So...in an completely unrelated discussion,
@larryh1108 asked:
and that has been food for thought.
I once owned (around 1997 or 98) a Taurus PT99AF (Beretta 92 FS knock-off, stainless steel with adjustable rear sight) and sold it in 2003. I mostly like the gun. It was very accurate with WWB 115 grn FMJ, never ever jammed, and I used it as my practice gun when I was on my squadron's pistol team. (Couldn't afford a Beretta at the time.) I also preferred the frame mounted safety over Beretta's slide mounted safety.
Now, I've trash talked Taurus as much as the next guy, probably more, so this is difficult, but I'm thinking about owning another one. (I've pretty much swore off Taurus.)
Taurus has a well earned reputation for, at best, inconsistent quality. What are the odds that any PT99AF I buy on gun broker (They're out of production now; only the PT92 (fixed sights) is available new.) will be as good as the one I owned twenty years ago? I often wonder if I just lucked out with that gun, and any other gun I may have received would have been junk. Plus there is the issue of buying a used gun online is like buying a mystery grab bag; who knows what's in the sock drawer.