Fellow THR members, I'd like to ask your input on a Christmas present purchase for my father...
Dad wants a .22 magnum snubbie for Christmas.
Well heck, if he'd said "Son, I want a compact .45", I'd have been all over it. But as it is, I don't have any interest in .22 magnums, and I've never felt the urge to own more than one revolver (S&W 642) so I can't choose between the S&W 351 PD or the Taurus 941SS2UL. When I asked him, all he said was "well, whichever, it don't matter... The Taurus is cheaper".
NOW, before anyone says "why would anyone want one of those" or "he needs a (insert larger caliber here)"... He's not recoil sensitive or in need of a self defense pistol, this is just the natural progression of things.
Dad's favorite caliber is the .22 Magnum, followed closely by the .22lr. He already has Taurus revolvers in .357, .38, .32 H&R Magnum and .22lr and a discontinued S&W HEAVY target model in .22mag with the prettiest wood grips I've ever seen.
If this was for me, I'd probably prefer the Smith for the 8oz weight savings (10.5 vs. 18.5), the trigger pull, the no snag rear sight, and the cool fiber optic front sight.
Dad on the other hand said he doesn't care about the weight or the front sight, he usually shoot single action so the trigger won't be an issue, and he probably prefers adjustable sights.
SO yeah, I'm leaning towards the Taurus, but I want to make sure that I'm not missing anything. Dad never sells his firearms, so resale value means nothing either. I know the S&W would be a better pistol overall, but it all boils down to "is the $500 S&W going to be $200 worth better for Dad than the $300 Taurus? Any issues with that particular model I should be aware of? Anything else I didn't take into consideration?
Thanks for taking the time.
Dad wants a .22 magnum snubbie for Christmas.
Well heck, if he'd said "Son, I want a compact .45", I'd have been all over it. But as it is, I don't have any interest in .22 magnums, and I've never felt the urge to own more than one revolver (S&W 642) so I can't choose between the S&W 351 PD or the Taurus 941SS2UL. When I asked him, all he said was "well, whichever, it don't matter... The Taurus is cheaper".
NOW, before anyone says "why would anyone want one of those" or "he needs a (insert larger caliber here)"... He's not recoil sensitive or in need of a self defense pistol, this is just the natural progression of things.
Dad's favorite caliber is the .22 Magnum, followed closely by the .22lr. He already has Taurus revolvers in .357, .38, .32 H&R Magnum and .22lr and a discontinued S&W HEAVY target model in .22mag with the prettiest wood grips I've ever seen.
If this was for me, I'd probably prefer the Smith for the 8oz weight savings (10.5 vs. 18.5), the trigger pull, the no snag rear sight, and the cool fiber optic front sight.
Dad on the other hand said he doesn't care about the weight or the front sight, he usually shoot single action so the trigger won't be an issue, and he probably prefers adjustable sights.
SO yeah, I'm leaning towards the Taurus, but I want to make sure that I'm not missing anything. Dad never sells his firearms, so resale value means nothing either. I know the S&W would be a better pistol overall, but it all boils down to "is the $500 S&W going to be $200 worth better for Dad than the $300 Taurus? Any issues with that particular model I should be aware of? Anything else I didn't take into consideration?
Thanks for taking the time.