted Taurus and on July 15th I sent it back for warranty repair.

Today I got a call that the damage is beyond repair and Taurus will send me a new one. Takes another 7-10 business days.

So they basically had it for 2 month to figure out what to do. Not sure if this is now good or bad...

The contact (phone and fax) was friendly and they replace it w/o having an attitude.

Hopefully the new one will hold up.

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Jorge

You had it for four months, it rusted and they're replacing it?

Okie Dokie...sounds like good customer service to me.

Did they question as to whether or not you oiled this blued gun during that time?

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NULLI SECUNDUS

No questions asked.

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Jorge

That's outstanding customer service!

Outstanding customer service? Really? Taurus had the gun, they took 2 months to decide to send you a replacement gun. Sounds like they're slower than molasses in the winter to me. I have 2 Taurus handguns (both gifts) and wish that I didn't have either.

We run a TAURUS firearms rescue, so PM me and we'll make arraignments to take those offending guns off your hands.

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NULLI SECUNDUS

Never fails.

You hear how a gun is rusty and without questions being asked they replace the whole gun.

And someone still complains.

OP, when the gun comes back wipe it down with a quality CLP and wipe under the rubber with some grease like Tetra or even better with some RIG. Or buy some Eezox or Frog Lube and rust will be a thing of the past.

They should at least have good customer service since their products are generally poor. That's what keeps them going. If it was also bad customer service then what would they do.

Personally I'm not impressed with customer service. It's not a selling point to me. Quality is....anyone can give lifetime warranty on junk.

It will have to be delivered to you through an FFL...did they ask you for an address of your local gun store? It isn't a done deal until the gun is in your hand. Just sayin..........

I'll take 'em

Seriously though, I'm a bit disappointed with the 2 month wait. Taurus allows you to check the repair status of your gun via their website. It's frustrating if the status never changes in 2 month. So I sent them a fax inquiring about the status of the repair. That was 8 days ago...

The rust was inside the trigger guard and quite heavy. The rust on the frame by and under the grips was not as much but clearly visible.

I figured they refinish the firearm, so I'm not mad about getting a brand new one. Just the waiting time, I'm a very impatient person.

Customer Service IS important to me. I don't want anyone to put honey into my body orifices, but I expect them to be friendly and professional. Taurus did just that.

EDIT:

That would be me. I had to send my FFL 3 times. The CSR on the phone told me that it was not saved in the system. Whatever.

Still, getting a new firearm with no questions asked is good to go in my book.

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Jorge

but in my experience ,some of their products are pure junk.
bout 3 years ago , my friend and i went to a large gun show to basically look at guns for her try find one that would work for her as carry option.
spotted a nice BRAND NEW taurus stainless wheel gun with a short barrel & the price was right . we asked if it would be ok to handle it and the dealer agreed ..... cylinder rotation would not lock up correctly !

she bought a similar size s&w 38 caliber , with my help , and never looked back !
other people i have talked to have had like experience with their products

They wanted me to ship over night out of pocket on a Taurus .22 snub
I told them I already had too much invested in it. So it is history now. The hammer hit the frame before the firing pin. Causing 70% light hits. I stoned the frame a it and it went to about 10% light primer hits.
Never again unless it is almost free.

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Have a blessed day ,
Bull

They are very well not in the same league as S&W and Colt, indeed. I had a little Colt Agent once and unfortunately sold it.

The Taurus 85 is an affordable little handgun (not even half the price of a new model 36 if you can find one) and I wanted a snake gun ASAP. I shot several different loads and it worked. So I like it for around the house and yard work and don't mind if it's getting a scratch here and there or holster wear. The rust on the other hand was just too much for an item that's barely 4 month old...

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Jorge

I bought a used Taurus 66, 2.5 inch barrel at a gun show. The rear sight looked like the gun had been dropped right on it.

