Taurus / Rossie.

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txcookie

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So I'm wanting a new pistol. I want a 4 inch barrel .357. I'm not a name guy but have read mixed reviews on taurus and rossi. Should I save up an get a ruger or smith?
 
Yes. At the risk of getting flamed by the Taurus/Rossi fans, I believe, having owned a dozen or so as well as dozens of the S, R, C guns, that the quality of the S, R, and C guns is much better.
That said, I have a Taurus Tracker 17 HMR which is the most accurate handgun (outside of my TC Contender) that I have ever owned (sub MOA at 100 on a QUIET day).
Medium frame T-guns tend to have much better lockup and triggers than the small frame ones.
I am not saying that the T/R guns are of poor quality, but I'd never trade my 686, 19, or either of my Security Sixes or Blackhawks for anything I was offered in a T/R.
I found that my older Rossis were much better fitted and smoother than the later models, as were the Tauruses (or Tauri).
If I were to be made a gift of a Raging Bull I would gladly accept it.
 
I have a model 85, 605(sold), and a raging bull, They've all been reliable since I've owned them. Of course I also believe that a Smith or ruger will be at better gun but I like my Tauri.
 
I've had mixed results with Taurus over the years. Anymore It's S&W, Glock, Ruger, Colt, other majors. But let me tell you I have a Taurus 941, 22wmr that I've had for 20 years. It gets shot pretty regular too.
 
It depends on your plans for the gun. If you plan on shooting 50 rounds a year, the Taurus should be ok. If you plan on shooting it regularly, save your money and get a Ruger or S&W. From my personal experience, Taurus revolvers wear out much quicker than higher end guns.
 
Taurus burned me on 2 guns...that was the end of my association with them.

I will just say...buyer beware...cause sometimes, if you mess with the bull, you will get the horns.
 
I can't say my experience with wear on Taurus guns. I have a 85 I bought in 1988. I used mostly standard pressure loads and my guess at a round count would be 5-6k. No issues and I passed that on to my daughter. I also have a 669 I bought in 1989. I've put 7-8k rounds of magnums through it and countless 38s. The only problem I had was when the rear sight screw loosened and the sight was lost at the range. Taurus replaced it with a 2 week turnaround. A S&W M19 I bought in the middle 70s was out of time and suffered severe flame cutting after about 1000 rds of magnums.

That doesn't make S&Ws junk.
 
Rugers and Smiths are better. However, this Rossi 46202 I just bought seems to shoot just fine. I had a Taurus several years ago that I thought was a piece of junk. If you can afford the price, the Rugers and Smith are worth it.
 
My experience with taurus has been less then sucessful. I shoot alot and taurus didn't hold up. Failure rate is now 50% on taurus I've owned.
 
My first hand gun was a Rossi 851 , sort of a Colt knock-off. Great looking and reliable. DA trigger left something to be desired ...I later acquired 2 Rossi .38 sp snubs. First one , then the other failed due to mechanical issues.

66% failure rate. No more Rossi revolvers for me !!!
 
I have had three Rossis. One is outstanding, two gave me problems.

I have owned something like ten Taurii. Several have been outstanding, one gave me problems, the others had mediocre triggers but always went bang.

The Taurus Model 66 from the late 80's up until 90 or so have been good for me, as have the smaller 85's from the same era.

My Rossi Model 720 in 44 special is one of my very favorite handguns. They only made them for a few years, around 1990. I believe that the Model 712 was the 357 equivalent.

Ruger or S&W are less likely to give problems, but if you happen to get a very good Rossi or Taurus, you have gotten a lot of gun for your money.
 
In my limited experience, Taurus .357s don't seem to differ much in price to a Security Six. Why not look at that?
 
I've had good luck with the Rossi revolvers imported in the 1990's by Interarms, such as the Rossi Cyclops and the Rossi 720 in 44 special. I had a 6" 357 magnum Rossi 971 Interarms import that was impossibly light for how solidly built it seemed to be. None of my Rossi revolvers have been as smooth as one of my S&W or Dan Wesson revolvers. I don't have any relevant experience with Taurus or current production Rossi guns.
 
