Any love for the 709 Slim?

Wife picked up a 740 Slim at a Gun Show. Gun shot and functioned just fine, but is a handful to shoot. We've probably got over 500 rounds through it (mostly reloads) and I don't recall having any issues with it.

I had one for a while and put a bit over 600 rounds of a bunch of different brands of ammo through it. Didn't have one jam, misfire, stove pipe, etc., fired every round. The problem I had with it was the size of the grip and the long pull of the trigger. I just could not shoot it accurately on a consistent basis. Felt great at the counter when I fondled it and dry fired it but when it came to actual shooting, the gun and I just didn't click. Sold it and bought a Shield in 9mm and am completely satisfied. The Shield works for me and the 709 may work well for you. My advice is to see if you can shoot a box or two through a friend's gun or a rental gun at a range before you buy one.

I have one in ss I used to carry before I picked up a shield. I liked it well enough, and never had any jams or misfires as long as I was using the correct ammo.

I just like the more consistent trigger pull of the shield, but do like the second strike capability.

All in all I think the slim is a great pistol.

I have a SS 709. I bought the 709 stainless versions over the blue/black simply because it came with two magazines and the blued one didn't. Magazines can be really tough to find and people seem to have no issue paying $80 + for them on ebay.

That said mine has been excellent. I actually haven't had it for very long, about 400 rounds through it with no issues. I now have an LC9 striker fired version and think I like the LC9 better simply because of the trigger but the 709 isn't bad at all.

Love it!

Recoil is subjective - if it works for you, it's good. If not, it's bad - regardless of how it works for someone else.

I have the 709 Slim and have no complaints with it. It seems you got yours at an excellent price. I have never had it not fire when I pulled the trigger, and don't think the recoil is bad for that size gun. However, I agree it doesn't have the best trigger pull. At that price, I definitely would have bought it.

709 slim is my EDC.

Only complaints about mine are cosmetic. Eventually I'll get around to installing night sights. My other suggestion would be to get the stainless slide, not the blued. The Taurus bluing is very light and easy to strip with cleaning. It doesn't hold up.

It's reasonably accurate, has manageable recoil, decent trigger pull.

Magazines are hens teeth, though. If your LGS has them, get them.

I cleaned up a friends 709 a few months ago. His hadn't been used much , but I was surprised with how loose the tolerances were in the mechanism that operates the striker. ( sorry , my terminology stinks).

The "double strike" capability seemed poorly designed ( to me) and it seemed like it would just be a matter of wear before a person could have a gun fires a double or triple , when you pull the trigger.

I readily admit that I have heard of ZERO examples of this happening with the 709....but it still made me uncomfortable. It's not a gun that I would want.

Just my opinion...mike


Disclaimer: I'm not a gunsmith, engineer or machinist...so I don't really know what I'm talking about.

I have one of these in SS in my personal collection. I bought it for the wife. We went to get her a G-26 but they were out of them that day, so she looked around immediately liked the feel of the Taurus 709 Slim. I have carried it several times myself, like the size and feel in a CC holster. I even have carried it in a pocket sleeve holster a time or two. It does have a long trigger pull, but the break is fairly crisp and very near the end of the pull. The pull is a feature my bride, with her smaller sized hands really admires. I have several friends who have them too and swear by them for CC Weapons. I have put several hundred rounds through the pistol. It does have a slightly snappy feel to the recoil, but it is a fairly lightweight pistol more designed for easier concealment. I would not say it is uncomfortable to shoot, nor would my bride, who definitely finds the G-27 too hard to shoot with its profound recoil. Another plus is the width of the slide is just right for her to wrap her fingers around and charge the slide, something a wider slide pistol cannot do. She always said that cycling the slide on the 1911 and Glock style pistols felt uncomfortable for her with the size of her hands, which are a normal size for a woman. When we bought it the SS 709 Slim came with a second magazine and was only about $20 more than the blue version. Also at that time there were plenty of spare mags available but they ran around $30 each. There was talk of a larger capacity magazine in the works at Taurus but it never materialized. The bottom line is I am satisfied with my purchase and would recommend them to a friend, your mileage may vary.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

No....

No.
Go with the S&W Shield. It has a lifetime warranty, it's a well known, proven brand & you can buy many parts/holsters/magazines for it.

The 709 9mm is okay but I wouldn't carry it for defense or use it for home security.
I plan to buy a new M&P Shield 9x19mm "no thumb safety" pistol by the end of 2014. I can get Bud's "qualified professional" sale price but a local shop offers M&Ps on sale too.

Another choice to consider is SIG's new modular 320 series. You can switch the fire control system out & carry different calibers & different frames/sizes.

I cleaned up a friends 709 a few months ago. His hadn't been used much , but I was surprised with how loose the tolerances were in the mechanism that operates the striker. ( sorry , my terminology stinks).

The "double strike" capability seemed poorly designed ( to me) and it seemed like it would just be a matter of wear before a person could have a gun fires a double or triple , when you pull the trigger.

I readily admit that I have heard of ZERO examples of this happening with the 709....but it still made me uncomfortable. It's not a gun that I would want.

Just my opinion...mike


Disclaimer: I'm not a gunsmith, engineer or machinist...so I don't really know what I'm talking about.

