Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Opinions on Taurus 941 .22 Mag

I am not sure whether I should post this question here or in the Rimfire room, but I'll try here, first. I'm in the market for a small revolver to carry while I hunt chukar and quail with my setters. I hunt the open desert/butte/coulee country of central Washington state and there is a growing concern on my part about coyotes messing with my dogs. We have a large population of them and my setters have had a few close calls in the past couple of years. I have no doubts my big Lewellin could kill a coyote one on one, but with two or three he would be in big trouble. My young English setter pup wouldn't stand a chance with two. I've had a couple of coyotes try to lure my dog in by imitating a playfull chase, but I'm positive it was an ambush situation. I normally carry two buckshot loads in my vest for coyotes, but since I hunt with a sxs it takes too much time to break open the gun, remove the birdshot, and fumble around in my vest for the buckshot, etc. Plus, the buckshot isn't of much use byond 50 yards.

I am a S&W collector and have every manner of revolver ranging from .22 to .44 mags, as well as Colt 1911's, Browning Hi Powers, etc. My initial choices were the .357's or the 9mm for this, but I am thinking very strongly of a .22 mag revolver, which would give me the power and range I would need, yet be small and light enough to pack with all of my other gear. I'm not too familar with the .22 mag, but I've read that even in a handgun the velocity is pretty good and it's supposedly a flat shooter out to a hundred yards. I've never owned a Taurus and never thought I would, but they appear to have come a long way in the past decade or so. I've always like the Kit Guns from Smith, and the Taurus 941 in SS seems to fit that bill. I like the idea of eight shots and the 5" barrel would help to keep some of that high velocity there. The adjustable sights look nice, too. It just looks like a handy little gun with an attitude. And I wouldn't scream bloody murder like I would with a fine S&W if I dropped in it a rocky canyon, although that's not something I plan to do.

Have any of you had any experiences with the Taurus 941 in .22 magnum? Any thoughts on how this caliber/gun combo would work in my situation? I'd like to hear all, pro and con.

Thanks,

Cliff
Seattle, WA

I�ve shot a few and although they�re not real pretty, every one I�ve played with has worked well and shot well. As for .22 Mag on yotes, I�d recommend against it. Velocity loss in a short barreld revolver is very significant in .22 mag. The difference between .22 mag and a .22 Stinger is not all that impressive.

When I was a kid, I killed yotes with a .22 short rifle and I must say, even when I placed the shots on the money under 50 yards, the results weren�t impressive at all and I lost more than one. (as soon as I could afford the ammo, I upgraded to .30-30 Accelerators�Bang-Flop!)

Where handguns are concerned, I�ve shot yotes with just about everything. I find the .357 mag 125 JHP a preferred minimum past 50 yards. (inside 50 yards, I like 9mm, 40, or .45 ACP). Yotes just don�t seem to be real impressed with handgun cartridges in my experience. Yes, they kill �em, but the results aren�t what I�m looking for. Typically, when you hit a yote with say, a .45 ACP at over 50 yards, the yote jumps up, spins around biting at the wound. He�ll do this for quite a while, and if he sees you, he�ll run off and cover a lot of ground.

If you�re trying to spare your dogs from a yote (btw � few dogs will fare well against a yote � they have much more of a killer instinct than a domesticated dog and immediately go for the kill, where a domestic dog, just tries to keep them at bay), then you�ll want something that makes a statement. I�d recommend a minimum of 9mm 115 JHP�Just my opinion, take it or leave it.

IMHO you will be well served with one of the new J frame S&W .357's with the 5" barrel, that is what I would go for with weight and size as the determining factor. I like Taurus guns but the .22 WMR is no good 'Yote medicine out of a short gun.

I have a Ruger Single Six, with a 22 mag cylinder. I very rarely use the mag cylinder. I'm just not a big fan of the 22 mag. JMO, but I think you might be better off with about a 4" 38 Spl.... about the same weight to carry, much more effective.

KW is right. An equal size dog is no match for a coyote. Female coyotes in heat will sometimes lure unsuspecting male dogs into an ambush.

Hey salish,

Check out my knock-around gun post I made yesterday. I've gotten lots of good advice and am also looking for a gun that will take up to coyote size game.

I'll have to agree that the .22 MAG isn't enough gun for coyote out of a hand gun. Balistically, it has the same power out of a hand gun that a .22 LR has from a rifle. Even if you are using a rifle with .22 mag you are liable to get a lot of runners. Even worse with a 22 lr.

Another note: .38 ammo dosen't cost anymore than .22 mag ammo. Even if you don't reload. Pretty much makes the .22 mag handgun a mute point in my mind unless you are limited to rimfires for some reason.

