Are Taurus Revolvers Any Good???

[7th Fleet]

I've found a Taurus Ultralite stainless 5 shot snubby NIB at a local pawn shop and I can buy it for 200 bucks out the door. What is the lockwork like in them, is it the same as on Smith & Wesson J frames or is it still different like it used to be back in the mid 80s. The last Taurus that I took apart back then was built very cheesy internally. The Rossi's that I've done action jobs on are built just like the Smith & Wessons J frames. Has anybody seen the insides of a new generation Taurus five shot snubby revolver in the past few years?

7th

[Tamara]

...some juggling on the lockwork on their small-frame guns in the last year or two. They've gone to lighter springs and relocated one of the pivot pins, and the net result is a very light and smooth pull for a small-frame coil-sprung gun. Unlike the lads from MA, who seem to treat the J-frame as a necessary evil in their lineup and make changes every 25 years whether they're needed or not, I think Taurus realizes that their small-frame guns are their bread and butter.

In medium or large frame guns, I'd still prefer a *&* over a Taurus, but I'd actually prefer the Taurus in a small-frame.

http://216.227.40.145/images/731vapor1s.jpg

[Brian Williams]

My next will be a Tracker in 45LC. I have a tracker in 357 that is great.

[chaim]

In medium or large frame guns, I'd still prefer a *&* over a Taurus, but I'd actually prefer the Taurus in a small-frame.

I don't know anymore. Dryfiring only I found the triggers on a new S&W M10 and a new Taurus 82 to be too hard to decide which was better. One had a slightly better SA pull, the other had a slightly better DA pull (each was better by about the same degree, which was almost unnoticable)- I don't remember which had the better SA and which had the better DA pull. Both seemed to have very good, and about equal, lockup. I had a used 82 that was a decent gun (it was about 10 years old) and the new one seems much improved. I also think I'd pick a Tracker over most of the similar new S&W midsized offerings. If nothing else I don't think the difference justifies the $100-150 premium (around here) that the S&W will cost over the Taurus (if the prices were closer I could see paying a little more for the name and resale value of the Smith).

[Eric Larsen]

The little framed Taurus's are getting a well deserved following and its getting better. Id just on it for $ 200 as its a pretty great deal. The lock up is just like a J frame and not quite up to Ruger specs. Id jump on it.
Shoot well

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

I've been impressed with every Taurus revolver I've ever owned or shot. My current one is a 650; very nice :)

[Mike Irwin]

I would not have touched a Taurus revolver 15 or 20 years ago.

The strides they have made in quality control and product refinement in that time are pretty incredible.

These days I do believe that Taurus does deserve a serious look.

[RWK]

My son bought a NIB Taurus five-shot .357 snubby approximately four years ago. It looked much like a Smith superficially, but the excellence in design/fabrication and especially in piece-part quality simply was not there. Sure enough, after <1000 rounds the timing was so bad that the cylinder locked-up.

Now real experts -- such as Mike, Tamara, and others -- make a good argument that Taurus quality has improved significantly in the last couple of years. However, with the ready availability of used -- but top-quality -- S&W snubbies at reasonable market prices, I don’t believe Taurus is worth the risk. We all value revolvers largely because they “go bang every time”, and I want to be absolutely certain they really will.

Regards.

[Mike Irwin]

"real experts like Mike..."

Guffaw... Hahahaha. Snort. Snicker...

Tell me this...

If I'm a real expert, why in the **** can't I find my Accurate reloading manual?!!?

[Ryder]

Went to a dealer to take a look. First one I checked out locked up hard on the third click. Two others checked out ok in dry firing but then the trigger pinched my finger very hard (blood blister), the grips gave me carpal tunnel type wrist pain, and porting isn't for me, so I had to pass on them.

[Ryder]

"If I'm a real expert, why in the **** can't I find my Accurate reloading manual?!!?"

Most up to date info available...

http://www.accuratepowder.com/reloading.htm

:D

[Ala Dan]

I won't touch a Taurus now; not to mention 15 to 20
year's ago!:( :eek: :rolleyes:

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[Mike Irwin]

Make no mistake about it.

Taurus isn't even close to my first choice, either.

But if someone needs a gun they're only going to shoot a few times, a year, and would rather have a new gun instead of a used gun (there are people like that), Taurus is not a bad option.

[C.R.Sam]

Tamara laid out the Taurii situation very nicely.

I also think that Smith QC has gone downhill while that of Taurus has come up, crossing a few years ago with Taurus now on top.

Sam

[RWK]

I know the SP was not part of SeventhFlt's initial question, but given Sam's most recent comment re the "crossover" of Smith and Taurus quality, I suspect I'd opt for an SP-101. I've seen NIB SP's for $300 (give or take) and excellent used ones in the mid-$200s. Just a thought . . .

[asp]

I've bought two new 85's in the last year--a standard Ultra-Lite and the Ultra-Lite Police (hammerless/titanium cylinder and barrel shoud). Excellent snubbies. I approached the hammerless model with some trepidation, but the DA pull is excellent. I'm very satisfied with Taurus.

[7th Fleet]

Has anybody that knows the difference between the older model Taurus products which were made back in the 80s and the present generation of Taurus guns, seen inside the lock work on the new model guns?

My question is this.

