I have had a 970 for about a year. It came from Gander mountain, talked them down to $300.00 new. (it had a scratch on barrel that buffed out).
This gun does not get much use since I bought the Ruger mark II.
The Taurus is not as accurate as the ruger. The taurus has a place...It will shoot shorts and will always fire. A wheel gun is always more appealing to me but if squirl hunting the ruger gets the job.
The taurus also comes in a 22 magnum that (I believe) will shoot magnum as well as 22LR, shorts etc. This might me a good choice.
The Versitility of the Taurus tracker is its appeal to me (as well as price).
I see a lot of used Trackers in my area.
Good luck,
Fred