Taurus revolver question

[Rich Richardson]

I’m interested in the Taurus M44. It’s 44 mag, 4” ported barrel and 6 rounds. Anyone with experience. Curious if they loosen up with factory 240 rounds. It’s supposed to handle recoil well at 45 oz and porting.
Thank you
Richard

 

[Echo40]

I don't own an M44, but from what I've read, the M44 is a pretty sturdily built revolver. Sure, it's not as overbuilt as the Raging Bull, but I've never heard of one loosening up with a steady diet of full power ammunition, and seeing as they've been around for decades, not to mention that there are no shortage of folks who never miss an opportunity to slam Taurus, the lack of such reports seems encouraging to me.

I'll say this much, I own a Taurus Judge that never loosened up on me, despite the fact that I accidentally shot a good 25+ rounds of overpressure .45LC loads through it which it obviously isn't rated for.

 

[Funflyer]

I've got a 5 shot Tracker 44 and shoot bullets from 180gn up to 240gn and haven't noticed any difference in the pistol since I bought it new. I typically load from mid range up to full power. The Tracker is a lightweight compared to the M44 so you should be fine.

 

[Rich Richardson]

Thanks guys. I carry a 629 5” Classic. I wanted to cut it down to 4” but the time, cost and outcome have held me back. Plus it’s a beautiful gun as is.
The Taurus 44M looks like what I want my 629 to look if I had it cut.

 

[CajunBass]

I don't have any experience with Taurus revolvers from the present day, but I've owned a number of their older ones from the 70's to the 90's and I never saw anything wrong with them at all. I never tried to pound one into the ground or anything, but they held up to what I think of as "normal use" for me. Most were 38/357's but I did have one 431, five shot 44 Special that I wish I'd never let go. That was an especially nice gun.

 

[sctman800]

I had a model 415, 5 shot 41mag 2 1/2" ported barrel bought new in 2002 or 2003. Shot factory loads or reloads from mid range to full power. Loved it until I had problems with timing. All of a sudden it would get almost impossible to cock hammer or pull trigger in double action. Went to a local gunsmith once and back to factory twice, finally traded it off. Since then all my revolvers have been S&W or Ruger. Jim.

 

[wcat94]

I say get it. I cannot say about how long they will last with a steady diet of 240 gr. rounds. Mine I purchased used and it gets used as a tool that goes to the woods, it gets dirty and bumped around. Carried in a #2 uncle mikes shoulder holster some of the grey clear coat finish is wearing off, but does not bother me. The trigger is acceptable in single and double action. The last 1 1/8 of the barrel is not rifled and is an expansion chamber. The porting seems to work well but I have only used 200 gr. 44 special. I expect this will outlast me but I would get another if it wore out. Good luck with it!

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I forget the model # of my 3 inch, 5 shot, K-Frame size, 44 Special w/ adjustable sights. I bought it very used in the early 90's and shot it alot and concealed carried it some. It was fine for the first 3 or 4 thousand rounds! Then the cylinder just quit turning. The gunsmith (not a parts puller!) said there were two pins that wore flat. So he rotated them 180 degrees and it worked fine until I traded it on a 629-10 2 5/8", about 150 rounds later.

I've only owned 2 Tauras firearms, this 44 and a Colt Lightning Repo Rifle. Both had heat treating issues, these pins and every spring in the Lightning. The lifetime warranty, is worthless when they had my rifle 2 rears before they even looked at it! I have to bend the ear of a Tauras VP at the NRA convention to get that to happen! About 4 months later they replaced the rifle. I never shot that one before I traded it a week later!

Spotty materials/workmanship have always been an issue, but if you get a good one it will be fantastic!

My best friend has a 22 Stainless Revolver. Functions fine but the DA trigger pull is like 18-20 pounds. He sent it in and the trigger is glass smooth but still very heavy! To put Wolff spring kit in it voids the Warranty!

Ivan

 

[Mark8]

Around here, the saying goes that it's not a Taurus if not at least one small part falls off on every shot, and the national broadcaster actually caught one such incident on video when they visited a shooting range for a documentary about gun enthusiasts. Quality may have improved in recent years, but it's hard to shake a bad reputation I guess.

