New Taurus Poly Protector inbound

[MillCreek]

I have been thinking about another lightweight corrosion-resistant revolver for my outdoor activities (bicycling, hiking, snowshoeing, XC skiing) here in the wet part of the PNW.  I already have a .38 LCR but wanted a .357 for the option.  I just now pulled the trigger on a Taurus Poly Protector in .357 with a 2 inch barrel, stainless cylinder and partially-shrouded hammer, for $ 301 from Bud's.  I will be interested to see how it works out and will provide a range report when it arrives.  I have several other Taurus snub nose revolvers and have had good luck with all of them. I regret that Taurus is no longer making any firearms in titanium, which would have been my first choice.

[lee n. field]

Mentioning Taurus in a regular gun forum is enough to bring out everybody's Taurus horror story.  I assume you've heard them all.

I'll be interested to hear how this works out.

[Perd Hapley]

Mentioning Taurus in a regular gun forum is enough to bring out everybody's Taurus horror story.  I assume you've heard them all.

I'll be interested to hear how this works out.

I watched a Taurus eat Miami.

[Angel Eyes]

Weight is 19.75 ounces according to the Taurus website.

Have you shot .357 Magnum loads out of something that light?

[MillCreek]

Weight is 19.75 ounces according to the Taurus website.

Have you shot .357 Magnum loads out of something that light?

Yes, from my Taurus titanium .357: 125 grain JHP.  Firing a cylinder of them is enough for any one practice session.

[MechAg94]

Somewhere in my safe is a S&W stainless steel 5-shot 357 mag revolver.  It is not the lightweight version.  It is nearly painful to shoot 357 magnum. 

[lee n. field]

Weight is 19.75 ounces according to the Taurus website.

Have you shot .357 Magnum loads out of something that light?

I've shot .357 out of an LCR.  Stout, but controllable.

[MillCreek]

Now on the other hand, I can shoot .357 125 grain JHPs out of my 2.25" SP-101 all day long.  There is something about the weight, grip angle and grip that make it more comfortable than my Model 60, for example.

[230RN]

I took my titanium / scandium Smith Airlite in .357 up from .38 wadcutters through standard .38s to +P .38, with no problem, but that was pretty darned brisk and as far as I wanted to go.  I'd be carrying it that way except I was concerned about holster wear on the finish.

I figured with a blued gun, meh, you get it reblued, but I didn't know what the cost and process was for refinishing the titanium and scandium.  So it sat in its box being all new and shiny until I finally got rid of it.  I now carry the almost-identical mechanically Smith Airweight in .38 +P with a lasergrip, and I'm happy with that in my pocket.

My son fired that scandium version with full-house .357s and described it as getting hit with a ball-pein hammer and didn't want to fire it any more.  He jokes that even after two months, he'd still flinch pulling the trigger on an electric drill.

Airlite (titanium and scandium):
(Note atom symbol)

Airweight (steel)

(Note S&W logo)

Remember.  If the gun is as light as the bullet, it would be just as dangerous on the back end as the front.

Terry

Pic credits in properties.  Mine were the hammerless versions.

[BobR]

I may have to have my reading comprehension checked, or eyesight. My first thought when reading the title was "Taurus makes a pocket protector?" followed by "What is special about a poly pocket protector?"   


bob

[230RN]

You ain't the only one.  But I've got an excuse.

[lee n. field]

Just FYI, someone on one of the boards I follow pointed out that Taurus has apparantly dropped its lifetime warranty on new guns.

https://www.taurususa.com/repair-policy.cfm

The Taurus Unlimited Lifetime Repair Policy extends to all Taurus USA firearm models in production prior to January 1, 2017.

The wording seems to indicate that new gun models will have a more limited warranty.

The manual online I checked still said unlimited duration.

[MillCreek]

My Taurus Protector Poly in .357 has arrived. Some quick initial impressions: fit and finish on the polymer is not as good as on my Ruger LCR, it is very lightweight, the cylinder release is going to need to be cycled a bit in order to loosen it up, the fiber optic front sight is quick to acquire, double-action trigger pull is much heavier than the LCR but I have confidence that it will ignite just about any primer, and the shrouded hammer is great for carry while giving a single-action option. It is pouring rain up here right now, but I did get out into the backyard and put 15 rounds of Winchester white box .38 special through it. No problems with function, timing or ejection and I am reserving judgement shooting to point of aim until I can do a more controlled test in better weather. $ 302 from Bud's plus $35 transfer from my FFL. So far, it seems to be a pretty good value for money, as are my other Taurus handguns.

