Problem with TAURUS 650 CIA, advice welcomed

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Originally Posted By: coyote killaI've read quite a few Taurus nightmare threads since this debacle, and you are right, there are so many defenders of Taurus. They all say how they've never had a problem with theirs, or that they had a problem and Taurus fixed it. I just laugh when I read them.

I also owned a S&W 19-4 that I bought new that was the second worst gun I ever owned. The first time I shot it and went to eject the shells the cylinder fell out. That was remedied by a local gunsmith that I paid to fix the cylinder stop.

The gun also had a problem that 2 of the chambers required a harder trigger pull. I never could cure that problem. I kept that gun for 20 years before selling it. Had I sent it back to S&W they probably would have fixed it, but I was young and dumb back then. For the 20 years I owned it I refused to buy another S&W.

I too have heard horror stories on Taurus, for that reason I refused to own one. It wasn't until I bought a Charter Arms Bulldog that I got a lesson in junk guns (without a doubt this was the worst gun I ever owned). The owner of the shop where I bought it warned me not to buy it and tried to steer me to a Taurus. I refused and got taken for a ride by Charter.

Fast forward, I sold the Charter for about 1/2 what I paid. The owner of the shop called me and asked me to come in. When I showed up he handed me a Taurus 445 which was very similar to the Bulldog. Hard as I tried I could not find a complaint about that gun, and it was used.

I've owned that little gun for 6 years now, it's been flawless. It is my vehicle gun. If it got taken away I wouldn't cry. But, I'll tell you I'd miss it. This gun changed my mind on Taurus. It even has a ported barrel, something else I swore I'd never own. When I shot it and the sights stayed on target I was amazed. I no longer mind porting.

Hope Taurus does right by you.

I'm not a Taurus fan by any means. The majority of my revolvers are S&W or Colt. But that little 445 earned my respect.

Keep in mind that all manufacturers slip one through every now and then. Some more then others. If they stand behind their product I have no complaint.
 
If you read through this thread, you will see that I acknowledge the fact that I own 3 other Taurus handguns that I've yet to have an issue with. I agree with your contention that all manufacturers let one slip through every now and then and whether they stand behind it is what matters. That's where my issue with Taurus lies. If a brand new gun malfunctions Taurus should pay to have it shipped back for repair. In my case they would not do so. It cost me $72.02 to have the gun shipped back for "repair". It was returned and functioned as if nothing had been done to it, as it had the exact same problem. My dealer then sent it back with a letter, and I included a letter as well. Taurus "repaired" the gun again and did not respond to our letters. In the process of the 2nd "repair" they scratched the gun, chipped the blueing and managed to "repair" it to an extent that the loaded cylinder could not be closed. During this entire process, every time I talked with Taurus they were either indifferent, rude, or looking for a way to blame me. If this happened to you, at what point would you think that Taurus had failed? How many times should a new firearm have to be sent back to repair a problem? IMO I gave them more than enough chances with this Taurus 650 CIA.
 
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Originally Posted By: coyote killa If this happened to you, at what point would you think that Taurus had failed? How many times should a new firearm have to be sent back to repair a problem? IMO I gave them more than enough chances with this Taurus 650 CIA.

In my opinion you've been more then fair and have been burned. My view on it is I would send a new gun back once. If after that there are still problems I'd get rid of the gun and get something else.

My argument is with the people that say Taurus is junk. I don't think they are having owned a good one and it sounds like you've a few good ones yourself. I do believe their guns leave a lot to be desired as you either get a good one or a lemon. After 2 chances to do right they haven't and I wish you luck. At this point no matter what that gun will always leave a bad taste.
 
You know joed, I used to see folks on forums bashing Taurus and I would always think to myself " I never had a problem with my Taurus". I recommended them to people who may not have had much money and were looking to get a firearm. I have 3 Taurus 9 mm Beretta clones. They are all from the early 90's. One has been fired a fair amount, perhaps 1000 rounds, one has never been fired, and the other has maybe 500 rounds through it. I don't think that I can definitively state they are great guns because they have been used rather lightly, but so far they have not exhibited any problems. I always could tell when comparing a Taurus to a more expensive gun that they did seem a bit inferior to a higher end gun, but always told myself, " Well, they have a lifetime warranty" thinking if anything did happen it would be fixed no problem. The thing is, a warranty is only as good as the company behind it. Taurus seems to be hit and miss on quality, warranty repair work and customer service. Out of 4 Taurus guns I own, 1 is a complete POS that never should have left the factory. That is a 25% fail ratio.

While I understand that there are people out there who have gotten good products from Taurus, I think there are just too many stories about brand new guns failing, the repair department being unable to repair the problem, sometimes repeatedly, and the customer service department being problematic and unhelpful. I don't see these types of stories about other manufacturers very often. With Taurus, it does not seem to be uncommon. Given my experience with this Taurus 650 CIA, I'm certain of one thing, I'll never buy another Taurus.
 
coyote killa, I can't fault you for not wanting another Taurus. I was the same way when burned by S&W. Took me 20 years before I would buy another one of their revolvers.

Taurus is hit or miss on their guns but the lack of cs amazes me.
 
