Thinking of getting rid of my autos

[tomme boy]

I have been fighting back problems my whole life. In the last few years it has been to the point of not even shooting my autos anymore. I have a hard time picking up the brass. I have been thinking of going to all revolvers. Problem is, I know nothing about them.

I had a Taurus M66 4" in 357 mag years ago. Only had it a few years. I only used it for hunting deer one year and got the deer. That is all I have ever messed with one. And it was factory ammo.

I know I want one with adjustable sights. But I can not afford a S&W. How are the Taurus revolvers now a days? Looking to spend about $500 max

[Alablam]

You might look at used weapons in the price range you're interested in. Don't forget Ruger's Security-Six. They are strong and accurate devils and will likely wear out numerous owners when fed lead. Also Ruger's Blackhawk tribe of revolvers are plenty good as well.

[jmort]

You can never go wrong with a Blackhawk. In your price range. I have only owned revolvers. I have had bad luck with Taurus revolvers. Revolvers are easier to load for compared to semi-autos.

[Lead Fred]

We had a Taurus 44 mag, the only thing they got right in the name was BULL, it was full of it.

If I had my buds custom Ruger, Id sell off my Sig P220 in a heartbeat.

Not a handgun fan at all. Id make an exception for a Model 29a S&W 44, or that Sig

[daniel lawecki]

The Blackhawks are great also throw in the Ruger GP100.

[contender1]

Before you sell off your autos due to chasing brass,,, have you looked at the nifty tool for picking up brass W/O bending over? I can't recall the name (for sure) but they are listed in the Dillon catalog as "the Brass Magnet" I THINK. Basically it's a pole, with an oval shaped wire rolling basket that the wires spread & pick up brass.
I own one & it does save a LOT of bending over. It comes with a neat little wire accessory that hangs on the side of a bucket. I use a square sided cat litter bucket & it works great.
You just roll it gently over the ground over the brass & the brass spreads the wires & snaps upward into the center. When you get a dozen or two pieces in the center, using the bucket with the spreader, dump the captured brass.

Just an idea.

And, BTW I'm a serious revolver guy myself. But I also own a gun range where USPSA competition happens. I get to pick up a fair amount of left behind brass.

[Petrol & Powder]

Revolvers have a lot going for them and they can be both useful tools and fun guns. When compared to S&W or Ruger, Taurus quality seems to be inconsistent, with the newer model revolvers leaning towards more often poor in quality. I owned an older Taurus .357 that was decent but after shooting a few other models (some mine own, some not) I decided they were not worth the risk of purchasing. It appears that they can make a good gun but they don't always pull it off.

I would strongly suggest looking for a good used Ruger or S&W. I totally agree with Alablam, a good Ruger Security-six is an excellent choice. There was a time when a savvy shooter could pick up a Ruger Security-six for less money than a good used S&W and get a very good gun for the money. Unfortunately the secret seems to be out and the Six' series Rugers are getting harder to find. The GP100 is heavier but if you don't mind the extra mass, it's also an excellent gun.

In the vast S&W camp you will find just about every possible variation you desire and some of them are outstanding revolvers.

Learn how to examine a used revolver. Teach yourself some discipline so that when you spot a worn or damaged revolver for sale you will be able to make an appropriate offer or just decline the purchase.

If you take your time and resist the urge to buy a gun just because it's there and you have the money, you can find some very good used revolvers. My advice is that you sit down and write up the criteria of exactly what you want BEFORE you start looking (caliber, barrel length, finish, type of sights, etc. ) and only buy what you want. Don't buy what someone else has for sell just because it's available, buy what you want!

As for the adjustable sights, that's a personal decision but I actually prefer fixed sights on most revolvers. Fixed sights are better than a lot of people will give them credit for and you never have to worry about the adjustment

Good luck !

[tazman]

I have a Taurus tracker 6.5 inch 7 shot 357mag that I think the world of. It is accurate and reliable. It eats anything I can get in the cylinder and groups better than I do. It has a few boolit preferences but nothing serious.
I mostly shoot 38 specials in it and it is a really fun gun to shoot. The trigger was a little heavy at the start but after several thousand rounds is really smooth.

[MT Gianni]

Plenty of used smiths on gunbroker that will beat a Taurus all to pieces, many are in your price range. There are a couple of different devices that pick up brass for bottom feeders, IIRC they aren't a lot of money.

[Cornbread]

I own two Taurus Raging Bulls in 454 Casull that are almost 20 years old now and have owned several 357s of theirs over the years. It's a cr@p shoot with Taurus. The two I kept are the most accurate double actions I have ever owned and they have functioned flawlessly over 1000s of rounds but my best friend bought a Tuarus just a few months after I bought one of the ones I kept and I have never in my life seen a gun have so many problems. It was a complete piece of junk. Yet my first 357 from them I bought 25 years ago and it was an amazing gun. I learned to reload on it and shot literally tens of thousands of rounds through it from 38 special level to "oops I'm learning to reload" bulge your primers 357 levels. That gun was awesome! Remembering that I bought another one 4 years ago and it was just OK, the gun was just sloppy, no where near the quality of the first one. I sold it less than a year after that.

Given that Taurus is so hit and miss I switched to buying BFRs and Rugers. BFRs are out of your listed price range, but Rugers aren't. Rugers have issues but they aren't of the cheap problem type that Taurus has. For 30 dollars at my local smith I can have the tight cylinder issues trued up and I just budget that into the price when I go to buy one. There is a guy on the board here who does it for around that price as well.

You could get a Ruger convertible Blackhawk in 357/9mm for what you are looking to spend (it may end up being used or you could find a deal) and that would give you the ability to shoot 38 special, 357, and 9mm all in one gun.