[Jamisjockey]

"Taurus horror stories"

I've had two of the guns.
Taurus Model 85. Should have never sold that little heater.
Taurus PT145.  Meh.  Ran like a singer though.  But wasn't a great shooter.
People throw a lot of shade on taurus, but I've had good luck with them.

[MechAg94]

"Taurus horror stories"

I've had two of the guns.
Taurus Model 85. Should have never sold that little heater.
Taurus PT145.  Meh.  Ran like a singer though.  But wasn't a great shooter.
People throw a lot of shade on taurus, but I've had good luck with them.

I used to work with two different people who bought the PT145.  Both of them said it worked okay, but when I asked how they liked it later, both said some version of "meh..".  It seemed like a good package concept, but I never got one.

[MillCreek]

I have two Taurus semi-autos these days, the PT738 and the PT111 Millenium Pro. Both of them have worked very well, and I have often thought the PT1xx series is a real hidden value. 

[grislyatoms]

First handgun I ever purchased was a Taurus nickel plate .357 revolver.
It was a very decent revolver for the price.

[Brad Johnson]

Had a PT111 as my first carry gun. Aside from the slightly gritty nine-mile-long trigger pull it was acceptable. I did like the second-strike capability, though.

Brad

[dogmush]

I had a Taurus PT-908 for a while.  That thing was a great gun.  Like a Beretta trigger in a single stack frame, with a 1911-direction safety/decocker, and a sig-ish slide.  Seriously a pretty good gun.

I sold it because I could never find a holster for it and mine was kinda blingy for me. (polished stainless slide and a mother of pearl esque finish on the alloy frame)  But I kinda wish I had kept it.  Fun to shoot and always worked.  Also shot really well.

I've fired several friend's Millenium series pistols and got the same "meh" described in earlier posts.

[dm1333]

Mentioning Taurus in a regular gun forum is enough to bring out everybody's Taurus horror story.  I assume you've heard them all.

I'll be interested to hear how this works out.

My 605 runs just fine.  I hear plenty of complaint's about S&W wheelguns though!   

[lee n. field]

My 605 runs just fine.  I hear plenty of complaint's about S&W wheelguns though!   

Mine does too.  Haven't carried it since getting the S&W 642 (much lighter).

[MillCreek]

So I am now several months into owning the Poly Protector.  I have put around 500 rounds through it, 350 .38 and 150 .357.  I have had no problems, it has gone bang every time I pulled the trigger, and it still seems as tight as the day I bought it.  I have had it out in all weathers, including an unplanned dunk into Puget Sound, and no corrosion or finish problems. I am using the smaller boot grip and this is one of the best stock grips I have ever used. Although it is still impressive shooting .357 158 grain JSP out of it, it is not acutely painful, as I have experienced with other revolvers.  I attribute this to the grips and the 23 ounces loaded weight. I also like the fiber optic sight on the front.  

I like this revolver so much that I bought another one from Bud's and it is now my truck gun.  It replaces my Taurus 85 concealed hammer stainless. I try to keep only my more relatively-inexpensive handguns in the vehicle.  Even though it is locked in one of the car cable safes, if someone is clever enough to bring bolt-cutters, it is gone. I am keeping it loaded with Remington .38+p 125 grain JHP, and I have a couple of ammo wallets in the car loaded with the Remington and the .357 158 grain JSP.  The .357 158 grain JSP is what I carry in the woods, so I wanted a reload of that in case I break down out in the backwoods.

So from my perspective, two thumbs up for the Taurus Protector Poly.

[Ben]

Glad you like the new shooter! How does the trigger compare to the LCR?

[MillCreek]

^^^The LCR is still probably the best trigger on any revolver I have ever owned. I would put the Taurus Poly up there with my Ruger SP-101's; a fairly firm trigger that I am pretty positive will light off any primer.

[AZRedhawk44]

I'm glad you like it and lucked out, but to keep to the spirit of the thread I've got to say that my 9-shot .22LR Taurus 94 revolver was a pain in ownership.  The index notches in the cylinder were too shallow and the metal of the cylinder was very soft.  I had timing problems like you wouldn't believe.  It'd pop out of barrel alignment if you breathed on it funny.  Multiple chambers, not just one.  Gritty and stiff trigger, but still had lots of light strikes and failure to fire, even with top tier .22 ammo.

One of the guns I've had over the years that I'm glad to say I've parted ways with.  Replaced with a Browning Buckmark, and happily.