Wanted - 9mm Snubby - Are Taurus Revolvers Really That Bad?

TAURUS LOCK-UP

About ten years ago, I'd buy every small frame, 5-shot Taurus revolver I could at gun shows & sell them if I could make $40-50. Then I came across a model 85 that froze up when pulling the trigger DA. No matter how hard I pulled, it would only pull the trigger halfway back & not complete the cycle. Figured it was an anomaly. Then ran across another one that did the same thing. This one I wanted to keep, so I went to the expense of sending it to Taurus' svc. dept. in Miami. Got it back promptly (probably cause they didn't do squat to it) w/a letter saying it "met their mfg. standards". NUTS!!! This & the ones I sold were/would have been self-defense guns, so I would neither count on it to save my life nor in good conscience sell one to someone else. No more Taurus for me!
Hank M.
 
I have some really nice performance center Smiths and one Taurus 455 acp trackers. The tracker snubby is my favorite to shoot of all of them. Very nice gun with several trips to the range. Also have a Tcp that I carry 5 days a week at work. My 340pd is weekends and evenings. I would not hesitate to buy another Taurus. Just my opinion.
 
Your question seemed like it came from a reasonably intelligent person
so why in the world are you wanting a revolver in a semi automatic
cartridge like 9mm ? ? ? Get it right... Go 38/357 or go home.
 
I have had quite a few S&Ws and still have over a dozen. I have one Taurus. A 431 3" 5 shot 44 special and it compares favorably with the Smiths. Nice trigger, good lock up, nice finish and accurate. Can't speak for all Taurus, but this one is great.
 
Last edited:
Taurus hater

In my 50+ years of shooting I've only had one handgun break on me; in fact in the ten years that I owned it, it had THREE catastrophic failures. It was a TAURUS........... I kept it ten years because I liked the looks and feel of it however, it was always relegated to being a 'range' gun and NEVER a carry gun. In the spirit of total transparency, it was a Taurus auto but still the only gun that ever failed to function in 50+ years. FWIW, J.
 
I can only speak of my experience with Taurus, and it hasn't been good.

I bought a new 941,.22mag. blue steel 4 in. I first had to send it back as it would usually only fire 4 to 6 of the eight loaded cylinders. Numerous light strikes and very hard trigger. The forcing cone was troublesome, and lotsa sticky rounds in the chamber upon extraction. They fixed all the problems.

Now I have to send it back after less than 200 rounds because it won't cock in single action and the trigger won't pull in double action. The foot on the transfer bar broke right behind the trigger tying up the works.

When it comes back this time, I am going to sell it. I'm sick of the thing. Plus I found a mod.48 Smith with 4 in. barrel. I cost more than twice the Taurus but is worth it.
 
The quality is uneven...

I know people that are happy with their Tauruses, but you never know when they are having a good or bad day at the factory.

If I had one for SD I'd only shoot it enough to train with it.
 
Johnnu2 said:
In my 50+ years of shooting I've only had one handgun break on me; in fact in the ten years that I owned it, it had THREE catastrophic failures. It was a TAURUS........... I kept it ten years because I liked the looks and feel of it however, it was always relegated to being a 'range' gun and NEVER a carry gun. In the spirit of total transparency, it was a Taurus auto but still the only gun that ever failed to function in 50+ years. FWIW, J.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm, three catastrophic failures? How did it fire after the first catastrophic failure? Full Definition of CATASTROPHE
1
: the final event of the dramatic action especially of a tragedy
2
: a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune to utter overthrow or ruin
3
a : a violent and sudden change in a feature of the earth
b : a violent usually destructive natural event (as a supernova)
 
I've owned 3.
1 steel with the bobbed hammer, 2 ultra lights, all .38.
One of the ultra lights was trouble free.
The other two would occasionally lock up while shooting.
If I opened the cylinder and closed it they would finish just fine.
Not a desirable trait in a self defense gun!

As others have said, the biggest issue with Taurus is their customer service.
You ship on your dime and it will be weeks before you get the gun back.

S&W customer service has spoiled me!
 
If you really want a 9mm revolver for carry, get a 9mm LCR......

If it's a range toy, get a 9mm Ruger Blackhawk. Both are just a little more $$$ than a Taurus and you'll save the headaches.

When you buy a gun for defense.......ask yourself 2 questions...would you bet the lives of your loved ones on this gun? Would you let a loved one shoot it? I think safety and security are worth a few hundred extra dollars.

If I had the money back I wasted buying Taurus' and selling them for a loss I probably could have bought a 9mm Blackhawk with it.

I also want a 9mm revolver, just as a range shooter since I can pick up 9 anywhere.

I still own 4 Taurus revolvers......a 65, 82, and two 80's. All are older, with the 82 being from 2002. They work well, I will keep these since they do OK and they make decent range bangers or "rainy day at the range" guns, that I can take out in rough weather when no one else is there, and not care if they get wet. Wipe them down with a Eezox moistened shop rag, all good........if I got one of my good Smiths or Rugers soaked I'd be oiling and wiping every internal part after a complete tear down of the gun.....then probably lose a little sleep over it. With a Taurus, who really cares, as long as it still works. They have a place, IMO, as "training guns" or shooters, but I stopped carrying them. I used to IWB my one 80 here and there but I stopped doing that.

All I can say is, I've got a 4" Redhawk .44 sitting next to me right now, as my "house gun" with a Smith 15-7 in an IWB holster in my bedroom as my carry gun.......along with an SP101 for lighter carry. A Service Six in my hiking backpack, and a S&W 31-1 4" in my cupboard in case the raccoons try to destroy my garbage can again......note that none of them are Taurus......when I get my hands on dirty, cheap somewhat accurate .38 reloads that I wouldn't soil a good gun with, that's when the Tauri come out.

I bought an M380 revolver and it was junk. Got burned buying a few other used Taurus revolvers. Overall I'll keep what I have, but I'm not looking for any more of them.
 
Last edited:
It seems that all brands are having issues, not just Taurus. My Taurus's have been trouble free but have sent two other brands in for repair.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

6string
IHMSA Revolvers, anyone?
Replies
11
Views
1K
Phenix
P
D
Range Report
Replies
1
Views
790
chief38
chief38
Narragansett
Revolver Saturation
2 3 4
Replies
65
Views
3K
Narragansett
Narragansett
J
Which 357 revolver is next?
2 3
Replies
44
Views
3K
jeffrefrig
J
ferider
A short report on my two 9mm revolvers
2
Replies
20
Views
1K
ferider
ferider

Latest posts

Back
Top