Range Report: Taurus PT92AF 9mm...

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I've always found this pistol to have been well worth the $299 I paid for it in June of '87. The gun's stock, other than having the Uncle Mike blk, checkered rubber stocks. The Brazillain hardwood smooth stocks look much better, but slip on me if shooting with sweaty hands. This pistol does not have the decocking capability of later Model 92, but I actually prefer that.



Though owned for quite a time now, I've never shot this gun all that much considering how long I've had it; I just never could cotton up to the Beretta M92 design, being leary of so many internal moving parts compared to other semiautos. It would appear that these "fears" were more theoretical than real. I estimate about 3K rounds through this pistol, mostly standard pressure handloads, factory FMJ and JHPs. It's digested perhaps 500-800 +P factory defensive rounds as well as a similar amount of warm handloads with Sierra or Hornady JHPs.

It has never failed to feed, fire, or extract.

Test: Due to the chance of rain at any moment, today's groups were all fired at 15 yards, standing, with 2-hand hold. It was also pretty windy and as the ground was muddy, I didn't care to sit or lay on it for 50 yard shooting.

All groups are 10-shot.

Ammunition: Today, the gun was shot with 3 makers' 115 gr loads: Winchester USA ball, Fiocchi ball, and Federal's JHP (standard pressure) also known as the "9BP" load. In addition, I tested it with two +P loads: Remington's 115 gr JHP and some older Corbon 124 gr "Bonded JHPs." These are the Speer Gold Dots and figured that since some folks use Speer 124gr +P GDHPs, it might be more relevant than certain other loads.

Here are the targets with the standard pressure ammunition. From Left to Right: Winchester USA 115 gr FMJ, Fiocchi 115 gr FMJ, and Federal 115 gr JHP.



I apologize for the picture as it's not so easy to see groups as I thought it might be. All are about the same with the 9BP edging out the others a bit. The shots felt "good" so I didn't call any flyers.

POA was the exact center of the bullseye.

With the +P ammo:



Today's shooting resulted in no misfires, failures to feed or extract. Cases from std pressure loads landed about 6' to the right of the shooter with the +P cases going about 10' or so the same direction.

Observations: The gun was easy to hit with despite the smallish sights that my aging eyes find a tad harder to clearly see with each passing year. Recoil was minimal despite the aluminum alloy frame. Were I doing it again, I'd likely have purchased the PT99 as it comes with a much more visible set of sights, albeit adjustable.

A friend of mine, a very fine, quick shot, used to regularly beat the socks off some fellow IPSC-type shooters at formal and informal matches with his PT92. I remain amazed at how well the pistols do group considering that the bbl's not supported at the muzzle end!

I do like the Condition One capability of this pistol and think it would be a great defensive pistol for the home, vehicle, or out in the wild. It is large, particularly for caliber, and there are 9mm handguns much easier to conceal. Still, it could be done.

Over the years, I've owned and shot quite a few Taurus handguns and currently see quite a few come through CHL classes I teach here in Texas. Some I trust and others I don't. I believe the PT92/99 to be a dependable, trustworthy handgun unless their quality's dropped in recent years.

Best.

[blades67]

I've had similar results with the PT92.

[denfoote]

Steven,

Yeah, pretty much my experence also!!

In fact, I traded my Beretta 92FS for my first High Power!! I'm keeping the Taurus, though!!!

[clown714]

nice report

i don't like the decocker on the new ones.

clown

[boing]

The barrel isn't supported at the muzzle end?

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. Mine does not appear to be as I can see light all the way around the bbl at the muzzle end of the slide.

Best.

[Handy]

There is no need for the barrel to be supported at the front. The 92 is a derivative of the P-38, which didn't even have a slide forward of the locking block. All lock up is accomplished at the locking block.

Browning guns require forward contact because the barrel is wedged between the front of the slide and the rear camming surface.

Nice review.

[ROBOV]

Thanks for the review. It sure helps my post purchase decision even after the 14 years since I bought my Taurus PT92AF.

I purchased mine back in 1988, for around $350. The Beretta 92's were selling for around $500-550 at the time in the New Orleans area. Since this was my first semi auto purchase primarily as a home defensed pistol I wanted something reliable and the home budget was tight. I read some articles about the gun and inquired at several local gun stores. All the responses were positive, and I haven't been disappointed.