I called Taurus to ask about getting a new rear sight. I was asking how much it cost and barely finished the question when the rep told me "Nothing. It'll be in the mail tomorrow".

It's not as pretty a gun as a S&W, and the trigger could be better, but it's a tack driver.

All guns rust if you don't take care of them. That isn't exclusive to Taurus. The fact that they replaced it should be enough. I've got a model 85 that I've had for 20 years and never had any problems with it. I wouldn't buy another one but for what I paid for it, a couple hundred bucks if I recall, it's been a decent revolver.

Some people would complain if they were being hung with a new rope.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Circa 1996, ye olden days, I purchased a new Taurus Model 85. It lasted less than a 100 rounds before locking up. I gave it to my boss, he sent it in and they repaired it. It had a long life afterwards.

I have a recent production PT92 that I am happy with. I use filed M9 mags in it. It is a nice gun and a good value.

Well, ya know, call me weird but I would almost be willing to bet that Taurus has other customers who maybe, just maybe, sent in their guns for warranty before this gentleman did.
Being a polite kind of guy, I would not expect them to do my work before that of others in line ahead of me. So if ya think about it, that is probably why it took as long as it did.

P.S. I am constantly amazed how so many just don't get this. Think about it, wouldn't you be a bit irritated if you found out they serviced someone else's stuff before yours even though yours had been their longer?

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NRA Life member

Was this gun a display model in a gun store that people could handle before you bought it.?
Just wondering how that rust could develop that fast.
As far as replacing the gun, I think that is very good on their part. as mentioned above there are other people ahead of you. I think that is totally acceptable.
I know someone who bought one of the high dollar 45 acp pistols and it never shot right. After inspection it was found that the rifling in the barrel was not right. They had the pistol for 6 weeks at the factory before they even started to repair it. It was a 2600.00 45

Maybe I am not seeing the big picture here. Was the gun rusty when you bought it?
If it wasn't, how did it get rusty?
If my gun rusts, it is my fault. I think Taurus is being good to you.

I bought the 85 brand new. It was not a display model.

Not sure why exactly it got so rusty, but I treated it just like I treated all my former and current firearms. And I never had a rust problem.

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Jorge

They no longer send out parts but require the gun is sent in.

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Front sight and squeeze

Got my replacement today. It comes in a matte finish now with different rubber grips. Also the trigger and hammer are matte finish (not case hardened).

I assume it's a repaired/refinished model that - just like mine - was sent in for warranty repair or something. It already has a clearly visible turn line and the hole in the frame for the grip pin is messed up.

I wanted to replace the grips with wooden Hogue ones and they didn't fit. Even though they were made for the model 85.

My end of story is that I'm tired of such business strategies.

Not sure if I keep it or sell it...

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Jorge

I had a Taurus .22 snub revolver, had to send it back 5 times for the same problem -they never fixed it! It was failure to open the cylinder firing even 1 rd. They ended up replacing it an I traded that off the day it came in, never even took it out of the gun shop!
I will never own another of their products!

Never forgot the magazine review some years back of the Taurus equivalent (model number unknown) to the Model 10 service revolver. Over several sessions, 500 rounds of standard pressure, .38 LRN service ammo was fired. At the end of the test, the barrel / cylinder gap had doubled...

What frightens me about some of the other posters/posts is how their gun might not have fired, brand new, in an emergency situation.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I'm well aware of the Taurus QC problems, but in terms of response and replacement time, two months doesn't seem unreasonable. How long is the current time frame for repair work with S&W? I've heard anywhere from two weeks to six months depending on type of service.

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I'm with the banned ...

You know, I'm not even that upset about the wait time, even though it's 3 month now.

What bothers me is that I have to contact them and ask for the status (their website still says "under review" after I put my data in). I contacted them after 2 month wait and then they told me that they gonna replace it.

Also I had to send my FFL four (4) times until they finally put it in the system.

But the main thing is that I got a refurbished item in return.

