Experiences with Taurus Revolvers?

[Commander Quan]

The other day I was looking at...sigh ok, I bought a Taurus Tracker 357 magnum. I wanted a Ruger GP100, but the guy at the shop said he had no idea when they would get any more of them in. Normally the shop has 150+ guns on display, and who knows how many in stock. Today they were down to about 50 guns on display, some of them the last of their model in the store. Needless to say I walked out with the last 4" 357 of any make in the store.

The good.
The gun is sexy a heck, feels nice in my hand, and with the porting on the barrel should be ok for the Mrs. to shoot with 38 Special rounds.

The bad
It's a Taurus.

I personally haven't had any experience with Taurus but the internet it littered with stories of people having to send their guns back to Miami multiple times. I assume these are the vocal minority, but I have to ask who has experience with Taurus revolvers, and was it good or bad. I have 30 days to return the gun for a full refund, and will be keeping an eye out for the Ruger during that time, but if I knew this gun would be problem free wouldn't mind keeping it at all.

 

[tinashubby]

I have a model 85CH 2" stainless. It is about 20 years old. Not long after purchasing it new, the cylinder would not turn at all if I didn't close it timed with the barrel. I returned it under warranty, they fixed it promptly and returned it. The area of repair is quite evident and somewhat rough looking. They re-fitted(?) the front of starwheel portion of the ejector, it cannot be seen when the cylinder is closed so it never bothered me. The gun has worked perfectly ever since. If I compare it to my S&W in regards to finish or trigger it is somewhat lacking. When new the trigger was real gritty (improved with age), and the pull was (and still is) VERY heavy. I have a Wolff spring kit sitting on my re-loading bench waiting to get enthusiastic to install itself.

I researched this gun before purchasing and understood what I was getting for the money I was willing to spend, and overall I am not disappointed with it at all.

 

[Graybeard57]

I've owned both Taurus .38 snubby, and a .22 revolver, and both have worked flawlessly, going on five years. I have no reason to criticize their guns. Very pleased with Taurus.

 

[cdhumiston]

I used to have an FFL license and I've sold and owned many Taurus handguns. They are very well made and reliable. Maybe there used to be a problem with them, but they are quality guns in my opinion. I CCW'ed a 38 snub nose for 7 years when I lived in Florida I was that confident in the gun.

 

[Crixus]

Derrick, I owned and enjoyed shooting a Taurus Model 80. It's a .38 Special revolver and a clone of the 4" bbl S&W Model 10. I found it to be reliable, if a tiny bit less refined than a Smith & Wesson but it also costs less. Why don't you poke around the TaurusArmed website, and read some posts from folks who currently own Taurus revolvers.

You may run into a little snobbery from some S&W owners who turn their noses down at the mere mention of Taurus. That has nothing to do with how well your Tracker shoots, but be aware of it if that sort of thing makes any difference to you.

I know you initially wanted a Ruger GP100, but an alternative may be the Ruger SP101 in .357 with the 3" barrel. It's a nice firearm that is built like a tank, can handle .38, .38+P and full blown .357 rounds. The grip is a little smaller than the GP100, so it would seem to accommodate your wife in respect to handling and round selection.

I understand your second guessing on your Taurus purchase after reading some of the anti-Taurus posts on the net, but remember you are seeing a very condensed selection with the same theme of posts--and these guys love to pile on.
If you are pleased with it just remember how many thousands of Taurus firearms are out there doing exactly what they're supposed to. Good luck and enjoy whichever you get. I'm a revolver guy through and through so you've already impressed me. HaHa

 

[Commander Quan]

I'm not really second guessing myself, I knew the reputation Taurus had. With the recent run on anything with a trigger, I guess I picked this up to buy myself sometime to look for what I really wanted so that I didn't get left empty handed, or encase the prices go up once new stock comes in. Dropping the coin for a S&W wasn't even an option at this time. A couple hundred bucks between the Taurus and the Ruger may have been.

The Mrs. is 5'8" so the grips probably won't be an issue for her, but if they were any smaller they would be for me.

So far with the recommendations here and on another board, it's 8-0 in favor of them.

 

[Wid]

I've owned several Taurus firearms over the years and have never had a problem. My Dad used to sell firearms back in the 70s and 80s and he used to sell the brand. I really can't recall anyone bringing them back with complaints.

 

[nymtber]

A buddy has a Taurus Judge, hes never had an issue. I shot it and trigger was decent for its price, though I didn't care for the particular grips or the huge cylinder (gotta fit 2.5" .410 shells somehow!) Otherwise, I would have nothing against a Taurus revolver. Their Semi-auto's, on the otherhand, I don't care for.

Ruger are nice, S&W are the best (lets be honest, they have been PROVEN for longer than the competition has been around), but Taurus are probably fine for the majority of us! Enjoy your new purchase fully!

