Taurus PT-22 flew apart while shooting yesterday.

[MASTEROFMALICE]

I was shooting a friend's Taurus PT-22 at the range yesterday. It was the first magazine worth of bullets and for the first few shots I felt something hitting me in the face but I didn't think much of it (stupid me, I later realized it was pieces of the cases which were rupturing) so I fired a few more. On round seven or eight the left side grip broke off and parts and springs and other gun-related items came trickling out of the gun.

I picked up some of the brass and they were all bulged and ruptured.

I'll take some pictures and post them if anyone is interested.

Will Taurus replace/repair this? I see they have a lifetime warranty but how good are they at actually honoring this?

The owner was upset about the gun but since she was standing right next to me she could see it wasn't anything I did.

I gave her my Beretta 9000 to use for protection until this gun gets fixed. It was her only gun.

 

[springmom]

Glad you're ok. And glad I never bought one of those. Sheesh.

Springmom

 

[Apple a Day]

-Please, do post the pics. I had a PT-22 and never had a problem with it. I sold it because it's essentially useless - too small for a target gun and too weak for a SD gun.
-What kind of ammo were you using? I don't mean to sound insulting but are you sure there wasn't some sort of mixup between .22 LR/.25 caliber? Did you have any misfires? Squibs? Could there have been some sort of obstruction in the barrel?
-Taurus has a lifetime warrenty. Send it in. They'll fix or replace it.
- I'd try to talk your friend into a nice .38 Spl which will be more reliable and more powerful than a .22 LR.

Glad no one was hurt! Keep us posted and good luck with it.

 

[doc2rn]

When a gun does this due to ammo, usually the ammo maker and pistol manufacturer get together. Usually they will either fix or send you a new gun. I hope you where not using recalled winchester X.

 

[Grandpa Shooter]

I don't want to come off sounding high and mighty, but two things bother me here.

1. having only one good SD gun is not a good plan and
2. Did you spend any time familiarizing her with the gun you loaned her?

I can't imagine Taurus refusing to repair/replace it. Did you save any of the ammo you were using and all of the pieces so that they can attempt to extablish causal factors?

 

[rcmodel]

Oops!
Wrong guy!

Nevermind!


rcmodel

 

[kingpin008]

1. having only one good SD gun is not a good plan

Don't mean to sound contrary, but some folks don't have a choice. Heck, I know I sometimes have to wait to hit the range because rent and food and other bills comes first. I know what you're saying, and I agree with you - but for some folks, one gun is already more than they can manage. And besides, it's better to have one, than it is to have none.


That being said, please do post pics of the bulged cases, and any you may have of the remains of the gun. Should be very interesting.

 

[silverlance]

your gun was blown up by a .22LR?
yes, definitely call taurus.

yikes. on the other hand, good for you, getting more women into shooting. this might be a good opportunity to get her to move up into 9mm or the like. ask what she thinks of perhaps, say, a sig p228/229, a glock19, or even a walther p1 ($250)

 

[TEDDY]

one gun

one twenty two between the eyes is better that 12 in the wall.more people have been killed by 22 than you can believe.and its lots easier for novices to shoot.I would have complete faith in shooting with 22.I practice accuacy and can control in a situation.

 

[sparkyguy]

I owned a Taurus PT22 once. WHAT-A POS! Mine didn't blow apart, but might as well of. Jammed, FTF, FTE. Couldn't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside. Useless POS. Looked cool, though.

 

[silverlance]

I'm not doubting the lethality or usefulness of the 22LR. I just can't believe that it blew up a gun. I would have expected melted springs, or perhaps a popped extractor, but the entire gun self-disassembling?

Must be some sort of safety design where the gun disassembles rather than risking injury to the shooter.

 

[MASTEROFMALICE]

She's recently separated and the gun belonged to her husband. She kept it because she now has two kids and now no guy to protect her.

I let her shoot my 686 but she's still pretty new at shooting and she's still very recoil-shy. Her shooting is actually very good. I showed her proper shooting form and stance once about six months ago and I've never had to explain it again. She's gets right into it every time.

