Taurus PT92

[Dudemeister]

We were returning from Reno yesterday, and of course we stopped by Cabelas, where I spied a Taurus PT92 in their used guns case.

My son had been looking for an autoloader other than a 22lr, so I pointed it out to him. The gun is, from the looks of it, an early version, with the wood grips with gold medallions, and the early style engraving on the left side of the slide with small Taurus logo rather than the laser etched large Taurus logo they are currently using.

The gun is like the one in the picture below.

Mechanically the gun looks to be in very good condition, no wobble or loose parts, but it does show a bit of wear around the nose, probably holster wear.

Anyway, the price was $299, and since he applied for their card, he got an additional $25 off. The gun is being shipped to our local FFL and we should be able to get the paperwork done tomorrow and get it in 10 days.

SO, what do you guys think, did we do OK? I know the later PT92 and PT99 models got very good reviews, but I haven't found many reviews of the first generation PT92's. Anyone here have any experiences they'd like to share?

NOTE: I found this picture through Google search on a trading board, and I'm using it as an example. If you are the owner of this picture and want me to take it down, please let me know and I will do so immediately

 

[silicosys4]

I've got a non-decocker pt99 that is a very accurate gun to shoot, and has never had a problem. Paid $300 out the door, I've named it Boris. The taurus/beretta clones are generally pretty well regarded, and many people say they are the best guns that taurus has offered.

 

[Nushif]

Mine works great. The only gripe I have is that the grip is big, but that's kind of a given. 8)

 

[1KPerDay]

You're going to love that pistol, IMO.

 

[bikerdoc]

Good pistol, shoot it and enjoy.

 

[joecil]

I have the newer model with decocker and love the gun, a tack driver to about 25 yards. I also have a 22LR conversion for it but don't think the company that made it is still in business just glad I finally got mine when I did. I really wanted one of the older ones but couldn't find it and now happy with what I got. I also a PT 911 which my wife carries in her purse and loves it though the 92 is big for her hands.

 

[Fishbed77]

I shot my brother-in-law's 9mm PT92 for the first time this past weekend. The upsides were that it was a very soft-shooting and quite accurate pistol, with pretty decent fit & finish. His is probably about 10 years old, but I doubt it's had more than a few thousand rounds through it (he's a Glock guy).

The downsides were that (at least his example) became very prone to malfunction once it became dirty (mostly failures to feed, but also a stovepipe or two). A bit of oil rectified the situation, but I've shot much dirtier guns (including some tightly-built 1911s) that were more reliable. Also, I found the decocker/safety to be a bit awkward to operate and prone to "sticking" and not fully activating/deactivating. Lastly, the adjustable rear sight on his example was pretty terrible, and failed to stay tight.

 

[GCBurner]

I love mine, a PT99 of the same pre-decocker vintage. Fit, finish, accuracy, and reliability have all been great. I went with something more compact for actual concealed carry, eventually, but I still pull it out occasionally for an IDPA or Steel Challenge match, just because it shoots so well, and the longer sight radius makes it easier to hit at the longer distances.

 

[GRIZ22]

I have a PT99 for almost 25 years and probably 20,000 rds through it no, issues at all. One of the best firearm buysi ever made.

 

[Kiln]

I'd rather have the Taurus over an actual Beretta.

Beretta warranty is only like 3 years where the Taurus will be covered under a lifetime warranty.

Both are pretty good guns, I have other preferences but the 92 is loved by alot of people.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

OP.
I had that same Taurus years ago and foolishly sold it too cheap. It ran like a sewing machine. I don't think it was a ccw piece but for the 10+ years I had it there was not one malfunction. It sure was reliable. The guy I sold it to won't talk about selling it back.

 

[Dudemeister]

My son is certainly looking forward to taking possession of the gun, however, we ran into a snag.

When we checked with our local FFL to see if they received the gun from Cabelas, they hadn't. So we called Cabelas, and they're now waiting to receive a letter from the FFL agreeing to replace the "hi-cap" (15 round) magazine the gun currently has, with a standard 10 round mag.

As of now the gun is still lingering in Cabelas shipping department waiting on that letter.

When we bought the gun we were told that it was good to go and they would have no problem shipping to CA.

Here is an interesting question. Considering the gun was made in the 80's, it has an original pre-ban magazine. Should they require that the magazine be changed?

 

[76shuvlinoff]

I don't live in CA but ouch, for the size of the pistol I would hate to be limited to 10 round mags.