Taurus 94 Stainless 2" 22 Long Rifle Revolver - Stainless/Silver, 2" Barrel, 9 Rounds, Polymer Grips, 3-Dot Sights

I've read the horror stories and though this little snubby .22 isn't the lightest action I've ever handled, it looks to function well and should fill a niche for about 200 less than the S&W. I guess it's true the few disgruntled are a noisy bunch!

OK…BUT—The first model 94 that arrived still had the 1” barrel extension required for import--once in the US, it’s supposed to be cut off and the barrel finished and re-crowned. I returned it and Buds quickly sent a replacement with the correct 2” barrel. The second gun seemed OK, though a bit stiff and gritty, and the transfer was completed. At home upon closer inspection, I found that if the gun was pointed down, the transfer bar (not spring loaded) would catch on the firing pin and prevent cocking. I had heard of this on the Taurus forums and the fix was to gently round the front edge of the bar so it would slide over the pin. When the side plate was removed to do this, I was disappointed at the crude finish on the internals. The interior of the side plate looked to be a rough sand casting and was badly scored by the rotation of the hammer. Cleaned up and reassembled, it was off to the range. The first load of 9 shots was good with better than expected accuracy. The next load fired 2 rounds and then the gun would not cock. The cylinder was checked for seated rounds and was OK. The ejector and transfer bar were also OK. One more round fired and then another jam ended the session. Back in my shop, I checked for lead build-up in the .003” cylinder gap and found none. Looking at the cylinder pawl revealed rough burrs on 7 of the 9 indexes. These were carefully stoned off and the action then seemed smoother. I haven’t taken it back to the range for further tests yet. My advice is that If you have a desire for one of these pistols, check it well and be prepared for some work to make it function reliably. If you don't have the necessary skills, it will require a qualified gunsmith or a trip back to Taurus. Our local gun shop stopped carrying Taurus products due to the 60% return rate for various quality issues.