Send it back for repair or replacment? Or keep it as is.

[DasFriek]

Ive been battling this question for a good 6 months and decided if im gonna do it it better be soon as cooler weather is close around the corner and ill want to carry my 1911 all the time.

Seeing ive owned my PT1911 over a year Taurus wont pay for shipping. I can get a shop to do it for $38 and thats the lowest quote ive found.

The problem is on the slide where the firing pin safety plunger is has worn threw its hole and is exposed to the slot next to it. It may be the ejector that did this, But im not sure. Ive seen some newer guns that are actually made like this iirc it was a S&W 1911.
I rounded off the edges with a file so nothing would snag or hang the slide up, So its completely safe and reliable.

I took the plunger out anyhow as the extractor was peened and beaten up badly last year and i replaced it with a HD Wilson product.
That caused the firing pin to longer match the plunger as all 3 work together. I quickly found out you much use all Taurus parts or all after market parts and CANNOT mix them inside the slide.

So i Bought a Wilson recoil spring and HD firing pin spring so all safety concerns are addressed.

Other than those 2 issues the gun was most flawless and now has about 1900 rounds threw it and shoots better than any other gun i own.
It is showing tons of holster wear since they use such a thin bluing. And that is sexier than a new gun anyday if its on a gun you personally put it on.

If i send it back ill most likley get a completely new gun as i doubt they would put a new slide on with such a worn finish on the frame.
Then i risk breaking in a new gun and having new bugs to work out.

Or i could take it and sell it to a shop as pre-owned but unused gun for a better quality gun. But funds are lacking and i couldn't afford to do that for a long time.
So that about rules that out.

Also this is/was my first 1911 so it holds some sentimental value despite what some feel and think about Taurus. Its still tight, Shoots as flat as a .22lr and i know i can trust it.

Or do i start all over again?

(Edit) im getting my camera now and gonna add pics.









The plunger whole should be fully enclosed and not exposed with a big "U" in the slot.
Yes i love lithium grease It looks like alot more than there is as its only on the rails and the middle flats of the frame where the slide rides on top of it. Also the wear externally on the frame doesn't show well in the pics, But up close in normal sunlight its easy to see.

 

[janobles14]

i just cant see that being normal. i would send it back were it me.

 

[DasFriek]

But is it bad enough to you that you would take a chance of loosing a very reliable shooter?
Im not so much a Taurus fan and taking the chance to break in a new one.

But i do know one thing i don't count it THIS gun lasting a lifetime, The metal just doesn't seem up to standards. While apart i looked at what rubbed threw the wall, Its the little bump thats spring loaded vertically.
How that did the damage is beyond me as i lube that part with grease always.

BTW Taurus fans im not bashing them and id like no one else to either, Lets just focus on this gun pls.
If it werent for this one issue id never get rid of this gun i like it so much.
I added a 22lb recoil spring and it shoots as flat as a .22lr pistol, And i can get follow up shots twice as fast as even a Walther PPS9 i have available.

 

[killchain]

My question is this: Does it still work reliably?

If so, I'd say don't fix what isn't broken.

 

[DasFriek]

Since i replaced the beaten up and peened extractor at 1200 rounds its been completely reliable. The only time it acts up is when it needs attention and i know the gun inside and out.
Parts ive replaced due to issues:
Wilson 47D mag at 600 rounds.
Wilson Extractor at 1200 rounds.

Even when this wall wore threw it never caused any hang ups, It happened when i still had the plunger installed also. So ive shot it like this for over 700 rounds.

 

[hammerklavier]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, especially since it's a Taurus and you aren't counting on it lasting forever anyway.

 

[DasFriek]

Id call it more along the lines of the "Scarred and bruised" But still playing first string.
I dont feel it will last forever due to metal in the slide not being as good a quality it should be.
But if i return it and get a new gun its very possible i could get one thats much improved as mine was one of the first off the Taurus line.

But yet im still leaning towards just keeping it. My luck they would just slap a new slide on it and it would look mismatched and have feed and ejection issues when new parts are mixed with old ones and not properly refit.

 

[ScratchnDent]

I'd send it back. I wouldn't trust a gun that was beating itself apart in less than 2,000 rounds.

 

[Fremmer]

Send it back, that isn't right, and it doesn't matter how well it shoots, it is wearing away metal where it shouldn't be. Stuff like that tends to get worse, not better.

 

[rellascout]

IMHO you modified the gun with non-taurus parts which caused excessive wear. I do not see why Taurus would be responsible for fixing this gun.

Am I missing something? Every warranty I have ever read says if you modify the gun then you void the warranty.

 

[DasFriek]

IMHO you modified the gun with non-taurus parts which caused excessive wear. I do not see why Taurus would be responsible for fixing this gun.

Am I missing something? Every warranty I have ever read says if you modify the gun then you void the warranty.

This happened before i ever put the Wilson extractor in when Taurus's extractor failed.
So when it happened the only thing non Taurus was a Wilson magazine.

