Taurus 44 Magnum - Good Deal?

[Paraguy]

I really believe in the quality of S&W and would love to get a 44 Magnum by them.  I do not know much about Taurus, should I have any reservations of getting their 44 Magnum to save a few dollars? Not sure if I want that powerful of a round going off that close to my hands and face if it is built by the lowest bidder.  I am not saying $ = Quality all of the time, but would like to get others opinions/experiences with a brand I have never used.  It will be used at the range and not see a lot of usage like my G35 gets.

[crusader rabbit]

Taurus and Rossi merged sometime back.  Both offered a "lifetime" guarantee on their guns.  Both place that guarantee on the gun, not on the owner.  That suggests a fair amount of faith in their product.  Both are made in Brazil at thoroughly modern facilities.

I have seen pictures of the S&W .44mag " blown-up--you can find them on this forum someplace--but I have not seen that happen to a Taurus.

My personal .44Mag is a Ruger Redhawk--strongest handgun made and better than an S&W, in my opinion--but I'd have no qualms about a Taurus.  I do own a Rossi .357 Mag and I use that as one of two regular carry guns.  If I thought it might blow-up, it would not be in my collection.

This is all just my humble opinion and I offer it FWIW.  Others may have dissimilar thoughts.   This is the place to ferret out facts.

Crusader Rabbit

[tombogan03884]

The Taurus will be fine.

[alfsauve]

I really believe in the quality of S&W and would love to get a 44 Magnum by them.  I do not know much about Taurus, should I have any reservations of getting their 44 Magnum to save a few dollars? Not sure if I want that powerful of a round going off that close to my hands and face if it is built by the lowest bidder.  I am not saying $ = Quality all of the time, but would like to get others opinions/experiences with a brand I have never used.  It will be used at the range and not see a lot of usage like my G35 gets.

I've had a few Taurus's and I don't think you have to worry about strength, as such.   Ruger by far is the strongest.  Taurus does have a lifetime guarantee on their guns, so that says something.   Mostly what I've found is the little things.  If you're not going to shoot it a lot, probably won't find much difference.    S&W revolvers are American made and used by over 99% of ICORE and Shooting Steel competitors....that says something too.   And, of course, I resist buying any made after 1999, with the internal lock.

So you have plus and minus's in all departments.

If you are patient and stalk the auction sites daily, you can find some good deals on used 29's or 629's.   I got a great 6"  629 with un-fluted cylinder for $600 last year.  One of only 180 made with that configuration.   Besides Gun Broker, Auction Arms, & Guns America, you can check with "real" auctions through Proxibid.com.  Currently there are 9 up for auction in the next 3 weeks (2 tomorrow).  And while most will go for more than you and I are willing to pay, you never know when you'll get lucky with a low offer.  (don't forget buyer's fees)   In most cases you can put in pre-bids directly with the auction company and get a lower buyer's fee.

[twyacht]

Brazilian steel is very very good. At the turn of the century, Brazil sent hundreds of researchers to American Foundries to learn about American Steel, fit and finish, and have never stopped improving in that area.

I own an (older) Interarms Rossi M971 SS .357, its a tank. Also a Taurus M85 .38 snub. I've pounded full house loads and +P's through them and the darn guns work. Nothing works loose, no slop in tolerances, no lock ups or issues of any kind.

They have made a 44 wheel gun for quite sometime, they got it figured out. Get it if it's burning a hole in your pocket, or save the diff and get the S&W.

[Sponsor]

[Ping]

I have carried and owned Smith and Wesson revolvers. I do like them alot. I currently own a semi-auto Taurus that is an absolute tack driver. I have looked at the 7 round .357 revolver by Taurus several times. Been thinking about picking one up someday.

[billt]

My personal .44Mag is a Ruger Redhawk--strongest handgun made and better than an S&W, in my opinion-- Crusader Rabbit

I have to agree. Ruger is the best choice in a "most bang for your buck" analysis. Ruger builds the strongest .44 Magnum revolver. A Ruger Super Redhawk is stronger than either the Taurus or the S&W. It's cost falls in between the two. Ruger will also stand behind their product, should it require any warranty attention. You can also opt for the Super Blackhawk which is also very strong, but a little cheaper. It is avaliable in both blued or Stainless Steel in many different barrel lengths.

[kmitch200]

My personal .44Mag is a Ruger Redhawk--strongest handgun made and better than an S&W, in my opinion

HERETIC!!!

The Taurus will do fine. They build wheelguns that handle the 454 Casull with 75% more recoil energy than a 44mag. 

[twyacht]

HERETIC!!!

The Taurus will do fine. They build wheelguns that handle the 454 Casull with 75% more recoil energy than a 44mag.  

I think we are all on the same page,....but as with any fine implement,...there are the brand "folks" that resonate with owners....

Corvette Z-06,...Audi R8,...Shelby GT500...etc,... all work...all have plus and minus attributes,  but ALL get the job done.

My Ruger SS Blackhawk in .357, is thicker, beefier, stout(er), and heavier, and more pistol whipping approved than any other .357 I own. However, my ol' Taurus M971, I'll take to the trail without hesitation.

Plus it gives me a shameless plug to post wheel gun porn....



The Ruger...


The Rossi/Interams/Taurus...

Shiny,...and sexy....

[Paraguy]

Thank you everyone for all the great insights.  So here is what I did, I went to my favorite gun store and they had a barely used taurus 44 Magnum with a 6" barrel for only $449.  Underneath it was a S&W 357with a 6" barrel, it too looked barely used.  Same thing, $450.  I held both and the S&W just seemed right.  The ammo savings crossed my mind as well.
Hope I did the right thing, probably should have just bought both, but that ain't in the equation right now.