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Originally Posted by EFDE1983

Hi Everyone.
I'm pricing out a few of the, I guess you would call them, budget wheel guns in .357 magnum.
I'm between a Taurus 66 4", an EAA Windicator and a Rossi 971 4", all blued. Right now I'm leaning toward the Taurus.

Now, I know the purists out there are going to have an aneurism 'cause I'm not going for a Smith or Ruger etc but I'm trying to keep this around a $400 price tag and can't find any of the big names in that price range.

I will probably only put 1k or so rounds a year out of it and I never sell\trade anything so I plan on keeping it for the long haul. From those who have owned these and shot a few thousand rounds, any thoughts on those models? Pros, Cons? Finish durability? How's the cylinder lockup? What wears out often? How easy is it to find parts?

Thanks!

I have eleven Taurus® revolvers.
• Mdl 85B2CH 38 Special - 1994
• Mdl 669SS4CP 357 Magnum - 1996
• Mdl 85B2 38 Special - 1997
• Mdl 617SS2 357 Magnum - 2003
• Mdl 605SS3 357 Magnum - 2006
• Mdl 85SS2UL 38 Special - 2007
• Mdl 605SS2 357 Magnum - 2010
• Mdl 425SS4 41 Magnum - 2012
• Mdl 605SS2 357 Magnum - 2012
• Mdl 85SS2UL 38 Special - 2012
• Mdl 992B4 22LR/22MAG - 2013

All have performed superbly and I continue to shoot them all almost every week.

I have only encountered these problems.........
• Mdl 85B2CH broke a firing pin (part# 19) after 11,000+ rounds. I replaced the firing pin & it's still going strong.
• Mdl 85SS2UL had the cylinder stop (part# 44) wear down after 10,000 rounds. Called Taurus® and they shipped the part right away. Installed new cylinder stop and now the gun works fine.

I have zero complaints with Taurus® customer service. The times I had to send a gun in they fixed and returned it when they said they would. Specifically.....................
• March 2009: Mdl 617 developed excessive cylinder to forcing cone gap (.011") after almost 6,000 rounds. I sent it to Taurus® and they replaced the cylinder (part# 8) and adjusted the yoke (part# 9) I've since put 3,000+ rounds through it and it's still going strong.
• August 2012 Mdl 605 had cylinder (failure to advance) problem. Taurus® deemed the gun to be unrepairable and via FedEx® sent me a brand new gun.
• August 2012 Mdl 85SS2UL had cylinder (failure to advance) problem. Taurus® sent prepaid shipping label and gun was repaired & returned in 1 week.

I will not hesitate to buy additional Taurus® revolvers. They are an outstanding value.

Here is a wealth of Taurus® information..........
• Taurus Firearms Forum - TaurusArmed.net