chaim
Member
I finally got to shoot my Taurus Millenium Pro tonight after work and I am impressed. In fact, this gun may help me change my opinion on two gun catagories that I wasn't too crazy about- the .40S&W and polymer guns.
After work I stopped off at Walmart and picked up 50 rounds of WWB 180gr FMJ and 100 rounds of WWB 180gr JHP. I then went to the gunstore, picked up the gun and took it to the firingline.
I didn't even do a full cleaning like you should before shooting. I removed the slide and barrel as one unit and wiped down some of the excess packing oil and put gun oil on the rails. I figured it may be more likely to fail, but it would be a better test. I did swab out the barrel to be sure there would be no overpressure issues.
Well, here are my observations-
-As others have commented on the Millenium Pro series, this thing is accurate. It took a few mags to get a feel for the gun (plus I haven't been shooting much the past year or two), but once I did, it shot to POI quite well. I only shot to 25' since this is a small self defense pistol (and I haven't been shooting for a couple months) and after a couple mags I got 10shot groups in the 2-3" range (good for me with so little recent practice). Its accuracy at the 25' range is very close to my 1911 and CZ75B (my most accurate autos) and certainly much more accurate than my Taurus 85 and possibly even more accurate than my Bersa Thunder (the other guns I have in this size and weight range).
-The trigger was much better than I expected out of a DAO handgun, especially with the rep the old Millenium series triggers have (even though I knew the Pro has a much better trigger in dry fire). It is a bit long and a bit heavy, but not bad on either front. Being a DA revolver shooter this DAO trigger was nothing out of the ordinary. It is smooth with a very consistent pull.
-It was very comfortable to shoot. Certainly it was easier to shoot than my Bersa Thunder .380 or Taurus 85 snub. I shot it two handed, one handed with my strong hand (right handed) and one handed with my left hand. It was comfortable, controllable, and made for easy follow up shots each way I tried.
-Out of the 150 rounds, including 100 rounds of JHP, I had not one break-in issue. Not much yet, but nonetheless it is 100% reliable to date. No stovepipes, fail to feeds, fail to eject, fail to extract, etc. Not one problem.
-I haven't put them side to side yet, but just handling and looking at it I think it is about the size of my Bersa Thunder. Around the same size but 10 rounds of .40S&W v 8 rounds (or was it 7) of .380. Later tonight I'll have to put it side to side for comparison with my Bersa and my Taurus 85 (I may even take my calipers to it).
What don't I like?
Nothing that isn't simply a matter of getting used to it, or break-in.
-Taurus mags have a reputation of being really stiff when new. Most of the time I could only load 9 rounds and I only managed 10 in 3 or 4 of the mags. Based on other people's experiences, leaving it loaded overnight should do it. Only problem is I had so much fun shooting it, I shot up all my .40S&W ammo (I meant to save at least a couple mags worth of the JHP).
-Take down and reassembly is quite different than with my CZ75B or 1911 and will take some getting used to. Still, taking it down twice while shooting (just to practice) I'm already getting used to it.
Conclusion
Overall I'd say it fit my hand very well. It was comfortable to shoot and just to hold. I can hold this with all my fingers, though sometimes I experimented with my pinky below the mag (it wasn't necessary, but it was a little less crowded that way)- both worked comfortably. The .40S&W had a little "snap" to it in this gun, but it was comfortable. This gun has cured any concerns I had over the accuracy of .40S&W. As for the polymer, when I had the slide off I could definately see how little the frame weighs, it really does cut the weight. The safety was easy to disengage and my thumb came to it directly, but the DAO trigger is long and heavy enough that I don't know if I'd bother using it. At the price ($325 in Maryland!) this gun is an incredible bargain. I may just have to pick up another in 9mm and .45ACP, maybe the newer compact version (right now only available in .45ACP).
I am glad I got this in .40S&W. I think this is the perfect caliber for this gun. The 9mm does hold two more rounds, but .40S&W gives a bit more flexibility in deciding the load (9mm has some great defensive ammo available, but .45 and .40 don't have to be selected quite as carefully- I may use this "advantage" by going with the cheaper WWB JHPs for defense) and this gun's size is just right to handle the .40S&W (smaller and I'd go 9mm). .45ACP doesn't have the greatest rep out of a smaller barrel, it loses some as it was designed for a larger barrel, and I think .40S&W doesn't have this issue so much. I think the caliber and platform couldn't be better matched.
