Second thoughts about Taurus 66 - Page 2

Mosin44az · December 11, 2007, 11:10 PM

Benzene,

I'm guessing where you're going with your remark. No manufacturer is PERFECT.

And each defense gun needs to be tested before being assigned its duty.

For defense revolvers, I trust Ruger and Smith (steel or Airweight). Even if not perfect out of the box, they can readily be made by a good gunsmith to be smooth and reliable, and none of the 9 examples I've owned (2 SP's, seven Smiths) has ever broken anything.

I carried my old Taurus M85CH for defense, either in my car or hiking, but it broke on me three times over 8 years and about 1500 rounds. Taurus replaced it no charge, but I've never sent my Rugers or Smiths in for warranty.

For pistols, based on my own experience, I trust Glock. They appear well built, are famous for enduring incredible abuse, and mine have all functioned near-perfectly, more than well-enough to have confidence in. My Glock 26 had one malf, a possible limp-wrist, in 1500 rounds. My current Glock 19 has also had one malf, an FTF with a mean-looking Federal Classic hollowpoint, but that doesn't bother me with other ammo brands.

My Ruger P95, the first pistol I owned, went 3500 rounds of U.S. spec. ammo with one malfunction, an obvious dud round. It did not like Sellier & Bellot, but I trusted it implicitly with U.S.-spec. ammo, which the manual recommends anyway, as I recall.

SIG, Beretta 92, FN/Browning, and CZ75 sound like they're in the same class, but only the above guns I've owned inspire complete confidence.

Taurus_9mm · December 11, 2007, 11:29 PM

I don't currently own an M66 but did have one several years ago that worked
very well for me the entire time I've had it. I can say the same for other Taurus revolvers I've owned in the past and currently do own. They're all been very durable and have happily digested whatever I've fed them with no problems. I think once you've had a visit to the range with it, you'll be pleased with the choice you made.

Qwiks draw · December 12, 2007, 12:01 AM

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December 7th, 2007, 08:16 PM #10
SlamFire1
Senior Member

Join Date: 12-29-06
Location: Alabama
Posts: 655 Quote:
I'm a little hesitant to trust a Taurus or Rossi, as I've not heard the most wonderful things about their quality...I'd like this revolver to last a long time, and I'm concerned that they wouldn't.

On the other hand, Rossi is definitely well within my price range, but I'm still skeptical as far as quality is concerned.

Well I purchased a Taurus and after taking it apart, it has all the quality machining of a modern S&W J frame. It is a fine pistol. Taurus and Rossi purchased Hundred's of millions of dollars of CNC machines, and their machining is a good as anyone's. And the pistols are good value for the money.

The older Rossi's, which I have an interarms, it shows a lot of file marks in the lockworks. Neat little pistol, but I would not recommend an older one. Have not disassembled a new one, but I have been told that they are coming off the same production lines as the newer Taurus pistols.

As for a Colt. I think the days of finding a used Colt Detective Special for $300.00 are a distant memory. The older the DS the better. Colt pistols from the 70's and 80's show even sloppier file work than my Rossi. Older pistols have precise lockworks. Only a couple of swipes with a file, and the pistol was fitted. The late lockworks look like they were filed from chunks of soap. It is evident that the fitter was handed shapeless lumps, and basically sawed and filed the lockworks to size.

Colt DS's from the 60's or earlier are the absolute best 2" 38 Specials ever built.

And they ain't cheap anymore.

__________________
Accuracy is a skill acquired through constant practice.

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December 7th, 2007, 08:28 PM #11
MCgunner
Senior Member

Join Date: 12-03-05
Location: Texas Coastal Bend
Posts: 7,388 Quote:
I'm a little hesitant to trust a Taurus or Rossi, as I've not heard the most wonderful things about their quality..