I've owned a number of Taurus revolvers, and one Rossi over the years. They were all from the time period of maybe the late 70's/early 80's to maybe the mid 90's. Most of them had wood grips, although two of them did have the more modern rubber. All but one were purchased used, so I'm sort of vague on the dates.

The only one I really shot extensively was a Model 82, IIRC. A heavy barrel Model 10 copy anyway. That gun was a shooting trick with 38 wadcutters. I got that as the second of third handgun I ever bought. Shot the snot out of it. I used wadcutters because they were cheap to buy and cheap to reload and they worked just fine.

The rest of them were all good guns too. I admit that I didn't always shoot them extensively. I'm a buy, try, get bored, trade/sell guy. But the only thing I could see "bad" about those guns was the finish wasn't as nice as a Smith & Wesson. That doesn't mean the finish was bad, just not as nice. Now, I did shoot them all. They all shot just fine, I just can't comment on how they'd hold up over time.

Having said that about the finish, two or three of them...a 65, 66, and a 431 were as nicely finished as any S&W I've ever owned. I sort of wish I'd kept all three of them, but then I wouldn't have had something else I got to try.

The new ones, I have no idea about. I very seldom even look at a new gun.

Is a Smith & Wesson worth the extra money? It depends. I buy each gun on it's individual merits. But generally speaking, yes, a Smith & Wesson or Ruger is worth the extra.
 
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I would spend the extra $ and get a ruger or smith personally. Used ones can be had cheap. Security sixes are under $400. My buddy was going to buy a taurus 85 and then a rossie 357. I talked him out of it and he got a ruger security six in mint condition for $350.
 
I've never had any issues with my 7 shot .357 snubnose Taurus, but I had to replace the takedown pin on my PT24/7 Pro.
 
I own a lot of different revolvers. A couple Taurus 357 and a Rossi 38 SPL among them. The Rossi came to me as a pile of parts as the previous owner had problems and tried to fix it.:banghead: Reassembled with new Wolff springs It is a decent shooter. Both the Taurus are good shooters and dependable after 6k-8k rounds each. I have heard from others either brand can be a crap shoot on the quality but mine are good. Not C, S, or R But not like them in price either. Looking for the better ones used is my thing. Well worth the money IMHO.
 
I bought a Rossi M88 in 1994 and carried it for 16 years and still do from time to time. It has had thousands of rounds through it including a lot of +P. I would put it up against any stainless j frame I have owned. I don't know if I got lucky or if that was a good run of revolvers. Today I pretty much stick to Rugers but, I would still trust my life to that stainless Rossi. No idea what they are like today though.
 
I like the Rossi. I had a 2" 971 from Interarms. It was great. I was stupid and sold it. Hindsight..............
 
A friend just bought a 4" Taurus 66, and I have to say, it impressed me. It shot great and had zero issues. He and I put about 100 rounds through it. Between it and my Taurus PT111 G2, Taurus made a couple of good guns recently.
 
So I'm wanting a new pistol. I want a 4 inch barrel .357. I'm not a name guy but have read mixed reviews on taurus and rossi. Should I save up an get a ruger or smith?

I don't know your financial situation, or how you take care of a gun. I don't know if you shoot a lot or a little. I don't know if you just like a gun to have and shoot occasionally or if you enjoy quality workmanship. Their are many things I do not know about you that affect the decision.

So I cannot say if YOU should or should not save up for the Ruger or Smith.

What I can tell you, is that I would definitely save my money and buy quality, for what it's worth I own Smith's, Rugers, and Rossie's but never owned a Taurus.
 
I had a .22lr taurus model 22 subcompact semi pistol that broke during use. Sent it back to taurus and when they sent a replacement traded it for a taurus model 94 .22lr revolver which has performed flawlessly. My next purchase was Rossi judge in .22lr/22mag no problems great little carbine. My last but not least is a .357 taurus tracker 627 with a 6.5" bbl. I had a few ftf's/light strikes when it was new, sent it back to Davidson's and within a week got it back and have not had any further problems.

bottom line would I buy another Taurus/Rossi? yes!

v-fib
 
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