I gave her the Beretta because I actually don't have any semi-auto in any caliber between .22 and .40 with the excpetion of my P3AT and I honestly think that isn't the right gun for her.

I'm in Baltimore right now, when I get home I'll take pictures and post them.

 

[lee n. field]

I was shooting a friend's Taurus PT-22 at the range yesterday.

Had it ever been fired before?

Likewise from the other posters -- sure it was a .22? Taurus also makes a .25 that looks just the same. .22LR would probably feed in the .25 (though it's difficult to see how it would fire).

If it is in fact the PT-22, send it in to Taurus.

My brother has one. It's touchy about ammo and cleanliness. I wouldn't mind one to tinker with, if I could get it for cheap.

 

[MASTEROFMALICE]

It's a PT-22. .22 magazines tend to be very distinctive. Admittedly the buldged brass is going to make me go home and take a second look but the frame yesterday said PT-22 so I'd imagine it will say the same tomorrow.

 

[Shipwreck]

I had one too - bought when they first came out in the 1990s. As stated above - it was sorta useless. Too heavy of a trigger for target use. Too small a caliber for self defense. I sold mine too.

 

[jonnyc]

Traded mine, and a bit of $, for a Buckmark. As posted above, I found it rather useless as a target or carry piece. Fortunately I never had any of the described issues. Looking forward to seeing the pics.

 

[tinygnat219]

Had one. The Firing pin disappeared during a range session one time. It also had a tendency to misfire. I would collect the parts stuff them in a box, along with the bulged brass and send it to Taurus with a demand for either a NEW gun, or a refund.

On that note, I must say that I am biased against the manufacturer. The PT-22 was also my first handgun and I keep asking myself WHY I bought this thing. LONG DAO trigger, short barrel, limited capacity. I sold it after I got it back from Taurus 6 weeks later with the new firing pin. I will say this about Taurus, they honored their warranty, although why I needed to pay express shipping totaling 35 bucks on my part for a 4 dollar part (firing pin) that my smith offered to put in for free, I will never know. The gun going kablooie, I'd suspect it's from loose, or stripped screws in the frame. My gun's screws had a tendency to become loose after a mag. Blue Loctite solved that problem.

 

[bglz42]

I have a PT22. As a matter of fact I shot it today at the range. Ran around 150 rnds through it. It probably has over 500 since I bought it. It's never failed, in any way. No jams, ftf's etc. Today I shot Aguila SSS's, Winchester HP's, Green Tags and some Russion Junior through it. My PT22 is very accurate for what it is. The trigger is looong, but smooth. If you do your part, it'll do it's. I've kept all nine shots in the eight ring (B-27) at 50 yds prone. I's not easy, but it'll do it.

Definitely send it back, Taurus is great on warranty.

BTW: I bought mine for $125 NIB...

 

[4v50 Gary]

A Taurus that went Glock on you. My friend's Beretta .32 Tomcat (if that's the right designation) flew apart on him too.

 

[lg&m]

I believe Taurus will do right by you. I have a PT-22 It's a replacement they sent me. The first one I got back in the 90's I shot it all the time. I must have put 2500+ rounds through it. It had a good trigger and was accurate enough for what kind of gun it is. I was cleaning it one day & saw the slide was showing a lot of wear where it hit the frame. I sent it back to Taurus & they sent me a new gun. This one has a bumper on the frame. Unfortunately the new gun does not shoot as well it's reliable but not as accurate.

 

[jon_in_wv]

My wife saw a PT-22 at the gun shop and HAD to have it. I figured for 175 bucks I couldn't go too far wrong. Its nickel with the gold accents and the rosewood grips. What a piece of crap. The mags won't function with more than 5 rounds in them and it jams frequently. It is very accurate and fun to shoot, when it works, which is almost never. It and the Cobra 22mag Derringer are the worst guns I've bought. I really should just saw them in half and throw them away.