I've fired close to 2000 rounds with one stoppage at around 1100 rounds, the slide locked back with a half full magazine. I was using a ramline 17 round mag at the time. Accuracy has been at least respectable and sometimes I've surprised myself. My only real complaint are the sights but they're good enough.

The pistol gets less range time now because I've added several pistols to my collection. The most recent purchase a CZ75B. I have many posters here to thank for their input. I've spent a lot of time on this and a few other gun forums reading posts about the CZ's and comparing my experience with the CZ75 to what people here have written is right on the money. Accuracy is exceptional, trigger is better than my Sig225, and it's just about a perfect fit to my hand. It's hard to ask for anything more.

[edamon2k]

However, given that the price gap as shrunk between the beretta and taurus, I think the value end of the taurus has shrunk considerably.

Last I checked locally, a taurus 92 was in the $460-$490 range with the beretta 92 in the $540-$550 range.

At $350 it'd be a steal, but inflation seems to have bumped the taurus up in price, but skipped beretta.

-d

[JIH]

A friend has fallen out as you have... when the price gap is $200-$300 a gun, he'd have gotten the Taurus. But, when it's a $100 difference...

[archer215]

nice gun there steven i baught a used pt58 taurus awhile back one of the best buys ive ever got on a gun just curious though how does taurus quality stand up to berrettas now if anyone knows

[444]

I had one of those. It was a fine handgun. At the time, I shot it a whole lot. I still have two trophies sitting on my loading bench that I won shooting that gun in some kind of micky mouse "combat" type match put on by a local gun shop in their indoor range. In yet another one of my idiotic moves, I decided one day that I need to cut down on the number of calibers I was reloading and I sold it since it was the only 9mm I owned (this was like 10 years ago, since then I have rethought my idea and now own a number of fine 9mm handguns). I have regretted it ever since and everytime I see the guy I sold it to I offer to buy it back. He isn't selling. I regret every gun that I ever sold, but this one hurts more than most.

[stevesmith7]

Guess there weren't too many out there who thought $350 is a steal.
My PT92 with 13 mags ad for $350 shipped got zero response on TFL.
Didn't matter, put it in the local paper, could have sold a dozen.

BTW, it's a five minute job to change the hammer spring to a Wolff
lower weight model, really improves the trigger.

Steve

[Tecolote]

I regret not getting a Taurus when they were first imported. Taurus put a lot of hand finishing into those pistols to make a big splash in the market. They are reliable to a fault, accurate, and built to last.

[igor]

I got my 99AFD when they came to the market, replacing the 99AF I had for two years before that. I still like the decocker. In 1994 the Beretta cost approx. 40% more than the Taurus here... and I definitely wanted the frame-mounted safety. My experience with the pistol has been altogether very good.

The hardwood grips were unacceptable, slippery, thick and edgy in the web-of-thumb area: I got Uncle Mike's and had to smooth their back edges as well.

I had a feed ramp cut&polish and a trigger job done out of the box and have never had a malfunction during 8 years of 1000-3000 rounds each. The gun still shoots 5-6 cm groups from 15 meters. Only some old mags occasionally fail to lift up the slide lock after the last shot.

The only problem has been and is the rear sight. STAY AWAY FROM THE MODEL 99 and go for 92 instead!!! You can always put a high quality after market sight in the dovetail of the 92 slide.

The 99 sight is fitted with a split tubular pin horizontal thru the slide in the front and a vertical screw in the back: neither work very well, nor does the horizontal adjusting screw. Everything keeps shaking loose and needs tightening every 100 rounds or so, if not sealed with Loc-Tite or equivalent. The whole idea and design of the adjustable sight version seems hastily added with the mediocrest of Brazilian engineering skill...

The tubular pin on my 99AFD was shaken to bits twice: it was then replaced with a fitting piece of a drilling bit and secured with Loc-Tite. That started to eat its way thru the top of the slide... I'm getting a 92 AFD replacement slide if the gun smith can't come up with something a lot better next week.

Anyway, I think I'll be going Walter P99QA way soon... the DA/SA start of the first string on the Taurus doesn't work for me, and the Finnish Army Reserve Applied Shooting events I'm going to participate in don't allow cocked&locked carry. The Walther seems like an answer to that and fits my hand a lot better than the otherwise quite acceptable Glock 17s and 19 Pros.

[Russ]

Rant on.

