Taurus Spectrum - 7 Round Mag?

[mh2000]

So I needed to get a "deep conceal" weapon for personal protection and went to my local gun shot thinking I'd look at the Ruger LCP II and Smith & Wesson Bodyguard. The guy grabbed the Taurus Spectrum out of the case by accident and I kind of scoffed, "Taurus, I don't think so." He shrugged and pulled out the LCP and Bodyguard. They felt ok, but I didn't really feel great and I was thinking of moving up to the Glock 42. While he was getting the Glock out of the other case, I picked up the little Taurus and damned if it didn't just melt into my hand! The Glock was nicer than the LCP or Bodyguard, but it was a lot more money and it just started eating at me that the Spectrum just felt so right in my hand. The salesman didn't push the Taurus and didn't argue when I voiced my reluctance to buy anything made by Taurus, but I was swayed enough that I told him I'd have to do some research on the Spectrum before buying the Glock. i Didn't really love the Glock, but come on, it is a Glock!

Anyway, I read the reviews on the Spectrum and decided that for $200 that maybe it was worth the gamble. I went in knowing that I might have ammo issues etc., and for self defense, I'd have to test the ammo I was going to use for this purpose, but I read even the little Glock could be finicky with ammo.

As I said, the reason I took the gamble on the gun was because it just felt so right in my hand! So I bought it! Sweet little piston!

I bought some Hydra-Shok rounds for defense and some cheap Winchester and Federal FMJ rounds. The freaking little gun shot all of them flawlessly! Not a single jam, stovepipe or light strike with any of the rounds!

Even without knowing the gun or having any experience with little semi-automatics (I've only ever shot revolvers), after the first clip or two I was shooting groupings of around 4" at 15 yards! (Ok, I suck, but this this is really good for me!)

The only gripe I have with the gun is how hard the slide lock is to release. It's small and hard to use. I've gotten over it because the biggest selling point of the gun is how smoothly it is designed and how there is nothing to snag when taking it out of a pocket. Even a tight pocket like in jeans.

So the question I have for anyone familiar with the gun, what's the deal with the "7 round magazine"? Mine only holds 6! When you compare it to the smaller 6 round magazine, you can see that they have the same inner length! Do you need to remove the bottom plate so the spring goes deep into the plastic bottom? Is this reliable if you do this? (I haven't tried it.)

The reason I'm worried about this is because when it is in my pocket, there is no way I'm going to have a round chambered! So 6 is 6. Honestly, even in a holster, especially a inside the waistband one, I still wouldn't feel that confident with a round chambered and no safety... so yeah, I know it's going to cost me a couple seconds and a round, but I feel super confident that there's no way I'm going to accidentally both rack the slide and pull the trigger and shoot any of my man-parts off (like that Walmart moron just did here in AZ),

So my question is, why can I only get 6 rounds in my "7 round magazine"? Am I missing something?

Other than that, I simply love this new little gun!!! I'm sure Taurus deserves the bad reputation they've built up, but with this gun, they produced something (in the USA!) that is unique with a design that I love!

 

[OARNGESI]

No idea on the spectrum magazine but don’t forget to send off for the rebate. Btw a holstered gun is perfectly safe as long as your not sagging in buckeye.

 

[DPris]

There is NO good reason on this entire planet NOT to have a round chambered in that Spectrum.

The one I worked with impressed me in how well it handled its primary job, which is pocket carry in a non-snag close-in get-off-me role.
The DA trigger CANNOT fire the thing by itself unless your finger interacts with it.
And the slide lock/release is not meant to be used in releasing the slide during quick combat reloads.

Had I not already owned two Smith Bodyguard .380s, I would have bought the Spectrum I had here, and you can bet your life (or mine) I'd carry it fully loaded.
Absolutely zero chance of it firing accidentally in a pocket.
Denis

 

[MedWheeler]

I'm glad to hear you like the Spectrum and that it runs well. I would have been curious myself if I didn't already own a TCP that works well (and a Kel-Tec P32 that is even easier to carry.)

I can't speculate why you're unable to load a seventh round. I have a Ruger magazine for my P95 that is supposed to hold 15, but I cannot, for the life of me, load more than twelve (my other magazine holds fifteen easily.)

Good luck on keeping this thread about the Spectrum seven-rounder and not having it derail into a chambered-vs-unchambered one.

 

[mh2000]

>>Good luck on keeping this thread about the Spectrum seven-rounder and not having it derail into a chambered-vs-unchambered one.