I'm not. I've actually OWNED and FIRED both extensively and I don't believe the bashers based on MY experience, not theirs. Suit yourself, though. In that price range, I'd most definitely consider first and foremost, the Taurus M85, better trigger by far than any Smith J frame and a tough little gun. The Rossis are good guns and their fit and finish has improved. The DA trigger is usable if nothing to brag about and they're generally decently accurate. I have an old interarms M68 I hang on to, very accurate 3" five shot and a little .22 that's accurate beyond all reason. There are bashers of all brands, but Taurus seems to attract the most ire. But, before you go off thinking Smith and Wesson is the do all, end all, read this. If you still believe everything you read, hell, you'll pass on any new revolver.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/smith-wesson_dark.htm

Like my mama used to tell me, believe half of what you see and none of what you hear/read. I will buy more Tauri in the future and will likely get another Rossi if they come out with something I want. Right now, I have about everything I want in small .38/.357s from Rossi, Taurus, and Ruger (SP101).

This is from THR and there's more where that came from.

44and45 · December 12, 2007, 09:35 AM

Own a taurus Tracker in .45 Colt, very satisfied with it.

Also own a Taurus SS model 441 with 3 inch barrel in .44 special, extremely satisfied with it.

Jim

joab · December 12, 2007, 09:57 AM

I have owned many Taurus revolvers over the past twenty years only had a minor problem with one that had had thousands of rounds through it over ten or so years of daily carry and twice weekly range time
That was a broken firing pin spring
The gun still functioned but reloading in a hurry would have been a problem

I have had much less luck with my Ruger handgun purchases
I have two with no problems ,but one of those has only had 10 rounds through it, compared to two with problems that rendered the gun unusable very soon after they were bought and one gun a minor irritation issue

ActivShootr · December 12, 2007, 09:58 AM

If I could find a good sp-101 for less than $400, I would grab it. As far as Taurus reliability issues, I have never experienced any problems out of the four Taurus revolvers that I have owned. I don't know about their automatics as I have never owned one.

Wuchak · December 12, 2007, 10:37 AM

I love by 2 1/4" .357 SP101. Bud's Gun Shop has new SP101's for $425 delivered.

December 12, 2007, 09:57 AM	#30
joab Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2002 Location: Orl Fla Posts: 3,254	I have owned many Taurus revolvers over the past twenty years only had a minor problem with one that had had thousands of rounds through it over ten or so years of daily carry and twice weekly range time That was a broken firing pin spring The gun still functioned but reloading in a hurry would have been a problem I have had much less luck with my Ruger handgun purchases I have two with no problems ,but one of those has only had 10 rounds through it, compared to two with problems that rendered the gun unusable very soon after they were bought and one gun a minor irritation issue __________________ Joab the Bugman Founding member- Lords of Pomposity It's a Yankee Doodle thing

December 11, 2007, 11:10 PM	#26
Mosin44az Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2006 Posts: 2,585	Benzene, I'm guessing where you're going with your remark. No manufacturer is PERFECT. And each defense gun needs to be tested before being assigned its duty. For defense revolvers, I trust Ruger and Smith (steel or Airweight). Even if not perfect out of the box, they can readily be made by a good gunsmith to be smooth and reliable, and none of the 9 examples I've owned (2 SP's, seven Smiths) has ever broken anything. I carried my old Taurus M85CH for defense, either in my car or hiking, but it broke on me three times over 8 years and about 1500 rounds. Taurus replaced it no charge, but I've never sent my Rugers or Smiths in for warranty. For pistols, based on my own experience, I trust Glock. They appear well built, are famous for enduring incredible abuse, and mine have all functioned near-perfectly, more than well-enough to have confidence in. My Glock 26 had one malf, a possible limp-wrist, in 1500 rounds. My current Glock 19 has also had one malf, an FTF with a mean-looking Federal Classic hollowpoint, but that doesn't bother me with other ammo brands. My Ruger P95, the first pistol I owned, went 3500 rounds of U.S. spec. ammo with one malfunction, an obvious dud round. It did not like Sellier & Bellot, but I trusted it implicitly with U.S.-spec. ammo, which the manual recommends anyway, as I recall. SIG, Beretta 92, FN/Browning, and CZ75 sound like they're in the same class, but only the above guns I've owned inspire complete confidence.

December 11, 2007, 11:29 PM	#27
Taurus_9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2006 Location: Louisville, Kentucky USA Posts: 963	I don't currently own an M66 but did have one several years ago that worked very well for me the entire time I've had it. I can say the same for other Taurus revolvers I've owned in the past and currently do own. They're all been very durable and have happily digested whatever I've fed them with no problems. I think once you've had a visit to the range with it, you'll be pleased with the choice you made.

