Taurus 66 SS 4" .357 Magnum

[Disabled1]

Slowly but surely I am starting to build my firearms collection again. Due to health reasons a few years ago I had to sell 99% of my collection (76 firearms). I kept a rifle, pistol, shotgun, and a knife.
In my collection I had several .357 Magnums. So, I started searching for a 4" .357. I found one at GrabAGun.com for $477.21 ($plus $7.99 shipping). I thought that was an excellent deal. With shipping $485.20, FREE FFL.
I came across this article about the top (9) .357's, according to the writer of the article. I was very impressed after reading it, about what he stated about the model 66.
BTW, my .357 will be here next Monday or Tuesday.
Top 9 Best .357 Magnum Revolvers - Pew Pew Tactical

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

There are those who swear by Taurus and they may be right, but my motto is Friends don't let friends buy Taurus".

 

[BC38]

Lots of folks like Houston Rick who hate 'em.
Lots more folks like me who like 'em just fine.
There's a great Taurus forum. I'm a member there too, but I don't think posting a link to another forum is allowed.

Do a google search.

 

[MCorps0311]

I own 7 Taurus,revolvers and semi auto's and love them all.

 

[rwt1405]

I owned about 7 Taurus's over the years, as a matter of fact the first handgun I ever bought was a Taurus auto PT-92 (1985).

I will say that the PT-92 was the best and most reliable of all the Taurus I ever owned, and only sold it when a friend wanted it for carry as an LEO, so I sold it to him.

All the other Taurus's I owned were revolvers, and while a very few of them worked ok, I had problems with most of them.

I sold off my last Taurus about 5 years ago, and can't imagine ever buying another, but hey, if spending a few dollars less gets you into a revolver and that's all you care about, go for it.

I realize some here have more years with Taurus then me, but after my 25+ years experience with Taurus I would recommend that you spend a few more dollars (even if you have to save a few months) and buy a handgun that is much higher quality.

Houston Rick, I might be using your quote "Friends don't let friends buy Taurus"!

 

[rwt1405]

Lots of folks like Houston Rick who hate 'em.
Lots more folks like me who like 'em just fine.
There's a great Taurus forum. I'm a member there too, but I don't think posting a link to another forum is allowed.

Do a google search.

BC38, it's not that I hate Taurus, I truly wanted to like them, it's just that I found their quality to be "lacking".

So if that makes me a hater, so be it, but after 25+ years of trying to like them, I just came to realize there are much, much better handguns out there.

 

[L Pete]

There are those who swear by Taurus and they may be right, but my motto is Friends don't let friends buy Taurus".

I took a chance on an all stainless steel Model 85 about three years ago. I didn't keep it long after a few range trips and trying to figure out the problem, so I traded it away. I'll never do that again,....once was enough..........

 

[Disabled1]

Well, the Taurus has a LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY. So, if anything breaks under what the warranty covers, I will have Taurus repair it.
BTW, I have owned some VERY CHEAP revolvers in my lifetime. I have NEVER had one hiccup in service from any of them. I am not saying you members that had problems are neglecting them, but, in order for a firearm to fail there has to have been something wrong with it from the get go, or, it was neglected. When I state neglected I mean firing the wrong ammo (over powered), using it as a hammer, dropping it, letting someone use it with no experience, etc.

 

[DumpStick]

I have a Taurus Model 85 that I purchased new back in '92 or so. Works fine.

A M44, 44Mag, 8" or so barrel. Purchased it used, from a friend, about 10 years ago. Works fine. Wife likes it with 44Spl-level 200g loads.

A 4" M-669 in 357 mag I purchased used about 2 years ago. Has wonderful deep bluing, and works fine. Looks great too.

I've heard about problems with Taurus, and believe people have problems with them, but I haven't. Maybe I'm lucky.

 

[rjm6120]

I have owned 4 in my life and still have 3 of them----two .44 specials (431 and 441) and a stainless model 85. No problems with any of them whatsoever. I too have heard about problems with Taurus, and believe them, just haven't experienced any myself, either.

 

[L Pete]

Well, the Taurus has a LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY. So, if anything breaks under what the warranty covers, I will have Taurus repair it.
BTW, I have owned some VERY CHEAP revolvers in my lifetime. I have NEVER had one hiccup in service from any of them. I am not saying you members that had problems are neglecting them, but, in order for a firearm to fail there has to have been something wrong with it from the get go, or, it was neglected. When I state neglected I mean firing the wrong ammo (over powered), using it as a hammer, dropping it, letting someone use it with no experience, etc.

No neglect with mine, it was bought new, cleaned and taken to the range. It had light primer strike problems.....

 

[franzas]

That article is clearly wrong. There is no mention of the L frames.

IMO, S&W got it right with the L frame. It is a perfect size for the .357 and also very good-looking.

