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Shooting Gear
I swore I'd never buy a Taurus...
Uploaded on December 29, 2009Years ago I was very unimpressed with the Taurus firearms -- felt like they were a knock off warehouse making sub rate guns. They came out a few years ago with the little .22 pump that was made in South America (if I recall correctly). It looked good in the magazines and I thought I'd get a closer look. Closer look didn't look good enough and I passed on it.
I should have passed too, on the Judge. It was a new design, fit and finish were good -- the whole 410 buck shot and 45LC concept pushed me over the edge and I put down the cash for a brand new Judge with Magnum cylinder.
I think I've fired it less than 100 times. First time out it seemed like the timing was a little off. Second time out the cylinder fell out onto the ground. A month later I received replacement parts for it that had been lost in the grass. The cylinder fell out again. I returned it to the factory for repair. It came back about a month later and first time loading it the cylinder fell out on the garage floor. Back to the factory.
I've shot it a few times since then without incident... but I just don't trust it. Why would a person put their security in an untrustworthy firearm?
My present quandry is whether to sell the thing and get something dependable, but then I'd just be passing on a piece of undependable junk to someone else, and I really don't want to do that!
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Thank you for the info. I will definitely try to do my homework.
It could be them rushing to get this new product out. I hope it isn't an evolution of the company, like so many others, that sacrifices quality for profits.
We have had a simple .38 Taurus for 20 years, and it has had quite a bit of ball, JHP, and +P ammo fired through it. It is reliable (stainless) and solid as when I got it. I wouldn't have hesitated buying another similar piece.
Jeff, Glad you've had good success with your .38! I know that many times a problem is with an individual firearm rather than its particular model. It was only after I had these problems that I googled "Taurus Judge Problem" and found that others had the exact same problem...
On the one hand I typically want to "make things work out" as I know nothing's perfect -- but Taurus has made it hard to do that. Their telephone staff will not discuss the problems over the phone nor do they give explanation of the problem's causes or what was done to correct it in the warranty report when they do repairs.
Basically, I feel like I'd be taking a real chance depending on this gun as a defence weapon, even though it was created for that purpose.
Carney,
I bought a model 85 2" stainless .38 for my wife for her carry gun. She's had it now maybe, 5 years, and it has been flawless. Same story as Jeff's. However, with all the scramble for guns in the past year or so, maybe Taurus has tried to put production ahead of QC. I'm with you about being freaked out some over having that Judge as a protection gun.
I also know folks (my gunsmith in particular) who have (and carry) Judges and have no problems. I looked at one just 2 days ago and now you have me wondering.......
Happy holidays and a wonderful New Year to you sir.
S Ga
I really hate to see that happen with any firearm regardless of the manufacturer. I have a Taurus PT-111 Pro in 9mm that is really sweet. It is accurate and reliable.
When I purchased my Springfield SOCOM 16 back in 2005, they had just come out. While forum hopping trying to gather info from other SOCOM owners I came across a few who had QC issues with theirs (i.e. the front sight breaking or falling off). I had none of those problems and Springfield Armory (SA) since seems to have goten a handle on their QC.
I later bought a SA Inc. Mil Spec 1911A1. When I took it to the range, it would fire a magazine and when I put a full mag in and hit the slide release, the slide would move forward 1/32 of an inch and stop. I had to hit the rear of the slide with the heel of my hand to get it to go into battery. It would do this with every magazine. Once it was in battery it would fire the whole magazine without incident. I finally sent it back to SA Inc. They worked on it and returned it and so far so good. I do understand your angst concerning reliability. One will always wonder in the back place of our mind "will the weapon do that again when I need it most?"
I hope Taurus can permanently fix your Judge.
I have a PT-22 that does well for me when I feed it the right ammo. I had a problem early on with it and Taurus fixed it at no cost. I have two friends with Raging Bull in .480 and .454 and they like them very much.
My brother-in-law has a Judge that has revolving issues after the first shot with the 410 shells. He bought it at Academy as opposed to Gander Mountain and so he has to send it back to the factory to get it fixed. His dad's Judge doesn't have any issues, but is a stainless finish. There are the different finishes and whether its a double or single-action to look at. I've been wanting to get one myself, but now I'm not so sure.
That's why I have S&W, Ruger and Browning (Belgium) Pistols guys!
I have a pt58 ss, and I wont trade it for anything. To begin it was a college graduation gift and my first pistol. I know that I have put atleast 30,000 rounds through it in the last 10 years and I can only think of one miss fire, and it was due to me learning to reload. Did not set the bullet far enough in and it stovepiped. Its reliable, extremely accurate, fun to shoot, and they are affordable.
Thanks for all of your replies fellows!
When I retired I traded my Glock 23 in .40 cal. that I carried undercover for a Model 85 stainless light and put Crimson Trace grips on it. One of my supervisors had a famous saying. In a gunfight bring a gun. I needed something light so I would carry it.. I shoot 38+P's in my firearm and have not had any problems with it and I have fired quite a few rounds through it. I even found some wadcutters that were loaded back in the sixties. They shot good but I don't know what powder they loaded with but it was filthy. So far I am happy with the 85 and I am a S&W armorer.
Glad you have good service out of your Model 85, Stephen. I think I'll start another thread more devoted to "Taurus service" to see if my experience is common.
Only Taurus I ever owned or will for that matter was a FORD, and from what I just read quality is about the same for both.