CB

Cost is one of the things I don't like about the 22 Mag. 50 rounds are about $8, making them $.16 each. I can reload .38 for $.08, and can reload 41 Mag with fancy plated bullets for $.10-.11. It kinda bugs me that 22 Mag is so expensive... where's the extra cost vs. 22 LR?

salish,

my information is old.... 8 yrs or so out of date.....been that long since i've had a taurus in my hand

most of my friends use, hunt, or play with handguns.... several of them, at one time or another, have purchased taurus handguns... none of them hung onto their taurus hanguns very long....
unreliable, inaccurate, and unreliable pretty much sums up their opinions....

i love the idea of a gunmaker, anywhere in the western hemisphere, making affordable guns.....
never known of a taurus, though, that did not have to be returned to the company for remedial work.....
otoh, all have reported that remedial work has been performed promptly... guns returned with marked improvements, and an explanatory report...

you pay your money and take your chances..... john w

Thanks guys, this is exactly the type of information I was hoping for. it seems all are pretty much in agreement on this being a fairly poor choice of caliber for my intended use, with similar feelings about the revolver. I have plenty of S&W .38's, .357's and semi-auto's in 9mm & .45acp. One of my big regrets is trading a Colt 1911 .38 Super for a 16ga LC Smith double a few years ago, although I love the shotgun. That might have made a nice option, too.
Anyway, thanks a bunch.

Cliff

Mine works quite well thank you.

Salish,

I gotta break the 'rule' about recommending a different gun on opinion threads like this...

You collect S&W's, you like the Kit Gun, you want a .22 Mag - You are left with one choice: S&W M651 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.

I've been lurking on this one because I'm thinking about a 941 also. Mainly for the wife because she doesn't really like fiddling with the load/unload features of the single action.

Also for me because I'm getting a tad lazy in my senior years and some of that stuff isn't as much fun as it was fifty years ago. Like bending over to pick up the rounds that drop in the dirt and then trying to straighten up again. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

For a light pistol that would work well look at a 32 either a long or a magnum. In any decent revolver the 32 long can be loaded to 32 mag levels. I like a heavy Keith bullet 111 gr at around 1000 fps from a 6in barrel. These are hard to find but excellent handguns. I have never shot a coyote but they really fold up a woodchuck.
Good Luck!

There seems to be quite a few S&W police trades available in the 66/67 revolvers and a variety of semi-auto 9MMs and 40s that might be a good choice at a fair price.

I like the 22 Magnum as a survival cartridge, but a 9MM with Gold-Dots might be better coyote medicine when there is a life threatening situation added into the equation.

Jeff

salish,

as i am in the market for a handgun for myself, i've been doing a little checking... a couple of reputable dealers have told me this week that they see as many quality control problems across the board with smith, and ruger, as they do with taurus...
they point out taurus' life time, no questions asked warrantee... if it breaks, or fails in any way, they fix it.....
i may give this a try as they have some pretty useful looking stuff..... john w

I like the 22mag but not for coyotes. Had a Taurus 941 about ten years ago, had some problems. rear sight was if I remember pinched between opposing screws and mine fell off one day. Also one chamber would occasionally not fire a round.
Anyway, I think a good gun for you would be a Ruger SP101 in 32 H&R Mag. I have one and also a Single Six and they shoot quite well. Won't put as big a hole in a coyote as a 38 but I bet it will go through him. Plus the SP101 can be tucked in a back pocket and you'll not even notice it. Just my opinion.

I had one and sold it. Ammo costs too much for plinking and out of the short barrel it doesn't offer much more than HV .22 LR loads. Furthermore, IT IS LOUD!

I also reccomend the .32 Mag. I love mine. But if you're not a reloader I'd stick with a .38. The H&R mag ammo isn't cheap.

CB

You may want to check out this favorable article on the 941.
http://www.gunblast.com/Taurus941.htm.

I have a 941 with the 4" barrel and it shoots accurately.

However, I agree with the majority of the others that responded.

I would get a S&W Model 60 in either 3" or 5" and have some real power. There is just a few ounces difference in the weight.

KRD, thanks. The article you are referring was what motivated me to pose this question to others. It sounds and looks nice, but I wanted to ask real world people for their opinions, too. I don't see how a person could go wrong with this revolver, but I'm now convinced the .22 mag is not the choice for me for my intended purposes.

Regarding the modern .32 cartridges, although I think they're great I would probably just opt for one of my K-frame smiths in .38 Special.

salish,

i agree that if i were to use a handgun to hunt for coyotes, the .22 mag would not be my first choice.... however if i were bird hunting and needed to protect my dogs from coyotes, i believe that just about any canine predator would cease and desist, if hit with just about any round...

and the .22 mag has the velocity to make hitting easier..... john w