Ruger vs Taurus
I'm a sucked for a cheap gun... to a point
I've got a "bodyguard" 38 that I've probably put 1500 rounds through (mostly reloads, never +p though) and that thing will shoot ten shots (yes two cylinders, not in a rest) into the forehead of a "terrorist" target.... I shot the hostage in the forehead from 25yds that day to show off for a buddy. I should mention that I was using 4grs of 231 backing a missouri bullet company 148grs wadcutters... but ten shots in a group smaller than a palm between the eyes and a little bit on the forehead (T-zone to people with acne)... that's as accurate as I've ever seen a snub. I'll also add that my eyes don't focus, especially in bright light, because a bomb messed up my eyes a few years ago and I CANNOT focus quickly or stand bright light. Maybe my gun is just on the top end of the bell curve, because I'm not (my handloads aren't bad though)... and I've bought a used and abused "junk taurus" (608) and I told them over the phone and on the note I sent to Miami with the gun that I tried to fix it and made it worse. Used, tinkered with and mailed to them in a tumbler box that screams reloads through this gun, warranty void: the gun has had about three hundred nasty loads of 21.4 grs H-110 w/ 125grs bullets of various types through it. They didn't even bill me for my idiocy!!!
As for Ruger, I used to have a Blackhawk that was chambered in .45 Colt. I had a belt mountain base pin that locked it up TIGHT! Anyways it WAS altered but not the frame or cylinder, just the pin, and I put some REALLY nasty loads through it. Two actually, a 360 grain hard cast lead roundnose at 1,000 fps, and a 300 grs JHP at 1,300. Those loads didn't top 28,000 PSI or CUP (don't remember which) according to the Tech from Corbon but the cylinders were only built to handle 36,000. Guess what, that gun was just fine after going through those nasty loads, lite 454 casulls almost. I'm thinking that if a thin .45 Colt can handle almost thirty something thousand PSI then a .357 Ruger anything should be good.