Taurus PT 92: what am I doing wrong?

[Demitrios]

Your first mistake was buying a Taurus. . . . . I'm just kidding. While all these answers seem pretty valid and are sure to help any shooter why not try something a bit different. Try hanging your target roughly 6 inches higher than you normally would. You might find some interesting results.

 

[uspJ]

I had a Beretta 92fs that had the same problem. From what I understand the Beretta 92 and Taurus pt92 were designed to shoot 147 grain ammo. I used to get good groups with the practice ammo but they were low...very low. Switch to a heavier bullet and see what happens. Using a high grip also helped even when using the practice ammo.

 

[KJS]

I had a Beretta 92fs that had the same problem. From what I understand the Beretta 92 and Taurus pt92 were designed to shoot 147 grain ammo.

Interesting. That seems odd, as 147 grain certainly isn't the most common 9mm weight. I have a Beretta 92 owners manual and it doesn't suggest what bullet weight to use, but in the specs it states what the weight is when fully loaded with 115 gr. NATO Ball, which implies they think that weight would actually be used in their gun.

The Taurus manual that covers all "Metallic Pistols" instead of just the 92 states the maximum levels of "hotness" you should fire in them with 9mm being given as 124 grain with a muzzle velocity of 1,225 ft/sec max. Again suggesting they might expect something lighter than 147 gr bullets to go through their guns.

I don't know. You guys have all given lots of suggestions for me to consider. Guess this is just a case of get a loader so I can actually put ammo in the mags (thumb still slightly sore even 5 days later!) and try this out on a range to see how things go. I'd hope I'd get far better with more practice, regardless of what ammo I use. Practice tends to help all things, and see how that goes.

 

[MikePaiN]

My PT92 shot low also, I brought it to the shop and had them trim the front sight .020", and now its perfectly on POA
Nice job too....

 

[hardworker]

I've got a 92fs and it too shoots low with the 124 gr fmj walmart stuff. First few rounds on the first few trips out with it went into the dirt 4 feet in front of the target. Had to learn to hold the front sight slightly higher than the rear sight and put it right on the target, not slightly under it.

 

[BCRider]

Is this a brand new gun? If so then clean the barrel every 50'ish rounds and just keep shooting. I've had three brand new guns that went from a shotgun like pattern of strays to suddenly tightening up to a nice group. Maybe it's due to some burrs on the rifling that need to be polished off by some rounds down the pipe? I dunno. But in anywhere from 40 to 200 rounds all three came in and shot fine after that.

And before anyone says it was me getting used to the guns in one case I'd shot someone elses identical gun just fine before I got my own version. And in the other I had bought two cheapie identical guns to work on my beginner's gunsmithing chops. One "came in" after only about 50 rounds fired so it COULD have been partly me. The other took a good 150 rounds before it too came in. And meanwhile I was shooting the other one just fine with nice groups.

Given your skills with the .22, and I'm assuming you can shoot your revolvers as well, and the widely scattered hits on the Taurus I'm betting that the barrel and perhaps some other fits just need to smoothen up or bed in which should occur after maybe as much as a couple of hundred rounds.

 

[uspJ]

Interesting. That seems odd, as 147 grain certainly isn't the most common 9mm weight. I have a Beretta 92 owners manual and it doesn't suggest what bullet weight to use, but in the specs it states what the weight is when fully loaded with 115 gr. NATO Ball, which implies they think that weight would actually be used in their gun.

The Taurus manual that covers all "Metallic Pistols" instead of just the 92 states the maximum levels of "hotness" you should fire in them with 9mm being given as 124 grain with a muzzle velocity of 1,225 ft/sec max. Again suggesting they might expect something lighter than 147 gr bullets to go through their guns.

KJS

You are correct, I had a brain fart. I meant 124 gr was what the 92 type guns where designed to shoot (according to the Beretta forum).

 

[bigfatdave]

KJS:
What distance were you shooting at?
How many rounds do YOU have down the pipe on THIS gun?

