Taurus VS S&W

[public servant]

Taurus just isn't as accurate as a smith & wesson, sorry!

Like anything else...it depends on the shooter. Practice, practice, practice.

If I were going to buy new and had the extra cash, of course I'd buy the S&W. If I found a good deal on a Taurus (new or used) I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up...and extra ammo with my savings over the S&W.

 

[Roadie]

Like anything else...it depends on the shooter. Practice, practice, practice.

If I were going to buy new and had the extra cash, of course I'd buy the S&W. If I found a good deal on a Taurus (new or used) I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up...and extra ammo with my savings over the S&W.

My thinking exactly.

 

[sonovasailor]

The issue I have with Taurus is the resale value. I have Smith & Wesson hand guns that are worth 3, 5, even 100 times what they sold for new. I looked at a model 36 with a 3" barrel priced at $300. If it had the box and contents, it would be priced at $450.00. That gun sold for $129.00 in 1979. You can't hardly give a 30 year old Taurus away!
I challenge anyone to show me a Taurus that doesnt loose 20% when you walk out the gunshop door. In my eyes, the bigest differance is $$$

 

[Roadie]

The issue I have with Taurus is the resale value. I have Smith & Wesson hand guns that are worth 3, 5, even 100 times what they sold for new. I looked at a model 36 with a 3" barrel priced at $300. If it had the box and contents, it would be priced at $450.00. That gun sold for $129.00 in 1979. You can't hardly give a 30 year old Taurus away!
I challenge anyone to show me a Taurus that doesnt loose 20% when you walk out the gunshop door. In my eyes, the bigest differance is $$$

I agree with you, however, in my case I am looking for a personal protection handgun within our budget. Resell value is not a factor at all.

Now, if I had more disposable income, and could justify spending the extra money, then yes, resell value would be taken into consideration. We don't have extra money at this time, so saving a couple hundred bucks that we could use for ammo, is more of a factor.

 

[Joe Williams]

I agree with you, however, in my case I am looking for a personal protection handgun within our budget. Resell value is not a factor at all.

Now, if I had more disposable income, and could justify spending the extra money, then yes, resell value would be taken into consideration. We don't have extra money at this time, so saving a couple hundred bucks that we could use for ammo, is more of a factor.

If money is that tight, and trust me I fully understand what it's like, another option instead of just buying ammo with the money saved is to buy a basic Lee reloading setup. The difference in purchase price is enough to cover, or almost cover, doing so, and you can shoot your .38s for $6 a box if you shoot cast bullets. That means you can shoot 2.5 or 3 boxes of 50 for the price of just one box of factory .38s.

 

[Thundorr]

i've never shot a taurus revolver but i have the smith that you're looking at i carry it every day and i love it it's a perfect carry gun

 

[beebadd]

Working at a gun shop,I can say that Ive had quit a few people trade there taurus in for the S&W. 637 is a great choice.the taurus is a great gun for the money...

 

[cce1302]

If I cared enough about someone to buy him and/or her a handgun for personal defense, I'd buy something better than a Taurus.

 

[Roadie]

If I cared enough about someone to buy him and/or her a handgun for personal defense, I'd buy something better than a Taurus.

So, if money were an issue, would you let your loved one go unarmed if you couldn't afford something "better than a Taurus" until you COULD afford something better?

 

[cce1302]

So, if money were an issue, would you let your loved one go unarmed if you couldn't afford something "better than a Taurus" until you COULD afford something better?

I'd probably let them borrow something I already have if I couldn't get the money together right away.
I can easily find "better than a taurus" for the same price as a taurus. There are plenty of good quality used guns out there.
Anyway, the OP didn't say he didn't have the extra hundred bucks for a nicer gun, he wondered if the hundred bucks was worth it over the Taurus. My answer would be yes. But I like US-made quality firearms, not cheap foreign copies.

 

[mkelsey]

Let me give some friendly advice stemming from 29 years of marriage. GF wants a revolver.It's not about what YOU want, it's about what SHE wants! Right Pammi? If SHE "fell in love" with the Taurus, let her buy that. Use the $100 saved for holster, ammo, or training.

I agree, HER gun should be what SHE wants/likes, and is comfortable with. I own a couple taurus gun and have not had any reason to complain about any of them

 

[Roadie]

I agree, HER gun should be what SHE wants/likes, and is comfortable with. I own a couple taurus gun and have not had any reason to complain about any of them

Exactly. If she is going to carry it, she needs to choose it. We husbands can give opinions, but we have to let the final decision be hers.

No offense to the previous poster, but most people that hate on Taurus either never fired one, never owned one, or dislike them because they aren't American made. I don't think I have ever seen a negative professional review of a Taurus revolver.

