Taurus quality after opening USA factory?

[becket]

Is Taurus using better and more consistent steel and metals in their USA factory? Has quality control at least stepped up? The complaints about their revolvers and pistols really seen to have dropped; in the electronic morass of the net’ anyway. They are of course very close copies of S&W as they got the old tooling after they split many yrs ago and except for a few inside parts they continue to copy, and they even sleeve some of the barrels now, aka newer S&W.
What has brought them from the days of providing one decent revolver, and then the very next two off the line being lemons, to now apparently up to par (for the price) in just a handful of yrs. ? Getting sued for 9 figures from providing Brazilian military junk guns may have also woken them up as well, of course.

 

[Buckeye63]

I hope their customer service improves .. I have owned qite a few Taurus handguns over the past 35 years .. and I have had only one problem.. it was with 85UL .. my dealer allowed me to exchange it in for another .. he sent it in and it was repaired in a timely manner …. I have had to send back Rugers , S&W’s , Bersa ( oh my) , Charters ..

The best customer service experience I ever had was with Hipoint… When the Hipoint 995 carbines were first introduced , I purchased one 2nd year of production.. as a camp carbine … it saw alot of use .. and I hate to admit some abuse .. being hauled on 4 wheelers, in the back of pickup trucks .. setting in damp and wet conditions .. thousands of rounds being ran through it over the years .. but to top it off , my brother and myself were cutting a few pickup loads of wood .. the carbine went with us .. it was setting on the tailgate as we were cutting wood .. my brother pulled the truck up .. carbine fell off … and for some reason or another my brother backed up and crushed the carbine .. the forest floor was deep with leaves and was soft .. the carbine sunk deep and was bent horribly.. barrel , receiver , stock broke
just ruined…It was destroyed.. When we stacked our last few sticks of wood loaded the chainsaws and axe .. I tossed the carbine on top …
It was placed in the the old workshop and left for a year or so … I bought a new carbine. It was used the same … I called Hipoint to order a couple of magazines and was bragging on their products.. when I mentioned my abused and destroyed 995 Carbine .. she said .. send it in for repair.. I laughed .. she said. send it in … I did .. in a few weeks and box arrived at home .. A new 995 Carbine with the same serial number.. brand new with 4 magazines ..
I never experienced CS like that .. and never will
I have another Hipoint story.. but I will save it

But back to Taurus .. I own a G2C .. great gun .. it is the only semiautomatic pistol that is out of the safe .. 5 Glocks , 2 S&W pistols are in the safe
I own a TCP great pistol, a Taurus 856UL great gun , Heritage RR .. love it … and a Taurus 44 mag which is in the process of being sold .. but just to fund a future gun purchase ..
They will be Taurus bashers .. but the LGS can’t keep the G2C/G3Cs , G3s ,856s , 605s and now the GX4’s in stock.. not only that , but the guns I mentioned are the most requested guns , thats not one gunshop but several in this area .. one of the owners .. a Glock guy totally had a GX4 on his side last week.. one reason he likes it and he hates SIG
I totally believe Taurus has turned the corner..
Thanks to the PT111 G2 platform
My next pistol will be a GX4 unless it totally fails with The Honest Outlaw review that is upcoming.. he is one of few reviewers I put trust in …
Long post

 

[1942bull]