Because your target, while surely not great, isn't all that bad for someone getting used to a new handgun. Don't get out the dremel just yet, get some more range time, try for a tighter group and focus on the basics.
You should be doing ball and dummy drills, if you don't have a shooting buddy load up all your mags with three live rounds and two snap-caps in them and grab them from the bag at random. If you only have one magazine, why do you own a semiauto?

Seriously, if that's the target size I think it is, you're at minimum defensive accuracy already, everything from here on out is refinement and will require actual practice with live ammo or at least dry-fire at home (look up the corneredcat article on dry-fire if you haven't, it has all the precautions AND how to make dry-fire valuable training)

 

[rbernie]

I have owned three older PT92s and they were all wonderfully reliable and trustworthy; there is no issue with the platform or its construction. I might quarrel with specific other Taurus semiautos, but not the PT92.

but when the 3 dots are lined up on the bulls eye they produce these results.

Black out the dots and align the sights the old fashioned way, to see what happens. Also - I assume you're shooting SA and not DA?

I would expect you to find that the gun is regulated fine and that the dots are misleading you because they are misplaced.

 

[JLaw]

"It was 115 gr. ammo. Sellier & Bellot brand as most of you likely know from the distinctive red lacquer they apply to seal the primer.

Yeah, I too had been wondering about bullet weight, knowing that fixed sight guns are normally designed with a particular weight in mind -- like a .38 revolver designed with a classic 158 gr. load in mind." - KJS

My Beretta shoots 115 grain stuff pretty close to POA, but I have a Smith 908 that shoots pretty low with 115 grain...load that Smith with 124 grain and it shoots to POA. Maybe try that next?

Nice pistol, by the way!

JLaw

 

[Dionysusigma]

Slap a set of Pachmayrs with finger grooves and a Streamlight TLR-1 on it, and you've got my bedside gun.

 

[NavyLCDR]

A couple of suggestions:

1. Get a cheap laser (even one for a pellet gun) for $20 or less and put it on the rail of the PT-92 (assuming you have a version with the rail). Practice keeping the laser on target through a long DA trigger pull, first dry firing, then live firing. This will help your trigger pull immensely and help if you are anticipating recoil and jerking the trigger.

2. If you think the sights are a problem, verified by other people shooting the gun low as well, get an adjustable rear sight from:
http://www.lpasights.com/

I put one of their adjustable rear sights on my PT-92 and loved it. My PT-92 was my all time favorite gun and I lost it in an ugly divorce

 

[KJS]

Black out the dots and align the sights the old fashioned way, to see what happens. Also - I assume you're shooting SA and not DA?

I would expect you to find that the gun is regulated fine and that the dots are misleading you because they are misplaced.

I'm thinking you may be right about that, but I'm not going to black out the dots just yet.

I took out the gun last night just to look at it and I see that if I align the sights without regard for the dots, I end up with the front dot higher than the two rear dots, forming a triangle if one plays connect the dots. Perhaps simply getting used to looking at such a triangle formation would be all it takes?

 

[KJS]

1. Get a cheap laser (even one for a pellet gun) for $20 or less and put it on the rail of the PT-92 (assuming you have a version with the rail).

Yes, my PT-92 has a rail. I always assumed the 'T' in PT-92 was a reference to the rail though I've never seen a P-92, so I don't know for sure.

 

[Hk Dan]

A couple of questions for ya:
1) How far were you from the target? (Within 15 yards the weight of the bullet CAN'T matter)
2) How much experience do you have with centerfire pistols?
3) Does the gun group well if you keep a single point of aim? In other words, if you aim in the same place for 5 shots, does it make one raggedy little hole, just low, or does it string 'em out a little?

 

[1KPerDay]

Yes, my PT-92 has a rail. I always assumed the 'T' in PT-92 was a reference to the rail though I've never seen a P-92, so I don't know for sure.

Probably "Taurus". My PT101 doesn't have a rail.

