I think the days of the guns being a work of art (S&W registered Magnums, Model 27's, 19's, Colt Pythons, etc.) are well behind us. While I prefer older non-mim S&W's as well, the MIM parts should be fine for a utilitarian tool. Smith and Wesson has gone the same route as everyone with cheaper material. 38 special model 85 or the like, but nothing bigger than that. I have carried and shot Taurus revolvers from 17HMII all the way to. Too many loose parts that can become dislodged and move about.

They do not have the fit and finish of the S&W's. Where I take issue with them is on their internals. Taurus has done very well with aesthetics. Its just easier to open that gap up a bit (which S&W does).ДЄs for the quality issues, I owned and repaired both S&W and Taurus. Too tight of a gap and some guy would lock up his cylinder and try to use a pry bar and sledgehammer to open it. They have to assume that everyone is going to be irresponsible and not clean their guns because some people always will be. Like most of the gun questions about A vs B vs C it comes down to whatever floats your boat when it's time to put cash on the counter, imo. Manufacturing tolerances can and do stack up, and QC departments change personnel and policies over time so there's no hard and fast rule. I've seen new smiths shoot like a slow shotgun and new charters that made you think you had a custom shop S&W. Taurus also in general tends to be kinda butt ugly stacked up against an equivalent S&WДЄs far as out of box accuracy, I have to say it comes down mostly to the luck of the draw in my experience. Taurus doesn't on average put out quite the level of fit and finish and factory trigger that smith does but they can be tuned well past factory S&W standards. Had a slew of Smiths too, and while I love the classic looks of them I consider them over priced for what they are these days.ДЄs far as fit and finish, Charter is consistently on the bottom of that three maker list although they are quite serviceable and can be minimally tuned. I've had a half dozen Taurus revolvers and been quite pleased with all of them. Turned out that some bubba had dremeled the detent for the shroud locking screw almost into the bore of the bbl, and that caused the split eventually. That one split the barrel tube on me with factory ammo in a clean clear bore. Had two charters, one their old model 357 with the aluminum barrel shroud that I picked up used. I've worked on most weapons out there and have owned all three brands personally. Still, all things being equal, if I could find a used Smith in good shape, pre-lock/MIM, I'd buy one over the comparable new Taurus - right now. At the price point, I'd definitely go with Taurus if I found one that interested me. Taurus has some very interesting stuff out there, but I haven't bought any for a while. For competition, you'd definitely want to go with S&W. Internals are not finished nearly as well as the S&Ws (new or old), but they work well. I think some Taurus offerings compare favorably with S&W if you're just looking for reliable revolvers to shoot a lot and have fun with. But all of mine now are pre-lock, pre-MIM (sold/traded off 637s, 686s w/The Lock & MIM parts). Still, a fun gun to shoot and the beginners (especially young boys) enjoy it. Taurus 94, okay,very reliable but not as accurate as hoped for, pretty gun, fit and finish excellent, but not a great DA pull, just okay in SA. Accurate, 100% reliable, Taurus' version of the Smith Model 60 and it compares favorably to my Smith 60-7 (probably has a better trigger pull). I've a 1992 Model 85 in stainless that's been simply awesome. Great revolver, he's had it for years, it's a tackdriver and looks pretty good, too. Both seem reasonably well made, a little plain for my taste, simply finished, but functional, not blessed with great trigger pulls, but reliable and acceptably accurate.Д«rother has a Taurus. I do have a couple friends who each own one - one has an older Bulldog and another one of the recent production Bulldogs. I have no ownership experience with Charter Arms. (And for some reason, even those who've never shot or owned one, love to bash Taurus guns.) I hope it doesn't turn into the S&W snobs against the budget gun fans.

How good are charter arms revolvers