These days in the pistol world the name is the selling point, sig,h&k,kimber and all these companies make nice weapons but how much is really needed? these higher priced guns all have remarkable reputations, but how good does a gun have to be to get this reputation.
The reason I ask is because I own a taurus pt92 and a taurus pt1911 and nobody believes in their quality. I have compared a beretta 96 vertec w/ a 5"barrel and a springfield armory mil-spec to these guns and i'm still a taurus fan. between the pt 92 and the vertec, the guns were so close no real judgments could be made,though the main differences like frame mounted safety and integrated lock(on the pt 92) were more convenient. both these guns shot very well at the range,berettas sights were easier to lock on to but they both got similar groupings. As for the 1911 they almost felt identical,even the slides had the same smoothness (nothing like a sig revolution though.) And of course the groupings for these two were almost the same. I payed $565 for my pt 92 and $620 for the 1911, my buddies payed $715 for the vertec and $675 for the 1911. after knowing this they wanted to trade and get some of their money back! I'm just saying that taurus is underrated even with guns like the judge!

so write in for your most underrated gun manufacturer and get your favorite gun some attention!

I've got to agree with you. Over the years I've owned Smiths and Rugers and now have three Taurus products, a 38 Ultra-light snubby, a 41 mag Tracker and a Rossi stainless 22 which is now a Taurus company.

All three are excellent hand guns and I'm as pleased with them as any I've owned. I've owned.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/threeguns.jpg

I own one Taurus and several other makes from Smith and Wesson, Para Ordnance, Ruger, and Beretta. I bought the Taurus because it had the features that I wanted, but it is not the quality of the others, and I knew that buying it. Its the only gun that I have that I can not sell for more than I paid for it. Its good for what it does, and the price is what many Taurus buyers go on. You really do get what you pay for with Taurus. Its good that you are happy with your guns.

I like Taurus' products. I range qualified for concealed carry with my Taurus PT 111,9mm. The PT 25 that I own is just flawless and the Rossi 357 snubby stainless steel is just a gem and as smooth as any other big name revolvers I've owned. My gunsmith smoothed out the Rossi's trigger for only $50 and what a big difference that made for double action possibilities while carrying. Hey,South America IS NOT a 3rd world nor is Brasil/Brazil a 3rd world country.And, there has always been a huge European influence in South America so one can interpret that as they wish,but as I see it, that a very positive factor.

I have not bought a Taurus product. Have concidered them a few times due to thier price. Seems that every time I've concidered one, I read of a bad experience that shuts down the deal.

I'm a little proud of the fact that I've never traded or sold a firearm that I have purchaced. I would "prefer" to keep it that way!

I remain "skeptical" about Taurus. No flame intended to anyone.

Cheezywan

Hard sell for us old guys.

We remember the "bad old days" (everything up into the 1980's).

They got better over time, and I've no hesistation about them today: good guns. Have handled several of my firend's guns (all bought in the last 5 or 10 years) and they are well fitted, finished worth products.

Not too thrilled with current S&W's. Having started with 1950's and 1960's production S&W's, the current offerings suffer a bit in visual comparison...may shoot just as well.

All in all, if out to buy a NEW REVOLVER, would save the $ and buy the Taurus.

Semi-autos follow about the same outline...are some oustanding semio-autos of various makes, I've no compalints about the Taurus.

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I'd save nothing....what ever the $ difference, spend it on practice ammo. Ammo prics aren't going down anytime soon and practice is much more importnat that what gun you bought.

I've been considering ordering a small taurus pistol for possible concealed carry. I know Bob loves his 38 special snubby, but I was concidering this one (http://www.taurususa.com/products/product-details.cfm?id=269&category=Revolver) since it should be a little stronger being a .357 mag. and being easier to draw out of a pocket with the shrouded hammer, but retaining the option to shoot it as a SA if wanted. The only "down side" is that it is only a 5 shot revolver, but If a person needs more than 5, it is probably a bad day getting worse fast!