Taurus makes good guns that are more affordable than many other manufacturers’ firearms. Increasing the affordability means decreasing the cost to manufacture and support services. TINSTAAFL — There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. The fewer dollars that go into making a no frill gun means less quality. I did not write “poor quality.” That is the only trade off that can work when it comes to price vs. quality. I have owned Colt, Browning, Beretta, S&W, Remington, Walther, Taurus, and Ruger pistols. They all have made some lemons over the years. They all make reliable guns other than the occasional lemons. I had a Taurus G2C. It worked fine until it broke. It’s finish was kind of crude, but it worked well. The trigger spring broke. I sent it back to be repaired. It took months to get it back. When I called CS I got people who knew very about the guns they sold. Once repaired I sold the G2C. The most reliable guns I ever owned were Walther and Rugers. The Walther were more expensive than the Rugers, but both performed well. However, Walther having only recently set op shop in the US (AZ) had mediocre CS. That has probably changed I’ve the past few year. I had a PPS M2. I ended up selling it because my philosophy about capacity changed. I had a Ruger LC9S along with the Walther. Never had an issue with it and their CS was excellent. I bought a Security 9 Compact to replace the PPS M2 because I wanted 15 round magazines. I then bought a LCP II for deep concealment. I have put many rounds through esch of them with no issues. I have gotten great CS when I had a question. I will likely not buy another gun at my age (79). If I were to, I would not buy a Taurus because of my CS/Repair experience. Rugers are well priced guns for the excellence that they demonstrate. That is a decisive factor for me. However, if I could only afford a Taurus I would not hesitate to but one of their proven models like the G2C or G3 series, but I can afford more, and I think Ruger is abetter choice for me.

 

[Buckeye63]

Taurus makes good guns that are more affordable than many other manufacturers’ firearms. Increasing the affordability means decreasing the cost to manufacture and support services. TINSTAAFL — There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. The fewer dollars that go into making a no frill gun means less quality. I did not write “poor quality.” That is the only trade off that can work when it comes to price vs. quality. I have owned Colt, Browning, Beretta, S&W, Remington, Walther, Taurus, and Ruger pistols. They all have made some lemons over the years. They all make reliable guns other than the occasional lemons. I had a Taurus G2C. It worked fine until it broke. It’s finish was kind of crude, but it worked well. The trigger spring broke. I sent it back to be repaired. It took months to get it back. When I called CS I got people who knew very about the guns they sold. Once repaired I sold the G2C. The most reliable guns I ever owned were Walther and Rugers. The Walther were more expensive than the Rugers, but both performed well. However, Walther having only recently set op shop in the US (AZ) had mediocre CS. That has probably changed I’ve the past few year. I had a PPS M2. I ended up selling it because my philosophy about capacity changed. I had a Ruger LC9S along with the Walther. Never had an issue with it and their CS was excellent. I bought a Security 9 Compact to replace the PPS M2 because I wanted 15 round magazines. I then bought a LCP II for deep concealment. I have put many rounds through esch of them with no issues. I have gotten great CS when I had a question. I will likely not buy another gun at my age (79). If I were to, I would not buy a Taurus because of my CS/Repair experience. Rugers are well priced guns for the excellence that they demonstrate. That is a decisive factor for me. However, if I could only afford a Taurus I would not hesitate to but one of their proven models like the G2C or G3 series, but I can afford more, and I think Ruger is abetter choice for me.

I bought the Security 9 as soon as it rolled out ..
19 size ..15rd capacity and it was hammer fired .. pre-cocked hammer that is .. long trigger but broke clean .. but for some reason that I never could figure out .. I was not accurate with it … not a bit ..115gr to 147gr …I really liked it other than that .. I sold to a guy who liked it more than me .. lost quite a bit of money in the deal being I purchased 4 mags …
I checked out the Ruger Max 9 yesterday…it felt odd ..it rattled .non-+P rated It didn’t impress me .. price tag was more than the Shield Plus .. which is A+ on quality
Only GX4 was on the owners hip ..he sold 10 GX4s in less than two days .. he was delivered 12 .. he has one .. his son has one .. rest sold ..
I handled it .. two steps above the Ruger Max but not as solid as the Shield Plus .. the Shield Plus is a larger gun .. closer to the G2C/G3c in size and weight.. than the GX4 ..
Ruger will need to drop their prices to move the Ruger Max …and tighten that maraca up some ..

Im waiting on a stainless slide version of the GX4 and the prices to drop …
I hoping Taurus picks up the game on their dismal customer service…
The 856 , G3 , G3C , TX22 and the GX4 seem to be the product of Taurus major restructuring… definitely a step in the right direction ..
Other than modifying a existing platform the GX4 stands built from the ground up ..
and it helps that Taurus uses quality Mec-gar magazines.. a big plus

 

[LeftyRed]

I have had no problems with USA made Taurus pistols. I bought a 738, used, it was an “A” serial munger and had some issues. Called Taurus in, in AZ I think, and sent the 738 to them. They updated the pistol and it’s been 100% ever since. The TX22 I have is rock solid. Wish Taurus would put the Ambi safety and trigger in their other pistols!

