Taurus pt111 Questions

[wvhunter]

ok so i think i am finally going to retire the hi-point (thank god, i know) and move on to something a little more reliable since im getting my ccw. after looking around i think i have decided on the taurus millenium pro pt111 probably in 9mm. now i have a few questions. after reading through the online manual, it says the gun was designed for 124 grain fmj rounds. anyone have problems shooting 115 grain at the range or JHP's? also here is a direct quote about +p

“Plus-P’, “Plus-P-Plus” or other ultra or high velocity ammunition generates pressures significantly in excess of the pressures associated with standard
ammunition. Such pressures may affect the useful life of the firearm or
exceed the margin of safety built into many pistols and could therefore be
DANGEROUS."

does anyone use +p ammo out there in their taurus pt111's? im still not very familiar with self defense rounds as i am mostly a range shooter, but would like to look into it once i get my license. and what type of ammo would you all suggest as a nice 9mm self defense round for this gun?

how is the accuracy of this gun? it does seem to have a short barrel, but the gun shop guy assures me he shoots some of his best groupings with the smaller guns. i would assume this gun could at least out shoot my hi point hands down right?

ok lastly...how do you all like the gun feel itself? i handled it and dry fired it and it seemed to feel great to me. the trigger was definately smooth, of course all i have to compare it to was my gritty hi-point trigger. the slide release seemed a little stretch for my thumb to release, but again i think this is because im not used to having a slide release to deal with in the first place. i think that about covers it, any extra info you want to throw in there would be great. sorry about the lengthy post, but this is a gun forum, so lets talk guns. im driving myself nuts here trying to convince myself im buying an excellent gun. there are just too many choices out there :banghead:

 

[Quentin]

I've had a PT111 Millennium Pro one year now and love it. Fits like a glove which surprised me - it being such a light and small gun. I also have a Star PD which is about the same size but the Taurus fits much better. The DA only trigger takes some getting used to but soon you just treat it like you would a revolver except there's no external hammer to cock. Amazing they got a 12 round magazine to work reliably with such a small pistol. No real complaints at all.

I've only used standard loads since Taurus discourages +P. I suspect it would handle +P if not a steady diet. Right out of the box the gun has been 100% reliable. Glad I bought it!

I'm "retiring" the old PD because it's probably got enough rounds through it plus it's pretty brutal to shoot!

 

[Jkwas]

I use 115gn FMJ for the range but have shot 115gn JHP and 124gn JHP with no problem. I also recently ran some 124gn nato FMJ @1150fps and they were pretty snappy. I have heard rumours of the takedown pin snapping when using +p ammo, but I don't know it it's true or not. This is a good gun. 124gn JHP in a quality brand is the way to go. It's not a Ruger P89, so don't push it too hard.

 

[Caimlas]

does anyone use +p ammo out there in their taurus pt111's? im still not very familiar with self defense rounds as i am mostly a range shooter, but would like to look into it once i get my license. and what type of ammo would you all suggest as a nice 9mm self defense round for this gun?

Speer Gold Dots are what I shoot, 115 grain, +p+. I've also shot some of the 124 grain +p through it. No problem so far, but then I've only shot a couple boxes of them. The gun has seen over 1k rounds, not a single failure, and maybe 200 rounds of Fiocchi 'range' ammo (which is, IMO, some of the hottest stuff out there I've shot - hotter than the Gold Dots, at least!).

My understanding is that such restrictions are there for liability reasons and to fend of the lawyers. It's reasonable to expect that anything within 9mm specs will be able to shoot safely through the firearm, because there is a lot of variety out there in commercial ammo even if they're not labeled p or +p+ or what have you.

how is the accuracy of this gun? it does seem to have a short barrel, but the gun shop guy assures me he shoots some of his best groupings with the smaller guns. i would assume this gun could at least out shoot my hi point hands down right?

No idea about the HP, but I shoot my PT111 Pro (2nd series) well enough to hit bowling pins at 25 yards.

ok lastly...how do you all like the gun feel itself?

Great. Could be a little less boxy in the slide for IWB carry at 5 o'clock, but its better than (say) a glock or XD in that regard. And while the magazine well is indeed slender (compared to other plastic double stack 9mm at least like Berettas, Glocks, XDs), the hold on the gun isn't "confined". The trigger is sufficiently forward that your hand does not lock up or bind while trying to pull the trigger, for instance.

Just go to a store and feel one. They're almost everywhere, in my experience. The PT140 and PT145 of both the 3rd and 2nd series have the same weight and feel to them. The only differences readily observable from the outside are the sights, scroll work, and trigger.

Might I add a suggestion: make sure you get the 3rd series PT111. This is the one with the straight-8 sights and a DA/SA trigger, as well as some other little changes on the inside. It's a drastic improvement, and isn't likely going to cost you any more in a new gun than the 2nd series (Millennium Pro), so it's definitely worth the money if you want a gun that's enjoyable to shoot. Spring for the Stainless Steel, too - it's a marginal and acceptable extra cost for a CCW, in my opinion.

One of these days I'll probably be getting another PT111 - the 3rd series - once I get a little money...

 

[wvhunter]

is there any markings or can anyone provide me with some pictures that will show me the difference between the 2nd and 3rd series? i am not really quite sure what 'straight 8' heine sites are?