Hopefully five shots will be enough, but I carry another speed loader with another five in the other pocket. Nothing wrong with the one your looking at it, but If you haven't shot a 25 ounce or under 2 inch barreled gun with full bore 357 mag loads your in for a thrill.

Got a friend whom has one of the scandium Smith J frame 2 inch revolvers and he likes to let folks shoot it whom haven't before. He always makes them do it on the lawn and I've seen it dropped several times. It's lighter than the one you linked to, but more than a handfull with 357's.

Frankly even if you get the 357 I'd consider shooting Plus P 38 Speer Gold Dots in it. They are a very good defense load and completely controllable in my Taurus Ultra-Light snubby. I practice with mild loaded cast wadcutters. I do like the shrouded hammer, but the snubby I have was given to me by a friend for a carry pistol and it's the exposed hammer model. I've never had any trouble getting it out of a pocket or pocket holster though. I know that I sure wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of those Speer Gold Dots.

Your mileage may vary but my experience with Taurus revolvers, has been regrettable. I had an M-66 with 2 1/2" barrel which was very accurate and was reliable when thumb cocked but would occasionally misfire in double action, that turned out to be the best of them. Then I got the Tracker stainless 4" in .45 ACP which misfired often in double action and occasionally in single action. I blamed that on the very thin and flimsy Taurus moon clips so I got the same gun in .45 Long Colt, and had the same problem. Lastly I tried out a CIA .357 Mag. It was reliable but accuracy was lousy so I have given up on Taurus revolvers, which is a shame because they do offer some guns that no one else makes. I've also heard many horror stories of their abysmal customer service. I was surprised by your thought that Taurus may be a "best buy" because on another site it is considered a "never buy". Mileage does vary.:D

I would like to see this site to see which models were marked like that. Maybe their revolvers are a little shotty but I havent heard too many problems about their autos. I know there were some major changes done to their ultra lights and tracker series, so I wonder how old your revolvers are. And by misfire you say the firing pin didn't engage the round? the one gun of taurus I have heard problems about was the millenium and those were complaints about the sights jostling around. my pt 92 so far has a good reputation and my 1911 is recognized as a strait forward no frills gun. As for customer service I had to talk to them alot when I was in the retail bussiness and they were pretty good depending who you talk to, Ill say I had more trouble getting a hold of sig service. but to each his own, hey and you should try the JUDGE that will instill some faith!

Several of the Taurus pistols have gotten good review in magazine articles...but then all firearms seem to get good reviews in magazine articles? But I do know several folks that use them and do consider them not only equal to the bigger names, but better in some cases...and these are experienced folks.

The only Taurus I have is the Raging Bull .454, which I like. The only "problem" I've had is I can't get more than 1400 fps with the 360 gr. hard cast bullet. Now I know that's plenty for the bunny rabbits here in Iowa, but it's a little disappointing compared to the results from the Freedom Arms shooters. And yes, I know there' about $1500 difference between the two revolvers. So, all-in-all, the Raging Bull has been a good buy for me.

I've been considering ordering a small taurus pistol for possible concealed carry. I know Bob loves his 38 special snubby, but I was concidering this one (http://www.taurususa.com/products/product-details.cfm?id=269&category=Revolver) since it should be a little stronger being a .357 mag. and being easier to draw out of a pocket with the shrouded hammer, but retaining the option to shoot it as a SA if wanted. The only "down side" is that it is only a 5 shot revolver, but If a person needs more than 5, it is probably a bad day getting worse fast!

Get the 7-shot .357 if you need to make more noise :D

Note, I thought it would have problems with hammer snag... but for some reason, it doesn't. The 5-shots I've tried carrying in the pocket did, but my 7 shot does not. Suspect it is the slightly wider 7-shot cylinder that keeps the top of the pocket open a bit wider as it comes out?

Don't know for sure, but it's never been a problem.

and if you want a auto loader .. the pt22 is a very dependable gun..likes cci and better bullets..
but until they get it dirty the walmart stuff flows thru well.plus for a sub compact it has the feel of a good handful..

