Taurus 608 stainless - opinions needed.

[Warm Bore]

Hey gang,

Just handled my first Taurus today. It was the 608 stainless with 8" barrel. It's a monster. Looking it over, it seemed to be a quality piece. I'm thinking about picking up one of these in the 4 inch flavor. The 8-shot cylinder is way cool. So, what do you guys think about it? Anything you can tell me would be of help. Our local shop has a NIB 4" stainless for $389.

Thanks,

Warm Bore

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's Warm Bore!!!

If you like Taurus firearms and feel comfortable with 'em,
then go for it; otherwise I'd let it lay on the dealer's
shelf and collect dust. My experience with Taurus
crappy revolver's is limited to a model 82; that had a
25 lb. double-action trigger pull. I ran the A-P.O.S.T.
(LEO only) qualification course with this POS; and finished
with the lowest score of my life. I also have heard
terrible thing's here, from TFL member's about their service
department. In other words, if you encounter a problem, and send it back to the factory; chances are great
that your firearm will be returned, unrepaired. To sum
things up, if you own a nice bass boat and need an anchor;
then buy a Taurus, otherwise spend a little more spondouls
and buy something of quality!!!

Respectfully,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.

 

[scoops]

yes i want a 4 inch blue or ss.the 8 shot cylinder is really cool.my wife has a PT-92 and a little snubie 38.both are excellent quality.the blue on her snubie is as blue and lusterious as any python i have seen.taurus has come a long way 15 years ago i handled one of their 357 and was not at all impressed.i would buy one now in a minute.my next revolver will indeed be a modle 608 4 inch.cant wait....

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

The general concensus appears to be that the Taurus firearms are variable in quality, but that the quality has been improving over there last couple of years. Often considered a good alternative to Ruger and S&W, though some competition shooters claim they go out of time more easily than do the S&W. Of course the Rugers have a reputation for minimal failure rate if not the ultimate in smoothness.

I would go for any one of the three depending on my budget, availability and specific features offered. You can get moonclips for the Taurus so with the 4" barrel it can be used in International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE) and IPSC competition. Leave the moonclips at home and with Maxfire M1K speedloaders you may be able to enter IDPA as well.

 

[mikey357]

Warm Bore--my impression of the Taurus revolvers is similar to what Ala Dan and Guy have said...generally good quality, but every so often a "Lemon" slips thru their Q.C.--that being said, I currently own THREE Tauri...an older blued Model 85, an older PT99 9mm and a brand-new 731 in .32 H&R Mag that may or may not end up being a present for my Sister...have to see how well I like it...and what Mrs. 3-5-7 thinks of it, too, of course!!! I've owned two or three others, as well, and I've never had any problems, but...my feeling is that the Taurus represents a slightly less expensive--and slightly less refined-product than the S&W's and Rugers...IF you get a "good" one, it'll be very serviceable, but...if you get a "Lemon", you may--or may not--get it fixed properly under warranty. The price you mentioned on the stainless 608 sounds like a good price...seems like I've seen the BLUED version selling for that or a bit more locally, and the stainless should be a few dollars more....Good Luck....mikey357

 

[mikey357]

Warm Bore--my impression of the Taurus revolvers is similar to what Ala Dan and Guy have said...generally good quality, but every so often a "Lemon" slips thru their Q.C.--that being said, I currently own THREE Tauri...an older blued Model 85, an older PT99 9mm and a brand-new 731 in .32 H&R Mag that may or may not end up being a present for my Sister...have to see how well I like it...and what Mrs. 3-5-7 thinks of it, too, of course!!! I've owned two or three others, as well, and I've never had any problems, but...my feeling is that the Taurus represents a slightly less expensive--and slightly less refined-product than the S&W's and Rugers...IF you get a "good" one, it'll be very serviceable, but...if you get a "Lemon", you may--or may not--get it fixed properly under warranty. The price you mentioned on the stainless 608 sounds like a good price...seems like I've seen the BLUED version selling for that or a bit more locally, and the stainless should be a few dollars more....Good Luck....mikey357

 

[Lightsped]

In the past year, I have bought two Taurus Model 85 38 snubbies. One is a ported Total Titanium model, and the other is a Stainless model. I have been very happy with both of these guns. I haven't had any problems with either. I too am looking at getting a 608 in the near future. 8 shots of 357 has to be awesome. I'll probally go for a 6 inch barrel, but I am not sure what finish I'll get.

 

[PoiDog]

I've had my Taurus 608 for over a year now with zero problems. 4" bbl, 8 rounds of .357, ported from the factory with nice grips. Fit and function is extremely good. Appearance is excellent as well. I was fortunate to get one before that bogus hammer lock was introduced, mine came with a trigger lock. I don't know how that works, I've never felt the need for it, no kids running about.
It's very accurate, shoots anything you put into it. My shooting buddy likes it well enough to buy the stainless version. Mine is blued, the one minor caveat is cleaning the area around the ports. You will get marks on the side of the front sight from the ports. Just clean after firing and you'll have no trouble. FWIW, your price on the stainless model sounds very good, I think I paid like $365 in 11-99 for the blued version.

 

[Lightsped]

I have the same issue with getting dirty ports and a dirty front sight on my ported Titanium Taurus 38. What products and methods do you use to clean the ports and sight on your 608?

 

[PoiDog]

I use BreakFree along with a nylon cleaning brush, it seems to work pretty well as long as I do it right after shooting, otherwise it seems to harden making removal more difficult. There is a lead removal cloth made by Birchwood Casey, it works great but wreaks havoc with the bluing. I understand it is no problem with stainless. This cloth will remove the bluing.