Taurus Quality

Taurus are quite good. In today's world it's a decent bargain. Your friend's revolver may just need a good cleaning.

All I will say is that I sell a lot of 'em; whether or not they are are up to
industry standards is very subjective~!

Many years ago I worked for a firearms disti in KS. When the Taurus revolvers first started being imported they were junk. Really rough and a lot of tooling marks.

Several years hence, Taurus made a significant investment in CNC maching and manufacturing equipment. I would say the quality of their revolvers today is on a par with Ruger. I'll admit I don't own one, but some of my friends do and they seem very happy with them.

There is at least one gunsmith I know who won't work on them because their parts are not good.

http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/no_taurus_work.html

I have two,a mod 85 and a 85CH,both about I think 15+ years old,lots of factory and hand loads thru them,along with my carry loads of WCC 125gr +P+ ammo.neither one has missed a lick since I bought them.they go BANG every time I pull the trigger. jwr

I would spend the extra couple of dollars and get a Ruger or S&W.

Just monitoring the complaints around here...I'd say they're the worst of the top three.

It *appears* that your odds of getting a good S&W right from the start are better than Ruger by a tiny margin, better than Taurus by a bigger margin.

Once "successfully in operation", it's Ruger that takes the lead in reliability, followed pretty closely by S&W, and then Taurus deep in 3rd place.

If a Ruger passes "the checkout" right at the get-go, odds are excellent you've got a good gun for life, and for a lot less than S&W. If Ruger makes what I need, that's generally where I go (in wheelguns, which is all I'm interested in).

The Taurus wheelguns that seem to give the most trouble are the ultra-lights and the Gaucho. I personally would not buy either. If you need a "cheap ultralight" of some sort, there are no good options period. S&W will charge through the nose, and most of the older designs (Colt Agent, S&W 12, etc) don't hold up and are still pricey. On a budget? Get a real steel gun and a fanny pack...and once you go to fanny pack-type carry or a real holster under a jacket, the SP101 or even GP100 comes into their own.

The "cliff notes" version of my history with Taurus firearms.

Taurus Gaucho SAA #1 - Light hammer strikes at random, Sold to buyer who knew the history.

Taurus Gaucho SAA #2 - Reliable as clockwork under the stress of cowboy action shooting.

Taurus Gaucho SAA #3 - Initially had in internal burr that caused slight issues. Deburred and it has been the same as SAA #2 ever since

Millennium Pro PT-140 - Has always functioned perfectly

PT-1911 - New gun, did a complete disassembly after purchase and found a boatload of metal filings and crap all over the internals. Cleaned it out and did a small deburring job on the grip safety and it has run like clockwork so far.


OTHERS I HAVE WORKED WITH BUT WEREN'T MY GUNS

Millennium Pro PT-145 - Friend's gun. Recoil spring somehow worked out the front of the slide. Taurus took FOREVER to return it. Gun functioned poorly thereafter

Tracker pistol - smooth as silk right out of the box, no issues.

Judge pistol - see above

PT-745 - also smooth as silk, no issues

Gaucho SAA - Reliable but developed trigger slap. Don't know if the owner sent it in for repairs or not.

The Fact - Taurus has QC issues and severe turnaround time issues on repairs
My Opinion - I still like Taurus guns and when you get good ones they are GREAT for the price.
My disclaimer - I can't recommend that you buy a Taurus as your only gun.

I am Zespectre's friend with the Tauri problems.

I wouldn't trust their semi-automatics, but their revolvers seem pretty nice. Still, get a Ruger if you are going to carry a revolver. This is coming from a guy that has 4 Taurus and one Ruger and those that the Ze mentions above are mine (Gauchos). I also have a 94 (.22 Revolver) and the 905 (in 9MM).

Taurus has come a long way, but recently their customer service has gone WAY down hill.

I've got three excellent taurus revolvers, a M85 Ultra Lite that is accurate and has the slickest DA trigger I've felt out of the box on any revolver including my Smiths. And, I have two M66s, one older 3 inch and one newer 4". They are among the most accurate DA revolvers I've owned. I prefer Ruger's design strength, but Rugers I've owned, do own, don't shoot any better.