After work I stopped off at Walmart and picked up 50 rounds of WWB 180gr FMJ and 100 rounds of WWB 180gr JHP. I then went to the gunstore, picked up the gun and took it to the firingline.
I didn't even do a full cleaning like you should before shooting. I removed the slide and barrel as one unit and wiped down some of the excess packing oil and put gun oil on the rails. I figured it may be more likely to fail, but it would be a better test. I did swab out the barrel to be sure there would be no overpressure issues.
Well, here are my observations-
-As others have commented on the Millenium Pro series, this thing is accurate. It took a few mags to get a feel for the gun (plus I haven't been shooting much the past year or two), but once I did, it shot to POI quite well. I only shot to 25' since this is a small self defense pistol (and I haven't been shooting for a couple months) and after a couple mags I got 10shot groups in the 2-3" range (good for me with so little recent practice). Its accuracy at the 25' range is very close to my 1911 and CZ75B (my most accurate autos) and certainly much more accurate than my Taurus 85 and possibly even more accurate than my Bersa Thunder (the other guns I have in this size and weight range).
-The trigger was much better than I expected out of a DAO handgun, especially with the rep the old Millenium series triggers have (even though I knew the Pro has a much better trigger in dry fire). It is a bit long and a bit heavy, but not bad on either front. Being a DA revolver shooter this DAO trigger was nothing out of the ordinary. It is smooth with a very consistent pull.
-It was very comfortable to shoot. Certainly it was easier to shoot than my Bersa Thunder .380 or Taurus 85 snub. I shot it two handed, one handed with my strong hand (right handed) and one handed with my left hand. It was comfortable, controllable, and made for easy follow up shots each way I tried.
-Out of the 150 rounds, including 100 rounds of JHP, I had not one break-in issue. Not much yet, but nonetheless it is 100% reliable to date. No stovepipes, fail to feeds, fail to eject, fail to extract, etc. Not one problem.
-I haven't put them side to side yet, but just handling and looking at it I think it is about the size of my Bersa Thunder. Around the same size but 10 rounds of .40S&W v 8 rounds (or was it 7) of .380. Later tonight I'll have to put it side to side for comparison with my Bersa and my Taurus 85 (I may even take my calipers to it).
What don't I like?
Nothing that isn't simply a matter of getting used to it, or break-in.
-Taurus mags have a reputation of being really stiff when new. Most of the time I could only load 9 rounds and I only managed 10 in 3 or 4 of the mags. Based on other people's experiences, leaving it loaded overnight should do it. Only problem is I had so much fun shooting it, I shot up all my .40S&W ammo (I meant to save at least a couple mags worth of the JHP).
-Take down and reassembly is quite different than with my CZ75B or 1911 and will take some getting used to. Still, taking it down twice while shooting (just to practice) I'm already getting used to it.
Conclusion
Overall I'd say it fit my hand very well. It was comfortable to shoot and just to hold. I can hold this with all my fingers, though sometimes I experimented with my pinky below the mag (it wasn't necessary, but it was a little less crowded that way)- both worked comfortably. The .40S&W had a little "snap" to it in this gun, but it was comfortable. This gun has cured any concerns I had over the accuracy of .40S&W. As for the polymer, when I had the slide off I could definately see how little the frame weighs, it really does cut the weight. The safety was easy to disengage and my thumb came to it directly, but the DAO trigger is long and heavy enough that I don't know if I'd bother using it. At the price ($325 in Maryland!) this gun is an incredible bargain. I may just have to pick up another in 9mm and .45ACP, maybe the newer compact version (right now only available in .45ACP).
I am glad I got this in .40S&W. I think this is the perfect caliber for this gun. The 9mm does hold two more rounds, but .40S&W gives a bit more flexibility in deciding the load (9mm has some great defensive ammo available, but .45 and .40 don't have to be selected quite as carefully- I may use this "advantage" by going with the cheaper WWB JHPs for defense) and this gun's size is just right to handle the .40S&W (smaller and I'd go 9mm). .45ACP doesn't have the greatest rep out of a smaller barrel, it loses some as it was designed for a larger barrel, and I think .40S&W doesn't have this issue so much. I think the caliber and platform couldn't be better matched.
I have a stainless PT145 that I will be carrying once I finish my testing with another 150 rounds of Remington GS 185gr JHP's. I have also shot a few hundred rounds of 230gr FMJ (WWB and handloads) and have yet to have any sort of failures.