 

[jason conley]

She is only going to fire it once and if she does not hit she probably will lose intrest.

 

[Roadie]

She is only going to fire it once and if she does not hit she probably will lose intrest.

Who is "she"? Are you implying that a woman that buys a handgun will miss when shooting it, therefore lose interest in guns?

I am not sure I understand the meaning, nor the reasoning, behind your post.

 

[cce1302]

No offense to the previous poster,

I guess you're talking about me here

but most people that hate on Taurus either never fired one, never owned one, or dislike them because they aren't American made.

That's quite a broad generalization there. How did you come to this conclusion? Do "Taurus Haters" preface their hate with statements like, "I've never fired one, owned one, and I don't like them because they're made in Brazil" or is that simply a thinly veiled attack on my opinion based on my experiences with Taurus revolvers?

I don't think I have ever seen a negative professional review of a Taurus revolver.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a negative professional review of virtually any gun that is advertised in the gun magazines.

 

[Roadie]

I guess you're talking about me here That's quite a broad generalization there. How did you come to this conclusion? Do "Taurus Haters" preface their hate with statements like, "I've never fired one, owned one, and I don't like them because they're made in Brazil" or is that simply a thinly veiled attack on my opinion based on my experiences with Taurus revolvers?
I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a negative professional review of virtually any gun that is advertised in the gun magazines.

It was not a personal attack. It is just my experience on here, and other forums, that when someone bashes a particular brand without any facts to back it up. they usually have little to no experience with that brand. They are usually pressed by other posters to back up their beliefs with facts and personal experience. Usually there is none.

I made a generalization, and if it does not apply to you, then I apologize.

As far as my question about a cheaper handgun rather than waiting until I could afford one, I did not have anyone willing to loan me one.

I had a choice, buy a cheaper handgun (ie: my Bersa) or wait weeks, maybe months, to buy say, a Glock, XD, etc. I chose not to wait, and bought a cheaper handgun that was reliable, well made, and well reviewed.

(and actually, I have read negative reviews in Gun Magazines, and online)

Again. No offense was meant. You offered your opinion, I offered mine.

 

[The Spud]

I would just like to chime in here ...

I bought a Taurus PT100 from a co-worker a couple of years ago, it was my first handgun purchase. According to the serial number, it was manufactured in 1992. By my estimate, it easily has had over a 1000 rounds put through it. Aside from replacing the magazines and the shell extractor spring, it has performed flawlessly.

Now, flash forward to early 2009. My wife too has decided to join me in handgun ownership. She decided on the Taurus Ultralite Model 85 for the same reasons as some have stated earlier (price, warranty, etc - she did get rid of the pink grips though).

We took it to the range with a box of 50 rounds. We became concerned because about halfway through the ammo, the cylinder was acting like the safety bar was coming up and thus preventing the cylinder from turning. This was happening every 4th round.

We immediately took it back to where she bought it, and fortunately the gunsmith was able to recreate the failure immediately with 5 rounds. To end this long story, Taurus had the handgun for about a month, came back to us and has not failed. We are still not sure what the problem was (Taurus didn't send back a detailed report), but the problem seems to have been corrected. And she is completely satisfied with the accuracy, I just have to break her of closing her eyes in anticipation of the shot.

 

[public servant]

If I cared enough about someone to buy him and/or her a handgun for personal defense, I'd buy something better than a Taurus.

Personally I'd buy an Italian Beretta over the S&W...but that's just me.

Although I wouldn't purchase a pre-1984 Taurus... Taurus USA won't apply their lifetime warranty because of the junk produced by former owner-importers. Taurus was owned by the parent company (Bangor Punta Corporation) of S&W from 1970 to 1977...the period in which I would avoid their firearms. They produced lower quality firearms when the S&W family owned them. I wouldn't and haven't hesitated to purchase their modern products. Never a glitch on any I have owned or currently own. Same with the S&W's I've owned.

Again...it's all personal preference if your referring to modern firearms.

 

[Viper393]

When my wife got her lifetime license I let her shoot some of my handguns to see what she liked (years ago she carried a Colt Pocket .25). I wanted her to carry my Bersa Thunder .380 but she didn't like it. She told me to get her a revolver so I went to the gunstore with the intention of buying a Taurus. I ended up with a S&W 642 (only about a $80 difference in price). I thought the trigger was smoother with the Smith and after all, it's a S&W. I've owned and carried several Taurus's before and never had had any problems with them but I spent the extra $$$ and got the (IMO) better pistol. She loves it and carries it everywhere.

 

[wingback43]

My wife also carried a 642 +P ammo - no problem