I have had very good luck with Taurus pistols and revolvers. I have a 92S that I got many years ago. I have probably shot over 10,000 rounds through it. The barrel block cracked and I sent it to them to be replaced. Mind you, I have had this pistol for almost 30 years. They fixed it free.

I have a great stainless .357 pistol, long barrel that I use for plinking and general field work. Never a problem in thousands of rounds. I bought a Stainless Tracker 4in barrel in .45 ACP. I love that pistol. I admit that I had to be careful with the crimp to ensure that I could chamber lead cast rounds. No problems with jacketed bullets at all and it is a joy to shoot. Not a one hole gun but acceptable accuracy and great reliability. These are not Smiths...but....they are a good buy for the money in my experience.

I have a Taurus 44 Special that is my bet-your-life-gun, and I have a 357 on order. I used to sell guns and from about 83 to 95 Taurus was making some real good guns. I never had a single Taurus I sold have to go back to the factory for anything, and I sold more Taurus than anything else. I can't say the same for several others. But, I will add, every one of them made their product good, and I have heard Taurus does the same. I wanted a Taurus 605 with a 3" barrel in the 1990s, and I missed it, and now they are available again. I will let you know how it turns out.

I have 4 Taurus handguns. PT99 had it for about 18 years never had any trouble with it. Shoots anything I load, PT1911, had this gun for about 8 months now and it shoots great no problems. Raging Bull 480 Ruger, bought this new at a auction for $450 couldn't pass on it. One of the most accurate revolvers I have. M-44 mag. Had this gun for about 8 months or so too, it shoots every bit as good as my 629. Mabey I have been lucky but I will not hesitate to buy another Taurus handgun.

Get the 7-shot .357 if you need to make more noise :D

Note, I thought it would have problems with hammer snag... but for some reason, it doesn't. The 5-shots I've tried carrying in the pocket did, but my 7 shot does not. Suspect it is the slightly wider 7-shot cylinder that keeps the top of the pocket open a bit wider as it comes out?

Don't know for sure, but it's never been a problem.


Thanks for the input, Mike. That hammer snagging is what I was concerned about. I like the idea of having a couple extra shots if needed before having to reload.:eek: I am also interested in their 94UL2 (2 in. ultra1 lite 22 LR 9 shot) and 941UL2 (8 shot 22 mag):confused: Wish I had more money:rolleyes:

presently own a model 66 smit however for about 20 years I shot a model 66 3 in taurus and never had a problem with it also it was very accurate, if taurus still made the 66 with a six shot cylinder would have one now

I recently purchased a 357 mag, 625 Tracker, and had problems with it. It's still back at Taurus, but I'm hoping to get it back in the next couple of weeks. The cylinder fell out. I really liked the gun, and it shot well, but came apart while I was cleaning it. There is a thread, "Taurus Tracker 627 problem", several pages back that explains it in more detail.

Also while shooting I was talking to another Taurus owner (I believe it was a 44 Mag Tracker) who's recent purchase had been back to Taurus twice.

I just got my 357 Tracker 627 back from the company. It's been there nearly 6 weeks getting a part replaced (I think). I talked about the problem in and earlier thread, "Taurus Tracker 627 Problem". The cylinder and connecting arm simply fell out of the gun. I took the gun out to shoot today and loved it. It shoots well. The gun seems solid, so I hope I have no more problems with it.

does anyone have the 24-7 and if so does its action inhibit a crisp trigger pull? and does anyone have the judge and is it as fun as it looks!

I've had almost all good experiences with Taurus guns.


PT132
PT938
Model 627
Raging Bull .44 Magnum
Raging Bull .454 CasullThe only problems I've had are: 1.) The supply of 15-round magazines for the PT938 *totally* dried up before I got it, 2.) The .454 Casull's firing pin can get lodged in soft primers.

In general, I like Taurus as a company, too. They seem to be pushing the envelope in many ways while other companies seem content to make the same thing they've made for 50 years. Some exciting models Taurus has announced never seem to make it to the shelves, but hopefully there are good reasons for that.