I had a PT 92 I bought in 86. Sorriest gun I have ever owned. Trigger pull must have been 25 lbs. in single action. After 50 rounds the finish on the barrel was almost totally gone. Felt like a 2 x4 in my hand. I think they were a rip off at the $285 I paid back then. Maybe I got a lemmon but I dumped it as fast as I could. I never understood why anyone would want one and pay high $400 for them now. POS doesn't express my thoughts adequately.

Rant off.

[xtrarnds]

I've owned my PT92AFS for over a decade now and I've never regretted buying it. I remember I paid 399.00 + state fees for it. I'm sure the price has gone up some but it can still be a bargain. I love the reliablity and the cocked n' locked capability.

[cratz2]

Hello Stephen! I have nothing but positive things to say about my PT99AF. I've put more rounds through it than any other pistol other than my Colt 1991A1. I've owned it longer than I've been keeping track of rounds. I know I've put 5,500 through it so I'd guess somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 rounds. I have never had a failure of any kind whatsoever with any kind of ammo. Now I did buy it very slightly used and don't know if the original owner had any failures or not but I've been very pleased.

Matter of fact, when new shooters ask for a recommendation of a first pistol, I always mention the Taurus PT92/PT99 and the CZ75/EAA Witness line. I've never had anyone that bought any of them that ever complained.

The only problem areas I've had with mine is the trigger and the sights. The trigger I plan on having Ernie Langdon remedy with one if his speedbump triggers and the competition trigger jobs. I only shoot the gun single action at the range and it's not really so bad, but I've had trigger jobs on several of my 1911s. And several of my other 1911s have pretty good factory triggers. The CZ that I regularly shoot also all have very nice triggers. So by way of comparison, the Taurus trigger is a bit rough and heavy.

The other problem is with the sights. Mine are adjust nearly all the way over the the left in order to hit point of aim. It just doesn't look very nice. I also think that the adjustable sights sit a bit too high up on the slide. If I had it to do over, I'd go for the fixed sights. But then, I got a pretty good deal on this gun. It was $269 and it came with three 15 round mags and two 10 rounders.

[ArmorerR]

I bought a PT-92 AFS (stainless) off a pal a year ago and it went in for service for feed and extraction issues before the sale. It came back and didn't work right, so I sent it back. I gather they cleaned it and shipped it right back to me, so there was no improvement. It went before their "Review Board" last week when it went in, but it's still no better. I am sending it back again tomorrow, but I am probably going to dump it ASAP. Never should have bought it, and I certainly don't recommend them any longer.

The unfortunate thing is I have shot other Taurus products, including another PT-92, and they have been fine guns. This one is a "lemon" and it does not appear Taurus is going to make it right. That's their perogative, but I will tell this story to anyone who will listen and will certainly never buy their products again. FWIW, I did send a registered letter to their president today, so maybe they will fix it. If they do, I will be sure to post that here.

[JH225]

I have the exact weapon pictured. I got mine about 8 years ago for $225 w/3 hi-cap mags.

I was just out with the gun yesterday and I have it out most every weekend. I still get the same type of groups shown in the PICS and mine has AT LEAST 10,000 rounds through it (S&B mostly). Never, never, never has it ever malfunctioned(I had a stovepipe once due to an aftermarket mag with a weak spring).

It is just now showing slight wear on the barrel. i wouldn't carry it due to its size, but for a practice weapon, I absolutely got a bargain on this one!

[Lennyjoe]

Even though my Taurus isn't a 92, the 100 series I own will stay with me to the end. Its a sweet shooter and came with 2 each 11 round mags for only $325

[JohnKirk]

I bought my PT99 about 25 years ago; must have been very early in production. Had a trigger job done, it has been absolutely flawless. It is so nice to shoot the gun, no recoil at all, kinda like shooting +P's .38's in my 6" Smith 686. If you walk into my bedroom at 3:00 AM, and you are a bad guy, you are in big trouble. I laid back a bunch of Taurus/Megar factory mags before Shlinton/sleaze signed the infamous bill, and plan to pass it down to my son or daughter with orders to KEEP it.

I agree with one of the above posters, the early production is reminiscent of 1950's S & W production. Racking the slide reminds me of ice on ice...................

[eyeballz]

As always another great review from Mr. Camp. Good going Stephen!
Im a BIG Taurus fan and Im glad to see good reports posted about Taurus hsndguns. Keep Up the Great Work! Are you sure your not a PRO handgunner or writer?

If not you should be.

[ArmorerR]

Any HUGE Taurus fans are invited to look at my for sale post on the appropriate forum here. Practically new PT-92, will be fresh from Taurus with their stamp of approval.