Taurus Quality Control or LACK thereof.

[Graybeard]

Ya'll might remember my tale of woe with the new 6.5" Model 460 in .45 Colt I bought. Took over two months to finally get a replacement on the second trip back to Taurus. If not the story is down further on this forum.

Well that generated a LOT of ill will on my part so for a long time it just sat until I cooled down enough to take it out to shoot rather than just take it and trade it off as I was sorely tempted to do.

So I took it out the other day and cleaned all the lead out of it. Appeared to have been fired only five shots by the factory but had the worse case of leading I've seen in any gun I've personally owned. Took three times with JB Paste to get it even close to clean. Lots of big patches of lead came out.

Now ya wanna see what the barrel looks like? Ya ain't gonna believe this is a NEW barrel but it is. This is before I ever fired a single shot thru it.



That is as clean as it would come and that's just the way it looked from the factory before I shot it but after an hour's worth of cleaning.

GB

[140orbetter]

GB I just gotta ask, " why do we  (Taurus owners in general) keep buying them?
 I knew from prior experience with Taurus what to expect, but I did it 3 times over a few weeks back. If I was agile enough to do it I'd kick my own butt!
 and as you know not many shops will take them on trades unless we nearly give them away.
 Oh well such is the lot of us gun nuts.I'll more like than not walk in an plunk down cold cash to buy a 500 when they are out too! NO FOOL LIKE AN OLD FOOL!!!

[Wags]

How is the pistol?  Still experiencing quality issues???

[unspellable]

The rouble is, I have bought or seen several Colts, S&W's, Brownings, etc., etc. with various quality contrrol problems.  So who is doing it right these days?

[myronman3]

not me.  g.b., you can count me as one lost sale for taurus.  i wanted a 22 tracker real bad; but after hearing your tale (along with the bad treatment of others by taurus) i said screw them.   i dont know if they got new management down there or what but something has gone to pot within.  and i aint going to support that kind of treatment, because next time it could be me they treat poorly.   my money went for a new blackhawk instead.

[Graybeard]

GB I just gotta ask, " why do we (Taurus owners in general) keep buying them?

Actually I won't be buying any more. My M44 was the first with problems since the old early ones from many many years ago. It was handled promptly and properly. No ill will on that one. BUT following it right up with another junker when I bought my M460 and the treatment I got on it and now the replacement has a barrel that looks like this? Sorry I'm finished with Taurus.

How is the pistol? Still experiencing quality issues???

Wags, this is the REPLACEMENT gun for the one I refused to fire and had to return to them twice in order to get it replaced. So yes it still has the issue of the barrel that looks like the photo. Now I honestly don't know how it is gonna shoot yet. I have some more jacketed bullets on order I expect in on Friday. As badly as it leaded with the five the factory fired and seeing how that barrel looks I don't want to fire cast in it just yet, especially unless they are gas checked. I have no GC bullets cast up and until I cast up some I'm gonna use the jacketed bullets.

I actually ordered a couple of brands of factory ammo that I think will fit this revolver as well as a couple of brands of component bullets. I'll see how they work first and then decide if I keep this gun or take it back to the dealer I bought it from. I WILL NOT be sending it back to Taurus. I'm finished with them and if this one shoots I'll keep it. If not I'll dump it.

So who is doing it right these days?

Dunno to be honest. BUT my last Ruger was the BEST one I've ever bought. It is a real keeper. Not sure it is a trend of course but does have me thinking. I've NEVER looked down a barrel of a new gun that looked even remotely as bad as this one except that M44 I sent back just before the M460. I've seen a few problems looking down new barrels but nothing like this.

GB

[magooch]

Bill, I sure hope you have or will forward your complaints to someone at Taurus who might take some interest.  It would be a shame to see Taurus diminish into a low-grade manufacturer.

All of the Tauruses that I have are very high quality guns and I'm very anxious to make some additional purchases, but your experience leaves me in serious doubt.

[His lordship.]

I traded my Taurus Model 85 in stainless steel (made in 1999) a few months ago to one of my favorite dealers, he gave me a good price, but he said "We are getting alot of trade ins on the Taurus guns lately", after reading about the problems with Taurus, I was not surprised at his comments.  While the Model 85 that I traded did function well, and was accurate, it seemed to have soft steel, and the cylinder timing was not the greatest, but otherwise the dealer received and quickly resold this gun, so at least the new buyer was not cheated like the recent reputation of the newer Taurus guns.

Greybeard...that is an excellent photo of your Taurus barrel, very clear!

Hopefully Taurus will do something about the lack of QC.

Thanks.

[safetysheriff]

By any chance, does Taurus button-rifle their handgun barrels?    It reminds me of some of the things I've read about Savage' button-rifled barrels being so rough.

