ruger sp101 vs. taurus 85....FIGHT!!

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meat

New member
I know that I posted a question about this awhile back. Here's a brief refresher. I want a .38 snubbie for concealed carry/home defense (well, I really have a remington 870 12 gauge for the 2nd purpose , but a lil' .38 doesn't hurt to have either ;) ). I've tried both the taurus 85 and the ruger sp-101 and i actually like the taurus better. I know, I know, all of you ruger fans are in disbelief. But believe it or not, the timing of the cylinder, the trigger pull, the external finish (no machine marks), the sights, and the overall externall appearance of the 85 beat the ruger. I was pretty much set on getting the ruger, especially after reading the negative taurus posts. I spoke w/ the sales clerk who seemed very knowlegeable and wasn't pushing me toward either gun, who said that their is nothing wrong w/ taurus revolvers. He says in his lifelong experience selling guns that taurus' line of revolvers has improved considerably since their 1st debut. He highly recommends them and actually thinks that they are machined better than most new revolvers produced today. Now, was this guy just feeding me a line, or does anyone know if he is correct? I'm more inclined to think he is telling me the truth because the ruger costs 100 bucks more than the taurus. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
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Lightsped

New member
I have been 100% happy with my Taurus M85 38 snubbies. One is a Total Titanium version and the other is a Stainless Steel version. They have both functioned perfectly, and look just as they did when they were bought.

my2taurus85s.jpg
 
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Ben Shepherd

New member
I had the same delimma but decided on the ruger. In my case, fit, finish, & trigger pull were equal (IMHO). I went with this decision because I wanted 357mag., and the ruger was obviously stronger. It also weighed a little more, which is better with "full-house" loads(also IMHO).
 
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VictorLouis

New member
Dang, Lightsped

that didn't take long!:D

I can't fault your choice, as long as you buy one that WORKS-right from the box when new. I'd hate to read that you had to partake of their lifetime warranty right off-the-bat.;) The Taurus is both smaller and lighter than the Ruger, and 'most' of them even have smoother actions than the Ruger. As long as you don't forsee ever wanting to step-up to .357s, go for it.
 
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tubeshooter

New member
Since I have experience with both of these guns, I'll share what I think....

If you get a good Taurus 85, it should serve you well. I got mine back in the mid-90's and no problems whatsoever so far.

The SP-101 is much newer to my collection, but I'm very pleased with it as well.

They both have their strong points. The Taurus is considerably easier and more pleasant to carry, and this is a big plus it its favor. I like the looks of it, too. I understand they are difficult (relatively speaking) for a 'smith to work on, though.

The Ruger is Strong (note the capital "s"). The reason I went with it is because I wanted something I could practice as much as I wanted to with. The versatility of .357 is a nice option, but I don't plan on shooting much of those; I like to buy loads I can use in both guns, so I usually buy 38+P. If you're going to do a whole lot of shooting, I think I'd go this way. For the record, the trigger pull is quite a bit heavier than the 85, at least in my case.

If things are still too close to call, consider the ergonomics. The Taurus fits my hand just a *little* bit better than the SP-101. How well the gun fits you (along with comfortable grips) makes a huge difference in how you shoot. You can change the grips, but not the basic dimensions of the gun...

Good luck.

-tubeshooter
 
4

4V50 Gary

Staff
Hands down I would give it to Taurus for having the better trigger pull. After all, Taurus traces its lineage to S&W.

However, while Taurus has improve externally, internally it is a different matter altogther and Taurus simplified the design of the S&W, thereby making it cheaper to produce with savings are passed onto the consumer. A word of caution is in order in that the "omitted" part is the rebound slide - an inherent safety feature which prevents a slipping hammer from travelling forward enough to strike the firing pin. Sorry, but I'll take the S&W over the Taurus anyday. I'll pay extra but I know what goes on inside the revolver.

Turning to the Ruger, it's simply the most rugged and durable revolver you can get. Nothing approaches the Ruger for abuse and I'll put my money on the Ruger for ability to withstand neglect over any other revolver.

Bottom line for me isn't cost but reliability and I won't place a price on protecting my life, the life of my loved ones or my friends.
 
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Nazman44

New member
Taurus 85 vs Ruger SP101

I've had experience with both of these revolvers. Here's what I found:

Taurus 85 - Had a good one back in 94-96. Was fun to shoot and fairly accurate for a snubbie. Had a good trigger after I had it worked on. Finally decided to trade it off for a 4" Taurus in 357 because the 85 wasn't supposed to be used with +P loads and I felt that 38 sp was not enough (this was a home defense gun for my wife).

Taurus 85CH - Had one for less than a year (99). Highly inaccurate, even at 5yds. Very heavy trigger (which may have explained the inaccuracy), but still wasn't rated for +P. This was a second home defense gun for downstairs. Wife liked it, but couldn't hit the side of a barn with it. Traded it in and bought a used SP101.