[rintinglen]

Given your financial limits, I'd look for a good used S&W. Now my personal experience with Taurus Revolvers has been good, but I have heard too many people, including a few whose opinion I respect, state that they have had problems. Still. I have generally found the snubby 38s to be on a par with the Rugers and S&Ws. Their autos I do not recommend. There are literally hundreds of thousands of good S&W 38's out there that can be had for what you are looking to spend. The magnums and N-frames are priced out of your price range, but I have seen several k-frame 38's priced under 450$.
I will observe that the Tracker models seem to be a cut above the average. Both I and my brother currently have 44 mag Trackers, and while I doubt that they could stand up to regular heavy use with magnums, mine shoots 44 Specials most of the time. I have about 500 rounds through mine and it seems fine, though I must confess that only about 1 in 10 were magnums...and that ratio is likely to decrease not increase.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Personally, I would opt to chuck the shell shucker in the first place, then choose a Blackhawk or a Security Six or GP-100, but if you want a Smith and Wesson then my advice to you is sell, save and shop until you get what you want. There are deals to be made out there if you keep an eye on gunsamerica and gunbroker.

Cast, shoot and repeat.

[tomme boy]

We shoot at a range that is gravel. So the brass magnet will not work. What are the things you look for in a revolver that is used. What are the wear points and stress points that show abuse, tons of rounds, or just junk?

[twc1964]

Go for the new model blackhawk. I bought a 4 5/8 model in 357 for 389.00 at a gun show in fw tx. It appeared to have not been shot much at all and balances well in the hand. Also, you would be hard pressed to wear on out, no matter what loads you ran through it, sane loads that is. Lol

[Alablam]

We shoot at a range that is gravel. So the brass magnet will not work. What are the things you look for in a revolver that is used. What are the wear points and stress points that show abuse, tons of rounds, or just junk?

__________________________________________________ ____________
Essentially look for wobble where there shouldn't be any (cylinder, crane etc.) and bring a set of feeler gauges and check the gap between cylinder and barrel. On older magnum Smiths before they started heat treating the frames (I think older than 25 years) check for flame cutting of the top straps and lower barrel shank on the M-19. Recoil junkies and slow ball powder might not have been too kind to some Smiths.

[Groo]

Groo here
Keep the autos if you can,
Find a Smith ,Colt , or Ruger 357 used and you will be fine.
PS Be advised that 9mm and 45acp can often be found cheaper than 38 or 357.
A revolver that shoots either or both [ ruger convertables or S&W 25/625s] will be the best of both worlds.....

[M-Tecs]

if you don't run and gun these should work. http://www.ctkprecision.com/universa...s-catcher.aspx

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/771...vc=subv1771785

[paul h]

I've had mixed results with Taurus, I'd say if you could up your budget a tad you could get a new stainless ruger GP-100 and have an outstanding DA revolver.

On the flip side, for not much money you can put together a brass catcher so you don't need to bend over and otherwise chase empties.

[dubber123]

I prefer revolvers myself. I don't care for chasing brass, but the accuracy advantage revolvers hold over most autos is their biggest draw to me. I haven't come across many autos that will shoot in 1.5" or less at 25 yds., but thats reasonably common in a quality revolver with good loads. My last 1952 Mfg. pre model 14 K-38 cost me $365 less than a year ago from Gunbroker. I did have to firelap it, but it has also given me quite a few .75" 25 yard groups since.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Tomme boy to answer your question in #13, when I shop for used revolvers, I stick with Ruger, Smith or Colt. There are very few problem guns that wear those names.

After that I check the crown, don't want to see any ding, flat spot or anything not uniform.

With the cylinder closed a Ruger or Smith should have barely discernible cylinder play forward and backward. A Colt DA will have more by design.

Rotational play should be less than 1/4 of a primer diameter, but there must be some so expect it to be there.

Next with the gun verified to be unloaded, I slowly pull the trigger in DA or slowly cock the hammer SA while lightly impeding the cylinder rotation with my other hands fingers. I want to see/feel/hear the cylinder lock up before or just at the instant the hammer falls in DA or when the hammer cocks in SA. If the hammer falls in DA or cocks in SA and the cylinder isn't locked or can be rotated backward, pass on it.

For or barrel to cylinder gap, look at a couple of new revolvers. A used one should look the same. If you have a feeler gauge, expect used revovlers to be in the neighborhood of 0.006" to 0.010". Anything larger than 0.010" should be left with the present owner. I once had a high mileage specimen that I shot out to 0.013". It started having problems hitting the primer in DA. It got fixed by a trip to S&W for less than $100 and I was very happy considering the gun was a bit loose when I got it and I shot a HUGE number of rounds through it. It's now a great shooter again and I'm not young enough to wear it out that far again.

After that, it's a look at grips and finish. Grips can be changed easily and can make a big difference in how the gun looks and feels. Grips are fairly cheap. The guns finish is not a big deal to me. I expect a used gun to have some blueing wear, some scratches and if old enough some freckles or even some pits. That's a bargaining point to me.

The chambers should all be unblemished and smooth inside. Any rust pits there can make for hard extraction. The barrel can have lots of roughness or pitting and still shoot great.

Check the the front sight blade. It should be straight up. If the rear sight is adjustable it'll probably be close to centered, or run real far to the right. Right handers tend to push their shots left and crank the sight to the right to compensate. So don't be bothered if the rear sight is severely adjusted, it's rarely an indication of a gun problem.

Next think to look at is the price tag. I often see those out of adjustment.

A used revolver is a is a slight gamble. Of course you can traded it latter if it doesn't suit you and you won't loose all your money.

Best of luck in the hunt.