I would not hesitate to carry or use the G2, G3, or GX4. I have the TH9, two of them, pulling home defense and travel bag duty. Always liked their hammer fired DA pistols.

Lefty

 

[Zendude]

I don’t know which handguns, other than the Spectrum, that are made in the Taurus factory here. Maybe the TX22. I think all the 9mm handguns and revolvers are still made in Brazil. Not 100% sure though.

 

[wnycollector]

I own two mid 1990's Taurus revolvers (3" 431 44 special and a 4" 82 38 special) both are absolutely superb guns. I also own a 22ply tip up barrel 22lr. Again, superb, accurate and reliable. I'm on the lookout for a 3" 856 UL Defender at a reasonable price.

 

[Tallball]

I've owned about a dozen and they've been pretty okay.

One was not much good from day one, though two trips back to the factory did get it into working order. I wasn't pleased with the condition they left it in, and gave it to a friend just to get it out of my sight.

Most are like a similar S&W, but with a worse finish and trigger. I've had four or five like that. They go bang every time.

I've owned a few that had very nice triggers in addition to being reliable. If you get one of those, it's almost as nice as a good Smith, but at a much lower cost (especially if you bought it used).

 

[Mike L.]

I'm about 500 rounds into my G2C with no functional problems. The finish on the slide is not so great. I understand that they upgraded that on the G3C.
I'll probably put a fiber optic front sight on it, and call it good. It's a keeper for me. Oops, I just realized this is the revolver forum! Sorry.

 

[GRIZ22]

Whilst my newest Taurus is 10 years old I never I've never had an issue with Taurus service. Back to me in 2 days to 2 weeks.

 

[forrest r]

I'm sure they earned their reputation for a reason. Myself I've had nothing but quality firearms/quality range time with their products.

+/- 15 years ago I acquired a raging bull revolver chambered in 44mag. Shot the heck out of that thing, the accuracy was impressive. Ended up selling it to a friend he wanted it for his son to use for hunting.

Several years ago I bought a taurus g2c for the misses, she wanted a 2nd ccw firearm with more firepower then her snubnosed 38spl. Darn thing came from the factory with a throated bbl. I have yet to find a ammo or reload it wouldn't eat like candy after 2000+ rounds down the tube, I have yet to have any type of malfunction.

I've actually been looking at the taurus tx22 competition, there's a lot of good reviews about the tx22/tx22 competition. I want it to replace a ruger 22/45 MK IV I bought earlier this year.

The ruger has already went back to get fixed, something is still not right. Was getting lite fp hits and a lot of fliers. Sent it in and they replaced the whole bolt assy, no more lite fp hits but still tons of fliers. Figured it just needed broke in I now have 8 bricks/4000 rounds down the tube. When I do 5-shot groups @ 50ft (in pistol rest with a 7x scope) I get 3 or 4 touching and a flier as much as 1" out of the group consistently.. Could be the ammo, I've only tried:
blazers
federal 510's
walmart bulk pack federal hp's
ww 333's
cci sv
federal sv
federal american eagle
cci mini-mags

I'm not bashing Ruger butttttttt:
Ruger is batting 4 for 4 with me/4 firearms bought new & all 4 went back to get fixed. And all for never got fixed by ruger, nor did they ever shoot correctly/accurately without issues.

I'll buy a taurus over a ruger any day of the week.

 

[HPJeep]

Are their 1911s made in the USA? Have two Taurus revolvers. One went back for repairs but it's a Brazilian made so it does not pertain to the OP:s question.

 

[Jimster]

My first 1911 was a Taurus and I went through my CCL course with it shooting the best score in the class (I was the only one in the class). Sold it to get a Rock Island. I never had a lick of trouble out of it though. Not sure if this relevant or not but it’s Father’s Day and my Margarita told me to share my thoughts.