Taurus 82: What have I got?

[Library Guy]

I recently inherited a Taurus 82 .38 Special that is roughly 15-20 years old. My question is what can I expect from this revolver in terms of performance, reliability, and longevity. I know it’s not a Colt or a S&W but then these days even those big names aren’t what they used to be.

Here’s the particulars:

• Blue finish
• Wood stocks
• Three inch barrel (pinned; no taper)
• Unshrouded ejection rod
• Fixed sights
• Narrow spur hammer
• Straw colored trigger and hammer
• Firing pin on hammer a la S&W
• Lock up is good
• D.A. Trigger heavy but smooth

I look forward to hearing comments both good and bad.

Regards,
LG Roy

 

[MCgunner]

I've got a 20 year old or so M66 .357 that has seen enough shots to smooth off the back of the Pachmayr grip that came on it. It's still tight and accurate. The older triggers aren't as smooth as the newer ones, but that old gun has smoothed itself out over the years.

Personally, I think Taurus longevity is as good as any shy of maybe Ruger. In .38, though, you don't worry about things as much as with, say, .357 and, heck, I don't shoot enough to wear out a good gun with what I have left in years. That may change as I get more time and shooting becomes more convenient, I hope.

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php

 

[mjb]

I do not have a good opinion on older Tauruses. I work as a security officer and I was issued a model 82 like that and the cylinder would lock up every so often. That is why we are carrying S&W model 66's now. If you shoot it, just beware of that problem. I wouldn't want to use it for defensive purposes unless I was sure that problem of it locking up was corrected.

 

[Moonclip]

Can you post a pic? It seems like a model that is older than 15-20 years old and with Taurus, that is not a good thing unfortunately. I have had 4 of these model 82'sof a later vintage. I kept one. One had timing issues but had been abused. The others were/are serviceable but are not of the quality of a similar vintage model 10 S&W.

 

[hemiram]

Have you shot it? If you can shoot a dozen shots out of it without the cylinder getting stuck, or the barrel leaded up to an insane amount, it's probably fine.

My first gun ever was a Taurus Model 83, 4", in nickel. It was a horrible gun in so many ways. The nickel was done ok, but it was a mess in every important way. It spit lead and the barrel was so messed up that after only 6 shots I would have to take a brass screwdriver and pound out a wad of brass. Unless I got the lead out after every 6 shots, it would almost always jam up from lead buildup around the forcing cone before 12 shots were fired.

I sold it as soon as I could.

A friend bought one a couple years ago, and it was like it was built on another planet than the first one. It shoots great and he's had zero problems with it. Funny thing is, it's not quite as pretty as my old one was! The plating was better on the old one, but nothing else was.

 

[Library Guy]

Thank you...

Thank you one and all for you comments.

LG Roy