It comes with a different finish, it looks used and there was a butcher working on the frame. The new rubber grips don't make it look better.

I sent them a fax yesterday and told them that I don't want it.

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Jorge

Never owned a Taurus revolver, but I have one of their compact auto 9mm's. It keeps up with my Sig 2022 on reliability & accuracy out to 25 yds. It has about 500 rds through it so far, no complaints.

I've never had to test their service response, but over on the Taurus forums the turn-around time seems to be the issue that comes up most. I've read plenty of complaints on the other brands too(including Sig), just seems to be the nature of the internet....mistakes or screw-ups get 10 times the attention of getting it right. I just try to factor that in when I use internet reviews to help me shop.

Maybe I got lucky b/c I purchased a Taurus PT-22 at a gun show a couple of months ago. It is a nice little gun and shoots great but I don't know that I would buy any of their other guns.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Negative news always get more attention, sure.

Point is that the waiting time was not the big issue here.

The issue that I see here is that a) I as a customer have to ask for a status of my firearm (like it's so hard to send out email updates or post cards) and b) I got a different/broken item in return.

It's not that I bothered them every day. I sent a fax after two freaking month to ask what was going on. If they cannot respond to their customers after 2 month then I don't see much customer care here...

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Jorge

...if you care.

I sent them a fax on 10/10 with my complaint. I complaint about the different finish, the turn lines on the cylinder as well as the messed up grip pin hole.

I haven't heard anything from Taurus so I called today. After 25 minutes of listening to the computer voice and some sort of country music I finally spoke to a real person. She was telling me right away that it will go to a supervisor, who will call me back within 48hrs..

Here are the pictures.





I think it's messed up and I won't accept it. I can't even re-sell it.

If you think I'm too petty, it's alright. If you would take it as is and just shoot it, fine. I don't. I expect more. Last Taurus for me. Seriously.

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Jorge

Gotta love taurus.

They boast their no questions asked lifetime warranty, which is a good thing because you are without doubt going to need to use it.

When I was working at the LGS I sent more Taurus' back to the manufacturer than any other two manufacturers combined.

It got so bad that I actually pulled them all off the shelf and returned them to the distributor.

just my experience

I've had 3 of their revolvers and no real problems with any of them. I traded off two of them on guns I wanted more and still have a snub in .41 mag. My only complaint with this one is Starline brass with their thicker head rub in the gun although factory ammo works fine. I suppose I should send it back for that but have heard such bad reports about customer service I've opted not too.
Would I buy another? Probably not but the ones I had were bought at good prices when I didn't have much money so they served their purpose.
I'd rather spend the money and buy S&W and would urge someone else to do so too unless a Taurus was all the could afford.

And even if that's all you could afford, just look for a dealer that offers layaway. You might have to wait one or two pay periods more, but at least you have a great(er) product.

Well, you know, it's less the product and more the people. The first revolver worked fine. It was just rusty. The second one, I am sure, would work too if you would fire it. But the fact that people messed it up bothers me. And I'm not supporting such businesses.

Why in the world would you send out such a firearm? And they are so proud they even put the name of the inspector on the invoice.

Shows me that QC is somewhere near the bottom and/or people just don't care.

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Jorge

Sorry to hear about the rust issue and the amount of time it has taken.

My 20+ year old Taurus '66' served well as my bedside gun for many years. I shot it (should say 'with it') regularly and would say the action, trigger, accuracy is outstanding to this day.

I see Taurus as a company that tries hard to compete, innovate and manufactures a good quality firearm for the price. I prefer S&W, but healthy competition can only help.

OP, hope you get a nice one back and enjoy it for many years!

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Best Regards,
Mark

From my research and from talking to several Taurus buyers, Taurus does stand behind their warranty.

That said I have found that the Taurus products that are made in South America have little or not quality control and the workmanship is highly suspect. It is like playing Russian roulette. If you get one of the old worker's guns, it will probably be very good. If you get one of their new worker's guns, God help you because the gun will not. Also you may have to send it back more than once for issues that should have been corrected before it ever left the factory.