December 12, 2007, 12:01 AM	#28
Qwiks draw Junior member Join Date: August 14, 2006 Posts: 879	cocojo View Public Profile Send a private message to cocojo Send email to cocojo Find More Posts by cocojo Add cocojo to Your Buddy List December 7th, 2007, 08:16 PM #10 SlamFire1 Senior Member Join Date: 12-29-06 Location: Alabama Posts: 655 Quote: I'm a little hesitant to trust a Taurus or Rossi, as I've not heard the most wonderful things about their quality...I'd like this revolver to last a long time, and I'm concerned that they wouldn't. On the other hand, Rossi is definitely well within my price range, but I'm still skeptical as far as quality is concerned. Well I purchased a Taurus and after taking it apart, it has all the quality machining of a modern S&W J frame. It is a fine pistol. Taurus and Rossi purchased Hundred's of millions of dollars of CNC machines, and their machining is a good as anyone's. And the pistols are good value for the money. The older Rossi's, which I have an interarms, it shows a lot of file marks in the lockworks. Neat little pistol, but I would not recommend an older one. Have not disassembled a new one, but I have been told that they are coming off the same production lines as the newer Taurus pistols. As for a Colt. I think the days of finding a used Colt Detective Special for $300.00 are a distant memory. The older the DS the better. Colt pistols from the 70's and 80's show even sloppier file work than my Rossi. Older pistols have precise lockworks. Only a couple of swipes with a file, and the pistol was fitted. The late lockworks look like they were filed from chunks of soap. It is evident that the fitter was handed shapeless lumps, and basically sawed and filed the lockworks to size. Colt DS's from the 60's or earlier are the absolute best 2" 38 Specials ever built. And they ain't cheap anymore. __________________ Accuracy is a skill acquired through constant practice. SlamFire1 View Public Profile Send a private message to SlamFire1 Send email to SlamFire1 Find More Posts by SlamFire1 Add SlamFire1 to Your Buddy List December 7th, 2007, 08:28 PM #11 MCgunner Senior Member Join Date: 12-03-05 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 7,388 Quote: I'm a little hesitant to trust a Taurus or Rossi, as I've not heard the most wonderful things about their quality.. I'm not. I've actually OWNED and FIRED both extensively and I don't believe the bashers based on MY experience, not theirs. Suit yourself, though. In that price range, I'd most definitely consider first and foremost, the Taurus M85, better trigger by far than any Smith J frame and a tough little gun. The Rossis are good guns and their fit and finish has improved. The DA trigger is usable if nothing to brag about and they're generally decently accurate. I have an old interarms M68 I hang on to, very accurate 3" five shot and a little .22 that's accurate beyond all reason. There are bashers of all brands, but Taurus seems to attract the most ire. But, before you go off thinking Smith and Wesson is the do all, end all, read this. If you still believe everything you read, hell, you'll pass on any new revolver. http://www.chuckhawks.com/smith-wesson_dark.htm Like my mama used to tell me, believe half of what you see and none of what you hear/read. I will buy more Tauri in the future and will likely get another Rossi if they come out with something I want. Right now, I have about everything I want in small .38/.357s from Rossi, Taurus, and Ruger (SP101). This is from THR and there's more where that came from.

December 12, 2007, 09:35 AM	#29
44and45 Member Join Date: May 30, 2004 Location: South of Lake Superior Posts: 80	Own a taurus Tracker in .45 Colt, very satisfied with it. Also own a Taurus SS model 441 with 3 inch barrel in .44 special, extremely satisfied with it. Jim

December 12, 2007, 09:58 AM	#31
ActivShootr Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2007 Posts: 1,040	If I could find a good sp-101 for less than $400, I would grab it. As far as Taurus reliability issues, I have never experienced any problems out of the four Taurus revolvers that I have owned. I don't know about their automatics as I have never owned one.

December 12, 2007, 10:37 AM	#32
Wuchak Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2007 Location: Shawnee, KS Posts: 1,093	I love by 2 1/4" .357 SP101. Bud's Gun Shop has new SP101's for $425 delivered.