Taurus handguns

[Helstrm]

I don't like the term cheap,.. Let's try good quality budget minded guns. I had a 24/7 pro and I can't say anything bad about it. I just prefer 1911s so I sold it. Although I was about to pickup a S&W 638 as a backup but after reading this thread I may have to look at the Taurus...

 

[TimboKhan]

sigh... I am a noted Taurus defender, and I will roll out again here and say that the continous bashing of Taurus is tiresome, at best. Yes, we all know that QC wasn't that great a few years ago. Companies change. Remember when Colt used to be a premier manufacturer? Secondly, they are not "cheap" copies. No less an authority than Massad Ayoob sings the praises of the Taurus 92-100 series, and other Taurus models. Don't believe me? Read the 5th edition of Combat Handgunnery, or just ask him since he posts on THR. Third, the new Taurus 1911 is a good gun, and while I am obviously biased, I challenge anyone to shoot it and call it a POS. For several hundred dollars less, I got every little fancy-pants upgrade that a high-end 1911 gets, and guess what? It shoots like a dream. Has even made me something of a 1911 fan, again.

Now, of course there are guys that have had problems with Taurus guns. There are also guys that have had problems with every single manufacturer, every single model, and every single accessory out there, and thats an important thing to remember. When a guy says "I had a XXX gun, and it was crappy, I will never shoot a gun from XXX again", he is basing that opinion of off ONE GUN!!!!!! Thats like saying that I will never buy an F150 because I once had a Pinto, and you certainly wouldn't take that advice seriously, would you? The fact is, I have had 5 Taurus pistols, and have had good luck with all. I have had probably 7 Ruger handguns and have had good luck with them all. I have had one Springfield Armory 1911, and I had horrible luck with it, but you don't see me bashing Springfield Armory, do you? No, you do not. I sold the gun to someone more tolerant of it little pecadillos, and I would very likely buy another SA gun again. One bad gun in an ocean of guys that love them does not make a convincing argument against the gun. The thing is, you ahve to take other peoples opinions with a grain of salt when it comes to gun reviews on THR, or on any forum. Heck, my own RL buddy Rockstar.esq and I are at odds constantly over my Ruger rifles. I like them, he hates them. I don't think he would tell you that they are non-functioning crap-piles, but he sure wouldn't recommend you buy them, where I would. Like I said, grain of salt.

 

[Panthera Tigris]

I had the Millennium Pro 9 and the 24/7 in 9. Both were non issues as far as problems go. I only sold em because the MP was too large with the extended mag to fit in the pocket and the 24/7 was too large for me to otherwise conceal on myself.

 

[sm]

Reminder

Attack the argument not the person posting.
It is helpful to provide cites to support viewpoints.

Some really great information in this thread - I would really hate to see it locked because folks were bashing, and not contributing.

 

[torpid]

Slam the words not the guy posting.
It is helpful to post things to support sayings.

Some really great talk in this thread - I would really be P.O.'d to see it hosed because goobers were talking trash, and not sayin' good stuff.

(my exeedingly cheap Torpid brand copy of sm's quality post)


I'll be good...

 

[razorburn]

That guy is trolling though. He specifically seeks out taurus threads and posts something incendiary to incense people. There's about 10-20 threads in the past, pretty much all the same thing. To the point where he has been caught in full out lying just to try to defame them. He'll seek out a thread of a brand he doesn't like, rush in and shout something simple and inflammatory like "brand xxx is cheap crap!!!", without relating either an experience or support of any kind, or anything else of value.

Back on topic, Don, I have the 608 in 6.5" configuration. It's very accurate, reliable, as revolvers are expected to be, and has the highest capacity of all 3 guns you list, and I find the looks influenced by the heavy ribbed barrel to be the most attractive of the 3 guns. However, on the downside, there's no quality speed loaders available, and d/a trigger pull is heavy, I'd guess around 12-13 lbs.

It's also not quite fair to accuse them of copying everything. In fact, they've put out more new product recently than most other brands. The 4410, 608 being discussed, 627 tracker, raging bull, 24/7, are all their own creations.

 

[LightningJoe]

The Millennium Pro is a "copy" of an even cheaper gun, the Kel-Tec P11. It's got some improvements, such as ergonomics, better takedown pin, and a better recoil spring. Better sights, too, I think.