However Taurus now makes their TPC 738 .380 in the USA and the workmanship is top rate on these few guns. I have never seen a bad review of one of them and this goes for the TPC 732 as well, even though it is no longer manufactured.

Some of the revolvers I have seen from South American plant are just terrible, but not all of them. So my recommendation if you buy a Taurus import be prepared to spend some time shipping it back and forth before you get it right. They will eventually get it right, but it may take a long time, and who needs that kind of hassle.

However, the American made mouse guns by Taurus are like a different brand.

I would not recommend any of the imported Taurus handguns to the first time buyer or to the buyer unwilling to deal with a near total lack of quality control on their imported guns.

I would recommend the Taurus TPC 738 in .380 if you have need for a super lightweight, and ultra concealable mouse gun. However, if you don’t need both of these features, I would suggest a S&W 649 or even one of the lightweight variations on this gun. While the revolver will not conceal as easily as the mouse gun, I feel more comfortable betting my life on a gun I trust completely, which in a small gun to me means revolver and I would not buy a Taurus revolver.

So I don’t lump all Taurus handguns into one pile. I try and separate the wheat from the chaff. Additionally, Taurus has improved from the Taurus of 30 years ago when their reputation was terrible across the board. But many of us old timers still remember those old Taurus relics and have not allowed that the company has actually improved from those days.

I am ashamed to admit how may S&W and Ruger handguns I have, but I only have one Taurus and it is the TPC 738 in .380 and like the reviews of this gun, mine was flawless from the get go. Still I only carry it on rare occasions when I need both an ultra light and a highly concealable gun and the alternative is a knife.

When it comes back, I would suggest seriously consider sell it and upgrade to a S&W or at least a Ruger, especially if this is a carry or defense weapon. Many years ago I was contemplating buying a Taurus revolver, but after reading they shouldn't be dry fired I placed a call to Taurus customer service and they said don't dry fire their guns because the firing pin might break. I decided then that I would never own a Taurus. They are simply not quality weapons. No Militaries, Police Departments(outside Brazil) have ever issued Taurus handguns and there is good reason for that fact. Look at what reputable trainers carry and I doubt you'll find many Taurus firearms.

I have their Rossi Plinker 22 revolver and it's great. Have also had their stainless 2" 357 mag revolver, best grips I've ever had. When I read this post, it didn't seem any different than recent S&W posts regarding service. I haven't seen anything about canted barrelss on Taurus or Rossi, have you? I like my Smiths, but they sure as hell ain't perfect. I have a Lear-Sigler 581 that was supposed to be the terrible years, it's well made and the bluing is fantastic. Put that in your new S&W and smoke it!

My 1993 production Taurus 65 is easily the equal of it's S &W counterpart. My 2003 Taurus 82 security trade in I got for $200 shoots as well as any Model 10 and makes a good range banger for cheap reloads. Also have a couple good Model 80's. I've been called a Taurus basher for speaking of my experiences but I own more Taurus guns than most Taurus "fans" do

That said I bought a brand new Taurus M380 revolver and it was pure junk.

Bought two security trade 82's that were garbage, both locked up after 12 or so rounds.

I won't buy a new Taurus, I have no need to, and I have a few used ones I use as range toys but that's it for me. They're just range shooters. I've been burned on a few older ones too that I had to dump for a loss.....

I feel the days when Taurus turned out good guns is over, now they turn out whatever they can get out the door and leave QC to the customer .

If someone were to want a new Taurus revolver I'd tell them to find a new 82 for $320, Taurus seems to fit these better because most of them go to security companies who spend more on guns then we do.

With trade in S &W 64's available for $250 and PD trade in Glocks all over on Gun Broker for $350 I don't see a need to buy a Taurus.

