http://www.taurususa.com/products/product-details.cfm?id=628&category=Revolver

THIS looks nice, my former 425 worked, but think rather not worry about blast of ports, any reduction in velocity, and leading.

What do you guys think? Would a 657 MG or 357 PD be worth paying more for...if you want a handy 41 to pack around?

The porting of the Taurus really bothers me. Also, I am not very enamored with the overall quality of Taurus products despite my limited exposure to them. JMHO, so please don't crucify me........

A lot of my friends have been having problems w/ their Taurus's lately and the factory has been 6 mo. or so w/ service. It took over 3 mo. just to get a safety sent from the factory. I consider delays such as this unacceptable. I know people who have received their S&w's back in 10 days or a week.

Seen a thread later showed a Taurus ported 425 w/top strap and top half of cylinder blow up w/Win Supreme ammo, said to be ammo related, but then another guy had posted a pic of a Redhawk also blown.

Would it be safe to 'presume' the ammo was at fault......is that more PC than 'assume?'

6.5BR

My sister in law has a Taurus 44 Mag, the 5 shooter.
I have shot her gun a couple of times, and it shot good. The grips are comfortable and the ports do reduce the recoil.

I have shot it with several loads from 200gr to 300gr.

I do not consider it in the same quality bracket as a S&W or a Ruger, but so far it has performed well for her.

She has killed several BIG snakes with it using the Speer shotshells I give her.

I am old fashioned, I learned back in the late 1960's, Colt for big bore semi-autos, S&W for Double Action Revolvers, and Ruger for "Cowboy" guns.

quote:

Originally posted by 6.5BR:
Seen a thread later showed a Taurus ported 425 w/top strap and top half of cylinder blow up w/Win Supreme ammo, said to be ammo related, but then another guy had posted a pic of a Redhawk also blown.

Would it be safe to 'presume' the ammo was at fault......is that more PC than 'assume?'

Definitely load related. You have to be a real talent to blow a Redhawk up.

I think that Taurus revolvers are good firearms, just not in the same league as Ruger or S&W either for quality or for accuracy. In this case, this is a lightweight gun so (hopefully) you will not be shooting Ruger style single action loads in it. Taurus fills a market niche for those folks who want a revolver but cannot afford a "top notch" gun and perhaps will not use it as much as one of the others. Remember many folks do not hit the range every weekend. Just FWIW.
Peter.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter: Remember many folks do not hit the range every weekend. Just FWIW.
Peter.

Huh? Is this true? How does one survive the daily grind of life without shooting every week?

My daily concieled carry gun is a Taurus 650SS in 357mag. I really like it. It is a nice dependable peice. Accurancy seems ok at the ten to twenty yards I practice at. Is it a S&W? No, but it is a good little weapon.
MM

I have only owned one Taurus, and I found it lacking...

And to answer one of the original questions, I own a 41 MG and think it would be an excellent choice for packing, if you can find one. They are not all that common, in my experience.

The last thing I would offer is that I don't honestly believe that the .41 is enough of a "kicker" to warrant porting it unless it is chambered in an extremely light revolver. Every now and again I see standard Smiths that someone has ported, and it just bothers me. I know, that is just my opinion, but it bothers me none the less.

I wish that Taurus had never put the ports on the 41mag Tracker. Even with the full power loads the gun isn't unpleasant enough to need ports. But they are certainly a pain to clean.

When I bought my 41mag Ti Tracker, it was really the only light weight magnum offered. If I were to do it again, I'd get the S&W. The Taurus isn't bad, but a little rough. I've actually been thinking about selling it to buy a Scandium S&W, either the 41 or 44.

Well, my question was on the link above, the NEW Ti that is NOT ported, as I had a Stainless 425 and it was loud, and never got used to it.

Agree the 657 MG's are not common, but the 357 PD is also a lightweight option. Yes, the Taurus is not a Ruger and thus loadings do have to be Saami OAL and spec, no extra long bullets or hot loads, though standard full 41 and 44 loads should do alot of penetration and killing, shot placement is key I am sure.

Now IF only Smith gave more options, and spiced it up w/some Stainless or Ti guns with a lean slab sided 4", full underlug.......

Do have ONE complaint on ALL Smith guns, and own none to date, nor have bought one because of this, the key lock device. True one can throw the key away, but its there, and I think:

1) I don't like it, entry port for dirt, etc. IMHO.

2) Serves no purpose/need that I have

3) Just another potential for Murphy's Law....increased likelihood, however so small that something goes wrong inside and the gun does not function, real or perceived, THAT bugs me alot on current Smiths and I wish they'd go back, but not holding my breath.

Thanks for the comments.

You can do like a lot of us here and buy your guns used. None of my old Smiths have a lock on them........

Ditto, and I probably have over two dozen Smith revolvers. They are out there. Go get one without the lock!

I like the looks of it. a 4" barrel is not a long range gun, so for its practical purposes it seems to be set up nicely, and will be reasonably priced.

I have a 41 mag Ti Tracker and I think it is a great gun. Mine is the 4" ported version. The ports dont bother me one bit. I bet it isnt any louder than my Blackhawk 4-5/8" was. All the short barreled handguns I have shot have been very loud.

Is the S&W worth more....maybe. I got my Tracker for $525 and the S&W around here are very near $1000. To me that is not worth it.

When the 44 mag S&W Lightweight came out it was $630...that would be way worth it.

Thanks all. Good info.

At one time I was thinking of adding a couple .41Magnums made by Taurus to my collection. Specifically their SS Tracker and the snub-nose model. Then, I lucked into some good deals on the S&Ws. My 357PD is very accurate and controlable shooting 220gr.SWCGC at @900FPS. It's light enough that at times I've forgotten I had it in the holster. Heat the load up to a 250gr.WFNGC at 1250fps and it becomes a handful.

It is also my understanding that the cylinder on the .41Magnum Tracker is a little short. My favorite bullet now for plinking is a LBT mould dropping a 220gr.WFNGC. I use this ahead of @7.5gr of Unique for @1000fps. Don't know what this would be like or if it'd fit the Tracker. Also looked at the Raging Bull in .41Magnum and decided to get another Ruger Redhawk instead. Buy what you like 'cause that's why the different models are there. Oh, and welcome to the merry band of .41Magnum fans.

I have a 6" S&W #57 that was magna-ported when i bought it. It's not as loud as my 4" model 58 and does reduce recoil. It has shot very well with everything I've put in it. We all shoot better with less recoil.I don't have any experience with the ported Taurus though. I have trouble going 5 days without shooting, can't imagine only once or twice a month. That would be terrible.