Ruger SP101 - Still have it. 2 1/4" SS 357. Very accurate out to 10 yds. Had a fairly heavy trigger, but I installed a Wolf sping kit (approx. $11) and trigger is very nice. Love the SS and heavier weight, even when carrying concealed. Shoot CorBon 38 Sp +P's and have all the confidence I need in the gun and the load. Very happy with this one and plan to keep it forever.

Nazman44
 
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Ben Shepherd

New member
They're right on the trigger. I had forgotten that the taurus had a lighter trigger. The ruger is rated at 14lbs. in DA pull. Mine is DAO so I'm used to it after 2+ years.
Call me paranoid but I didn't put a spring kit in mine because I learned to shoot it with the heavy trigger, and I don't think a light hammer strike will ever be a problem with this gun.
 
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Jim March

New member
Besides being tough, there's lots of tuning options and parts available for the Ruger that aren't available for the Bulls :). Spring kits are one, and they're a home-brew installation if you want.

Another major one is front sights - Ashley's small dot Tritium is available as a cheap drop-in that can also be homebrewed, or is a cheap gunsmith operation.

If you ever go near the woods in the 48 states and aren't gonna be facing Griz, the SP101 is a bare minimum "woods companion". 158 hardcasts with some oomph will hurt, but you CAN shoot 'em.

It can also shoot the hotter 125grain .357s, like the Remington. Those too will hurt, but loaded last-of-five so that the gun firmly tells you "I'm dry, fool, reload or rabbit!" they'll work great :). Try those in a Taurus .357 snubby, they'll break your wrist.

With a good gunbelt and IWB holster, they CAN definately be CCWed with ease. You just need the right carry gear.
 
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Ben Shepherd

New member
One other plug for the ruger. It will shoot ANY fatory 357 load, from 110gr.-180gr. Hotter 180's aren't fun, but it can be done. If I need 180's in my 357, I'd be sitting there wishing I had my 44SRH though.
 
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Jim March

New member
"If I need 180's in my 357, I'd be sitting there wishing I had my 44SRH though."

You got that right. But unfortunately, there's lots of wilderness areas in states like California where you're not allowed to pack, open or concealed. Yet with an increasing Cougar population that's not being hunted and hence has no fear of man, plus boar and black bear running around, you'd have to be crazy NOT to pack.

At that point, an SP101 with 180s in an IWB or shoulder concealment rig is a VERY handy device, one with more or less no competition. A snub-barrel K-frame can also be concealed, but if you shoot enough 180s to know how they print at the range (20 rounds or so mebbe) you'll risk damage to the gun. Try those rounds in a Taurus snubbie .357, and it's barely possible it'll blow up :(.
 
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Ben Shepherd

New member
meat

Back to the original subject, sorry about the tangent there.:)

It boils down to this: In 38 spec. the bull will be lighter, making it a little more comfortable and easy to conceal. The ruger is A LOT stronger.
Bottom line: If I was going with 38 spec. +p or +p+, I would choose the ruger, standard 38 I would consider the bull . I'm also assuming you never intend to shoot 357, as you asked about 38spec. speciffically.
 
M

meat

New member
Thanks for all of the advice. I REALLY appreciate it. After much dileberation of the pros and cons, I have decided to go ahead w/ the ruger sp101. I think, overall, it is the better choice. And apparently ruger has a great repair policy too after talking to the shop keeper.
 
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cmax2000

New member
Taurus

In the past I thought Taurus guns were crap... one of my best friends told me that taurus was good, but I really didnot believe him....I wanted a beretta 92 9mm, but after shopping for along time. I got a pt92 (the knockoff for the berreta) 9mm semi-auto pistol...
It is a very nice weapon...very easy to shoot..I have become very good with this weapon, and it looks better!..I really like what Taurus is doing now.....Their revolvers arenice too....I just bought a 617T 357 mag 7 shot......very nice!!


Chris :cool:

Hey BenLadin, Holy war=Holy ****; just ask sadam!!!!
 
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Jim March

New member
You know, that's an interesting point: a 3" barrel SP101 isn't going to be any harder to conceal than a 2.25" tube :). The extra velocity could be the difference between JHPs opening or not.

Another thing: ammo. Proload has a 125grain "Tactical Lite" .357 that's tuned for the smaller .357s. Does about 1,100 or so from a 2" tube. Uses a special Gold Dot projectile with a bigger JHP cavity to expand at the lower velocity. In a Ruger SP101, I'd try those and see if they're controllable. If they are, load four of those and one Remington 125 full house nasty as the "out of ammo warning" :).

What else...SP101s eat out of the same speedloaders as J-Frame .38 S&Ws. I recently had a friend mention he had an SP101 that he hadn't shot for a while, and wanted to practice with and load it up for bedside duty. I loaned him one of my two HKS model 36 speedloaders and it fit perfectly, including clearance with the factory grip, a pleasant surprise.

Most other speedloaders are the same basic body bore as the HKS; if anything the HKS is among the fattest. So this is a nice surprise about the factory grip.

The best speedloaders are the Safariland "pushbutton release" types versus the more commonly seen HKS. Brownells has the Safariland types for about $20 a pop I think, but they're probably worth it.
 
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