How’d I do?

[HB]

Made my weekly stop into the LGS after a morning of squirrel hunting, testing reloads, and a couple rounds of skeet.

Of course I checked the relvover case first. Only thing that looked interesting was a 9 shot 4” Taurus m94 in .22LR. It was very dirty and pretty beat up. Locked up tight, firing pin was intact and protruded fine. I figure dirty means it works.

Marked at $200. I asked if they could do better and walked out the door at $192.

I’ll use it as a trainer for my j frame and k frames in DA mode. In single action the trigger is great and could be a decent squirrel getter.

How’d I do?

HB

 

[HB]

 

[LoneGoose]

It seems that you are lucky and smart.

 

[WestKentucky]

Ya done good. Now let’s see how it shoots. A 94 is one of the Taurus guns I am interested in. The other is a Taurus made Rossi, the cyclops.

 

[Tallball]

Nice price! I got rid of mine because the DA trigger was so stiff, but I had it for over ten years and it was always reliable.

 

[MedWheeler]

I bought one as a trainer and bedside gun for my then-wife back around 1989. It shot well and was pretty slick, but I had her keep it when we divorced in 1996.

I finally got another one, a new stainless one, in 2014, but it was a year before I got it out to shoot. With no adjustment needed, it shot surprisingly well, right where I pointed it. But, I think the chamber walls are bored out too much; empty cases are real tough to extract. I'm hesitant to part with it for Taurus to fix it, though, because it shoots so well.

I would have bought that one, too. Then, maybe, this current one could go back for work.

 

[WestKentucky]

Nice price! I got rid of mine because the DA trigger was so stiff, but I had it for over ten years and it was always reliable.

Stiff as all get out but they do make spring kits.

 

[entropy]

Nice find!

 

[gotboostvr]

I bought one as a trainer and bedside gun for my then-wife back around 1989. It shot well and was pretty slick, but I had her keep it when we divorced in 1996.

I finally got another one, a new stainless one, in 2014, but it was a year before I got it out to shoot. With no adjustment needed, it shot surprisingly well, right where I pointed it. But, I think the chamber walls are bored out too much; empty cases are real tough to extract. I'm hesitant to part with it for Taurus to fix it, though, because it shoots so well.

I would have bought that one, too. Then, maybe, this current one could go back for work.

Check the cases, if theyre not bulged out, the chambers might just need polished up. Pretty easy, cheap fix.

 

[CajunBass]

An easy "first thing" for sticky chambers is to use patches cut from a lead wipe away type cloth. Just cut them small enough to be a tight fit. It will take lot of patches, but that's because they clean so much gook out.

 

[Tallball]

"Stiff as all get out but they do make spring kits."

In SA it was easy enough to shoot well and I had some nice grips on it. It had... maybe a 5" barrel, longer than most, and was actually pretty good to shoot. DA is really not a big deal for a plinker and squirrel gun. It served its purpose just fine.

The part that I left out is that I traded it away after I got a great deal on a SW K22. After I took the Smith to the range a few times, I realized I would never shoot the Taurus again. No offense to the Taurus, it just wasn't in the same league.

I'm happy for the OP and his new revolver. That is a great price and I'm sure it will serve him well, as mine did me. I still have two very nice Taurus Model 66 variants that have great triggers. I also have two Model 85's that are reliable (one has an okay trigger and one is kinda stiff). Taurus has been making the 66, 85, and 94 for a long time. All of the ones I've owned and shot have been durable and reliable.

 

[Legionnaire]

Congratulations; sounds like a good deal. I rarely shoot a .22 in double action anyway (my favorite is a Single Six) so a stiff DA trigger on the 94 is no big deal. I bought a 941 in .22 mag a while ago (didn't get anywhere near the deal you did) and it was a great shooter ... enough so that my oldest daughter claimed it as her own. She shoots it SA almost exclusively.

 

[MedWheeler]

gotboostvr writes:

Check the cases, if theyre not bulged out, the chambers might just need polished up. Pretty easy, cheap fix.

Yeah, I didn't think to check them at the range, so I'll have to shoot it some more. Another thing that makes me think the chamber diameters may be too great is how loose live ammo is in the cylinder. I've never had any other .22 revolver in which live ammo rattled so loosely.

 

[Waveski]

I bought one as a trainer and bedside gun for my then-wife back around 1989. It shot well and was pretty slick, but I had her keep it when we divorced in 1996.

I finally got another one, a new stainless one, in 2014, but it was a year before I got it out to shoot. With no adjustment needed, it shot surprisingly well, right where I pointed it. But, I think the chamber walls are bored out too much; empty cases are real tough to extract. I'm hesitant to part with it for Taurus to fix it, though, because it shoots so well.

I would have bought that one, too. Then, maybe, this current one could go back for work.

Risking drift here ... I know that chamber and throat size irregularities occur , but for the life of me I don't know how that happens - the factory has a production line set up ; each station has certain tools , dies , jigs and so on. How can a given tool bore out the wrong size on a particular gun?

OP/HB - I think you did just fine. Lots of fun .22 shooting ahead for you. The da trigger will probably not be exceptional , but target and plinking is mostly sa anyway. You may well find that the trigger stages nicely to the point just prior to break ; a lot of Taurii (?) lend themselves nicely to slow single action that way.

You got a good deal. Enjoy.

 

[HB]

This was the first Taurus I’ve purchased but it’s better than I expected. The internals were a little rough with the interior of the frame sharp enough to cut my finger. Moving parts looked like my j frame however.

I am a die hard smith guy but can’t bring myself to shell out for a k22 or similar. It’s seems most of the 22s are built on small frames which sets you up for a poor trigger from the start.

Any links to springs or action jobs??

HB

 

[bannockburn]

HB

At $192 OTD I think you did just fine.

 

[Waveski]

I am a die hard smith guy but can’t bring myself to shell out for a k22 or similar.

Since you brought it up --- the S&W K22 , Outdoorsman or model 17 are all quite pricey , but - WOW they are sweet! Butter triggers which perform beautifully in da.

That said , you certainly have a good value in your Taurus. Let's consider diminishing returns --- you would have to multiply your Taurus price by about x4 to get one of the above mentioned Smiths. Would the Smith be a better revolver? Sure. Would it be 4 times better? Interesting to consider. Line up 4 of your Taurii next to 1 Smith&Wesson .22 . Which would you choose?

Bottom line - you got a good deal.

 

[HB]

Got a chance to test it out today. There was one light strike in single action but my guess is that it was the crappy Winchester ammo.

The gun seemed to be very accurate. I was plinking at logs and twigs in the swamp and was hitting 2x4 sized targets out to 35-40 yards or so. Double action is rough but not terrible, and will make shooting my “real guns” much easier.

I seem to be enjoying a renaissance of sorts with my 22s as well!

 

[Walkalong]

This was the first Taurus I’ve purchased but it’s better than I expected.

Taurus Model 76 n .32 Mag (My dumb self passed on one a few years earlier in .32 Long. *sigh*)