Are the new Taurus guns using the same lock work internally as the Smith & Wesson J frames, or are they still different like they were back in the 80s?

Has anybody had the side plate off of a Taurus Ultralite snubby in the past year or so and if you have, does it have the same type of lockwork as a J frame?????????


This is what I need to know, not how sweet or crappy the trigger pull on them may or may not be.

The older Rossi snubby .38s were built just like a J frame on the inside and since Taurus now owns Rossi, have they changed over to the Rossi's syle of lockwork on the Ultralite revolvers?????????????????? This is the queston that I need answered.

Edited to add: If the new Ultralites have the same style of lockwork as the J frame Smiths, I can live with one of them because I am familar with J frames and I can work on them. I thought that for 200 bucks this Ultra lite would make a dandy LEO backup weapon to be carried in an ankle holster since it is very light weight with the alloy frame and stainless construction I wouldn't have to worry about rust or corrossion as I would with my Colt Cobra or Model 36's. I have a Model 60 Smith but this Ultralite is so much lighter and that is what I'm looking at in this gun. I long ago bought my wife a Model 37 Airweight Smith & Wesson, but she's not about to give it up. ;)


Thanks...7th

[Kentucky Rifle]

And I own a 731UL (like Tamara's) that was tuned at the Taurus factory. It has the smoothest action this side of a match pistol.
People who I decide to let try it have a difficult time believing how smooth the little pistol IS.

KR

[Steve Smith]

After trying to get 5 (count em!) Taurui to work for me, and trying to get their repair dept to do something, I gave up. Never again.

[Prodigalshooter]

Well, I don't have one of their snubbies, but my Tracker in .357 has been a great pistol; incredible trigger in both SA & DA modes. My only bitch is the lack of available aftermarket wood grips:( .

[Red Label]

Blah blah blah... yadda yadda yadda...

The usual deal here. People who've had or tried many Taurus revolvers and never had a problem. Then people who've had or tried many and had a problem with every single one. The story's gotta be somewhere in between -- just like it is for the other manufacturers. Do I think that the overall quality record for the others is a little better then Taurus? Yes. But these days there are some very good Taurus products out there. My .44 mags prove it to me EVERY time I am at the range. I think in some cases it's the usual case of gun snobbery here. That's okay. That just leaves more for people like me, who seem to like "cheap, crappy, unreliable" handguns... :rolleyes:

[RogerC]

I also think that Smith QC has gone downhill while that of Taurus has come up, crossing a few years ago with Taurus now on top.

Sorry Sam. that is a joke.

Taurus MIGHT be approaching, but no way have they passed.

Personally, I equate Taurus and Rossi about even.

[Tamara]

Sorry Sam. that is a joke.

Taurus MIGHT be approaching, but no way have they passed.

Personally, I equate Taurus and Rossi about even.

In the last year or two, I've sent back more J-frames than small frame Tauruses for warranty work (timing issues, crooked barrels, etc.). Considering that the J-frames are twice the price (or more), that just ain't right. I'm not even including the "fit & finish" returns, as one naturally expects a customer to be fussier about the appearance of a $500 gun than one priced sub-$300. I've talked to plenty of other folks in the business, and their stories for the most part seem to match.

As far as "Taurus=Rossi"; yes, Rossi has recently moved up to roughly Taurus's quality. Unsurprising, as Taurus bought Rossi recently.

[VictorLouis]

No they are NOT the same. The Taurus dispenses with the rebound slide in favor of a rod and spring. Sort of a smaller version of a J-frame's mainspring and strut which I am sure you are familiar with.

As you know, the rebound slide is an inherent part of the mechanical safety of the S&W design. AFAIK, the Taurus depends entirely on it's transfer bar. This may account for why it's small-frame triggers seem to be better of late than out-of-the-box J-frames. There's less mass and contact surfaces rubbing against each other. I believe Tamara mentioned that, also.

While I agree, I've handled way too many of them that fell short in other areas besides the trigger pull. Timing, lock-up and barrel-to-cylinder gap are probably the top three. Taurus is the ONLY brand of gun for which my dealer personally checks each specimen before it's put into the showcase.

[Shmackey]

The way I see it, revolvers are the guns that are supposed to work every time, like clockwork. So...the only revolvers I'd own are used S&W or new/used Rugers. Everything else is a crapshoot, as most folks will tell you. Sure, that Taurus might be good. Might not. What's the point?

[7th Fleet]

VictorLouis said: The Taurus dispenses with the rebound slide in favor of a rod and spring. Sort of a smaller version of a J-frame's mainspring and strut which I am sure you are familiar with.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Thank you very much and this is the information that I've been searching for all over the internet gun boards and you are the first that had the answer. This is the same set up that they had on their older guns back in the mid 80s. I am not impressed with this setup in the least. If they had adopted the system that the J frames and the small framed Rossi's use, then I would have bought it, but I'm going to have to pass on this Taurus Ultralite due to the type of lockwork that they use. I was afraid that they still used this type of lockwork, this was a crappy engineering back then and it's still crap today, this is why their guns have such a lousy reputation for reliability.

Thanks again for the information....7th

[Mike86]

Quick observation:

If you go to a dragstrip on any given friday night and ask whats better, imports or domestics you'll get the same answers as in this thread.....