Taurus PT92 Stainless or Blue?

[fvf]

I was at a local gunshow and saw the PT92 on sale for about $453 for the stainless model and $434 for the blue model. The stainless model looked appealing because of lower maintenance prospects but it does look flashy. The blued model looked more all-business.

Is there a difference in the quality of the stainless steel and the blued steel in the 2 models of the PT92?

Obviously the stainless model would have a more durable finish but in terms of the overall durability, is the stainless model more durable than the blued model?

 

[fvf]

Anyone with experience in both blue and stainless models of the Taurus PT92?

 

[ArmedBear]

Blue is the least "all-business" finish there is. It's one of the prettiest, IMO, but it's high-maintenance.

Really good blueing can be quite rust-resistant and scratch-resistant. Ruger's blue is pretty durable. Some other blueing, not so much. I don't know about Taurus. On the other hand, it can be touched up easily. It may or may not look so great when touched up, however.

But even the best blueing is just a way to delay rust formation. Oily stuff of one kind or another is required to keep it from rusting, though some use wax and I've had good luck with Bullfrog Rusthunter, a spray-on rust preventative that's not thick or all that oily. If a blue gun is oiled and put away in a cool, dry place, it won't rust for many years. I can vouch for at least 20 years, from personal experience. But once you actually take the gun out and USE it, it becomes high-maint. And if the cool, dry place gets wet, it'll rust real quick even just sitting in a closet.

Stainless is the real "all-business" finish, though I agree that, subjectively, it looks kinda fancy-pants. You don't have to oil it, and you can sweat on it, without worrying much. A small scratch won't look ugly or encourage rust formation.

 

[BulletFan]

My experience

I have the PT92AF in black and a buddy of mine has the stainless. I have held both in my hands before and there was just something different about his frame. It felt lighter to me. I don't know if they use different metals between the two designs but I certainly like mine better. Sure keeping black looking nice is a challenge sometimes but that's part of the fun for me, upkeep of my tools.

To each his own though.

 

[fvf]

Thanks guys for the feedback.

BulletFan: I talked to the Taurus dealer and they told me that the frames are the same except for the finish. The difference is in the slide and barrel which is stainless steel in one and blued carbon steel in the other.

Does anyone have any info on the difference in durability between the 2 metals?

 

[ArmedBear]

that's part of the fun for me, upkeep of my tools

I hear you there. I have a number of blue pieces, and I like them. It's just that blue isn't so "all business" as it looks.

Holster wear, rust, and oily surfaces, though, can make a blue gun a frustrating "working gun." Some of the problems with blue (e.g. holster wear) can't be mitigated with maintenance.

Some of that depends on the environment, too, like salt air, sand in the breeze, etc.