 

[KJS]

What distance were you shooting at?
How many rounds do YOU have down the pipe on THIS gun?

What you see is the first 46 shots. Not certain as to distance. I was shooting at a 75 foot indoor range. The target was likely about halfway down the range.

As for target size, that's an NRA Official 25-Yard Timed And Rapid Fire Pistol Target, same as the one I pictured having been blasted by my .22. To give some further idea of target size, here is that same .22 target from earlier compared to my hand below.

Because your target, while surely not great, isn't all that bad for someone getting used to a new handgun. Don't get out the dremel just yet, get some more range time, try for a tighter group and focus on the basics.

That's my plan. No point in more extreme measures till I get more practice, as that might be all that's needed. I ordered a mag loader and will put it to use as soon as I can after getting it. My left thumb is still a bit numb from 6 days ago after loading those mags from hell! Makes one truly appreciate the wonder of revolvers: low capacity, but never a sore thumb.

 

[KJS]

Probably "Taurus". My PT101 doesn't have a rail.

OK, so now I know "T" doesn't stand for rail.

Having a rail is one of the things I liked about this gun. I didn't buy it with any specific plans to add a laser and/or light, but I liked having a rail so I'd have that option should I want to at some future point. No rail, and the option is gone.

 

[KJS]

1) How far were you from the target? (Within 15 yards the weight of the bullet CAN'T matter)

I'd been wondering how much bullet weight could possible matter given the relatively short distance I was shooting at. I'm sure it wasn't more than 45 feet, so looks like it's me and not the gun or bullet weight in that case.

2) How much experience do you have with centerfire pistols?

I'm a novice.

So little that I can tell you down to the exact number of shots, 396 rounds:

-200 rounds through a rental Beretta 92 December 2009
-150 rounds through a Glock 22 January 2010
-46 rounds through PT-92 six days ago

Revolver experience:

About 1,700 rounds of .357 Mag, 550 rounds of .38, 100 rounds of .44 Mag, 50 rounds of .44 Special.

3) Does the gun group well if you keep a single point of aim? In other words, if you aim in the same place for 5 shots, does it make one raggedy little hole, just low, or does it string 'em out a little?

Don't really know. Will definitely have to pay attention to that at next range visit.

 

[KJS]

1) How far were you from the target? (Within 15 yards the weight of the bullet CAN'T matter)

I'd been wondering how much bullet weight could possible matter given the relatively short distance I was shooting at. I'm sure it wasn't more than 45 feet, so looks like it's me and not the gun or bullet weight in that case.

2) How much experience do you have with centerfire pistols?

I'm a novice.

So little that I can tell you down to the exact number of shots, 396 rounds:

-200 rounds through a rental Beretta 92 December 2009
-150 rounds through a rental Glock 22 January 2010
-46 rounds through PT-92 six days ago

Revolver experience:

About 1,700 rounds of .357 Mag, 550 rounds of .38, 100 rounds of .44 Mag, 50 rounds of .44 Special.

3) Does the gun group well if you keep a single point of aim? In other words, if you aim in the same place for 5 shots, does it make one raggedy little hole, just low, or does it string 'em out a little?

Don't really know. Will definitely have to pay attention to that at next range visit. Trouble is that my skill level is clearly novice, so making one little hole isn't something that happens even when I try.

Here is some idea of what I manage with a .357. This pic was taken in June after that target had decorated my front door since March. It was hit with 80-some shots. And my 'door decor' is still up on display:

 

[Steve C]

Just wanted to show that the Taurus is capable of good accuracy. My Taurus is a pre decocker model I'd bought around 1986. Its been shot a lot and I did have to replace the locking block last month as after probably f5K rounds or more it did fracture.

This is a target shot testing a hand load using Green Dot and the MBC 125gr RN bullet. Ranges are indicated and the bottom right bull was shot at 25 yds was from the bench but the rest where either 2 handed or 1 handed at 15 yds.