Hey, I got 150,000 trouble free miles out of mine! LOL
I am glad you did WAM, I did not.
I owned 2 Ford Taurus's and had great results out of them both.Right now I am driving the Motortrend Car of the Year the Ford Fusion / Really it is my wife's . It is an all wheel drive and in the snow that we have had for the last 2 months traction wise her car would go where my Exployer Sport Trac wouldn't.
Back to the original topic. Several of my friends have rangin bulls and they have fine service from them. I have owner several Taurus semi's over the years and they have been alright fireaarms. They are not S&W's or Kimbers but they gave me good service.
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Jeff, Glad you've had good success with your .38! I know that many times a problem is with an individual firearm rather than its particular model. It was only after I had these problems that I googled "Taurus Judge Problem" and found that others had the exact same problem...
On the one hand I typically want to "make things work out" as I know nothing's perfect -- but Taurus has made it hard to do that. Their telephone staff will not discuss the problems over the phone nor do they give explanation of the problem's causes or what was done to correct it in the warranty report when they do repairs.
Basically, I feel like I'd be taking a real chance depending on this gun as a defence weapon, even though it was created for that purpose.
Thank you for the info. I will definitely try to do my homework.
It could be them rushing to get this new product out. I hope it isn't an evolution of the company, like so many others, that sacrifices quality for profits.
We have had a simple .38 Taurus for 20 years, and it has had quite a bit of ball, JHP, and +P ammo fired through it. It is reliable (stainless) and solid as when I got it. I wouldn't have hesitated buying another similar piece.
Carney,
I bought a model 85 2" stainless .38 for my wife for her carry gun. She's had it now maybe, 5 years, and it has been flawless. Same story as Jeff's. However, with all the scramble for guns in the past year or so, maybe Taurus has tried to put production ahead of QC. I'm with you about being freaked out some over having that Judge as a protection gun.
I also know folks (my gunsmith in particular) who have (and carry) Judges and have no problems. I looked at one just 2 days ago and now you have me wondering.......
Happy holidays and a wonderful New Year to you sir.
S Ga
Thanks for all of your replies fellows!
When I retired I traded my Glock 23 in .40 cal. that I carried undercover for a Model 85 stainless light and put Crimson Trace grips on it. One of my supervisors had a famous saying. In a gunfight bring a gun. I needed something light so I would carry it.. I shoot 38+P's in my firearm and have not had any problems with it and I have fired quite a few rounds through it. I even found some wadcutters that were loaded back in the sixties. They shot good but I don't know what powder they loaded with but it was filthy. So far I am happy with the 85 and I am a S&W armorer.
Glad you have good service out of your Model 85, Stephen. I think I'll start another thread more devoted to "Taurus service" to see if my experience is common.
I really hate to see that happen with any firearm regardless of the manufacturer. I have a Taurus PT-111 Pro in 9mm that is really sweet. It is accurate and reliable.
When I purchased my Springfield SOCOM 16 back in 2005, they had just come out. While forum hopping trying to gather info from other SOCOM owners I came across a few who had QC issues with theirs (i.e. the front sight breaking or falling off). I had none of those problems and Springfield Armory (SA) since seems to have goten a handle on their QC.
I later bought a SA Inc. Mil Spec 1911A1. When I took it to the range, it would fire a magazine and when I put a full mag in and hit the slide release, the slide would move forward 1/32 of an inch and stop. I had to hit the rear of the slide with the heel of my hand to get it to go into battery. It would do this with every magazine. Once it was in battery it would fire the whole magazine without incident. I finally sent it back to SA Inc. They worked on it and returned it and so far so good. I do understand your angst concerning reliability. One will always wonder in the back place of our mind "will the weapon do that again when I need it most?"
I hope Taurus can permanently fix your Judge.
I have a PT-22 that does well for me when I feed it the right ammo. I had a problem early on with it and Taurus fixed it at no cost. I have two friends with Raging Bull in .480 and .454 and they like them very much.
My brother-in-law has a Judge that has revolving issues after the first shot with the 410 shells. He bought it at Academy as opposed to Gander Mountain and so he has to send it back to the factory to get it fixed. His dad's Judge doesn't have any issues, but is a stainless finish. There are the different finishes and whether its a double or single-action to look at. I've been wanting to get one myself, but now I'm not so sure.
That's why I have S&W, Ruger and Browning (Belgium) Pistols guys!
I have a pt58 ss, and I wont trade it for anything. To begin it was a college graduation gift and my first pistol. I know that I have put atleast 30,000 rounds through it in the last 10 years and I can only think of one miss fire, and it was due to me learning to reload. Did not set the bullet far enough in and it stovepiped. Its reliable, extremely accurate, fun to shoot, and they are affordable.
Only Taurus I ever owned or will for that matter was a FORD, and from what I just read quality is about the same for both.
Hey, I got 150,000 trouble free miles out of mine! LOL
I owned 2 Ford Taurus's and had great results out of them both.Right now I am driving the Motortrend Car of the Year the Ford Fusion / Really it is my wife's . It is an all wheel drive and in the snow that we have had for the last 2 months traction wise her car would go where my Exployer Sport Trac wouldn't.
Back to the original topic. Several of my friends have rangin bulls and they have fine service from them. I have owner several Taurus semi's over the years and they have been alright fireaarms. They are not S&W's or Kimbers but they gave me good service.
I am glad you did WAM, I did not.
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