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Wow, so many Taurus haters. I just added my third Taurus Millennium G2 series semi to my collection. It's a PT140 G2 in .40 caliber with 11+1 capacity, unobtrusive manual safety, 6.24" OAL, second strike capability and weighing in at 22oz. I bought this because my two PT111"s in 9mm shot flawlessly and accurately straight out of the box. Nobody offers anything close to the price and reliability that this series offer. I challenge any S&W forum member to find negative reviews with the PT111 G2 and PT140 G2. Taurus hit a grand slam with this series.

It's not a competition. I had a faulty product that was promised to be replaced and I got another faulty one in return.

Don't care who the manufacturer is, that kind of customer care I cannot stand.

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Jorge

Well I'm sorry to hear your replacement was faulty. S&W has more than their share of faulty replacements.

What can I say? This is my Wife's Taurus 85 that she bought new in '93. This was from her shooting early in the spring. The 5 high shots were her first cylinder full and it ticked her off. I'd say her groupings got a bit tighter after that! I also shoot this revolver and it still looks and functions like the day she bought it. I use FrogLube on it and that keeps it nice and clean...


L8R,
Matt

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SD40-VE owner and proud of it!

Taurus peaked in the 90's, I won't touch anything made after the early 2000's and even then it has to be a good deal to make it an " impulse buy". I need another revolver like an Eskimo needs more ice but I'm not walking away from a 2003 production Taurus 82 with 12 rounds through it for $200 OTD I figured if I didn't like it I could at least sell it for $200 and get my money back.

I remember when everyone and their pops had a Taurus 92, they were good guns in the 1990's.

I have to say, it was entertaining to read this thread, watch it go downhill, and result in another "satisfied Taurus customer."

They lived up to their reputation.

Not really entertaining to me. A Customer Service Team Lead called me yesterday, taking basically my statement again which I already sent via fax. She also inquired about the pictures I offered.

The mounted grips, which have a bull on both sides, are for the newest production revolvers. So apparently I got a brand spanking new revolver. So far so good, I'm not worried about the grips but the other stuff.

She said she'll call me not later than Wednesday. We'll see what she says... But I told her that I do not want the revolver as it is.

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Jorge

+1000!

This is very true. I have a 90's 431 and 2004 605 that are both quality weapons, definitely better than most of the current stuff out of Springfield.

I've never had a problem with my taurus 1911, even the mags are a decent quality. And my PT22 never failed to fire with it's 20lb trigger pull, and I'd still have my model 85 today if I hadn't happened on a deal on a model 36. Now the PT145 that was a different story. Never made it thru a full mag.

Got a call today. They sent a shipping label so I can send it back for refinishing. The grip pin hole is supposed to look like that. Yes, they said that.

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Jorge

My 1993 Taurus 65 is just a solid, no frills reliable gun.
It looks great, shoots great and has an awesome action. I'd shoot it against a S&W any day. Is it "better" than a Smith or a Ruger? No.... is it as effective? Yes! I think it's the equal of a S&W 65. I handled a new 65 and it just felt cheap to me.

I own MANY S&W and Ruger revolvers too but this 65 found it's way into my "regular rotation"

I was intrigued by the Taurus M380, looked forward to getting one....finally did, and it was a piece of junk. Timing was somewhat off on one chamber, mainspring seat was poorly fitted and caused FTF until I filed it to fit myself.....If someone had bought this gun for self defense and didn't have the knowledge to fit this part it could have cost them their life when the gun "clicked"'instead of banged in a life or death scenario. Horrible action, probably a 40 lb DA pull and I'm not too picky about trigger pulls in snub revolvers.....

I look for older Taurus revolvers, just for fun but won't pay too much for one.

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I have a Taurus .22 mag 2" I carry in my tackle box with snake shot, if the canoe flips over and it is lost, I wouldn't feel as bad if it was a S&W 48.
I keep it coated with Break Free so it doesn't rust up.