Taurus 709 Slim, any comments, opinions, experiance?

[Mike J]

I don't think there is anything wrong with asking questions about a manufacturer here. If I am looking for information on a particular model though I tend to go to the forum for that manufacturer & use the search function. People that are having problems tend to show up on manufacturer specific forums seeking solutions. If the companies customer service is good or bad that will usually be posted about too.
There have been some previous threads both positive & with problems here at THR if you want to look for them it might gain you some insight.

 

[Fastcast]

My brother bought one last summer.....Multiple failures to eject but mostly with WWB.....Multiple light strikes with any brand of ammo.....If and when that time would ever arise, I'd have aboslutely no confidence in this pistol whatsoever. At least not the one he has but that's what you get with Taurus. Like FLAvalanche said 50/50 chance with Taurus.

No thank you!

 

[Jonah71]

I have the same Taurus 24/7 Pro C 9mm. About 2000 rounds with no problems at all. Most dependable semi auto I have. Including Kimber .45, Bersa .380, Kahr .40, and Rock Island.45. Cheaper than all but the Bersa. I have to admit that I haven't shot but 200+ rounds thru the Kimber. (won't shoot Gold Dot HP's or many other Hp's without problems.) Jury is still out on the Kahr..... I haven't fired it enough yet, but I think I'll like it. I went with Kahr instead of CZ. The Kahr should get me by until I decide (or more like...can afford.) what I really want. And for those Kimber people....the ONLY jams I had was with HP's.....just wanted to be clear on that.

 

[docsleepy]

I have the Taurus PT99 (identical to an early Beretta 92, but with adjustable sights). Very happy with it. I did replace the locking block with a 3rd generation Beretta locking block. Stainless, good price, very happy with it.

Just got a Taurus 738 (.380) -- very new to .380. At least with Winchester white box, it is perfect. In another thread I relate a problem with Reminggton CASES, but that appears to be more related to the remington brass and bullet consturction -- the Taurus gun itself (I'm biased!) has fired, extracted, ejected every single time (of just 75 or so) and even locked back pefectly at the end of the magazine.

I lurk the Taurusarmed.net and there is very valuable info there.

 

[MikePaiN]

Here's some comparison targets using the PT709 Slim.
1-2sec shot speed + mag change , 25' range, 14rounds each target.

RWS 124g FMJ


WWB 115g FMJ


Winchester 115g "Silver Tip" HP


I definitely notice a difference in accuracy with the Silver Tips...I'm going to try a few others out too find a better carry ammo for the Slim.

 

[weregunner]

Nice report,Mike. That shows something of substance that others can use.

 

[smhbbag1]

My wife just bought this thing for CC, and she absolutely loves it.

Except for one, minor, deal-breaking aspect if we can't fix it:

The mag dropped out at least once during every mag fired! The mag release is incredibly sensitive.

I did not have a problem with it, but it seems to be how her hand rests on the gun, and we tried many grip variations, and nothing did it for her.

The only improvement came when using lower grain, lower recoil rounds (115gr. Remington target). The issue came less often, but still happened. With the heavier loads, it happened multiple times per mag.

It put a real damper on the range experience. What can we do? Is there a way to shrink the mag release button, or make it less sensitive? We've tried everything for her with grip variations, and nothing worked.

We have surmised that she is hitting the mag release when the shot is fired - the recoil makes her thumb tap it hard enough to engage it. We think this would explain why the heavier loads had a worse problem with this than the lighter ones.

Help? She LOVES it. But this issue is simply not acceptable in a carry gun.

 

[weregunner]

It also depends on whether she shoots with thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs straight out.

Adjustments in shooting grip can change the hit the magazine problem. This is a well documented problem with shooters and certain makes of any brand of gun.

So it would be wise to check and see what if any adustments can be made.

This is not necessarily a gun problem until everything is looked at with an objective eye.

There are numerous cases of a finger,part of the hand, or the thumb rubbing the slide, slide release,or the mag release. A change to two can take care of it .

I own a PT709 and had to change my grip a bit. It compromised nothing if it is done right and it was.

 

[beeenbag]

Man that sure is an ugly little thing!

 

[Lama]

Taurus 709 Slim

I've a 709 as a CC gun. I've shot 100s of rounds through it and it has been flawless. My top priority is reliability and I have absolutely no issues with it.

 

[carbine85]

I haven't decided on mine yet given the fact that Taurus has had it for repairs for 7 weeks now.
Mine and my sons PT709 are both inaccurate but good enough for close range. We have several other 9mm and a CZ82 that will out shoot the PT709 any day.
I will say this, I read a lot more complaints about this model than I do about other guns. There are also reports about cracked frames.