Taurus TCP 738; Reliable or Not?

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The FS has one mag and oxide finish on carbon steel. No waist bag. Thats why it sell so cheap and has only a 199 dollar retail price.
 
I've had a TCP 738 BSS for a little over a year. When I first bought it, I put about 250 rounds through it to prove its' reliability. I have not had a single malfunction with any ammunition including my own reloads. The TCP is easy to conceal and will fit in most any pocket. IMO it can't be beat for the price.
 
Found it!

I bought a TCP 738FS NIB w/1 mag $209. Then, bought two more mags at Academy $19.99 each. Field Striped & cleaned it. Feed ramp is now very shiny. I have small hands but a little tricky racking the slide with this mouse, er I mean Mighty Mouse, highly concealable, better trigger axn than the S&W Bodyguard, gun. However, introduced Mighty Mouse to agent G19. Neither moved, and both stood their ground.
 
Can't speak for the all the Taurus line, but my 24/7 Pro in .40 S&W has been close to 100%. The only issue has been some cheap reloads.
 
I know a guy that owns a gun store. One day we were talking when a customer walked in carrying a TCP he had bought a few days before. The gentleman stated that he hasn't fired it because he couldn't get the rounds to feed from the magazine.

My friend grabbed some snap caps, loaded the mags and rack the slide to make sure the guy wasn't riding it home causing a failure to load. Sure enough he was unable to get a round into the chamber without jamming no matter how he manipulated the slide. He had another on the shelf so he grabbed the mags out of it and had the same result.

By now he's getting frustrated that the brand new gun he sold to a customer for S.D. isn't working. He went to the back and went to work on the feed lips of the magazine. after 10 min. or so he got the rounds to feed. He looked at the cust. and said it works now but if you are uncomfortable with this gun I will give you full credit towards any gun of your choice. The gentleman stated that he was uncomfortable trusting his life to a new gun that wouldn't feed properly and proceeded to trade it in for the Ruger LCP.

Taurus has come a long way since I was a young man but in my early days they were not considered a very dependable gun. As a result I have an uneasy feeling about owning one much less carrying one. I know guys who have had great luck with the Taurus line but they aren't for me.

I use to have a Ruger LCP as a pocket carry for those times I can't CC a bigger gun and it was very dependable. My biggest gripe was the lack of any kind of usable sights on it.

I have since replaced it with a S&W Bodygaurd. It has actual sights and the laser is a nice bonus. I have no doubt about being able to hit a man sized target a 25 yards with the sights that are on it.

If you like the Taurus and are comfortable with the product then get one. I would highly recommend you run a few hundred rounds through it, or any gun intended for S.D., before trusting your life to it
 
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Today all firearm companies have more than there share of problems . If you think other wise your sadly mistaken. You buy and hope it proves its self worthy of useing. Some pistols may have issues racking that first round but run fine . I also put zero faith in how skilled or knowledgeable a gun shop person is with a firearm too. Specialy if they say there a smithy. Today no matter what you buy you had better shot to prove its worth trusting.

I have bought several handguns owners said where junk only to find with different ammo and a good cleaning and lube job work 100%.
 
Great Piece

I had a Kel-Tec P-3AT. It went back to the factory 3 times before it was right. Then it was 100% and I carried it for years, until I traded it last fall for a Taurus PT-22 (I needed a .22 pistol for trapping). I also have a PT-145, and I previously had a PT-140.

Yesterday I bought a 738SS that had just been stocked moments before. Came with 2 mags. I went into the range, loaded both mags, and emptied each at 20 feet. My bifocals wouldn't let me focus on the sights, but I still hit two bull's eyes and made two six-inch groups. That's all the time I had.

It was much easier to manage than the P-3AT ever was, and although larger, it fits more comfortably in my pocket.

I've got to say I've been very pleased with Taurus in general, and the TCP in particular.
 
My Dad has a stainless slide 738. We have shot several hundred trouble free rounds through it. I found out that it cycled perfectly with some lead bullet minimum starting loads using Unique. That made it a pleasure to shoot and broke it in. One ragged hole groups at 7 yards are not hard, you just have to concentrate on the small sights.
 
I have had my 738FS for about two years now. It is my go-to pocket gun. It is so light and unobtrusive that it almost disappears in my pocket with a cheap neoprene pocket holster, even in shorts (Florida standard equipment). I have run many many rounds of good and crappy ammo through it, including qualifying with it as my backup gun at work (LEO) with ZERO issues. The trigger is awesome for this type of gun. The recoil is snappy, but no more than anyone should expect from a ten ounce pocket gun with a two inch barrel. I did add the Pearce magazine extension for about $8, which seriously improved the feel of the grip for me, but it does add a little to the length of the grip. I was never really a .380 fan before, but I think Taurus did this one right. IMHO, having compared the three, the build quality seems a bit nicer than the Kel Tec and Ruger offerings in the same category.

Long story short, I'm happy with it.
 
Kinda reluctant to comment on the reliability of a pistol I don't own. But the lady I was partnered with at my ccw class over a year ago had a brand new one she was qualifying with. I had to load her magazines and she mine. She was a LEO, by the way.

Her gun continually failed to return to battery, but never really jammed, as I recall. She just had to push the slide forward a few rounds per magazine. Many Tauruses need to go through a break in period - more so than some other brands. You might want to be prepared for that. But once they do, they tend to be quite reliable.

All she really needed to do was take a power drill (in the absence of a dremel) put a bore cleaning fitting in the chuck with a cloth on it and some polish and really buff the feed ramp.
 
Mine did not feed hp reliably. I kept trying, polished the dickens out of the ramp, and traded it with a disclosure. Probably hit and miss, like many other small 380s.
 
hardluk1 said:
If it does not work with the ammo used change ammo brands!!
Click to expand...
Aw shucks, Your Honor, I had indeed tried several defensive HP loads. Now seriously. The TCP is a last resort weapon. When the hornadys the feds and the corbons did not cycle 100%, I made a personal decision to move on. Was fun to shoot though, nice grip. Glad to hear the TCP has performed well for others.
 
I have not had a single failure with my TCP, but I must admit that since I believe JHP is not the best way to go in these short barreled 380 pistols I have only used fmj and mostly Winchester truncate bullet.
 
I carried a P3AT, traded it. Carried an LCP, put a laser on it carried it a while longer, traded it. I bought a 738 two and one half years ago and it is still in my pocket. Polish the ramp a little and they will eat anything.
Yes they are all small and lightweight and pop pretty hard with SD rounds, but the 738 is easier to keep on target than the other two for me. Not that any of them have real sights, it is more like a suggestion.
But I can bust a watermelon at 20 paces with it, that's good enough for me.
 
yz I can now see your smarter than the average donkey . As you did not say what ammo you tried in your first post how does any one know or what series you had as early series had some issues later series did not have to deal with. Since you did not send it back for cs to fix I doubt any one realy cares..
 
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