i have a friend who wants to trade me out of my ruger sp101 357 mag., he is offering a choice of taurus tracker's 44 mag. he has had the guns for about 6 months, i've had the ruger about two months, he said he's shot only about 200 rounds thru each one, i've shot 50 rounds thru the ruger. he's got two tracker's a 2inch barrel, and a 4inch barrel, he wants my ruger and 100 rounds of ammo for the 2inch barrel tracker, and the ruger and 200 rounds of ammo for the 4inch barrel. he says the reason for trading is he's got two 44's and just want to get a 357 mag. should i trade?, thanks for any help.
Don't do it. Taurus makes junk. Their QA is so bad, it seems to be 50-50 whether you get a descent one or junk.
If he is a friend, perhaps you need a new friend.
BS, how many Tauri have you owned, sir?
Having said that, I wouldn't trade any .357 Mag for such short barreleed .44 mags, seems like a waste of powder.
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Taurus has come through a Renaissance in recent years. Pretty much any Ruger in good condition is good property. In the Taurus line, if you go back a few years, their tolerances were not that close. It was a "B" rated gun. Today's Taurus is an "A" rated gun and every much as good as a Ruger. Still it comes down to personal taste. I still prefer a Ruger.
On the subject of calibers, you cannot compare a .44 Mag to a .357 Mag. Vast differences. I prefer the .44 Mag, from the stand point of greater shock power in a heaver slug. I prefer a .45 auto over the .44 mag for the same reason. More lead hits harder. It is not just about making holes in something. If someone has a bullet proof vest on, hit them with enough lead to knock them off their feet if need be.
A 2" barrel is so short, it is good for little less than keeping people out of your face. I have a .44 mag, pretty much a novelty. Designed to get a bears attention while he is eating your arm or leg. Hollywood shows people hitting stuff at 100 yards. Never in a million years in a combat condition can anyone do that shot to shot.
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I would not trade on those terms. If he wants your Ruger then he needs to pony up a couple hundred rounds of ammo or some cash, not you. The taurus tracker is a fine revolver(I have one in .41 mag)but it's not worth what a SP101 is unless it is the titanium model.
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I would not trade on those terms. If he wants your Ruger then he needs to pony up a couple hundred rounds of ammo or some cash, not you. The taurus tracker is a fine revolver(I have one in .41 mag)but it's not worth what a SP101 is unless it is the titanium model.
What he said. I agree. The Ruger is worth more. I saw something I liked awhile back; my gun sells for $200 more than his(Sig 220 vs. G17). He did not see it that way; I gladly kept my Sig!
I would NOT do it. He needs to find a good used Ruger .357Mag revolver - they can be found for $300 or less if one really looks. I did it.
I like the Taurus revolvers, and my shooting buddy has the 6" barreled .44Mag, with ported barrel. A very nice revolver, accurate and hard-hitting. His wife likes it too! She's deadly with it, and tends to aim a bit 'low' on a torso target - that gal has a mean streak in her....
2" barrel - no thanks. A 4" barrel would be a good carry gun in bear country, but too heavy for CCW.
I just bought one of the Taurus 2" .44mags off my uncle. I really don't see anything wrong with a 2" .44. Its ported and honestly I dont think it shoots any harder than my 7.5" Blackhawk. The rubber grips and the porting definitely help. Its gonna be my new "nightstand" gun. I just need to get some better bullets to handload for it so I can keep velocities lower and still get penetration and expansion without OVER penetration.
Oh and I disagree with Taurus being junk. Maybe they aren't the quality of a Smith but certainly not junk.
But as for the trade, I think the Ruger is probably worth more. I wouldn't make that trade.
Since the guns are in close to the same condition, presuming neither of you abused them, check the sales sites and see what prices they are currently asking or bringing. Then you would be in a position to trade, if you wanted to.
Do you have a .44? Do you have another .357? He wants to trade because that will leave him with a .44 and a .357, but where will it leave you? I bought a .44 last year as I was getting back into shooting after a long absence, and soon found myself missing my old .357. I ended up buying a .357 and find it is much more pleasant to shoot than the .44, just because it's a little handier gun. I'm talking about a scoped 7 1/2" Redhawk and a Dan Wesson with 4 or 7 1/2" barrels. It sounds a little like overkill, but I tend to think of the .357 as a plinking gun and the .44 as a hunting gun.
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i have a friend who wants to trade me out of my ruger sp101 357 mag., he is offering a choice of taurus tracker's 44 mag. he has had the guns for about 6 months, i've had the ruger about two months, he said he's shot only about 200 rounds thru each one, i've shot 50 rounds thru the ruger. he's got two tracker's a 2inch barrel, and a 4inch barrel, he wants my ruger and 100 rounds of ammo for the 2inch barrel tracker, and the ruger and 200 rounds of ammo for the 4inch barrel. he says the reason for trading is he's got two 44's and just want to get a 357 mag. should i trade?, thanks for any help.
Ive owned a few Taurus' and while Ive been happy with all of them Id never trade my SP101 for a Taurus regardless of what was being offered.
Youve got a great gun. Keep it.
Ruger for a Taurus....Not Worth It. Your Ruger is worth more than either of the pieces he's offering up for trade. Just because his is a .44mag and yours is a .357 does not make his worth more than yours. Keep what you have and advise him to find someone/somewhere else to deal. He's not going to find anyone that knows anything about guns that's going to take that deal.
Guns don't kill people, husbands that come home early do!
I can't help but comment on something that has been overlooked on this subject. How are you going to use the pistol? Are you hoping to hunt with it, defend yourself with it, concealed carry?
As far as hunting goes, either is capable of bringing down game effectively. I think the .357 has a better trajectory but the .44 penetrates much better. Neither is going to be effective at 300 yards. Personally, I like the .44 for hunting. I hunt in some fairly thick woods and it is the best brush gun I own (1968 Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Mag - 7 1/2" barrel) and will bring down everything within 75 yards including moose, elk and brown bear.
Also, some states like Wyoming don't allow the .357 as a large game hunting caliber. Not enough energy carried with the bullet at 100 yards. The smallest caliber pistol round acceptable in Wyoming is the 41. Wyoming doesn't even allow the 44-40 as a large game hunting caliber. If I remember correctly, the 45LC just barely makes the cut.
For personal defense, I like the bigger bore. I want the biggest lump of lead flying out there that I can get. The plain fact is that most defense situations today involve less than 25 yard shots. So trajectory isn't really an issue in this situation. At this range penetration should be similar as well. So, in this case, which is more comfortable to carry, draw and shoot?
I don't know much about concealed carry, so I decline to comment on that subject. I live in a large area and just strap mine on my hip. I might see a human maybe once a week (other than family).
For a just everyday carrying around weapon I like to carry a 22 wmr revolver. It's much lighter and it's cheaper to shoot. It's not a Ruger so I won't tell you what make and model it is.
In any case, pick the one you like the looks of. Don't get stuck with one you think is an ugly gun. You'll regret it for as long as you own the weapon.
thanks to all, i'm keeping my ruger. i tried to buy some ammo today for my friend, just so i could try out the trackers. i told him he could have what i didn't shoot if i didn't trade, he said no that he wasn't shooting them anymore cause they are for sale or trade. that did it for me, i'm keeping a gun i know will shoot and i ain't afraid to shoot it. thanks again to all who helped
Teach