[zrifleman]

Graybeard-with all due respect it looks like someone test fired undersized bullets down that barrel. Seems like you are on somebodys "A" list at Taurus. I have talked to them on the phone and they definitely need some schooling on good PR.

[Graybeard]

Graybeard-with all due respect it looks like someone test fired undersized bullets down that barrel.

Why do you say that?

What you are seeing is NOT lead. Those are tool marks and scratches in a brand new barrel. That is as it came to me except I cleaned it thoroughly and removed a bunch of lead and other crud. Those marks were all made during the manufacturing process. How I haven't a clue.

GB

[zrifleman]

Graybeard--you act like Taurus is the only one with PR problems and QC problems. Every Ruger pistol I have owned in the past few years has had quality control issues. Lets my recount briefly---45 Colt RH with very poor surface finish, undersized throats (common problem on 45 Colt), consequently poor accuracy, ejector rod only works in certain position. P90 45 ACP broke internally and had to go back to factory for new internals and barrel. Bisley Vaquero 44 Mag barrel cracked in the forcing cone, had to go back to factory for a new barrel. None of these guns were overloaded or abused. How about my 8 3/8" S&W custom 686 that came frome the custom shop with a cylinder that would not lock in place? Or my 44 Mag Anaconda that has always had a weak hammer spring, has never locked up very tight, the barrel came unscrewed when it was new. My 629 mountain gun needs to go back to S&W for a firing pin bushing and the cylinder is difficult to open. What I'm trying to say is all of the major gun manafacturers seem to have QC problems. To be honest Taurus is no worse, and may be better than some. My only personal experience with them is the 3 Raging Bulls purchased over the last 1 1/2 years plus the ones I see other shooters using at the local ranges. So far they are great maybe the RB is the exception to the rule.

[Graybeard]

Graybeard--you act like Taurus is the only one with PR problems and QC problems.

In what way am I acting in such a manner? This is the Taurus Forum so what I discuss here is Taurus. If someone asks I give my opinions on others here but generally those discussions take place on the other forums and here I discuss Taurus. At no time have I said Taurus is the ONLY company with quality or customer service problems.

I've longed spoken ill of Ruger but in their favor the latest I've gotten from them has also been the best. But I have a LOOOOONG history of junk from them.

I've owned fewer Colt guns than most other brands but to be honest never had a quality problem with any I've owned which would likely number around 20-30 of them I'd guess.

S&W was my all time favorite until they signed the agreement. Now they do not exist in my world. I know nothing of S&W quality or customer service since the agreement. But their guns of old that I've owned (perhaps 200+) have been of super quality with very few exceptions all of which were taken care of quickly and cheaply.

It has been my personal observation that the RBs do in fact stand head and shoulders about the other Taurus guns. Of course my sample size may be too small to allow statistical validity to that. Still I hear a lot less complaints about them than the others.

So please don't put words into my mouth I've not said. Here on this Taurus Forum I discuss the good and bad of the Taurus line. When I speak of the others it is on the appropriate forums for them.

GB

[zrifleman]

GB-I read this web site for several months before joining it. I'm not aware of a forum specifically dedicated to Ruger or S&W handguns. I'm frustrated with the quality of these American made products or lack of quality. There is a lot of Taurus bashing on the different forums as well as a lot of praise by those who own them. My personal experience with the RB's has been great--I only wish my other revolvers were as good. Don't missunderstand me--I respect your honesty and integrity.

[Graybeard]

I do have a Ruger Guns Forum. I think it is in the Rifle and Shotgun section but covers all Ruger guns. There are also forums for Dan Wesson, Glock, Beretta and others.

There is not and WILL NOT be a forum for S&W unless and until the owners make an effort to get out from under the agreemeent.

BTW when I started this forum it was to praise not pound Taurus. At that time I had not yet bought either the M44 or M460 guns that have so changed my opinion of Taurus. On all of them I just try to tell it as I see it. Right now Taurus seems to have serious issues they don't seem to be addressing. I wish they would. The guns of theirs I've bought in recent years other than these two have been fine quality guns. I'd love to see them turn it around and again make them that way and to take care of their customers after the sale.

GB

[Pat Marlin]

Oh man Graybeard,

THat freaked me out, the picture of your barrel.  I went and cleaned then looked down the new barrel they installed on my RB 454, and it is mirror shiney with faint scratch marks that twist with the rifling, not against it like your picture.

But what I did find was there's a sliver of metal pushed up at the rear of the barrel where it comes out of the frame.  Infact part of the metal thread is broke out from what looks like the barrel being tightened in real hard.

What the heck?, is this normal, or have they smashed the forcing cone?

[Graybeard]

btt