 

[Disabled1]

Slowly but surely I am starting to build my firearms collection again. Due to health reasons a few years ago I had to sell 99% of my collection (76 firearms). I kept a rifle, pistol, shotgun, and a knife.
In my collection I had several .357 Magnums. So, I started searching for a 4" .357. I found one at GrabAGun.com for $477.21 ($plus $7.99 shipping). I thought that was an excellent deal. With shipping $485.20, FREE FFL.
I came across this article about the top (9) .357's, according to the writer of the article. I was very impressed after reading it, about what he stated about the model 66.
BTW, my .357 will be here next Monday or Tuesday.
Top 9 Best .357 Magnum Revolvers - Pew Pew Tactical

FINALLY!
I pick up my .357 from my FFL cousin this Friday! They had to back order it, so, they knocked $25 off of the price after I raised a WHOLE BUNCH OF "THAT FIRE DOWN BELOW!" I have several boxes of .38 Spl. and.357 in all sorts of make model.

 

[TX-Dennis]

I hope you have as good of an experience with your Taurus as I have had with mine. Mine have both been perfect - the pistol through over 10,000 rounds, and the revolver through about 2000 so far.

 

[CustomChevyGuy]

I had a horrible experience with a Taurus 24/7 .45 acp. I shot it regularly (at least once a month) for the first year I owned it. By the end of the year I started having problems making it inconsistent enough that I didn't trust it to guard my life. Failure to eject, lite strikes, stove pipes and all other kinds of problems. After searching the forums and trying everything that any other owner with similar issues had tried, I decided to send it in, and take them up on their limited lifetime warranty. They estimated it would be 4 weeks, but since I lived in Miami, and they are in Miami, I didn't think much of it. (Long story short, it wasn't 4 weeks)
After waiting over 10 months for them to replace it, they sent back a replacement. What's worse is that they had sent the replacement to my LGS without any of the information they supposedly attached to all replacements.
The replacement had horrible fit and finish. I was very disappointed with the Gen 2 as they termed it. The grips felt cheap, the plastic seemed brittle, and looked like they had forgotten to trim, or finish anything once they had popped it out of the molds. In addition to that, the safety tab trigger felt like it was going to snap before it fired.

In contrast, my dad picked up a Taurus 66 last year, and has had absolutely no problems with it. It's a great shooting gun, but I still prefer the 686s. Hope you have good luck with yours!

 

[shouldazagged]

That article is clearly wrong. There is no mention of the L frames.

IMO, S&W got it right with the L frame. It is a perfect size for the .357 and also very good-looking.

Actually the article did mention the L frame. But it foolishly claimed that the K frame guns were "obsolete".

 

[Marine24]

My first two handguns were Taurus's. The first one was a PT92 around the time the Marine Corps adopted the M9. I didn't have enough money to afford the Beretta 92, so opted for the Taurus clone.

Next was a 4" Model 66 and it was a good revolver given the price tag.

I subsequently traded them to upgrade to a Les Baer 1911 but no regrets buying them. The PT92 fed reliably and was relatively accurate. The 66 was very solid. Fit and finish wasn't what you have on a S&W 66 or 686, but price tag isn't either.

I've had friends who experience with the PT92 was exactly the opposite of mine. Theirs didn't work and dealing with their customer service was a pain. My experience goes back to the early 80s to give it some perspective.

 

[franzas]

Actually the article did mention the L frame. But it foolishly claimed that the K frame guns were "obsolete".

They didn't mention them as being in the top 9, I meant.

 

[Disabled1]

I finally got around to taking some pics. Enjoy!

 

[Texas Star]

Actually the article did mention the L frame. But it foolishly claimed that the K frame guns were "obsolete".

Disabled 1-


Who wrote that article, and where did it appear? One scribe has done a lot of promotional writing for Taurus and another made a statement about their work ethic that I distrust.


Just how disabled are you? Can you still get around at gun shows? You may be able to buy a good used Ruger or S&W for what you paid for this Taurus.


I do agree that a stainless .357 with four-inch barrel is the best all-round handgun, if you have just one.


I'd add a small .38 ASAP, though. Those are the best basic handgun battery, I think.


Based on what I read, Taurus warranty is largely BS. They may take forever to return your only handgun and it may not be fixed right when they do. Resale value is less.


I wish you luck, but feel that you need to examine your gun purchases more carefully. Instead of buying another 76 guns this time, be more discriminating and just buy the good ones that you especially need first. As you are disabled, you probably won't need hunting guns. ??


I just saw your pics of the Taurus. Can you even get to a range and check it out? How disabled are you? If you use Disabled 1 for a board name, that sounds pretty grim. One presumes that you can still safely handle firearms, or you wouldn't have gotten one.


You said you were able to save one knife. What, and why that one? I'd choose a Swiss Army knife, a basic model like the Spartan or Tinker, but if I had just one, might opt for the larger Hunter. I just got one and the defensive advantages over the smaller ones are obvious. And the gutting blade should be a whiz for cutting rope. If I was recovering from a loss as you are, a Buck Model 105 Pathfinder would be my first sheath knife.


Even for a person able to get around in the outdoors, a SAK coupled with that Buck should get you through most knife needs. I'd sure add a Gerber, Buck, or Fiskars hatchet, though. There are some things a knife isn't meant to do. That's why we have axes and saws.