Taurus snubbies...anybody got one?

[strob2000]

Okay, so I've really taken a liking to revolvers here lately. I've been seriously considering the Taurus 605 so I can shoot 357's for defense and practice with 38's. Anybody got one of these or the Taurus 85? Any opinions on strength, durability, quality, etc. would be appreciated.

[Guest bkelm18]

Yeah I've got a Taurus snubbie .38sp. I wouldn't bother with .357 in a snub nose. The barrel is too short to really gain any velocity over .38sp and you'll have more recoil and more flash. The quality is very good. It's pretty accurate too at 15 yds. I'd recommend it.

[BryanP]

I have a 617 snubbie in .357. It's a bit larger and heavier than the 85 and shooting .357 out of it is Not Fun. You'll end up shooting .38 out of it almost exclusively unless you just enjoy pain. The only reason to get the .357 version is for the ability to shoot it if you really need to for some reason.

[Guest DrBoomBoom]

I've got a Taurus 905 snub 9mm moonclipped. It's in my pocket now. It's been a good gun. Accurate, quick reloading with the moonclip, smaller than a J frame, stainless but not too heavy.

[Guest NELSON]

I have an 85 and have been very impressed with it. I do not get to practice as much as I would like. It is really nice to have a gun that can be carried in so many ways and still be comfortable. If you are not used to shooting a revolver get in plenty of range time. I think that others would agree that shooting a revolver is an art.

[Guest mikedwood]

Love my Taurus 85 snubbie. It shoots real well, conceals real well. I have about 300 rounds through it and I got it used. Even at 25 yards I can shoot it a lot better than I ever expected. When I take it to the range I have a blast.

I just got my carry permit last week and have been half Glock/ half snubbie. I don't carry one in the chamber on the Glock because I just don't trust myself yet. With the snubbie though it's fully loaded when I carry and it doesn't bother me a bit.

[Guest GLOCKGUY]

Yeah I've got a Taurus snubbie .38sp. I wouldn't bother with .357 in a snub nose. The barrel is too short to really gain any velocity over .38sp and you'll have more recoil and more flash. The quality is very good. It's pretty accurate too at 15 yds. I'd recommend it.

so true a buddy of mine has the 357 and he hates it. he wants a 38

[Westwindmike]

I have an 85CH Stainless and like it well enough. Its just too heavy to pocket carry.

[Guest nraforlife]

I've got a 455 - 2" ported barrell. Too big and heavy for daily wear but one hell of a dresser/nightstand gun. Wife has an M85 which she likes ALOT

Edited July 19, 2008 by nraforlife

[TnShooter83]

I have the 850 CIA in Stainless. I like it, so far it has maybe 300 rounds through it with no issues. I've alos owned an 85 in blue, and in stainless.

Those were also great guns.

With taurus you just need to stay away from their 'older" stuff.

Mid 1990's or newer and you are ok......but the older stuff was pretty bad.

[Guest GLOCK.GUY]

A buddy of mine has a Taurus 605. He loves it!

[strob2000]

Thanks for all the replies, glad to know everyone's had good experiences with Taurus. Looks like that will be my next purchase.

[Burboy]

I have an 85 UltraLite, the aluminum frame one, and it's a great little pocket gun. It is my carry gun of choice. Everyone is right about the .357 version. I have a bunch of really hot 38spl handloads that I have been gradually shooting up and I can't do more than 10 or 15 at a time in the little Taurus. It is mighty painful. The .357 is not so bad in something like a Ruger SP101, a much heavier gun.

[Guest Southron Boy]

I've got a 605 that I pocket carry in an Uncle Mikes IWB holster. The clip on the holster's a little annoying, but it will do until I get a better holster.

My 605 has the hammer spur bobbed off, so it's DAO. Trigger pull is nothing special, but it's a belly gun, and I don't anticipate 15 yard shots with it. I can get center mass at 15 yards, but there's no precision shooting with this thing.

