Taurus
Looking at the quality and their unlimited warrenty, is Taurus a good company? How do their firearms shoot? How are their revolvers compare to other revolvers like smith and wesson and ruger? What about their semi-auto pistols? Are they good? Is their warrenty really unlimited? Their priced are just too good and that is why I have a little red flag. If I were to purchase a firearm it would be a parge framed revolver for hunting. Would that be a good choice in a Taurus? Thanks for all your help!
-Joe
-Joe
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is it possible to get pink hand grips for the revolver that I bought the misses 38 caliber 5 shot light weight 2 inch barrel 0 -
Howdy uni82,
I believe, and yourself using the search tool on the forum here, will find that, sadly, Taurus' quality control has slid down the tubes. The warrenty, from what I've heard, is all it says, though turn around time is a less than desirable.
So, expect most replys to say stay away, and to, price wise for a revolver, look for a good used Smith&Wesson, etc.
Of course, individual exceptions will be stated, as with myself having bought years ago, a 1st generation Taurus PT-99 Berreta clone, found it to be very well made, reliable, accurate. But that was then, this is now, and personally I wouldn't go with Taurus now.
45er0 -
This is a loaded question, because lots of the posters here have strong opinions about Taurus guns. (EG "They're junk").
I'll give you my opinions on your questions, based on my experience:
-Taurus quality control has been highly variable over the years. There have been periods of time when its put out mostly good guns, and periods where it put out a lot of "lemons" that were poorly fitted, etc. *IF* you get a good gun, it will probably function and wear just fine. But there are some real turkeys out there.
-The best of the Taurus revolvers are probably fine, but generalizing, I think the likelihood of you having a problem with a Smith and Wesson or Ruger is a lot lower than with a Taurus.
-The older Taurus autos are copies of various Beretta designs, supposedly built originally on actual Beretta machinery left in Brazil. Once upon a time (and I don't think they still do it), the Taurus autos all came with beautiful Brazilian Rosewood grips, which is a nice touch.
-In terms of internal mechanical design, the traditional Taurus revolver designs (like its snubnose model 85) are basically Smith and Wesson clones. There was a historical time when there actually was some sort of business relationship between Smith and Taurus (I think the same company owned both) and there was transfer of design from Smith to Taurus. That ended years ago.
-There are a few Taurus designs that are intrinsically questionable in terms of function or reliability (and I include the "Judge" here). On the other hand, Taurus has, at one point or another, put out guns in "odd" configurations that other manufacturers didn't, so if you want some oddball thing like the Taurus "Raging Bee" (.218 BEE) revolver, you've got limited choice.
-Taurus guns cost less, but they also take a bigger hit in resale value than the bigger name guns. In general *USED* Smiths or Rugers don't cost that much more than NEW Tauruses, and if you don't overpay or abuse them, the used first-tier guns will retain all their value on resale. This, is why I personally would never buy a new Taurus, when I can find a used Smith or Ruger for only a little bit more money.
On the other hand, for the same reasons, sometimes you can find a great deal on a USED Taurus. I wouldn't necessarily turn one down if the gun was otherwise interesting, solid, and the price was right.
-In my opinion, a good gun is better than a good warranty. If not abused a good gun will provide a lifetime of service. On the other hand, no amount of "warranty" can fix poor metallurgy, a poor gun design, or just an overall bad build, short of replacing the entire gun with something else.
In theory, yes, Taurus will repair any gun for a lifetime, etc. In practice I'd rather not have to worry about it. If your gun doesn't work you might have a hunt ruined, or even get killed! If it doesn't work, you'd then have to send it in for repair, which is at best a hassle, and at worst costs you money out of pocket. Then you WAIT potentially weeks to months for the manufacturer to repair your gun. Hopefully the problem is fixed. . .sometimes it isn't.
-If you want a large framed revolver for hunting, I'd suggest sticking to Smith or Ruger, both of which are known for generally excellent quality control and customer service. The large frame Ruger revolvers (redhawk, blackhawk), in particular, are like TANKS. You're never going to wear one out.0 -
I agree. Beantown's reply, above, is pretty much the definitive explanation and advice to anyone contemplating buying a Taurus firearm. 0 -
Wow, that reply really helped out. I appreciate the time and effort that it took for that whole response (and other responses). Thank you and I think I have made my decision and just get a s and w or a ruger! Thanks!
-JD0 -
I also agree with beantown to a point.
I have a couple taurus 85's that I've never had a problem with. I still would not use them for self defense against human adversaries. We keep them in the tractors during hay season and my wife keeps one handy around the house. They are only loaded with shot shells for snakes. The take beating and keep working. I have carried them on canoe trips only because if I lost one, no big deal. Just understand what your intended use is. I prefer S&W revolvers all things being egual.0 -
Taurus seems to be a crap shoot,You either get a good one or You don't.
I have a model 85 that has never had a problem and My Son had one that just would not work correctly even after He sent it in for repairs the problem remained.(He could spin the Cylinder with the Hammer down)0 -
Mediocre design, poor craftsmanship, low quality materials, and horrible customer service. That about sums it up. 0 -
I own a tauras raging 218 bee and love it. Its a revolver. I have never had any problems with it but I wouldnt buy any of their other guns. Like stated before, poor quaility and bad customer service from what others have told me. 0 -
I personally have owned several Taurus revolvers and semiautos with no problems and have been very accurate at least for me. I do however, take care of my firearms and keep em clean 0 -
I have a model 85 and I like it. 0
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