Opinions on Taurus pt145

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Double Maduro

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I am looking for something smaller than my Ruger P90 for a ccw. The other day I stopped at one of my favorite shops and they had a PT145, used, never fired, for $349.

I know these had some problems, do they still?

What serial # starts the good batch? if there is a good batch.

If anyone has one, how do you like it?

Is this a fair price? I paid less than that for my Ruger, brand new.

I like the way it fits my hand and if the consensus is good I'll see if my local range has one for rent.

Thanks,

DM
 
PT 145

Dear Double,

My Son bought one of these 2 years ago. It looks great and feels great, but will not fire an entire magazine without jamming. He's sent it back at least 4 times, asked for his money back and asked for a replacement. It still sheds parts when fired and jams constantly.

Taurus reportedly makes great wheel guns, but I cannot recommend theri autoloaders.
 
The website mentioned above has not been updated in some time. It also has some errors, confusing problems with PT-111 and PT140 models, which are substantially different than the PT-145 (which has a different upper slide and lower than the -111 and -140. By the way, how can a used gun never be fired...sounds like a suspicious deal...

I have a PT-145 stainless, and like it a lot. Only had time to put about 250 rounds through it over the winter, but was VERY surprised at the accuracy.

If you do a search on my id at www.thefiringline.com you will see many posts on the weapon. Also some at this website.

Check the serial number...it will start with NU or NV. The N indicates .45 caliber. The U=2001, the V=2002. The next character indicates month of manufacture, so a model starting with NVA means it was made in Jan 2002.

There was some issue with the plastic cracking for 2001 models, and early 2002 models. This has been fixed, and any that do crack are fixed with a modified reinforced lower. Late manufactured 2002 models already have the reinforced lower. Lifetime warranty with Taurus, so I wouldn't sweat it.

I think its a darn good gun. HOWEVER, there is an even newer model...the Millenium Pro. You should ask how much it would be for it, which has improvements over the PT-145. If it is close, I would go for the Millenium Pro model.

For the jamming issue mentioned by the post from "Scarface"...I am very surprised, as the firing mechanism is VERY simple. So, I must ask, Scarface...just what ammo are you using in that thing?
Factory fresh ammo...or something else...?

Here is a pic of the Pro model from www.taurususa.com
H_145SSP.jpg
 
Howdy,

I've owned my PT-145 since last November. It has fired 2000 rounds without any jamming whatsoever. As a general rule, any model manufactured after August of 2002 will have the more sturder polymer blend that is also being included with the Taurus Millenium Pro line as well.

The earlier models had issues with some of the frame cracking. This did not affect the shooting at all, but was still a very big concern. I held off buying one for about 6 months because of this.

This is one of the smallest (if not smallest) guns that uses a double stack mag for a total of 11 rounds. The thickness is similar to a Glock 36.

I think the price that you mentioned is good ( I paided $460 for mine). If you do shoot with one, there are 3 things that I would recommend:

1. Use a high hand grip. The reason for this is that the gun only has a 3.25" barrel. If you use a too-low grip, the recoil force needed to work the slide is now dissipated through the hand, which slows the momentum. This can cause a jam with any gun, not just the PT 145. I can't speak for Scarface, but I've had two friends eliminate their jamming problems by utilizing the high hand grip. (They are also now cleaning their guns and magz more as well)

2. When practicing at the range, if you are going to shoot more than 50 rounds with this gun, use a recoil or weightlifting glove of some sort. The recoil is maneagable, but I still get blister marks above my right thumb if I don't wear a glove.

3. Do not use +P ammo with this pistol. I have fed mine. Winchester, Federal American Eagle, Hydrashok and Gold Dot FMJ and HJP with no problems, but within the 185-230 gr. range.

Just my two cents. Regardless of your decision, hope this helps.

Shoot safe,
Tony

PT-145
PT-111
PT-92
Kimber Custom II
 
The one's produced in that past were of questionable quality. Try a search here & TFL where this topic has been covered petty well. From recent threads & posts tho, recent production has fixed whatever problems it may have had & the pro model looks very much improved.
 
Thanks for the updates, guys. I still haven't got one, but I'm still very interested in them. :)
 
I have one. Serial is NVA (Jan 2002) I like mine too. It works flawlessly with factory ammo. I did have some problems with reloads, but avoid them now. I think big problem was the cracked frame, which as mentioned above did make it malfunction. If you do some research I think you will notice that there hasn't been any problem with the newer guns.
 
One more opinion....

Double M

Have about 2,200 rounds through mine and it has been very dependable. Is my CCW. No problems feeding any factory ammo I run through it. Simply carry ball now. I do have a high strong hand grip with my thumb riding the safety. I found the accuracy pretty good out to the distance I practice, which is 7 yards. I shot it at 20 yards and can keep it on the paper but not very impressive. Could be my old eyes.

Frame cracked at 1,500 rounds after shooting some +p. Of course it was nothing other than cosmetic as the gun keep running, but I sent it in anyway and was returned to me in four weeks. Still going strong.

I would definitely go with the Pro line. Don't know why except the presumtion it would be an improved weapon.

Would definitely buy another.

Good Luck
 
Thanks all for the information.

I think the used and unfired may have been buyers regret, the gun looks brand new.

I will check the serial #'s to make sure it is a newer one.

I have fondled several compact carry guns and this one just feels like it belongs in my hand. Not quite as natural as my 1911 but I haven't had as much experience with it yet.

When the 1911 comes out of my holster the safety comes off and as soon as it is on target it just goes off all by itself. That's what practice will do.

I really like my P90 and just wish it was a little smaller.