My own personal experience with Taurus has been excellent, own a taurus single action and a rossi m 877 2 inch, the little 2 inch will shoot with some of the 6 inchers I have shot and have never had to return one to the factory for repair so I wouldnt know about their customer service, would reccomend them to anyone.

Okay, I just got home with my brand new Taurus 605, 3". I stopped by the range and fired some 38s to check function. A-OK there. Been looking over it very carefully. Whoever has the job of lubrication on Taurus' assembly line is way too enthusiastic. Everything else I can find is just right. Barrel to cylinder gap 0.007"; endshake 0.002". Two sets of rubber/synthetic grips, only slight differences I can see between them. At a little over $330 for this versus over $600 for a Smith, or $425 to $470 for a Ruger, depending on type, right now I would have to say "Yes" on the Taurus being the best value in my case. I will give an accuracy report next trip, but with my greatly diminished capabilities I am not sure it will really be fair to Taurus, but we'll see how she shoots.
I am not a real fan of on-board locks, but since it has one I may use it to keep it loaded and accessible. I must say I trusted my kids a lot more than my step-kids, just because I know how they had been raised and taught from the cradle. Such is life.

You dont have to sell me sadsit. I shot a model 66 3 inch for 15 years without a problem and now also have a rossi model 877 2 inch which shoots a heck of a pattern

It is great to hear all the good stories 'bout Taurus, but i have NOT heard a single positive story 'bout the OSS 24/7. Seems all I read and hear is that are very prone to jams, and stovepiping unless super clean at all times.

Shame too, looks as if would be a dependable duty weapon.

I own several Smith's and Rugers and one Taurus, a 4" Model 441 .44 Spl. It's a 5 shot revolver that I purchased for $225 as used LNIB. It is slightly larger than a K frame but smaller than an L frame.
It is reliable and accurate. The single action trigger is not as good as a Smith but the double action pull is very good. All in all it is a great pistol.

Okay, I finally got time to get to the range with the new Taurus 605, 3" bbl. to do more than make sure it went bang. Installed the Wolff springs a few days ago, and from a feel standpoint, it may be the best $7.99 ever spent. It was sooooo good I had visions of only slightly dented primers. No such problems arose. Every primer had a nice deep centered dent.
38 Spl. 115 SWC mild handloads. Very nice shooting. 3" at 25 yards. Almost as good as I can do with anything, but my Ruger Mark II anymore.
38 Spl. 158 SWC, 7.5 gr. 4756. Very easy shooting. 2.8" at 25 yards.
357 125 Gold Dots. Not at all unpleasant. 3.1" at 25 yards. About 7 yards, rapid fire DA, would have no problem killing a small dinner plate. That's good for me. This and/or the Glasers will be carry fodder. Probably won't ever shoot them again until these get old.
357 Glasers Blue. No problems. 3.5" at 25 yards. These were old ones needing turnover; the brass wasn't green... quite.
357 158 JHP 11.0 gr. Blue Dot. Not really what you would call a fun load, but not as bad as I expected. Got my middle finger on the third shot when I relaxed too much. 3.25" at 25 yards.
170 grain Sierra JHP ahead of 13 gr of 2400. Not as bad as I expected, but not good. The rubber grips separated a little at the top, reinforcing my opinion that I have never met a rubber grip I really liked. 2.75" at 25 yards. This barnburner has always done well in every 357 I have ever had. I could do 1.5" easy with my Blackhawk, back when I could shoot.
Overall impressions - very, very favorable. Really fun gun with 38s, which is probably, hopefully, all it will almost ever see. The Wolff springs probably make a bigger, better difference than on any other gun I have ever tried them on, and that covers a lot of gorund. This may turn out to be my second favorite 357 DA ever, behind a Smith 65 I sold in a moment of total stupidity many, many moons ago now. It surely won't see as many magnums as the Security Sixes, Smiths, Colts, and others did, but that's a change in me. The 44s see mostly Specials too, now.
It has been over 8 years since I owned a DA 357 or 38, and I will say I think shooting 44s makes shooting 357s much easier.

I am with uncle jerky, I have a model 877 rossi in 357 that is an excellent gun