And why would anyone pay $50 to ship a gun back to Taurus for repair and be gone 2 months over a $30 part?
If Taurus made their parts available to the public i would have purchased one so i could use my firing pin safety.

 

[rellascout]

This happened before i ever put the Wilson extractor in when Taurus's extractor failed.
So when it happened the only thing non Taurus was a Wilson magazine.

And why would anyone pay $50 to ship a gun back to Taurus for repair and be gone 2 months over a $30 part?
If Taurus made their parts available to the public i would have purchased one so i could use my firing pin safety.

The issue is not really about the turn time IMHO. Tons of manufactures take weeks to fix something and end user or smith can replace quickly the issue is does using non-Taurus parts, installed and modified by you void the warranty. What was the genesis of the problem. Was it a Taurus defect in fitting or in parts or materials. In the end if I noticed that kind of wear on one of my guns it would have been going back to the manufacturer ASAP. IMHO if the gun was gauging itself and you knew it why on earth would you want to keep it? I really do not understand why anyone would want to keep a gun with this type of damage. Do you carry this gun?

 

[DasFriek]

The issue is either an alignment issue or metallurgy issue, Either of which i had nothing to do with it happening.
I didn't send it back as i found it to be a small issue. As you can see many others here think so also.
Ill admit i took steps to make it non issue by rounding off the edges so it doesn't wear anymore or snag and cause the slide to fail or lock up.
For that you can say i did modify the gun, But only for the sake of the safety of the gun and shooter.

And yes i carry it, Its my favorite ccw and gets 80% of my carry time.
This issue has never caused a failure, I just noticed it while inspecting it like i do all my guns after every range day and cleaning afterwards.

Any failures ive been able to resolve immediately and where ones any 1911 can have happen. Except this one, Which is unusual. But not life threatening.

Due to it tho as ive stated i don't look at this gun and think it will last me a lifetime like most would when they buy a Colt or Springfield.

Yes, It bothers me its there and gives me pause in recommending the gun. But then again i wont stop carrying it until i can afford a better 1911.
I have a brand new SA XD SC .40 with 500 rounds threw it i bought for summer carry so if i ever did feel the gun was a liability to my life i can carry it instead.

 

[G27RR]

The way I see it, I would either send it back if you really want to keep using it, or hold onto it in the current condition for sentimental value. Personally, I wouldn't carry it in that condition. I've never seen that much metal wear in that round count, and that would make me too concerned to keep using it as a carry piece. That would probably have me keeping it for the memories and saving for a new 1911 to replace it for carry.

 

[DasFriek]

Considering this did happen before 1200 rounds and discovered around the time of the extractor failure it has also went 1900 rounds and just created a hole, But no failure.
So its more like a wart, Than a failure.
But it does give a bad omen that in just 1200 rounds the slide was soft enough that it allowed and item next to it rub right threw it.

I think it does go past a rule of reliability at some point when it comes to a carry weapon.
Im not holding onto it for sentimental value at all. I could sell it in the drop of a hat for a reasonable price as long as the buyer knew about the issue.

Why i keep it is how its grown to be a part of my hand when i shoot. Ive never owned a gun that shoots like this one. Its a dream in my hand and 2x as fast at target acquisition as my XD .40 and a PPS9.

I think im about set on sending it in. I did nothing to create or help this issue happen to the one person who says adding an after market extractor after the damage was done and unrelated to this part of the slides metal failure.

I have all original parts, All of which function fine after i cleaned the factory extractor up with a file. So i can return it as a whole Taurus product that does function but has this bad spot.
For $38 what have i got to loose?

I cant imagine them not replacing the whole slide, But slides and frames are also serial numbered together so they would have to replace both and most likley send me a new gun.
I could either keep it,Break it in and decide if i think the newer products are more likley better metal wise. Id put another 22lb recoil spring in with my Wilson 47D mag and it should be just as good as what i had.
Or trade it in, In good conscience on something else.

 

[DasFriek]

Guys id like to apologize for a major malfunction mentally.
Back in November of 2009 i asked about this on Taurus Armed to which i completely forgot that thread and conversation.

But this pic says it all:



What your looking at is another guys guns, The 2 on the left are a blued and stainless set of PT1911's and on the far right is a S&W 1911.
Both of his PT1911's are the same as mine, With another guy posting his slide showing his about to break threw also.

So it seems they do come from Taurus with a full metal slab in that spot but it wears away fast and is part of the normal wear of the gun. Most likley is a time saving thing were they let it wear threw on its own instead of them removing the metal and smoothing it at the factory.
Im just so anal about my guns i could notice if a gnat sneezed on my gun.

I may go back there and ask if anyone has had any related issues that caused further damage or reliability issues.

But to everyone here im very sorry to have gone threw this and repeat what i should have remembered. Im only 39 so i shouldn't be having memory issues like this

Anyhow im keeping the gun as im certain its fine and Taurus would just send it back saying thats how its designed.
In a way im very glad my gun is wearing as normal and reliable as one could ask for.