This thing ROCKS with .357. It's loud and kicks like a mescal hangover. Forget about a follow-up shot, by the time I've got control of the gun again, it's pointing straight up in the air. It's fun to shoot .357 from it every now and again, but I keep it loaded with 38+p Treasury rounds. I figure since it's designed for .357, it will handle 38+p all day long. I've got .357 in the speedloader though, just in case.

[Curiousgb]

I have a Titanium 38. Great little gun. I really like to carry this revolver. Only thing I am not hot about is the porting.

[Guest eseaton]

Model 85 Taurus is an all around good deal. Great quality. Great warranty.

eseaton

[Guest Major Pain]

I've got a little Taurus snub that has been stuck back in safe for a few years. I use to carry it and found something I liked better and it got stuck back. Not sure what it is, has 85 on crane so assume it a model 85. I remember it shot good and was super dependable. I ran several 100 rounds thru it with no problems. Do they have a lifetime warranty? I'm sure mine is kinda old late 70's or early 80's may not have had a warranty them. Little snub still looks almost new.--MP

[Guest bkelm18]

I've got a little Taurus snub that has been stuck back in safe for a few years. I use to carry it and found something I liked better and it got stuck back. Not sure what it is, has 85 on crane so assume it a model 85. I remember it shot good and was super dependable. I ran several 100 rounds thru it with no problems. Do they have a lifetime warranty? I'm sure mine is kinda old late 70's or early 80's may not have had a warranty them. Little snub still looks almost new.--MP

I'm pretty sure Taurus has always had a lifetime warranty. They were one of the first manufacturers to offer it.

[Guest 1/7GRUNT]

My dad carries a 85 liteweight and loves it. My mom used it to get her carry permit and she says it hurt her hand!

[wjh2657]

I sometimes carry a Taurus 85 ULBH (Ultra Light Bobbed Hammer). It has the best trigger of any of my snubbies. I normally use the gun as my "Out of State Carry". If I run into a LEO in another state who decides to make his own laws up (sorry, but it has already happened to me on a hunting trip!) I won't be losing too much money when I lose the gun. The 85 is a good shooter and I am quite happy with it. I have put over a 1000 .38 Spcls through it and no problems so far.

[wareagle]

I carry a SS 605 a lot. Its secondary to my XD9 subcompact. The 605 is very nice revolver. Accuracy surprises most. I had an SS 85 for years. I traded up to .357 for no particular reason.

[HillbillyMafia]

Didn't Taurus buy up a bunch of Smith and Wesson and Beretta's Tooling molds and machine s when they did a retool or something? I swear I read or heard something about this in the late 90's when I bought the wife her ultralight

great gun for small hands, but WAY too small for me to shoot comfortably.

[Guest bkelm18]

Didn't Taurus buy up a bunch of Smith and Wesson and Beretta's Tooling molds and machine s when they did a retool or something? I swear I read or heard something about this in the late 90's when I bought the wife her ultralight

great gun for small hands, but WAY too small for me to shoot comfortably.

Smith & Wesson and Taurus used to be owned by the same company so a lot of the machinery and such were shared between the two. As far as Beretta, they had a contract to build weapons for the Brazilian military so they built a factory in Brazil. When the contract was up, they sold the whole factory, machinery and all, to Taurus.

[jughead]

just acquired one in titanium. could not get a response on the taurus board. just shot it a few times, but didnt think the 357 loads were uncontrolable. definitely not painful. glad to hear a few good reports. not a wheel gun man but couldnt pass up a bargain.

[Guest david_g17]

Smith & Wesson and Taurus used to be owned by the same company so a lot of the machinery and such were shared between the two. As far as Beretta, they had a contract to build weapons for the Brazilian military so they built a factory in Brazil. When the contract was up, they sold the whole factory, machinery and all, to Taurus.

I heard that Smith & Wesson built a factory in Brazil, and the Brazilian government nationalized the factory and named it Taurus.

Any truth behind that?