I bought my wife a stainless Taurus model 85 back in the early 90's. I was carrying a Colt Det Special as a bug and off-duty gun. We went to the range and shot both guns a lot. She eventually lost interest and the Taurus mostly sits in a drawer. A deal came up on a blued model 85 I couldn't pass up. Owned by a guys mother, probably never shot, for a hundred bucks. I snapped it up in a hurry. Took both guns out and shot them a lot. Dry fired both guns a lot. It said in the manual not to dry fire them, I did anyway. The stainless gun broke, the transfer bar broke. Then the blued one, not the transfer bar, something inside was rattling. I took them to my gunshop to see about repair, figured he could order a transfer bar. He said lifetime warranty, I'll send them back for you. He did, both guns were repaired, then shipped back. Both guns still shoot, and I shoot them to this day. My lesson learned was not to dry fire a Taurus. Sorry you had such a nightmare with warranty work, mine was better. My bug gun now is a Smith Airweight Centennial.
 
Hey deputygene, thanks for your input. I thought the "no dry firing" sounded different than my recollection so I looked into it. According to the Taurus website
FAQ'S http://www.taurususa.com/faq-results.cfm?faqID=24

CAN I DRY FIRE MY TAURUS?

Yes, except for the .22 caliber pistols which includes models 94 and 941.

.22 caliber revolvers such as models 94 and 941 also should not be dry fired.


I've owned 2 S&W's so far and have never had a problem. The good news is, if your S&W was manufactured after 1989, it has a lifetime warranty and S&W will even pay the shipping both ways.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/s...14_757812_image


Warranty Repair Shipping Form

This form is for returning your firearm to us for warranty service only. If you have a question about repairing or servicing your firearm, parts questions, etc. email us with your question or call us, please do not use this form. After submitting the form you will receive a prepaid label via email to use for shipping your firearm to us. It may take from 1 to 3 business days for you to receive the email. Please enter your contact information, email address, a short description of the problem and your firearm serial number in the form below.

If you have any questions concerning your serial number or work required please call 1-800-331-0852 Ext. 2905

Important Note: This form is for sending in warranty firearms manufactured from 1989 and after. If you have an older Smith & Wesson that was manufactured before 1989 that needs service please call us.

I have a newer S&W model 640 that is SWEET !! When Taurus replaces my Taurus 650 CIA with a new gun, I'm letting my dealer put it straight in his display case, he is giving me a full refund, and I'm going to pay the difference and get another S&W 640. The S&W seems like a much more solid weapon to me than any Taurus I've ever seen, so I feel confident in them. Plus if something ever does happen, I don't have to incur shipping charges. I'm willing to bet that S&W's repair department is superior to Taurus as well, although that wouldn't take much.

 
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Hey joed I forgot to mention that I have heard some bad things about Charter Arms as well. I'm sorry to hear your tale of woe with that gun. It sucks to go through that type of frustration. I guess there are some guns worse than a
Taurus 650 CIA !!
 
Originally Posted By: coyote killaHey joed I forgot to mention that I have heard some bad things about Charter Arms as well. I'm sorry to hear your tale of woe with that gun. It sucks to go through that type of frustration. I guess there are some guns worse than a
Taurus 650 CIA !!
The Charter Arms Bulldog was the absolute worst gun I ever bought and it was new. The gun shop owner warned me but I wouldn't listen as I had friends that had Bulldogs and they were OK.

Mine brand new when loaded with cartridges couldn't turn the cylinder. I oiled it up a bit and got it working. At the range with a target at 10 feet the gun shot 12" to the left and 12" low. And the target was only 10 feet away.

When I opened the cylinder to eject the empties pieces of the bullet jackets fell out of somewhere.

I shot a box of 50 and it just never improved.

After that outing I realized the only way you could use that pistol for self defense was to throw it at an attacker and run. If it didn't hurt him you were pretty safe if he tried to shoot you with it.

CA customer service was non existent as they were on the edge of bankruptcy. After 2 days of calling someone finally answered and wanted me to ship the gun back on my dime. After thinking about it I figured I'd just be out the cost of shipping too.

Sold that gun for 1/2 what I paid just to get away from it.

And I never cared for Taurus till I tried the 445 that the store owner wanted me to replace the Bulldog with. Hard as I tried I couldn't find anything bad about it. After shooting it I was pleasantly surprised. Don't think I'd buy another though, their quality is hit or miss.

Like you I don't have a high round count through it but it has been trouble free so far.
 
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So,.....OP are you happy with your taurus or not?!????
This horse has been quite beaten past death and all the way to a McDonalds 1/4 pounder by now. We get it.
I promise, no matter what google place you hold, we GET IT. enough is enough. Googleramadingdang!!! Hold a place on the interwebs!!!!!


Trashcan
DCC
Threadkiller, good god had enough of this thread!
 
Hey Trashcan,
The great thing about this thread is that you don't have to read it if it gets your panties in a bunch. There are plenty of other things to read about. I have my reasons for discussing quality control and customer service issues with a major firearms manufacturer, and the problems with my Taurus 650 CIA. If this thread bothers you so, why do you read it?
 
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I'm just sayin', it's been 6 days! Isn't that enough?? And I get the fact that this thread has been vaulted to the top of the google searches for Taurus 650 problems, but for chris smith sakes, isn't that enough?!?! We all get it that you are unhappy with your gun. He11, I had a thread about the crappy service from Cabelas that died within a page!! This is enough.
Taurus are crappy guns, if you have a good one you are a lucky S.O.B. cause their customer service is crap. We get it. I hope you get your shipping fees back and I hope you can find a handgun that suits you and functions flawlessly for you forever.

BTW: I go commando, no panties here, just rough azz denim against my nasty rhino skin my brother.


Trashcan

Threadkiller
watch out, it'll die soon!!
 
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