New SP101 in .327 arrived today - Quality Control ???

[Star43]

Quality control on the SP101 assembly line is pretty spotty over the last few years. As I recall, we've had several threads bemoaning that issue.

Yes, I remember the Wiley Clapp thread ? That poor guy was just super unlucky there. I hope he did finally get it fixed right.....Hope he did.

 

[Hankus]

With Single-Sevens being in short supply, and the .327 SP-101s running $600 plus I’ve been thinking about a Taurus .327 for a kit/tackle box gun, just because they can be had for ~$325. Any opinions??

 

[davidkachel]

With Single-Sevens being in short supply, and the .327 SP-101s running $600 plus I've been thinking about a Taurus .327 for a kit/tackle box gun, just because they can be had for ~$325. Any opinions??

As a matter of fact... bought one a few weeks ago. It arrived with hammer and trigger return springs so heavy as to make the gun quite literally unusable. In this case, "unusable" means 'locks the gun up so it won't fire', not just, I don't like it! I replaced both with what I had on hand, the hammer spring (11 lb) being for a S&W J frame (cut off 1.5 turns), trigger return ended up being the original, as I recall. Be certain the springs are loose on their shafts or the friction can hang itself up. Had several light strikes with the new springs yesterday, but then it settled in and seemed to set them all off. I will probably put in another J frame spring without any cut off, just to be sure. The hammer return setup is "new", as in, not a S&W design, and seems quite stupid to me, but time will tell. You'll know the instant you see it. Sort of Wiley Coyote mechanics. So, a qualified "yes" if you can replace the springs yourself and nothing else goes wrong, otherwise, let dumbbells like me do the beta testing for you and wait until there is a positive track record. If I can't get mine to behave, you can probably get it real cheap!! ;-)
Taurus revolvers are like new puppies... expect extraordinarily bad behavior for quite some time!

 

[woodperson]

Would have bought a SP101 years ago except for the fact that I could not cock them with one hand. That is mostly because of the design of the gun, I think. The S & W model 60 cocks just fine for me.

 

[the_leper_colony]

Then you got very lucky! The NEW Taurus I took to the range today was delivered with hammer and trigger return springs so over-strong as to make the weapon literally unusable. I replaced them with a couple of S&W springs and after a few light strikes today, it settled in and performed well. Quite literally the very worst factory springs I ever received in a new or used gun. The only reason I will buy a Taurus is when it is something S&W refuses to make and even then, I end up getting rid of the Taurus because it just won't work properly. The current experiment is a .327 Toro which I actually allowed myself to like a bit today, but if true to all the other Taurii that I have owned, it will soon go south. I do like it, but liking and trusting are not the same thing. Taurus used to copy S&W, now they are "innovating" apparently and have installed a very stupid trigger return setup that looks like something Acme would send to Wiley Coyote. No doubt it is much cheaper to produce. It certainly looks it. If you're gonna carry a Taurus, you had better have a really good backup gun!!

As they say, one size never fits all! I've owned two Taurus hammer-fired autos, and have had no issues with either one. A family member owns a Taurus hammer-fired auto and one of their current striker-fired automatics, and likes them both. Guessing that either of us might be open to buying Taurus handguns again, based on our personal experiences, but YMMV.

FWIW, you mentioned you like Smith & Wesson; so do I, even though I knew an LEO who bought a brand new Model 19, and discovered that it left the factory without rifling (there's some quality control, for you ;^). And Beretta makes several of my favorite handguns, even though I've read their 9000 series autos were a poor design, and possibly unsafe.

The obvious solution for you is to stop buying Taurus products. And based on what I've read or seen personally, I would recommend that you also avoid firearms made by Beretta, S&W, Colt, Walther, Marlin, Browning, Winchester, SIG, Remington, Mossberg, Savage, Glock, Springfield, and Ruger, as well as ARs, AKs, SKSs, Lugers, CZ75s, and 1911s. Since I'm sure that list is not complete (because I've forgotten most of the complaints I've read on the internet), you might want to avoid everything, just to be safe!
:cool:

 

[RC44Mag]

I’ve been doing some thinking on a 101 the past couple months. Threads like that are giving me pause for the time being. I’m not ready to jump on one so quick but I’ll be laying back and see what develops on the model. Hope they sort it out and soon.

 

[davidkachel]

As they say, one size never fits all! I've owned two Taurus hammer-fired autos, and have had no issues with either one. A family member owns a Taurus hammer-fired auto and one of their current striker-fired automatics, and likes them both. Guessing that either of us might be open to buying Taurus handguns again, based on our personal experiences, but YMMV.

FWIW, you mentioned you like Smith & Wesson; so do I, even though I knew an LEO who bought a brand new Model 19, and discovered that it left the factory without rifling (there's some quality control, for you ;^). And Beretta makes several of my favorite handguns, even though I've read their 9000 series autos were a poor design, and possibly unsafe.

The obvious solution for you is to stop buying Taurus products. And based on what I've read or seen personally, I would recommend that you also avoid firearms made by Beretta, S&W, Colt, Walther, Marlin, Browning, Winchester, SIG, Remington, Mossberg, Savage, Glock, Springfield, and Ruger, as well as ARs, AKs, SKSs, Lugers, CZ75s, and 1911s. Since I'm sure that list is not complete (because I've forgotten most of the complaints I've read on the internet), you might want to avoid everything, just to be safe!
:cool:

I hope your friend took pictures of the Model 19 without rifling. That's one for the record books.

 

[snakeeyes4445]

Did Ruger hire some of Taurus' quality control people? My shiny new SP101 arrived a couple hours ago with front sight noticeably off to the left, the rear sight quite severely off to the right. Hammer hugs the left side of the frame, single action requires both hands to cock. Has me wondering what will fall off when I fire it the first time!! Maybe my memory is off, but I seem to recall that Ruger used to do better! I wanted to round out the caliber with a single action, but now I wonder if I shouldn't reconsider.

At least you got a front sight. My newest SP101 in .327 was supposed to have a gold bead front sight, but mine had none at all.
There was also a significant disparity in some of the cylinder throats of over .002.
Ruger sent me a call tag. I enclosed printed pics of the throats showing mismatched plug gauges.
They completed the work in two days. The action is rough like my other three, but fixable.once you know how..

 

[Fox Mike]

My SP101 isn't a 327 but I did have to do a 'shim job' on the hammer. It was originally rubbing the left side of the frame.