I checked some of the threads you mentioned and when time allows I will check some more. I am also going to check prices, $349 seems a little high for a gun the shop owner said sells new for about $400.

Thanks again.

Any more information will be appreciated.
 
When the 1911 comes out of my holster the safety comes off and as soon as it is on target it just goes off all by itself.
Click to expand...
:what: I knew it, guns are evil! :evil:

I had a PT-145 for a couple weeks. I liked it! I only sold it to buy a USP 45 Compact. My PT-145 was very accurate. It's pretty amazing that 11 rounds of .45 fit in that little gun! I am going to take a good look at the "Pro" when they come out. The PT-145 would make a great carry gun if all the bugs get worked out.
 
Double Maduro, note that the PT-145 will have a stiff trigger pull, since the "energy" you "pent up" with the pull is the entire energy that pulls and releases the striker...unlike the trigger on the 1911, which merely releases the energy pent up from pulling the hammer back.

I LIKE this for a concealed carry weapon...the stiff trigger pull and safety means accidental discharge is unlikely.
 
Darshan27,
You say you wouldn't shoot +P through it. Why is that? I have put quite a few through mine without a problem. Mine was manufactured in October of 2002, so I am not worried about the cracking or any other problems. I have never had a problem with jams or anything, and I have shot factory ammo, and reloads. The only problem I have had was with a round, not the gun. I love it and carry it every day that I am not stuck at work.
 
I only have experience with ONE, it belonged to a friend and we took it on several trips to an outdoor range.

To summarize: bad trigger, unreliable ignition of all kinds of ammo, intermittent mis-feeds, and then the recoil assembly broke... :barf:
 
I bought one on a whim sometime last year. I've shot it maybe 200 rounds with no trouble. I took it out of the safe last week to trade it but it felt so good in my hand I couldn't do it.
 
Greetings Jason PT145,

I love shooting +P ammo through my Kimber Custom II, since that pistol was designed to feed those loads at that speed. I've read just about every post that I could get my hands on concerning the frame cracking issue on the PT 145, and a good share of the people who experienced this (including Humble Texan) state that they recieved the cracks using the hotter ammo. This does not mean that the load itself is responsible for this. Many people blame the subframe construction, as opposed to the polymer blend, but I can't really say.

Of course, now that Taurus seems to have fixed the issue, this may change. I also have a PT 111 and I fed 9mm +P ammo with no problems, but I decided to just stick to Hydrashok 124gr., and I shoot pretty good groups with this.

Regardless, to answer your question, I don't like using hotter ammo on smaller pistols that weigh less than 25oz. There is already a decent amount of recoil, as I said before, was manegable, but I like to practice double tap exercises, and I do better with just standard 230 gr. But this is just me. I also like using the new Taurus Hex Bullets at 185gr.

Overall, I'm happy with the 'plain jane' PT 145 that I have. I got it in November knowing that the Millenium Pro line was coming, but got it anyway. I don't regret the decision.

Hope you have good results shooting +P ammo though this pistol if you decide.

Shoot safe,
Tony
 
Tony,
In your opinion, what ammo groups the best for your gun. I started out with Cor-Bon 185 gr. JHP +P, and I was happy with the way they shot. When I went back to the range, I figured I would shoot my carry ammo, and some other stuff I had, and then restock with new carry ammo. I should have bought the new stuff before I shot, but I guess I am just young, and tend to make mistakes. I went to the ammo shot (at the range), and they didn't have my carry ammo. I picked up some PMC 185 gr. JHP because they were cheap, and I was told they shot well. They grouped better than most of the other ammo I have tried, so I decided to use that as my carry ammo until I find something that groups better. Is there any one kind of ammo that groups much better than the others for you??

Thanks for getting back to me,
Jason
 
I'm kind of interested in one. It feels really good in my hand. I was all set to buy one when the frame cracking issue came into the limelight, so I settled on a Glock 30 instead. Thought I might eventually get one and shoot the crap out of it, just to see what breaks. $350 is just a tad high for a NEW PT-145, in my experience. I've seen these at every gunshow in the past year going for $300 for blued (black or whatever they call it) and $325 for stainless (ok, make it $360 for the only one I've seen with night sights). These are for new guns of recent manufacture. I don't see people snapping them up at these prices, either. Mags are expensive ($40 each, retail) and Taurus only includes one with the gun (I usually require 3 minimum for anything I carry).
 
Hello Jason PT145,

When practicing with the PT 145, I generally have the best results using Federal American Eagle brand at 230 gr. My shooting range is very picky about FMJ ammunition, so I just shoot ball ammo. When I go outdoors, I practice using this ammo along with Taurus Hex bullets at 185 gr. These are new pure copper hollow points that are a joint operation between Taurus, Barnes, Hodgdon and PMC ammo. I mention this because you said you had good results with PMC 185gr.

Sadly, I only practice about twice a month, and I'm actually fairly new to the .45 platform, shooting the 9mm for over 10 years. I'm saying this just so I don't give the impression that I'm an experienced shooter, but I like the practice whenever I get a chance.

I think the new Hex bullets look promising. Check them out:

http://www.taurususa.com/products/products-ammo.cfm

Shoot safe,
Tony
 
Anyone see these for sale online yet?

Been checking the usual sites and havent seen the Pro models out yet. If they are whats the going rate?
 
Doesn't it say in the PT-145 manual NOT to shoot +p through it?
Click to expand...

Well, kinda. Discourages +p, +p+ or other ultra or high velocity ammunition. Says not resposible for malfunctions if such ammunition is used. But doesn't specifically state it negates the warranty if you use.

Calls out re-manufacturered or re-load ammo as voiding warranties if used.
 
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