Haha! I tried to avert that, but probably have already failed.

I guess the bottomline is that *I* feel safer with the gun in my pocket without one in the chamber (even the manufacturer spent the time to suggest the same in the instruction manual... FWIW). I'm not suggesting what other people should do!

 

[DPris]

Not to prolong, but if you're concerned about capacity, you are deliberately shorting yourself one round by refusing to carry chambered.

Understand the gun.
It has a true double-action pull, in that, unlike Glocks & others, it does not "pre-cock" a striker.
Just like a revolver, everything is at rest when the trigger's not being pulled.
Nothing is cocked or partially cocked.

There is a passive striker safety built in on top of that.

The trigger requires a long deliberate trigger pull to fire the thing.

I can't conceive of any circumstance where the Spectrum could fire a chambered round in a pocket, either with pocket holster (always recommended) or without one.
It is an EXTREMELY safe pistol to carry fully loaded.

No criticism intended, and I only get into the chambered issue because you seem to be concerned about a single round in capacity, while you are deliberately and needlessly shorting yourself a round right up front.
This is entirely aside from the issue of wasting valuable time in getting the gun into action if needed, and the mistaken assumption that you'll always have two hands available to cock the thing.
Denis

 

[mh2000]

I guess I can imagine that tripping and falling into a shrub with a sharp stick jabbing through my pocket and pushing the trigger back as being at least as likely as needing that extra second or two that's wasted chambering a round or needing that extra round at all (statistics aren't convincing in this regard). I do get that two handed thought though. Thanks! I do appreciate discussion and all well worth thinking about!

I would like to figure out why I'm not getting the published magazine capacity though.

Glad to hear you think the gun is very safe! I am really loving it!

 

[DPris]

Month or two ago there were two Internet videos circulating showing how deadly an empty chamber can be.

One was a store robbery that clearly showed a man pulling out a 1911 pistol to resist armed robbers.
And it showed him die because he couldn't get a round chambered in time.
Video showed him draw, point the pistol, realize it wasn't firing, still trying feebly to chamber a round as he was shot & went down to the floor.

As I said- the Spectrum is EXTREMELY safe to carry fully loaded ready for instant one-handed use if needed.
I seriously cannot imagine a scenario where it could fire accidentally in a pocket.
The trigger pull is long, just like a revolver.

No stick, or anything else, is going to interact with that trigger hard enough & far enough to fire the pistol.
Carry it in a pocket holster and NOTHING is going to move that trigger.
The gun CAN'T go off by itself.

I would, frankly, be more concerned about MYSELF reducing pistol capacity here where I DO have control, than fussing about the magazine where I don't.
Denis

 

[mh2000]

Haha! Peace! I do agree with those serenios, but I'm also kind of worried about *me* pulling such a little gun out of the waistband of my pants etc. Like the guy that couldn't get the round chambered, he was probably fumbling around like crazy... the same kind of lack of control could easily lead to shooting yourself in the foot!

As I said above, at the current time, *I* feel safer without a round chambered. Hopefully I won't regret it. Thanks!

 

[BlueHeelerFl]

The Spectrum is on my list of possible 380 pocket guns that I want to buy. The long and heavy Double action trigger makes it extremely safe to carry with a round in the chamber. In a pocket holster or an regular holster I do not see the gun Accidently firing when brushing up against anything.

As for as the 7 round mag, maybe take it apart and see if it has any crud/debris in it. Or possibly a burr than can be filed down

 

[Browning]

I watched two videos on YouTube (704 something and the Late Boy Scout) and on the back to back videos both had issues. Stove pipes, light primer strikes and at least one ended up sending his pistol back to Davidson and having to do another review of it.

I have lost interest in it at that point as an expensive back up pistol.

 

[mh2000]

Yeah, if I hadn't liked the feel of the gun so much, I probably wouldn't have given it a chance. Though when I looked back at all the reviews, most that had issues were only with certain ammo (and most didn't have issues at all!). Since mine worked perfectly with Federal, Winchester and Hydra-Shok, I kind of feel set. It's not like I'm going to go out searching for the one ammo that it has problems with. I tried limp-wristing it and the first couple magazines, my hand got in the way of the slide a few times (getting used to such a small gun!) and I never was able to get it to stovepipe. Rock solid little pocket gun IMO.

 

[mh2000]

I've taken the magazine apart a couple times and can't see anything that is out of the ordinary. I'll buy a second one and see about that.