OK, I’ve done a search of this thread for Model 80 info and there is a bunch. I had to bring a sandwich and glass of milk to get thru them. What I found is there are a lot of Mod 80 owners, or past owners, looking for info and most liked the guns.
The Model 80 is a 38 Spl, 2 ½”, 3”, 4” bbl, fluted cylinder, grooved trigger, grooved top strap for a sight, SA/DA. They have a hammer block, and the firing pin “floats” and is pinned in the hammer, inside the crane has a stamped number.
The exterior of all described Mod 80’s here is exactly the same. They are distinguished from the Mod 84, which looks the same except by not having adjustable rear sights, and they have a lower front ramp sight than the 84.
It isn’t until you take off the side plate, that there seems to be two versions of what is identified as the Mod 80. I know the early mid 1960’s mfg version has internal workings like the S&W Mod 10, most glaringly the method of trigger return, a rebound slide. While another early version, I believe after 1973, from what I can gather from the thread timelines, has no rebound slide but the trigger pin center pin return “assy”.
Member Redhourse has a very comprehensive disassembly / assembly tutorial for his Mod 80 here in the Revolver Forum. And rightfully so because of the aggravation of the rebound slide and the hand spring reassembly. His is the only posting showing the internal working of the Mod 80, so I assume the others talked about here have the trigger pin center pin return “assy”.
My printed Numrich Gun Parts catalog #23 is at least 20 yrs old, but that should not be a hindrance since we are looking for old gun part info. I do see Taurus referenced Models 80, 82, 86, 87 (all 38’s without rear sights) but they all have the trigger pin center pin return “assy”. I do not see any Taurus models with the trigger rebound slide like pictured on the S&W Mod 10.
I do know that in the mid 60’s, Taurus and S&W were owned by the same conglomerate so it is not unreasonable to assume that the S&W design could have made it into Taurus.
Now all of this to ask two questions: we have evidence that Taurus made 38 Spl caliber pistols with the S&W influence EARLY on, and we are calling them Model 80’s.
1. Are they really early Mod 80 or maybe 82’s or another early model without rear sights?
2. Did the early Mod 80's with the rebound slide get redesigned to the simpler trigger pin center pin return “assy” without a change in model designation?
I have no experience with the Models 82, 86, or 87 other than I know they don’t have rear sights, according to Numrich, and they show the LATE version trigger return. (After 1973?)