 

[Don Lu]

thanks razorburn....

and I agree the 608 is the best looking of the 3, love the porting. 12-13 lbs is pretty heavy .. how is the SA pull ?

 

[MCgunner]

My next handgun purchase will most likely be a Taurus. I took a friend's .38 to the range and liked the way it fired. Smooth flowing trigger also. I have been eyeing their 4" .357's for a few months and feel I will buy one of the models they offer.

I've also got a Taurus M66 that's the most accurate K frame sized gun in .357 4" I've ever owned with both .357 and .38 special. It's been hard for me, for some reason, to find a gun that would shoot both .357 and .38 exceptionally well. However, the Taurus does. I've had a M19 Smith that didn't like .38s, a Ruger Security Six that didn't like .38s, a Rossi M971 that was decent with both, but not all THAT great, then this Taurus which will put a couple of loads in .38 and a couple in .357 into a 1" cluster off sandbags at 25 yards. That's what I was looking for and why I've kept this gun, aside from the smooth trigger and ease this thing is to shoot with hot loads. That Ruger was tough on my shooting hand and had a lot of muzzle flip with magnums. The Taurus is much easier to shoot.

 

[razorburn]

The s/a is great, actually. Trigger pull is light, somewhere between 3-5 lbs, and breaks with no creep and very crisply. Scoped and off a rest, I'm getting 5 shot groups averaging a bit under 1" at 25 yards in SA, by far the most accurate handgun I've shot. I occasionally get a few 3 shot groups at .25", just a single ragged hole. But to be fair, it's also the largest and mostly set up for hunting/target use. Recoil is practically non-existent due to the heavy weight and porting, which allows rapid follow up shots if your arms and fingers are strong enough. The DA pull is what I consider the only real drawback. When I first got the gun, my fingers would get tired after 25 or so DA shots and my groups would start opening up.

 

[03Shadowbob]

torpid,
That was funny right there
I love my Taurus. I used to have a Taurus .38 special M85 and I think that gun may have been my favorite, although I hope the Mill. Pro PT145 I am picking up in November will be my new favorite.

 

[clown714]

me likes them.

own a pt99(brazilian beretta)frame mounted safety better than slide
mounted,for me anyways.never a jam.

m66,bought used,well balanced,good DA\SA pull.my beater woods gun,seen
alotta miles.

buddies own them also,not to mention family members.

not one reported malfuntion ,yet.that's gotta say something

this has been my experience in the past 20+ years with this brand.
and this is with over a dozen or so examples.

thought I'd chime in,

clown

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I had a PT-111 years ago and sold it. Not for me, as the sensitive mag release was almost constantly being activated by my thumb. Couldn't seem to hold it comfortably without the problem. Simply not the design for me. The Glock 26 that replaced it was far better all around except it was a bit thicker. That being said, I would not hesitate in buying another Taurus if it struck my fancy. I certainly consider them a quality alternative to paying an extreme premium for simply a name. I still have a PT-22 that I wouldn't trade for the world, it's so much fun.

 

[bearmgc]

I still use my Taurus 85UL for CCW sometimes, and have complete confidence in its accuracy and reliability.

 

[Marshall]

The best thing Taurus has done making the 608 is not putting on some huge billboard that says Raging something or Tracker. I always thought the Tracker would be a good Bass Pro Shop gun. Give one away if you buy a boat. If they offered one without ports, I might be interested. I agree, it seems like they're becoming better firearms.

Please tell me there is no huge billboard on the other side?

 

[jad0110]

It is hard to go wrong with either a Taurus, Smith, or Ruger. I used to have a M66 6" that was an excellent gun. I sold it because the 6" full underlug barrel was just too long and clumsy as a night stand gun, for my personal preference anyway. I ended up with a S&W 686+ (also a 7 shooter) and am happy with my decision. It has the underlug, but it balances better since it is only 4". I really liked the Taurus, but won't really miss it since the 686 fits all my needs better. I paid $355 NIB and got $250 for it. Not too bad. If I ever decide I want a long barreled target gun, I'll look at a used S&W K-38 Target Masterpiece with the light weight, thin 6" barrel. Preferrably a pinned and recessed model, as I've never owned one like that .

I do have a Taurus 94 .22LR that is approaching "lemon" status. Taurus does seem to have problems with some of their products, the 94 and the early millenium pros in particular.

As any manufacturer, they all churn out their fair share of turds now and then. I'd still consider another Taurus in the future if it met my needs, though I admit I'm starting to lean more towards used Smithies.

