New Taurus PT145

[Dr_2_B]

My buddy and I have been thinking about this Taurus Mil Pro pt145. When I say thinking, I mean exhaustive research and endless discussion. So last week, we each bought one. Took them out Friday in the cold to test them. They're accurate, small, and we've agreed their ergodynamics are the best we've ever felt. The reason that seems strange to us is that it's the only pistol whose ergodynamics we agree on. I like the GLOCK, he doesn't. He likes the Sig, I don't. But we both love this pt 145.

In the initial firing, we each encountered a failure or two. We only fired about 120 rounds each because of the cold, so the guns aren't really even broken in yet. But we were impressed. We are especially impressed with the compactness of this little powerhouse. In comparing it to my baby GLOCK 27, I'm telling you it is the same size and offers two more rounds of .45 (over the GLOCK's .40 caliber). Now, it's a slightly different shape because the Taurus has a slightly longer handle, but size-wise, the two are the same. In fact, right now I'm carrying the pt145 in my GLOCK 27's kydex holster. I've carried it on my hip and it certainly disappears more than my GLOCK 30 and maybe even more than my GLOCK 36 single-stack.

Both of us are believers.

 

[beagler]

chalk up another one

I agree with you. I recently purchased one and I too like mine. Mine is far from being broken in, but I'm working on that. Keep us posted on your experiences. I ordered a Don Hume PCCH for carrying.

 

[johnny blaze]

I carry one all the time.
Great carry piece, and a great shooter.
Enjoy.

 

[Dave R]

I agree with all of this, except I didn't have any misfeeds.

 

[KaliS-Pugilist]

welcome to the family. this gun is really picking up steam. im sure that the price will soon rise as the word and demand start to both increase.

 

[weregunner]

Glad ot hear about your purchase. The PT145 is a fine pistol. The other owners can be found here and at www.unitedforums.com and click on the Taurus Forum. Nice to see a positive Taurus post. There is also Taurus Talk at MSN if interested. Have the cousin of the PT145. The PT111. Enjoy the shooting.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I bought my son a Taurus Mil Pro PT111 a while back. (9mm) He loves to shoot that pistol and is thinging about buying the PT145. I'm glad to here it's as reliable as the PT111.

 

[Sisco]

Like you I did extensive research and decided to get one too. At first I was concerned about the DA trigger, I don't shoot my revolvers well in DA - lack of practice mostly but the trigger on the PT is sweet! Took no getting used to at all. The only thing I don't care for is the Heini sights, I'd rather have three dots.

 

[Katana8869]

Mine has been reliable with over 400 rounds of factory ammo with no failures. It shoots to point of aim at 7 and 15 yards. Rapid fire strings and double taps are easy to control due to the gun's very managable recoil. I despise the Heinie sights and filled in the rear dot with a black sharpie.

The PT145 certainly seems to be one of the true "best buys" on the market right now. While it has not converted me from my Glocks or my XD45 Compact, I certainly would not hesitate to address a negative social encounter with it.

This is a crappy pic from a recent trip to the range, but it helps illustrate the point. 50 rounds at 15 yards:

 

[carterbeauford]

There's a reason you can't go a week without reading a thread about someone buying a PT145

Haven't priced them in a couple years but I assume they aren't selling for under $300 anymore?

 

[LT1coupe]

I anxiously awaiting the one I ordered, $317 plus shipping & FFL will make the final price $360 to my door. The only gun I handled that had me thinking of spending a bit more was the Kahr, but the Taurus had the better warranty & 4 more rounds for $240 less.

 

[BoneDigger]

PT145

I too have just ordered a PT145 and it should be in within the next week or so. I will be paying right at $340 for it. I had some Gander Mountain gift cards I needed to use, so I didn't mind paying a little more to get it from there.

I'm excited about getting it as I have heard mostly good things about these guns.

Todd

 

[tenplusone]

cause for concern?

Hey all,
I'm the "buddy" mentioned in the original post. And I certainly agree with all the comments (sweet little gun, great ergo's, *unbelievable* price). But I'm a little concerned about the reliability issue.

As mentioned there were a few failures. I fired 100rds of standard 230gr ball ammo without incident. But upon switching to some Taurus 185gr Copper Hex HPs, I immediately began having serious jamming issues. I think I had 4 or 5 jams in just one 10rd mag. I also shot 10rds of Hornady 200gr Custom JHPs, but I don't recall if I had any issues with those. (I was so irritated and confused at that point that my rationality must have left me ). I should have fired another clip or two of ball ammo, but between my frustration and the cold, I was just done.

So I have now given the gun a good cleaning, but I don't quite know what to make of it at this point. It'll take some more shooting (hopefully under more favorable weather conditions) to draw any real conclusions. I obviously won't carry it just yet, or if I do I won't use the Hex bullets. But I certainly can't be packing target ammo either, so...?

