My Taurus 941 and their less than enthusiactic customer service...

Hi, everybody...

I have owned a Taurus firearm in the past, but I never fired it, so it never needed repairs. (long story, I was made to carry it by an ex, though I never wanted it and therefore never fired it.) Anyway, fast forward to the present. I now have a Taurus model 941, .22 magnum revolver. And though I love the gun, it has been giving me trouble.

Several weeks ago, I was finally able to shoot it for the first time. I experienced jamming with a certain brand of ammo. When we got home that day, I called the gun shop where we purchased the gun and they said to try some other ammo next time we go out shooting but if it happened again, the gun may need some kind of repair.

Next time we went out shooting, we tried two other brands of ammo (CCI and Remington) and they performed without fault. We then tried the first brand that originally jammed on us and it did jam again in short order... so, we thought it was the ammo.

Went shooting a few days ago and one of the other two brands that worked flawlessly before (CCI) jammed on me.....

I just got off the phone with Taurus. I am not very happy at the moment, as their customer service is less than stellar. The rep. I spoke to suggested that I send the gun back for repairs, at my expense ($100 via UPS next day air, something that I cannot afford nor do I think I should have to pay for as it is a Taurus issue causing my problem). This person was less than helpful, she did not have a note of friendliness in her voice. She would not even provide the shipping address, only stating that it could be found in the back of the manual for the firearm. I was told there would be a 2-3 week turn-around time.

After ending the call, I realized that I should have asked a couple more questions.. One being if Taurus recommends a certain ammo for the gun and if something could be worked out regarding the shipping of the firearm back to them. So, I called back... and still, I spoke to a different person and she was just as droll and unfriendly as the first. I was told that they "only recommend factory ammo" (Ummmm...you can't reload a rimfire) and that we would be responsible for shipping the gun to them and there was nothing they could do about it. They would pay for the return shipping but we would be totally responsible for getting the firearm back to them.

It is quite obvious what the problem is...the ammo does not sit flush in the chambers. I have received information from a very helpful ammo manufacturer (of the original ammo I used that jammed continually) that, after doing some research, he noted that my firearm does not have a "rebated chamber". He said most others he researched did have it and he was not sure why Taurus did not also. Well, when I mentioned this to the first rep I spoke with at Taurus, I was told that the customer service rep at the ammo manufacturer had no right to comment on the situation, as he did not know for certain what the issue was. Well, I for one, would like to place some value on his assessment. He has been very helpful during this whole situation...Much more than I can say for the Taurus representatives.

I do not want to send my gun off for 2-3 weeks. I think, before I do, I would like to try some more Remington ammunition and see if it jams at all. If it doesn't, I will stick with that and use it exclusively. If it jams, too, I will take the gun back to the original shop and see what they suggest.

Taurus needs to seriously re-vamp their customer service department.

I know this was long. Thanks, in advance for reading. If you were in my situation, what would you suggest?

Jamming...

By jamming, I mean that I cannot pull the hammer back and I cannot pull the trigger. Upon examination of the casings, there is a small, but pronounced, bulge at the rim of the casing. On occasion, it is difficult to extract the spent casings. As for cleaning, my husband cleans the guns meticulously after being at the range, so while I appreciate the suggestion, I don't think that's the problem.

I do think they lost what would be a good customer with the way they treated you

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That is correct. Though I do love my .22 magnum, I will never buy another Taurus.

As for people I might stop from buying their products...that's up to each individual. Coming here and honestly posting about my situation was really not about stopping sales. I just wonder if anyone else has had an experience like mine and what they might have done to remedy it.

Thanks!

It doesn't jam constantly, though with the original ammunition we tried, it jammed more than not. Funny thing is, the customer service at the company that makes that ammunition has been absolutely amazing! That person is the one who said the cylinder is not "rebated" (that's the term he used), therefore, the ammunition will not seat flush in the chambers which is what is causing the jamming.

Would it be possible to take it to a gunsmith and have the chambers altered? I have no idea if that's even possible, I'm just kind of thinking of all the possibilities. Because, after all, I do not want to give up the gun. It really is fun to shoot!

It makes one wonder, was it even TEST-FIRED?

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I have wondered the same thing. I don't see how it could have left the factory without being tested??? But it did not come with a shell casing, nor can I find anywhere stamped in the metal that it was, in fact, test fired.

We are lucky to have a gunsmith within a 5 minute drive from our house. I don't know the quality of his work, but it is definitely worth looking into. Better than new would be a good thing!

I mean no disrespect, but outside of trading my gun for another gun, can you suggest another option, royal barnes? I cannot afford to pay $100 to ship the gun to them, nor do I want to pay that money to just receive the gun back in the same condition I originally sent it in. If the gunsmith can't help, what are my options? This whole thing just irks me.

Honestly, I don't want to wait a year or more to get my gun back.

Before I even consider sending it back (I do appreciate the more affordable options mentioned, BTW), I am going to ask my husband to try cleaning the cylinder again and try using Remington ammo the next time we go shooting. If it doesn't fail with the Remington, I will just use that exclusively and hopefully not have any more trouble. If I have trouble with the Remington, I think I am just going to trade the gun on something that is not a Taurus.

I am still wondering how this defect could not have been detected at the factory and how many more guns are out there like mine?? How could a rimfire cylinder be made where the ammunition does not fully seat in the cylinder?? It just baffles me.

I'm really hoping the Remington performs well again. The 50 rounds we fired last time did not jam once.

You know, the jamming issue does bother me in that my .22 magnum is my go-to gun when my husband isn't home (please let's not get into that, it's been well-debated here) and I don't need it jamming in the event that I need it. What bothers me also is the customer service by Taurus. It is really in need of some serious overhaul or I could see the company taking a major downturn at some point in the future because loyal customers will just go somewhere else.

I would like to exhaust all possible remedies before actually sending it back to Taurus.

so.....

I think I will ask my husband to really concentrate on cleaning the cylinder and see how it acts when we next go out shoot.

I would like to retry Remington ammo and see how it performs.

Then, if still necessary, take it to our local gunsmith and see if he can make suggestions/fix the problem.

If the gunsmith can't fix it, I think then I will take it back to the dealer where I bought it and see what they recommend.

And, finally, as a last resort, I will either trade the firearm for something else or send it back to Taurus for repairs.