I have owned a Taurus 44 special in the past, and had no problems,.......... I believe that it is a quality control issue at Taurus, and not a manufacturing or design issue...... As a Firearms professional I can not recommend any Taurus product, Sorry.
I would like to add that I own a Ruger SP 101 J, and it is without a doubt my favorite revolver along with my old model 66, which was my first duty weapon.
From my own limited experience with Taurus (mostly from 15 - 20 years ago), I have no issues with the "older" ones - late eighties to mid-ninties. What is going on right now seems to be happening concurrently with increased popularity and sales - and introducing scads of new models in a short time. I personally think they have spread themselves too thin and are trying to make stuff too fast right now.
I have a Taurus/Rossi '92 Carbine in .357 that I bought early this year which was horrendous in terms of just simply not being finished (as in "complete" or "done") before it left the factory. It took me a while but I got it squared away and it is a fine shoorter and it is reliable, but it took many hours on my part to do the ework they should have - especially for over $400.
My Dad recently bought a new Gaucho and returned it (on Taurus's insistant urging) over a minor base pin retention part and they DESTROYED it once they got it because "it was defective and discontinued." That, I feel, was a pretty sleezy move on their part, so watch out if you think you might have to return one. They offered to replace it with something else and he picked a Tracker in .41 mag. He got it and doesn't like it and I wouldn't own it myself. They should have reimbursed him what he paid, not send him another piece that is NOT what he bought.
That said, no offense taken regarding your comments. I agree 100% and have much less kind things to say about Taurus as it exists today. For the right money, I wouldn't mind having an older 431 though. Like I said with regard to the Vaquero though, I really should be looking for another old 3" Bulldog right now.
The SP101 is a fine arm and the .357 a fine cartridge. Put the two together and you have one incredible combination. I only moved mine because I am still paring things down.