 

[SKM&P9]

I have the 3rd gen. PT111. The slide says Millenium on the left near the end of the barrel, and the right side has PT111 Pro marked on it. The straight eight sight are basically a white dot front and rear, and when you aim correctly, the two dots sit on top of each other like the number eight. The initial DA trigger pull is a bit long until you get used to it, but the follow up SA pulls are short and crisp. And the recoil is very mild for a small gun. Accuracy is very good, and easy to conceal in IWB.

 

[MD_Willington]

PT111 non-pro + PMC/Eldorado Starfire 9mm 124gr here.

 

[TonyB]

I also have the non-pro version.....No problem w/ JHP,or 115gr.(Winclean mostly)..I did shoot 1 mag of Nato 115gr.(1250fps)they kicked the snot out of my hand,so I never shot the rest.But I'm sure the gun could handle them.The only +p's I've ever shot were Cor-bon,and that was with my Glock 17.I got this gun for $250 used w/ 3 magazines....it's a great little gun,and cured me of wanting a Glock 26.
I've had no problems of any kind..actually just talking about this gun makes me want to shoot it....I may have to hit the back yard range after work.

 

[worker]

my experience with, Millenium PT 111 Titanium slide, night sides (non-pro), that it never jams, light, however very difficult to control recoil for follow up shots. On top of that
the double actioin trigger pull is relatively long.
(may be this was fixed in the later models)

My wife (who is a much better shooter than I am),
much prefers the Full-size Hi-Point 9mm with Compensator
to practice with... she can basically put at least two shots
into the same hole at 15 yards, every 10 rounds. But of course.
That gun is 41 oz and is not concealable... -- but single action trigger pull, perfect sights (red and long base) and impecable consistency (except of S&B frangeable ammo that I will never use again... as it does not cycle enough the heavy slide of hi-point)...

 

[Jkwas]

Put a Hogue handall jr on mine this week. Shot like a totally different gun for both my wife and I. Big improvement in accuracy and feel. Highly recommend it.

 

[jeepmor]

I really like my MilPro's. I got the wife a PT111 in stainless and my self a PT145. After reading this thread, I suspect mine are second genearation, not third as I suspected. I have the screw in sights and DAO trigger, not DA/SA. Regardless, both have exhibited stellar reliability with ~2k or more through my PT145, and maybe a 1k through the wife's pistol.

Glad I bought them and I recommend them highly as a good budget CCW. It's pretty impressive to be carrying 12+1 in the 9mm and 10+1 in the 45 in packages that small. I recommend you get a good holster if you do make the purchase, it makes a lot of difference in carry comfort. I recommend HBE leatherworks or UBG Holsters. Both excellent quality at Galco and Bianchi type prices. With better workmanship to boot in my opinon. You can tell these guys are proud of their products, and rightfully so.

jeepmor

 

[ZeSpectre]

Tips on a Taurus Mil-Pro.

1) Don't shoot +P ammo. I now know -two- people now who've had recoil springs go foom due to +P ammo. You may be fine but why chance it?

2) Strip and detail clean the gun (and re-lube) before your first shooting session. The frame rails you save may be your own.

3) SIG 229 holsters are a little long in the nose but work well for the Mil-Pro series pistols. (Actual Mil-Pro holsters can be hard to find, especially for left handed shooters).

4) New Mil-Pro magazines are a BEAR to load. They get better over time but a loading assistance device like the MagLoader is a godsend (plus it works for multiple types of guns).

5) If you go to buy additional magazines pay attention, there are still a lot of non-pro magazines out there and they do not fit the "pro" series guns.

The primary difference between the 2'nd and 3'rd generation Mil-Pro is the trigger.
2'nd gen - Double Action Only (DAO)
3'rd gen - SA/DA (basically a Single Action with Restrike capability)

 

[weregunner]

Direct from the Taurus catalog ( different from the manual don't ya know ):All Taurus handguns are engineered to accept a steady diet of factory new Plus-P (+P) ammunition built to SAMMI specifications.: End of quote.

These guys here do have the right idea though. Use of +P is hard on the gun and shooter alike.

Standard pressure loads have a decent real world documented record as defense rounds. And very little velocity and power are gained by using +P over the other loads. This is documented as well.

115 gr.-124 gr JHPs should suffice under most conditions.

Do own a PT111 Mil/pro. Do shoot WWB, Winchester regular 115 JHPs, Remington standard JHPs, SilverBear 115 gr. and 145gr JHPs, Speer Gold Dot 115gr. JHP, and Federal 115 and 124 gr JHPs in various guises. All feed and function well through the pistol.

Granted, short barreled pistols need help where they can get it because of velocity loss. But the newer generations of bullets by most of the ammo makers are designed to open at low velocities. Some as low as 620 feet per second. So there is a precedent for using the regular pressure ammo.

Shot to shot recovery time is quicker for the regular ammo over it's more higher pressured cousins.

Have shot over three thousand regular and +P rounds through this pistol and it is showing no ill effects at all.

Use what you will. Just be aware there are other alternatives.

 

[army_eod]

Ammo for Taurus

Really no need for +P when there are good SD rounds line Gold Dots and Federal HST.