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The price difference between a S&W J-Frame (637, 638, 642, 442) and the Taurus revolvers is only about $80. Believe me, the difference between Smith and Wesson's lifetime warranty and Taurus' version is light years apart. If you have a problem with your Smith, which in all likelihood you never will, S&W will pay shipping both ways, fix your gun right, and have it back to you in no time. If you send the Taurus in, most likely you'll pay shipping there and wait who knows how long to get it back. By the time you do that, you could have almost bought a Smith. I have five S&W revolvers -- a Model 36 .38 Special, a Model 442 .38 Special +P, a Model 638 .38 Special +P, a Model 29 .44 Magnum, and a Model 686 Plus .357 Magnum. They are all finely crafted firearms. I carry the Model 638 quite a bit as it offers the best of both worlds -- a smooth double action trigger and a snag free shrouded hammer that can be cocked for single action but doesn't have the likelihood of snagging on your pocket on the draw. Plus the different grips and other accessories available are pretty limitless. Just my two cents, but don't talk yourself out of waiting a while to get something that won't fail you when you need it. And if you don't get a Smith, get a Ruger LCR. Great trigger and a joy to carry and shoot.
Don't get me wrong as I have had and carried a couple LCRs in .357 as I consider a .38 pretty worthless when you can put them in your .357.
"Joy to shoot" is a stretch for that in anything but .38. A .357 feels like a hammer smacking your hands. Crap hurts. I did not like having a .357 I felt like I needed to load with .38 because of the monster recoil. I like carrying the SP101 snubby. The LCR is great for carry but just not a good fit if you want to be able to shoot all available ammo. As said I am just not a fan of just .38....might as well get a 9mm compact at that point.
The Rugers and Smiths in .357 have all been great in my experience. I do not remember Taurus charging anything to fix my 605 either and they only had it a little over a week...Not horrible turn around to me.