 

[MrMurphy]

Used to work in a gunshop. Also been shooting for about 25 years.

Tauri are hit and miss, about 1/3 work right without failures, 1/3 get returned for work and the other 1/3 the people fire one box of ammo and stick it in a drawer, so they don't really get a vote.

The closer they are to the original S&Ws they were cloned from (Taurus started out using S&W and Beretta machinery from their plants making guns for the S. American market) generally the more reliable they were.

Some of the 20-30 year old Tauri could be pretty horrendous. Some of the newer ones still are, the QC is still hit and miss. The entire Millenium series of autos had issues with frame cracking in various models, which was eventually fixed.

The Tracker line seems to be all right, but personally if it was anything but a range toy, i'd swap it for the Ruger. Rugers are not going to have issues. The rare times they do, Ruger'll fix them.

Taurus has a lifetime warranty precisely because they need it.........

 

[OkieStubble]

Strongly disagree. Taurus has a lifetime warranty because they are the rare manufacturer who will stand behind what they make. Ever broke a Craftsman hand tool? Go get another one. Same with Taurus. I have owned a model 85, 92, 99, 66. They never malfunctioned, broke or had quality control issues of any sort. And I am a frequent shooter. I have never owned a gun that didn't get shot, alot. And I have owned many guns.

OP: You have chose a quality firearm in your Tracker, and will be able to pass it down to future generations. Does it have as smooth as of a trigger or cylinder rotation as a S&W? No. But neither does the Ruger GP100. And I own a Ruger SP101. But, For a few extra coin, go to a quality gunsmith and get a trigger & action job and you will.

That is all. Also, google search Taurus reviews, S&W reviews, Ruger reviews and many others. You will find many who say the same as I. And also who say they are junk.

Being a member here I'm sure you are aware of ymmv in everything.

 

[cody6766]

I've never owned a Taurus revolver, but I own 2 of their .380 TCPs that have always functioned perfectly. I did own a S&W 442 that worked like a champ. I sold it because I plan to carry the auto instead of the revolver.

 

[Kentos]

We need PICS!!!

I seriously am pining for a revolver, but a SW is a bit out of reach financially.

 

[MrMurphy]

Used K frames are under $300.

Brand new J-frames (642, etc) run about $350-400 locally.

Save your pennies. They've been in the revolver business since before the Civil War,they know what they're up to.

 

[OkieStubble]

I've never owned a Taurus revolver, but I own 2 of their .380 TCPs that have always functioned perfectly. I did own a S&W 442 that worked like a champ. I sold it because I plan to carry the auto instead of the revolver.

Exactly. A fellow officer I work with carries a TCP in his vest and swears by it. When Ruger came out several years back with their LCP .380, I bought one for SWMBO and one for myself as a back up for work. Both Rugers had extraction and ejection problems. Does that mean Ruger sucks? Heck no! I sent both back to Ruger. They gave great customer service, worked out the bugs and sent them speedily back to me. Those LCP's go everywhere with the both of us to this day. I have talked to many other Ruger LCP owners. Some verify the same trouble I had. Others say they never experienced any trouble.

Ruger makes a quality product at a reasonable price, and they stand behind their products if you run into a snafu. So does Taurus. But Taurus has the cojones to stand behind theirs with a Lifetime Warranty.

 

[BigFoot]

I have a 4" Stainless Tracker. I have fired a lot of rounds through it. The majority being .38 do to the cost. I have fired enough .357 through it to feel comfortable.

I have not had any problems and just bought a 2"protecter poly in .357 to add to my carry options.

 

[PCFiend138]

ive got a Rossi .38 spl stub nose i bought new, which is made my taurus. the only problem i ever had with it is the firing pin broke when someone dry fired it like and idiot(by that i mean he was pretending to be a gangster or something stupid) the day i bought it. Once it came back though it performs flawlessly, for nearly a thousand rounds, shoots straight for a handgun with a 2.5 inch barrel and fires every time the pin strikes brass. my other taurus is a raging bull in .44 magnum and it is simply awesome. i bought it from a pawn shop so ive no idea how many rounds have been through it, at least 500 from me. the only problem ive come across with my bull is somehow the center pin spring gets a burr or something in it and locks up, thus not pushing the rear release button back and not locking the cylinder in place, and not engaging the hammer. its a simple sanding and when i finally got a file about 200 rounds ago i havent had a hint of the problem. i also got my dad a 24/7 in 9mm a few years ago as a birthday/christmas present, and it hasn't even miss fed. Im not too particular with the trigger on the semi-autos, im used to revolvers but theyre nice handguns. So in my opinion, if you want a handgun to shoot, the Taurus will serve you well, and last time i checked taurus is the only manufacture that has a front release button on their large frame models, which i find a nice touch for magnum loads. But if you want an investment, you should look elsewhere.