Taurus 1911s. To buy or not to buy?

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Nashvegas

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I have been seeing the Taurus 1911s showing up in my local gun shops, and I gotta say, they look pretty decent. I would typically not consider a Taurus, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with them. Are they pretty standard as far as parts, mags, etc..? What are your thoughts on reliability and accuracy?

I am looking for a 1911 for range shooting, so accuracy and long-term durability are my main concerns, and cost, of course.

Thanks for your advice
 
Oh yeah, I forgot that the ruger had come out. I haven't gotten to see one in person yet, but they look pretty sweet. I have several rugers that I've never had issue with, that is a definite option
 
I've shot the Taurus and it shot well and felt great, but after being burned by the other Taurus semi-autos that I've owned, I wasn't going to take that plunge again on a 1911. So, I bought a Rock Island Armory Tactical 1911 and couldn't be happier, the gun is amazing and I paid $437 shipped. You can't beat that.
 
I owned a Taurus 1911 for 1 day. Took it back and traded for something else. Best trade I ever made.

I've not shot the Ruger yet, but did get to handle one last week. In a $600 gun that is the way I'd go.
 
bought a Taurus PT1911AL...alloy'd lightweight frame 1911 pattern pistol...shoots just fine and much lighter than my other all steel 1911 pattern pistols (duh! ;) )...I have found that there are few actual owner's of Taurus 1911 duds...many heard about one on the errornet but most PT19111 owner's like them...

Bill
 
I owned a Taurus 1911 for several months and took it to the range 4 or 5 times. It was accurate and I had 0 failures. For the money, it has more features than any other 1911. You can buy cheaper 1911s, RIA is one but you'll be giving up things like beavertail safety, checkered front strap and full length guide rod. I have owned a couple of other Taurus semiautos and thouight they were pretty much junk. The 1911 is different.
 
I've had one since they first appeared. Over 5K rounds through it, with ZERO failures of any parts. The gun is accurate, reliable, and durable.

MOST of the crap that you hear about them is the frothing at the mouth of Internet Commandos.
 
I have a stainless pt1911 with around a thousand rounds through it and it has been reliable and accurate so far, with no jams or failures at all.
 
Father in law has one and I have a Springer Loaded and just bought a Springer Range Officer (cant wait for it to be delivered).

That being said...the Taurus is a great gun. I shoot it just as well as my Springer. I like the straight 8 sights. It is tight too. No wobble and seems that the recoil spring is heavy, but no issues with hardball (that is all we have shot in it). I put 8 rounds in 1 hole at 7 yards the first time i shot it. The gun shoots nice and I would have no issues buying another. It is a series 80..and my first experience with one. I took it apart...and actually figured out how to get it back together. I still like my 70 Series Springer better in that respect through. My father in law got it for $450 NEW when they first started to show up on shelves however long ago that was. I know the prices have risen since then.

CB
 
The fact that someone bought a Taurus 1911 and paid $100-$200 less than another gun and it functions perfectly when new is irrelevent in the long term. There are still several reasons to avoid them.

YOUR gun MAY perform perfectly as long as you own it, but Taurus has made too many dogs for ANY Taurus to ever hold any resale value. Past performance is a pretty good indicator of future performance.

Spend about $200 more and you will get a gun pretty much guaranteed to still be working 10 years from now and it will likely be worth much more than you paid for it. Buy a cheap gun today and save about enough money to put gas in your car for a couple of weeks and 10 years from now you will most likely have a problem gun that is worth a fraction of what you paid.

Been buying/selling and trading guns too long. Cheap guns cost you more in the long run.
 
On YouTube - Nuttnfancy(sp?)- does a review on the PT1911. He says the gun is a great value for someone on a budget. The video is worth watching. Maybe that will help with your decision. In a different video, however, he has the PT1911 at a gunsmith getting a trigger job done. So maybe just spend 850.00 and get a Springer or Ruger.
 
I got one in 38Super and it was nothing but problems with the slide locking back on a loaded mag. I sent it back to Taurus twice and they sent it back saying that nothing was wrong. I do not trust this pistol. After about 500 rounds the thing has seemed to have stopped with the lockback. But, who knows.

Also, if you get one I highly advise that you try any aftermarket mags for fit before you buy them. Not all will fit in a Taurus, much less work at all.

Get something else.
 
From my personal experiences I would avoid the company, even though the 1911 is supposed to be one of their "better" models.
 
I have many 1911s of different manufacture. I feel the best bargain you can find is a "Loaded Springfield". When you get it replace trigger parts with a Power Customs Tacticle Match trigger kit of your choosing. For $950 you will have the equal to a $1500-$2000 box custom pistol.
 
I wouldn't buy a Taurus semi auto anything. Revolver, yes. Look at the Rock Island or American Classic, both Filipino by the way, or the STI or the Ruger as well, as the last two are American made and reliable. Yes I do know people with one or more of the brands I've stated so I'm speaking with first hand knowledge.
 
I took a chance and got a Taurus 1911. I do not regret it; It's been reliable so far (over 400 rounds of various loads, including some pretty wacky handloaded stuff that jammed a more expensive 1911, and not one hiccup. Right out of the box. Granted that isn't a lot, but I think it's a decent indicator), and more reliable than I can demonstrate.

I see no reason to "trade up", at least in my case. My $.02, ymmv, etc.
 
A lot of folks will just bash Taurus by default, without ever laying hands on the gun.

I've had my PT1911 for a year and a half, shot it quite a bit, it's nice. My one and only gripe is the safety doesn't seem as tight as other 1911's. Other than that it has ran flawless and has some nice features.

I'm not saying the Taurus is the best "budget" 1911 on Earth, but it's a good gun.
 
I owned a Taurus 1911 for 1 day. Took it back and traded for something else. Best trade I ever made.

I've not shot the Ruger yet, but did get to handle one last week. In a $600 gun that is the way I'd go.
Posts like this are funny.

Would you care to elaborate as to why you only owned your Taurus 1911 for one whole day?
 
I shot one at local IDPA match and it's a sweet shooting gun. We had to switch guns for the scenario and I choose the PT1911. I was surprised at how accurate and reliable it was. I was on the same squad as the owner and he never had a hiccup with it throughout the match. If I were in the market for another 1911, I'd consider this one for the money.
 
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