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The Second Strike capability works fine. Never heard of anyone having problems with it.

Maybe it was just your friend's particular pistol that had that issue. You mentioned you "cleaned it up" (whatever that means). The tolerance may be a little loose, but it should not affect function. Did you have any issues with it?

I've owned 2 PT709 pistols, and a PT740 (40sw). All have worked just fine in my experience. I still carry the 709Slim, and it hasn't given me any issues. I also carry a Glock btw when I need more capacity.

No.
Go with the S&W Shield. It has a lifetime warranty, it's a well known, proven brand & you can buy many parts/holsters/magazines for it.

The 709 9mm is okay but I wouldn't carry it for defense or use it for home security.
I plan to buy a new M&P Shield 9x19mm "no thumb safety" pistol by the end of 2014. I can get Bud's "qualified professional" sale price but a local shop offers M&Ps on sale too.

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In defense of the 709, many people have carried it for SD/HD and have had no issues with it (myself included). For about half the price, it is a good carry pistol. I've also carried M&P's and Glock's, but for someone else who may be on a tight budget, the 709 should do just fine.

Many people hate on the brand without really knowing much about it or having any experience. Taurus does get a bad rep at times, but for the most part many of its owners don't have issues with theirs.

FWIW.....

I've owned & shot 2 Taurus handguns, one brand new, the other used.
I stand by my remarks.
You might feel the 709 is a great value & a good carry pistol but that's not going to mean 1000s of holsters/parts/gear/accessories will pop up.
The M&P Shields are extremely popular.
709s? Not so much.

Because popularity and accessories saves lives in defensive shooting.

Yeah!.....

They sure do!
If 1000s of people buy & carry M&P Shields they must be wrong.

Apply that EXACT same sentiment to the Taurus 709 slim, 'thousands of people' buy and carry the Taurus Slim series. Despite your own bias, there is quite a following for that pistol.

Oh, and a 30 second google search for Taurus 709 slim accessories yielded about 49,000 results. The first few off the top
Crimson Trace

Pearce grip extensions

Desantis Holsters

but no... no aftermarket support at all.



$245 out the door is a good price for that Taurus. When I see the S&W Shield at that price point, or even remotely near it, then I might relent. For the price, the Taurus is a perfectly fine option.

Not saying the S&W isn't a perfectly good gun, I'm sure it is.

The Shield is worth the extra few bucks, just from the perspective of quality manufacturing vs. Taurus.

I realize it's a view that ruffles feathers sometimes, which is not my intention, but with so many great options from manufacturers that stand behind quality products, and after some bad experiences by members of my family, I just do not see a reason to take a chance on a Taurus product. The saved money usually adds up to, at most, a few boxes of ammo, which you'll go through in the first few months of owning the pistols. The possible cost of that saved money - running afoul of Taurus's spotty reputation for quality - is unacceptable to me.

There are many fantastic 9mm carry options on the market today with proven quality. Walther's PPS, Smith & Wesson's Shield, Kahr's PM9. The 709 gets a nope from me.

Since you have already ordered the gun, I hope you get a good one. Taurus has intriguing designs. When they work, they can be quite good.

this is the beauty of lots of choices. i like much about the 709 except that it's a taurus....and that there is a lot of quality competition out there. that said it's in keltec price ranges, and your odds are about the same. well maybe a little better with a keltec......but still......

if it were me i'd look at something else, but i'm me and you are you. i always say good luck to taurus owners. hope you get good results.

There are many fantastic 9mm carry options on the market today with proven quality. Walther's PPS, Smith & Wesson's Shield, Kahr's PM9. The 709 gets a nope from me.

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My experience with Kahr's customer service suggests they are at least as "spotty" as Taurus and definitely not in the same league as S&W or Ruger.

I have owned and carried a SS 709 for a number of years (I can look up the date of purchase tonight if anyone cares). It is one of two pistols I carry regularly, and rides on my hip more days than not. I have fired well over 1.5k through mine, various brands and bullet weights. I've used it once in an IDPA shoot with good results. My pistol really doesn't like my latest reloads (fails to extract every 5th round or so), but other than that I have had only a single malfunction in all this time: a single failure (out of over 100 rounds that day) to extract during that IDPA shoot, using some old PMC ammo.

The trigger pull is very hefty for a single action gun, but short and crisp so it isn't too bad for accuracy. The gun shoots reasonably well, although I don't often shoot groups with it, and in that one IDPA shoot I did score second lowest points-down (this was not a BUG match, fyi). The grip is a little short front-to-back, and the trigger reach being so short can be a problem for some shooters, though my wife and I do fine. The weight and profile make it easy to carry for long periods, though I admit that I could do without the sharp corners on the slide. Those corners also make pocket carry more challenging.

Magazines are tough to get. I haven't looked for night sights lately, but I really want them and they weren't available. Supposedly you can use a glock front sight, but the plastic rear is unique. My rear sight is slightly canted to the left, but i haven't gotten around to getting a replacement.

Great guns. Inexpensive and reliable. For that price, the OP did good.

wally said:

My experience with Kahr's customer service suggests they are at least as "spotty" as Taurus and definitely not in the same league as S&W or Ruger.

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As a company, agreed. Was speaking solely to the model PM9.