Anyway, I do LOVE this gun in terms of all the things I mentioned before. If I can establish my confidence in its reliability, I will consider it the hands-down winner for best carry weapon, all things considered, IMO.

Feel free to offer any thoughts or suggestions on my experience and what I might do to sort things out and/or alleviate these problems.

-DLB

 

[BoneDigger]

Taurus

Did you clean the gun prior to shooting it? Sometimes these guns come with so much extra oil on them that fouling can be an issue. Also, I have heard that some of these guns need a couple hundred rounds to smooth out and that some FTE may be experienced in those first couple hundred rounds.

This does concern me though. If you are planning on using it as a CCW, then I would certainly put some more range time in before relying on it for your life. Exactly how cold was it that day?

Todd

 

[CZ-100]

I agree, the PT145 is a Great gun! Purchased mine in Oct. for $329 OTD at a local gun show. Befor going to the show, I was ready to purchase the XD45 or PT145, depending on the price and how they felt. Ended up getting the PT145.

I have put WWB 230 gr FMJ and Federal Personal Protection 230 gr JHP (this ia what I carry in it) thru it with No problems, ALL Fed, Fired and Ejected with NO problems.

I think it is the Best Bang for the Buck out there right now.

 

[MrTuffPaws]

Welcome to the club. MilPro PT145 DAO owner here. Love the gun.

 

[Hypnogator]

But I'm a little concerned about the reliability issue.

Mine used to fail to fully go to battery every once in a while, usually on the third round fired (second in the magazine) when it was brand new. Of course, I hadn't cleaned it yet other than to run a dry patch through the bore. Just wanted to see how reliable it was out of the box.

Cured that by using some of Brian Enos' Slide Glide on the rails. After a couple of hundred rounds, it'll feed anything, even bone dry. I still use a little slide glide on the rails, as it stays in place during carry, and have never had any kind of FTF with any ammo I've put through it yet.

 

[tenplusone]

PT145

BoneDigger -

I did not clean the gun, and that thought did cross my mind. However, it just seems unlikely to me that I would fire 100rds without issue, and then have 5 failures out of 10 shots. Obviously I would expect the failures to get more frequent as the gun gets more and more dirty, but going from a 0% failure rate to a 50% failure rate at the exact same time that I switch from ball ammo to man-stopper HPs seems - at best - highly coincidental. But your point is well taken. Shame on me for not cleaning it first.

The other thing I failed to mention is that even now, after cleaning, the gun still seems to cycle so much harder (as in, not smoothly) than it should. The bullets, even ball ammo, still gets jammed when I cycle the gun manually. But that's not really a fair test. We'll see what happens next time I go shooting.

Oh, and the temp that day was not unbearably cold, maybe mid 30's. Windy and a little rain though, which made for miserable conditions.

Who knows, like you say maybe after another 100-200 rds the thing will cycle like a dream. I'm definitely hoping so.

More to come...

 

[gudel]

someone please take pics of the innards of the gun. I'd like to see the inside slide and frame look like.

 

[03Shadowbob]

Gudel

I'll see what I can do today for you on the innards. Mine is the .40 but I believe the innards are the same as the 45.

 

[George S.]

I've had my PT145 for about a year now and have about 500 rounds thru it with no failures of any kind. I shoot primairily 230gr FMJ for targt use and my CCW load is Remington Golden Saber 230gr JHP.

I added a Hogue handall grip (like the one in Katana8869's pic) and I found it made a big diffeence in grip comfort. I paid $305 for mine last year and I think that most places around here sell them for about $330. Still a good deal for what you get especially for the 10+1 capacity. Just wish the mags didn't cost $37!

What I found interesting in the owner's manual is that Taurus does not recommend bullets heaver than 225 grains. That may be an out for warranty claims or legal side-stepping if you have a catastrophic failure of some sort. They also do not recommend using +P types of ammo. I tried a couple of rounds of Remington GS 185gr +P (just had to try it ) and I found it to be a real handful.

 

[Sisco]

My manual states that the PT145 MilPro was designed for ".45acp 230 grain at 835 FPS"
It does say that +P ammo "Generates pressures significantly in excess of the pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such pressures may affect the useful life of the firearm or exceed the margin of safety built into may pistols and could therefore be DANGEROUS."

 

[MPanova]

tenplusone---

where are you getting the Taurus ammo? I have looked everywhere and no one seems to have any left

 

[DawgFvr]

I bought my Taurus copper top ammo from cheaper than dirt. I now, however, only use corbon DPX copper bullets...both penetrate/expand decently from this tiny barrel pocket cannon.

 

[old4x4]

Wonder if Taurus will retrofit an old PT-145 to the new DA/SA style? I just got off the phone with them, and if you've got the old style DAO, you're screwed. Can't be retrofitted with parts to make it like the new one..