Taurus Is Making Guns in the USA

[Polecat]

I have given up on them, sent 3 of 3 of my last .22s back. They fixed one, the other two were so out of spec they had to replace them!

[fastbolt]

It would be a nice thing if Taurus firearms could shake its previous spotty reputation, but that means more people would have to be willing to give them a try.

I saw only a small number of their pistols and revolvers come through our range for use as off-duty weapons, but they all passed functioning inspections and live-fire. One of the .44MAG revolvers was bought by a member of the range staff, and the revolver armorer of that time opened it up and did a couple very minor adjustments (could've been done during assembly and fitting), and then pronounced it okay.

I saw the model 2-856EX39CH Executive Grade is on the CA Roster, and I'd be tempted to give it a try to see how well it withstands a steady diet of +P loads. 25 ounces seems like a nice weight for a 6-shot .38SPL, being 2oz lighter than a 3" Ruger SP101. I think the 3" barrel would help make it 'service-worthy', since it was a popular barrel for LE plainclothes revolver users in the older revolver days. While I wouldn't pay $700 for one, I might be tempted at $500. Have to wait and see how things go this year ... and see how this new line fairs in the hands of more actual users.

[jetfire]

It would be a nice thing if Taurus firearms could shake its previous spotty reputation, but that means more people would have to be willing to give them a try.

I saw only a small number of their pistols and revolvers come through our range for use as off-duty weapons, but they all passed functioning inspections and live-fire. One of the .44MAG revolvers was bought by a member of the range staff, and the revolver armorer of that time opened it up and did a couple very minor adjustments (could've been done during assembly and fitting), and then pronounced it okay.

I saw the model 2-856EX39CH Executive Grade is on the CA Roster, and I'd be tempted to give it a try to see how well it withstands a steady diet of +P loads. 25 ounces seems like a nice weight for a 6-shot .38SPL, being 2oz lighter than a 3" Ruger SP101. I think the 3" barrel would help make it 'service-worthy', since it was a popular barrel for LE plainclothes revolver users in the older revolver days. While I wouldn't pay $700 for one, I might be tempted at $500. Have to wait and see how things go this year ... and see how this new line fairs in the hands of more actual users.

The Executive Grade lineup has been around for a couple of years. I don't shoot mine much, so it's only got 1,333 rounds on it, but that's a pretty decent sample size. I mean it's nothing like the 10,000 round Taurus 82 I have, but the revolver lineup is pretty robust.

[fastbolt]

The Executive Grade lineup has been around for a couple of years. I don't shoot mine much, so it's only got 1,333 rounds on it, but that's a pretty decent sample size. I mean it's nothing like the 10,000 round Taurus 82 I have, but the revolver lineup is pretty robust.

Thanks.

Now that I'm retired and no longer serving as an instructor and armorer, I rather doubt I'll be shooting nearly as much in any new guns I buy going forward. Not having access to a free ammunition inventory is one factor.

One of the reasons I began adding to my collection of 5-shot revolvers was to keep spreading out the range use and total round count from going too high on any particular snub. I doubt I've fired more than 3-5K through any one particular snub, so it's not like I'd think to wear out any new wheelgun, especially since I got out of reloading some years ago, and ammunition has become more than a little expensive.

10K rounds is pretty respectable for a smallish .38SPL revolver, especially if it involves a steady diet of +P. Do you mind me asking how the flame cutting may have affected the B/C gap over that time, meaning the normal erosion of the cylinder face and rear of the barrel opening the B/C gap? How about any end shake? Have to stretch the yoke during that time? I may have been trained as a S&W revolver armorer, and have the standard tools and a small supply of parts for my snubs, but that doesn't mean I want to have to repair them anymore nowadays.

[jetfire]

Thanks.

Now that I'm retired and no longer serving as an instructor and armorer, I rather doubt I'll be shooting nearly as much in any new guns I buy going forward. Not having access to a free ammunition inventory is one factor.

One of the reasons I began adding to my collection of 5-shot revolvers was to keep spreading out the range use and total round count from going too high on any particular snub. I doubt I've fired more than 3-5K through any one particular snub, so it's not like I'd think to wear out any new wheelgun, especially since I got out of reloading some years ago, and ammunition has become more than a little expensive.

10K rounds is pretty respectable for a smallish .38SPL revolver, especially if it involves a steady diet of +P. Do you mind me asking how the flame cutting may have affected the B/C gap over that time, meaning the normal erosion of the cylinder face and rear of the barrel opening the B/C gap? How about any end shake? Have to stretch the yoke during that time? I may have been trained as a S&W revolver armorer, and have the standard tools and a small supply of parts for my snubs, but that doesn't mean I want to have to repair them anymore nowadays.

Quick note: the Taurus 82 is a medium frame revolver, more of a K/L frame size. That’s the gun I did 10k on.

As far as damage, I gauged it with feeler gauges vs a sample that had only fired 250 rounds and the cylinder gap was the same, and I didn’t have a feeler gauge small enough to measure flame cutting.

[CSW]

Nothing but good things to say about the 856 Defender 3" I purchased 2 years ago. An accurate, well running revolver.

[gato naranja]

Nothing but good things to say about the 856 Defender 3" I purchased 2 years ago. An accurate, well running revolver.

I said "nie wieder" to Brazilian firearms after my Great Braztech 92 debacle (I tried to recapture lightning; it didn't work), but some of the small-frame revolving Taurii have basic configurations that are appealing to me.

[Hambo]

as mentioned our error/return rate is will within the industry standard at this point.

The industry standard appears to be at an all time low. What I would love to see is the industry as a whole trying to do better. While a return rate may be small, at best it's an inconvenience to the customer. If you told me that Taurus has better rates of return than Colt, S&W, Ruger, and Beretta (who have sunk to new or not so new lows), you'd have my attention.

[sparkyv]

Hey, @jetfire. I would like to see Taurus provide better customer service for folks who can and do perform their own firearms repairs. Requirng to send a firearm to the Mothership and waiting weeks and weeks for its return when only a simple replacement part is needed is sophomoric...a non-starter for me.

Hey guys! Just to clear up some things from that video - the Executive Grade guns are made entirely in Brazil, but they are assembled in a "one gun, one gunsmith" fashion, where each individual gun is built by hand by a single trained gunsmith.

We do manufacture entire firearms in the US, as well as perform final assembly and machining/conversions on some Brazil products. The move to Bainbridge has been great for the community there, but it's also allowed us to expand our internal QC, our warranty/repair section, and our customer service operation. However, I don't want to take away from the modernization that's been going in Brazil, either - none of the Bainbridge stuff would have happened if there hadn't been a titanic culture shift and investment in new machining, training, and modern manufacturing techniques in Brazil. The days of American QC rejecting entire shipments of Brazilian guns are long over, and as mentioned our error/return rate is will within the industry standard at this point.

We're actually working with Guns.Com right in post production of a second video like this one that highlights our Brazil facilities.

[SwampDweller]

The industry standard appears to be at an all time low. What I would love to see is the industry as a whole trying to do better. While a return rate may be small, at best it's an inconvenience to the customer. If you told me that Taurus has better rates of return than Colt, S&W, Ruger, and Beretta (who have sunk to new or not so new lows), you'd have my attention.

Beretta? Beretta is one of a very few manufacturers I’ve not had guns brought back for warranty returns since the great QC decline of 2020. What have you seen that suggests a QC decline at Beretta? I figured they were one of the exceptions.