 

[Rich Richardson]

Update. Got the Taurus M44 4” and put 200 rds of 240 mag through it. The last inch of barrel has 8 ports and expansion chamber. Coupled with it’s 45oz weight it stays right on target with rapid trigger pulls.
Trigger pulls are 10.5 and 4.5 lbs. Having been under the same corporate ownership with S&W the family resemblance is obvious.
Very pleased with the purchase so far and at $580 new and lifetime warranty it was a great deal for me.

Update. 700 rounds later very accurate and no malfunctions. Trigger pull is smooth at 8.5 lbs. I like the porting, very low recoil. Things I noticed, The top strap is thick like a Ruger. The rear sight is pinned and not flimsy. The cylinder chamber walls are thicker than my S&W 629 if that means anything.

My Taurus G3C in .40 malfunctioned and I sent it in for repair. Shipping it out and returned repaired in 10 days.

 

[pantannojack]

Weak Link

I looked over the internals of a 44 spcl snubbi. It used a transfer system to actuate the firing pin. The transfer bar depended on a tiny pin to position it. If that part ever failed, and all parts do at some point, the gun would not fire. I searched for replacement transfer bars and could not find any. I will not consider any Taurus revolver.

 

[chief38]

While I do not own any Taurus Revolver's a few of my fellow Club Member's do and I have shot them on occasion. Yes, they worked, but honestly they are not a S&W Revolver IMHO. Taurus revolvers are all about saving money and not about getting a better quality revolver - just my opinion of course. I'd think you would be better off with a S&W or a Colt than buying the Taurus.

You asked about porting which I personally do not like. they do help perceived recoil however they are also now for making the revolver noisier - a 44 mag needs no additional help in that area. It's also another thing to clean and maintain and might cause a little velocity loss. For me it's mostly about the additional noise. I would not own a ported pistol, but I am only one man - plenty like them.

 

[CajunBass]

Funny story here I suppose. Not long after I first commented on this thread, I was at the LGS and saw they had a Taurus Tracker, 5 shot, 4" barrel, 44 Magnum on sale. I had just been thinking I "needed" to get a 44 something or other, to shoot up a bunch of 44 Special reloads I had, and even more brass, bullets, and primers I had left over from my last 44 flirtation. This Tracker should fill the bill perfectly. It locked up tight, trigger was decent, adjustable sights, and a ported barrel. It was rated for magnums, but I'd never use it for anything but 44 special, and not even heavy loaded Specials. I stuck it away on layaway, where it still is waiting to be liberated.

Then I came home and started to check around the forums to see what people thought of them. To my surprise I found that I must have owned one about four years ago. I had and still have no memory of that gun. Even the pictures I posted didn't ring a bell, other than I can tell they're my pictures. Knowing me, I never fired the gun before trading/selling it off for some other bright shiny thing. It may not have been remarkable one way or the other.

Oh...One difference. The "old" one had a matte finish. The current one is blue, and much nicer looking.

 

[rockquarry]

No need to pummel any handgun; those convinced that Taurus makes fine handguns should certainly buy and use them. Others may choose to spend a little more and get an S&W or Colt product. They will probably be at least as happy with their purchase as the Taurus advocates are with theirs.

It may not apply to everyone, but at sale or trade time, consider which will be more desirable to buyers and which will hold value better.

 

[BB57]

While I do not own any Taurus Revolver's a few of my fellow Club Member's do and I have shot them on occasion. Yes, they worked, but honestly they are not a S&W Revolver IMHO. Taurus revolvers are all about saving money and not about getting a better quality revolver - just my opinion of course. I'd think you would be better off with a S&W or a Colt than buying the Taurus.

You asked about porting which I personally do not like. they do help perceived recoil however they are also now for making the revolver noisier - a 44 mag needs no additional help in that area. It's also another thing to clean and maintain and might cause a little velocity loss. For me it's mostly about the additional noise. I would not own a ported pistol, but I am only one man - plenty like them.

I own a number of S&W revolvers, in no particular order:
3” 686+
2 1/2” 686+
2 1/2” Model 66
3” Model 13
6” Model 66
6” Model 14
4” Model 15
6” Model 17
6” K-22 Outdoorsman
5” Victory Model
3” Model 60
3” Model 36
1 7/8” Model 36
4” Model 625

I also own a few Ruger revolvers;
2 3/4” Speed six (9mm)
2 3/4” Speed Six (.357)
2 3/4” Security Six
4” Police Service Six
6” Security Six
Plus a couple Blackhawks in .45 Colt, a couple more in .357 Mag and a couple Single Sixes.

