Ruger vs Taurus vs Rossi??

[lubbockdave]

I am looking for a snubby 357/38 and am considering the Ruger SP 101 vs the Taurus and Rossi.  I am finding the rugers for around $350 new and the Taurus/Rossi for aroiund $220 and I am wondering, is the Ruger worth the extra $130-$150? I have 1 ruger now, a GP 100 6 inch barrel in 357 and enjoy the heck out of it, but would rather have a 2 inch barrel for carry...

[unspellable]

I view the Taurus as prettier to look at.  Unfortunately the Taurus quality control has been hit and miss lately and we hear horror stories about the warantee service.  If you get a taurus look it over VERY carefully and make sure you get a good one.

The Ruger is no beauty pagent winner, but they are strong, reliable, and we hear better stories about the "warantee" service.  (Ruger does not provide any actual warantee but they'll fix anything that's wrong as if there was a warantee.)

[bobg]

Between the three i don't think you can go wrong with the Ruger. YES they are worth the extra money.
         bobg

[GBO MGMT]

Buy the Ruger. That little SP101 while a bit heavy really is a nice little gun. The Rossi never was much for quality and now Taurus has fallen to where they seem to be putting out more bad than good or so it seems and they don't take care of you very well after the sale either.

GB

[Tom W.]

I must be out of touch. GB, are you promoting Rugers now?

[HappyHunter]

Of the guns mentioned I would go with the Ruger.    
 
Personally I would go with a used S/W.    
 
I just picked up a S/W model 15 with a 2 inch barrel for $169.  This is only a 38 special, but is serves my needs.  My point is a used gun may be a much better value.  
 
Good luck.  
 
Fred

[Graybeard]

I must be out of touch. GB, are you promoting Rugers now?

Just calling them like I see them Tom. Don't assume I've become a Ruger Fan just yet.  :-D

Rossi never was much for quality. I think when Taurus bought them they discontinued most of the line but the rifles and now some shotguns. Taurus quality has taken a severe nose dive and customer service is no better than the quality. Both suck to be blunt. I've taken Taurus off of my list of guns to buy and that's a shame as it was at the top of my list when a double action handgun was wanted.

My last Ruger was the single best one I've ever bought and is a keeper. Only Ruger I own at this time but has me considering another or two.

GB

[454-hunter]

I will say this then shut -up Ruger failed to fix a scope cut out problem for me and it cost me two weeks of down time as well as fifty wasted dollars and a letter of explaination as to the problem and when i GOT THE GUN BACK THE SCOPE CUTOUT had not been fixed I calledc them and they acted like they could care less and it was a woman so I sold the gun and got a taurus RB in 454 it has a superb scope mounting system and I knew that simple thing wsnt going to hold me up no more. I did have to pay 75 more dollars for th Rb but figured I owed my self the 50 bucks I wasted on the supposed repair of the ruger.I not sure if any repair and tech center is all that hot but I figured if the simple things cant be fixed by ruger then what would they do if a firing pin or something like that broke? :shock:

[paladyn]

Stay away from Taurus. I bought a 617 .357 brand new, and the very first shot I attempted failed to fire! A revolver, and it failed to fire several more times. The cylinder wasn't spinning properly. I sold it.
It's the only revolver I've ever owned that failed. The Ruger is by far the best of the 3 mentioned in this thread IMO.

[securitysix]

I'd go with the Ruger, but not the SP-101.  I'd opt. for a 2 3/4" Security- or Speed-Six.  The gun is only slightly larger and holds an extra round.  I just don't like the feel of the SP-101....

[Lloyd Smale]

a snubby is a gun for self defense. Its used to protect your life. You need it to go off every time PERIOD. I know i may stir things up by recomending a Smith but thats the way id go. Second choise would be a ruger or a colt. Buying cheap guns has merit for plinkers but not for protecting yourself or your family. Personaly ive came full circle on this one. I used to own 3 .38 snubbys a tarus a smith and a colt but ive sold them all and replaced them with one compact springfied .45acp. It is a easy to conseal and carry its reliable and packs alot more punch and its alot more accurate. I probably will never need to use a gun in self defense but when i do i want to hit what im shooting at and i want my target to know its hit! I love the .38s and shoot more of them then anything but i use them for what there good for. Putting holes in paper targets.

[leverfan]

I've owned several snubbies over the years, and I've shot others that belonged to friends.  After trying most of what's out there, I've settled on the S&W 60 with 3" barrel.  Unless you're planning to carry your snub stuffed right down the front of your pants, a 3" barrel carries and conceals just as well as a 2".  It's comfortable to shoot .357 mag loads out of this gun, and the sights are much better than the usual milled groove in the top strap.  It weighs a little less than the Ruger, but it's not a painful-to-shoot featherweight.

[Old Griz]

:cb2: Ruger.

Between the SP101 and the Taurus and Rossi there is no other choice.

Between the SP101 and the S&W Model 60, I'd still go with the Ruger. It has a fine grip that puts your hand closer to the center axis of the bore, it's a tad bit heavier and all in all the easiest small .357 to shoot. It has a strong one piece frame and it takes down with the removal of only one screw--the one on the grip. Disassembly is easy. The only negative I can think of is you will want a trigger job done on the Ruger, cause it will be heavy.

Now if you were going up to a S&W K frame, Model 65 or 66 with a short 2.5 or 3 inch barrel, that's a different story (love my K frames!), but I wouldn't want a J frame unless all you ever plan to shoot is .38s.

When my wife took her tactical firearms training she used a 3" SP101. She was hitting drop targets at 30 and 40 yards with it. Of course, she was new to shooting, and no one told her that might be hard to do. Her instructor told her to focus on the front sight, so that is what she did. She also ignores recoil, because no one ever told her about that either. She outshot the men with Sigs and S&W automatics. Her instructor (Special Forces/anti-terrorist unit) smiled when he walked by me and said, "I'd damn well to the dishes anytime she told me to!"

[Zcarp2]

Ruger.

Saying that, I've worn my Ruger Security Six and need to get the timing fixed on it.  Still works for 5 out of six shots though.

Looked at a Rossi in a shop today and it was not cycling the hammer every time you pulled the trigger.  I told the guy behind the counter and it worked fine for him.  I took it and it spun the cylinder, but didn't even pull the hammer back far enough to see the firing pin.  He'll have to fix it.

Another Rossi had severe wear on the timing.  Hammer worked, but the cylinder didn't spin on one chamber.

If you know what you are looking at, buying used can save a lot of money.  If you don't, buyer beware.