I don't know about the Gaucho. I'm not a cowboy type and prefer the strength and adjustable sights of my Blackhawks for field uses. That one M66 4" nickeled gun, though, I will NOT be selling that one. It's unreal accurate, fine DA and SA triggers, awesome 4" mid size .357 DA revolver. I like it a lot better than the old Security Six I had, softer shooting, just as light, and more accurate. It's a little more accurate than my old M19 with .38 wadcutter and just as slick. Plus, it has a ROUND forcing cone, no flat spot on the bottom. I've had a Smith crack there on that flat spot before.

I would check the gun over for timing, tightness, end play, etc before buying, but I do that with ANY revolver. I don't order guns. I wanna handle the weapon before any purchase and I don't care who the manufacturer is.

Own 2 Tauri. One semi auto and one revolver. Both have been flawless and the revolver has a better trigger than my Smith revolver. My not be typical but it is my truth.

I have owned many types and brands of revolvers in the recent years. Taurus puts out a great quality product and at an unbeatable price. I highly recommend a Taurus revolver.

My Taurus Gaucho in .357 has been completely without problems. It has the best SA hammer and trigger pull of any gun I have ever shot. Anyone else that I have let shoot it likes it too. It is accurate too. I use it as my fun gun and is one of home SD weapons(the other is the 12 ga). I have read the Taurus horror stories but I personally have not experienced one.

Titanium tracker 357 has been back 3 times for the same problem. $35 shipping each time.Average return time from taurus was 9 weeks. I won't be buying any more of Taurus' products. I'll stick with Ruger or S&W, in that order.

I own a 627. A few years old. Fit and finish excellent. A couple of 1000 rounds though it. Mostly hot 357 and a few hundred 38s. Not a problem.

It is my bed side gun.

I also have a MilPro PT145 auto. Never had a problem with that one either.

I've got a Taurus 85 that I love. It's 10+ years old, about 10k rounds through it. The only problem I've had is the cylinder release coming off after a long range session. All parts are original, and she's never seen a 'smith.
I believe that Taurus puts out more lemons than the others, but a good gun is a good gun. If you can't afford a $700 NIB revolver, go with a Taurus. Just don't be surprised if you have to return it for repairs.

I have two Taurus Trackers that are outstanding. I use them in handgun classes and they normally have between 500 to a 1000 rounds fired each class. Easy to clean, no problems in past two years.

I have two Taurus 669's - zero problems. And I have a 851 ( concealed hammer version of 85 ) - WOW! Great double and single action trigger pull, accurate and reliable!!

Had a Taurus 431 (stainless .44 snub); fast double-action work would result in cylinder lock-up after 2-3 rounds (by "fast," I mean a quick, smooth stroke, allowing good hits at 20-25 yards, NOT a slap-the-trigger noisemaking style ). Traded it to a dealer, after warning him of the matter.

Still have a m94 (4 " stainless 9-shot .22 LR); no complaints; decent (but heavy) trigger; decent plinking/varmint accuracy; 100% reliability.

For a "serious purpose" revolver, I'd go with Ruger. I've owned 5 (still own 4, and never shoulda traded off the ol' Single Six ), and have never had a single issue with any of them.

Or, get a good used S&W. I've lost track of the pre-lock S&Ws I've owned, been issued, borrowed, etc., and they all worked flawlessly.

Look at the pattern right in this thread: owners of Taurus ultralights are complaining more often than owners of blue or stainless Taurii.

I've been watching that happen for years.

My statistical sample of 1 85UL has been flawless. But you may be right about the light-weight being a factor.

Taurus

I've have 3 little wheel taurus's 2 Titanium 38's and one Steel 9mm and have had to send all three back to the factory for repair. Now I am waiting for the last two to arrive back (one 38 and one 9mm) from taurus and then I an going to sell them and get a good Ruger or Smith. The last Episode was when my wife,brother in law and I were at the range and after about 20 rounds my wife flipped the cylinder out to do a reload and the cylinder and crane fell on the bench. This was her home protection gun with c/t lazer grips and now I don't trust it and never will again! I was a fan of their guns but now after all this I will not own another.

I had a number of issues with them and will never buy them again. If it was for a gun that was just a range toy, it wouldnt be a big deal, but every gun I own I either carry or hunt with and from my own personal experience Taurus isnt worth the risk of failure.