I also own a Taurus 905 as well as a Taurus 942.


Here are my thoughts on Taurus:

1) Taurus QA is poor, but to be brutally honest right now QA at both S&W and Ruger is also hit and miss. Taurus however has good customer service and will fix the problem promptly. That has not been my experience with Ruger.

2) If you get a Taurus that shoots, it’s a good revolver.

Will it be S&W good? It depends on what you are looking for, but the Taurus revolvers perform well for the money, in an era and market where new S&W revolvers are badly over priced and Ruger revolvers are not much better.

That goes double for N frame sized revolvers.

3) I don’t own any Colt revolvers. I don’t like their cylinder release, I don’t like the probability that they won’t be around down the road, whenever the holding company that owns them decides to sell them to another holding company, and I don’t like the fact that they are priced way too high for what you get.


4) In short, Taurus revolvers offer great bang for the buck nad if it gets more people interested in revolvers it’s a plus.

 

[Bill Lear]

I've owned a few Tauri over the years and currently own a stainless M65, stainless M605, and a nifty little PT-111 from WAY BACK in 2000 that is still today one of the smallest, lightest DAO 9mm autos ever made, long before Sig and Glock - or even S&W got into the game. Has it been shot to pieces? Nope, but it's been shot plenty enough to know where it shoots, how it shoots, and that it shoots, and carried on occasion. IF more Taurus models were available in the great State of Kamalafornia I am certain I would own more of them. I tend to think that S&W revolvers are overall "better" and they have certainly captured "that look" that pleases the eye, and are better built today that ever before. But then, that could just be innate bias rearing it's head.

 

[erikpolcrack]

I've had one of the 5-shot 44 Trackers for several years. It's doing fine and I'm very pleased with it.

 

[BSA1]

Unfortunately Taurus reputation for spotty quality is deserved.

I had a Stainless Steel 5 round snubby that was purchased in the mid ‘90’s. It is a good quality and been trouble free. As I no longer edc it it is my fishing gun. I load two shotshells for snakes the crawl and three rounds of 158 gr. LSWC for the snakes that walk.

My second Taurus was a M931 8 round 22 Magnum. It was total junk. It keyholed bullets even at 3 yards away. I sent it back to Taurus and they quickly replaced it.

The replacement has been excellent. It came with test target with eight bullet holes in a 1 3/4” group. I shot a slightly better 1 5/8” 8 round group. It does have a heavy double action trigger pull which is the nature of the beast for 22 Rimfire revolvers.

I recently cleaned Taurus 357 Magnum Taurus Tracker for a co-worker and am impressed with it’s quality. The exterior is free of tool marks and has a excellent smooth finish. It easily equals a S&W. I am starting to think about getting one for myself.

So I wouldn’t be afraid of getting a 4” 44 Magnum revolver. One word of warning. I have a 4” barrel Model 29 and it is a beast with full magnum ammunition. However reloading my own helps to keep the beast in it’s cage.

 

[hyena]

I've only had one Taurus. A 942 snubnose .22. I bought it in place of a 43c because it was half the price. Excellent little gun, shot the snot out of it for 18 months, then traded it back in on a 43c. I bought it to train with in place of my 642, and the Taurus just didn't feel exactly the same in my hand.

I'm in no position to throw rocks at Taurus anyway. One of my favorite revolvers is my Charter Arms Pitbull .45. For some perverse reason I really like it.

Glad the OP picked up the Taurus and likes it.

 

[Narragansett]

I’m interested in the Taurus M44. It’s 44 mag, 4” ported barrel and 6 rounds. Anyone with experience. Curious if they loosen up with factory 240 rounds. It’s supposed to handle recoil well at 45 oz and porting.
Thank you
Richard

I have never owned, handled or touched a Taurus anything. My buddy bought a Raging Bull Taurus to keep at the camp in Vermont. After a couple years, he said it was loose and shot out.

I know budger constraints etc, but I would never consider buying a 44 Taurus. Actually I was surprised that my buddy bought a Taurus. We had been talking about Smiths.

I believe they are inferior to 29 and 629’s.

Maybe just me