 

[greenflash107]

Once again, I will say that I have owned two Taurus, PT-99 and a PT 92C. Both have been great weapons. I have never had any problems with the two. I carry the PT-99 everyday. Cannot tell you how many rounds I have put through both of them, Factory rounds and reloads. I like the way they are made, they are very easy to takedown and the blueing on them are just as nice as the day I bought them. ( between 17 to 20 years) cannot remember the the year I bought them, but have had them for at least that long. I own a lot of different brands of guns, both long and short, and I rate these (quality wise) with any of my guns. Yes I have paid more for others, but as I said, I carry a Taurus as my CCW. Thats how much faith I place in them. Enough said. Good luck

 

[Redneck with a 40]

Taurus pistols

I've owned my taurus millenium pro 40 since January '06 and I am 100% satisfied with it. Its accurate, reliable, comfortable, and priced right. I'd buy another one tommorrow, if I needed one.

 

[carterbeauford]

The Millennium Pro is a "copy" of an even cheaper gun, the Kel-Tec P11.

This I did not know... they look vaguely similar but the P11 is striker fired.

My P11 was cheap too but goes bang everytime I pull the trigger and hits what I point it at. I took a groundhog at 25 yards with the little guy yesterday.

 

[Sisco]

My next gun will be a Taurus. How do I know? Just ordered a PT145 today, should be here by Friday.
Did a lot of research before I bought, couldn't find many people with much bad to say about them. Lots of folks had good words though.

 

[matanglawin9mm]

USE FACTORY LOADED AMMUNITION ONLY!

My 9mm SS PT24/7 Pro's gun case came with a sticker label that says "USE FACTORY LOADED AMMUNITION ONLY!"

Being a new gun owner, this warning prompted me to search for articles/forum threads regarding the pros and cons of using reloads.

Does anyone here use reloads on their 9mm 24/7 Pro pistols...well at least for practice firing purposes only? Has it caused damage to your gun? Does it make the 24/7 Pro prone to FTFs and FTEs?

 

[Arcticfox]

I have a 629, and I have a Tracker. I will not be buying another Taurus. Next revolver will be a colt, or Smith. This is just my opinion because my current Taurus, and the others that I have handled, are not as precisely built as a Smith. It's like a Chevy vs a Mercedes, and I like Mercedes. I like the percision. If you say there is nothing wrong with a chevy, then drive one, and then drive a Mercedes, then report back to me. (and I have owned both of those too)

But before you jump on this, I'll have you know that the Taurus was in my back pocket today when I was alone at work, and last weekend when I was hiking. So it does have a purpose in my life, it just doesn't excite me as the quality is sub par.

 

[brufener]

I also have a Millenium pro pt111 (9mm 12+1), and it has been a great gun. I've never had any sort of failure with it, and I bought it used. The previous owner never had a problem either, but had to sell it for financial reasons.

I've never heard that the pt111 is a copy of the kel-tec p11. Can anyone else confirm this, or can the guy who posted it give us a source?

 

[strat81]

My 9mm SS PT24/7 Pro's gun case came with a sticker label that says "USE FACTORY LOADED AMMUNITION ONLY!"

Being a new gun owner, this warning prompted me to search for articles/forum threads regarding the pros and cons of using reloads.

Does anyone here use reloads on their 9mm 24/7 Pro pistols...well at least for practice firing purposes only? Has it caused damage to your gun? Does it make the 24/7 Pro prone to FTFs and FTEs?

If you look at the manuals for other semi-automatic pistols, many specifically state not to use reloaded ammo. EAA Witness, Taurus, and S&W Sigma all state this. I'm sure other companies do, but I don't have those PDFs around.

 

[.357 magnum]

Taurus Rocks!

I have four of them now. Two 24/7 in .40 cal a .357 mag Tracker and an ultralite- .38 special 7 shot snubbie. Never had a problem with any of them. I love the 24/7 and intend to get the new 24/7 OSS when it comes out. [ posted that on another thread earlier] I have been thinking about getting their version of the 1911 it has gotten excellent reviews and has a great price tag. Really have become a Taurus fan. I have other brands I like also [springfield, sw etc] but I have found Taurus to be the most innovative and cost effective the last two years.

http://www.taurustactical.com/

http://www.taurususa.com/main/index.cfm?CFID=4808&CFTOKEN=94841180