Is this something to be mad about?

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ceetee

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Originally posted on Taurusarmed.net. I figured I'd ask here, also, since there are tons of well-informed surfers here.

I bought a NIB Taurus .40 24/7 Pro some time ago. The first range trip, it functioned flawlessly. I fired fifty rounds without a hitch. The 2nd and 3rd trip, though, told a different story. I had constant failures to feed, from both factory magazines. After a hundred rounds each trip, I had nothing but regret about my purchase. Since each FTF was a nosedive, I figured it may be the magazines. Taurus' customer service said that if I send the magazines in, they would have no problem shipping me out two new magazines. (I think I should note that on the first trip, I was only loading 14 rounds into each mag. Before the second trip, I squeezed the full fifteen in. This may have had something to do with the FTF's.)

On January 31st, I packed up both mags, and mailed them to Miami (about a 90 minute drive from my house). I didn't hear anything by February 8th, so I called them. The girl I spoke with first said the mags were backordered, but then she looked in her computer inventory and said that the mags were actually available. She said she would have them sent to me, and that I should expect them in 7 to 10 business days. I finally got them today, 11 business days later - okay, so she was off by a day.

I opened the box, to find two magazines, not in any kind of factory packaging, but in separate ziploc baggies. Looking at them closely, I realized that they sent me two USED magazines. There are scratches in the finish, worn spots where the mags had been rubbing when being inserted and removed, and scratches on the followers where the rounds get loaded. They look exactly like the magazines I sent in, except for one thing: the followers on the mags I sent in had solid sides, so that the mag spring was entirely surrounded by plastic at the top. These have had the sides cut away, more like AR-15 mag followers. They only have the feed ramp area and the front and rear guide areas. The springs also seem stiff, like they're new. I probably won't have a chance to function-test these new mags for a while.

My main question is this: Should I be ticked off at receiving used mags back in the mail? A second question is: Has anybody else noticed a difference in mag followers like I've described?

Thanks for your time!
 
You bought the gun new, not used, right? If that's the case I'd be upset too, you sent them two defective new magazines, they should send you two new replacement magazines. I've been down a similar road with Taurus, I'll never buy another Taurus.
 
But on the other side of the coin, if you waited till the "back-ordered" mags came in, you'd be SOL, until then. So maybe this is a blessing in disguise?
 
Is it possible the use was from function testing at Taurus? Or, are there too many scratches?
 
They're probaly upgrading the magazines they're getting back with new springs and followers and shipping them back out.
If they work I wouldn't care. The mags will get scratched up the first time you insert them into the gun anyways. If the springs and followers are new and you didn't have to wait (too much) enjoy your new mags.
 
The girl I spoke with first said the mags were backordered, but then she looked in her computer inventory and said that the mags were actually available.
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This is purely speculation, but she probably saw that new mags were still on backorder, but there were some repaired mags available.

If they work then I would not be upset.
And you can use them until you get some new ones ordered.

Good luck,
Easy.
 
I guess that depends on whether they work well or not....
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+1 on that. If they had repaired/returned the ones you sent in you would have been getting used magazines back. I'd test them right away. If they work, great; if not, scream bloody murder and send the magazines and the pistol in for repair.
Regards,
Greg
 
People wonder why Taurus has a terrible reputation and tht I will not buy another one.
There are so many other options out there.
As far as the mags, I'd send them back if you don't need them (i.e you have another firearm). You should get what you paid for. Why pay new gun money and accept used gun merchandise?
 
Well, my first thought was to be highly hacked off at not getting "new" mags back in. After reflecting on it a bit, I thought that I hadn't sent "new" mags in, either - they had a couple hundred rounds through them each. But a couple hundred rounds is nothing... they may as well have been new.

It seems like these are returned mags that have had the spring and follower switched out - how would I feel if they had just taken the guts out of my own original mags and replaced them with new? I'd probably feel that since there was nothing wrong with the mag body and floorplate, and there's nothing really wrong with the bodies and floorplates I received, that it's an even swap.

My biggest gripe is that it'll be a while before I can take it out and test them. In the meantime, I've got a $385 paperweight. There's no way I can rely on it for self-defense ot home defense until it's proven itself reliable. BTW, this is far from being a Taurus rant. I'm not a name junkie... I'll take whatever tool does the job, no matter what the nameplate says. When the gun shoots, it's accurate, it feels good in my hand, and I like being able to have 16 rounds of .40 in one carryable package.
 
First, the important question: Do the magazines function? Can you try it with snap caps and see if the rounds cycle or not?

If so, I'd just take them and use them. They are magazines after all, not fashion statements.

As for Taurus, their Customer Service stinks. At SHOT Show, I had the pleasure of speaking to the head of their customer service about problems with rude staff, the quality of the workmanship (going in to detail on several models, I owned 7), the excessive wait times for parts and repairs, and the general need to have a more effective parts inventory system. I was boxing his ears for a good 30 minutes or more. Hopefully it works...
 
While other manufacturers are just as likely to have customer service issues occasionally, the number of issues that seem to arise with as much frequency as they do in regards to Taurus' handling of product failure and quality control complaints, causes me to rule out for the foreseeable future, ever purchasing a Taurus product.

I have two close friends (old college buddies) that were unlucky enough to end up getting Taurus firearms (two 9mm and one .357 revolver between them) and they have had nothing but difficulty and dissatisfaction in their attempts to have their guns serviced for parts breakage and malfunctions that seem to be undiagnosable by their departmental armorer.

If Taurus doesn't begin to address this issue, no worries. Their (potential, current and returning) clientele will vote with their wallets and Taurus will feel it. Whether they are responsive to customer concerns before their demise is up to them, but I am out, most likely forever, where Taurus is concerned.

All the best,
GS
 
I hate to say it, but I'm usually surprised anymore to get an auto that works.

When I buy an auto these days the first thing I do is order Wolff mag springs and a recoil spring "tuning kit."

Then I take the new gun out to the garage and get out the dremel and polish the feed ramp and chamber. Yeah, I know, nullify the warranty - well it probably isn't going to work anyway so...

That is followed up by complete disassembly and a light coat of Tetra grease on all parts.

Then I fire and adjust.

In your case it sounds like you need mag springs. The slide is recoiling too fast for the mag to push the next round up into proper position to strip it into the chamber. The slide is pushing the cartridge back down and into the feed ramp before the cartridge is in proper position.

If you had upgraded springs in the mags then you would know that isn't the source, but it may be a recoil spring that is working too quickly. Then you go to your tune-up kit and try reduced-power recoil springs.

If that doesn't work it is in the feed lips of the mag. I have several pliers with the serrations ground off that I use for tuning feed lips. In your case it may be that the rear end of the cartridge isn't rising high enough to be stripped from the mag. That would mean either spreading the rear of the feed lips or compressing the leading edge.

Anyway, half the fun of a new auto is making it work the way it is supposed to. View it as a challenge.

And, yeah, you oughta be ticked.
 
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