Choose: Taurus 92 or Charles Daly Hi-Power Clone

[calispec]

This is my dilemma, for the same price I can get either a barely used Taurus PT92 or a new Charles Daly Hi-Power clone.

This is going to be my first handgun, not a ccw. I like them both equally. Which you guys go with?

[FS2K]

Hmmnn...

I'd go with the Hi-Power IF you aren't prone to getting hammer bite. The Hi-Power design has closer tolerences and is a Single Action all the time.

[Manedwolf]

PT-92 - SA/DA with ambidextrous frame-mounted safety, combat pistol very quick to get into action. 17rd flushfit mags
Hi-power - SA only. Excellent for its time, still fun on the range, but no DA functionality. 15rd flushfit mags

If you're going to shoot the hell out of it for practice and want a house gun, I like the PT-92. Thing will keep on shooting forever. Plus any accessories except for grips meant for the ubiquitous M-5/Beretta 92 can be used with it. Recoil is nonexistent in such a large frame. It's a combat pistol, literally, excellent for practice or self defense.

Dunno anything about whatever particular hi-power clone that might be, but the original hi-power was certainly good! It's just that being only single-action, it's a bit obsolete for a self-defense weapon in the home, if that's also what you want it for. For range fun only, sure...it's just that you won't learn how to shoot single or double action as you would with the PT-92. And that's a handy skill to develop.

[SpookBoy]

i'm going to second everything Manedwolf just said,also the all important universal light rail is on the taurus ,not on the hp clone(if you need one)

[nate45]

I have a Charles Daly HP it has suprised me so far that in about 300 rounds it has had zero malfunctions.

Mine came equipped XS sights(I'm not sure I think they all do) and at first I wasn't sure how well I would like them, but they are OK for defense or combat style shooting.

I eliminated the magazine disconnecter, gave it a trigger job and put skateboard tape on the front strap other than that it is stock.

All in all for the money it's a decent pistol and the HP is one of the all time great designs.

P.S. My last time at the range with it I never missed the A-Zone at 10yds while doing double taps and Bill drills.

[link523]

Charles Daly worst gun i ever owned its a 1911 made by kbi has ftf or stove pipes about 8 out of 50 rounds fired

[FS2K]

And does have allot of "Updated" features to it. I was with you all the way to the point where you said that Single Action handguns are obsolete for a house self defense gun. I don't agree, obviously.

One of the things about the 92's design is it's floating barrel setup. It has no lock-up up front. I also don't like the 92's grip: too fat and too vertical for my liking.

[nate45]

Charles Daly worst gun i ever owned its a 1911 made by kbi has ftf or stove pipes about 8 out of 50 rounds fired

It is not a 1911 it's a Hi-Power.

Most stove pipes are caused by "limp wristing" the pistol and FTF can usually be traced to the magazine or the ammo.

I think KBI just imports them.

[JR47]

As the PT92 and the M-9 pistol are virtually alike mechanically, you don't care for the Beretta?

A valid point on the thickness, though. That's why the Sig P226 was chosen as a substitute standard for small-sized hands, and undercover units.

As for the cast frame. FN now uses a cast frame on all .40 S&W Browning HPs. They went to it for, oh my, durability.

Both designs are rugged, durable, and accurate. After a couple of decades of service, it's pretty obvious that the Taurus/Beretta design is accurate enough for all but pin-point precision. I wouldn't exactly term the forward support as "free-floating", either. It's a precision fit, much like Sig, and some S&W pistols. Jarvis-barreled Berettas are certainly accurate enough to win in IDPA.

Choose whichever weapon feels the best. Try to shoot each one, at least 50 rounds through each, and see which one feels better to you.

[Rogueone]

If you want a Hi Power style gun, don't get the Charles Daly, bad rep for one thing, but also still not a fantastic design. No improved beavertail, no improved safety release etc. Get a C75B or an EAA Witness. Pretty sure you'll be happier with those based on all the posts I've read about them. CZ owners are sorta like Glock and 1911 owners, rabid

[Cliff47]

I have one of the Charles Daly pistols in my collection, and the trigger is so gritty it hurts my fillings. The sights also leave me cold.

The Taurus PT92, on the other hand, is an older Beretta design (at least mine is) with the manual safety/decocker lever on the frame as opposed to the slide (which bothers the bejabbers out of me for some reason). The grip on the Taurus feels like I'm trying to grip the butt end of a 2X4. Blocky is how one of my shooting buddies described it.

Alternatively, consider the CZ75B design, great ergonomics (some say better than the Hi-Power), 15- or 16-round mags are commonplace, cocked and locked carry is one capability, and accuracy you won't soon forget. They can be found (if you are lucky and persistent) in your budget, sometimes even well within your budget.

Rogueone, you beat me to the CZ posting, by just that much.

[Manedwolf]

The Taurus PT92, on the other hand, is an older Beretta design (at least mine is) with the manual safety/decocker lever on the frame as opposed to the slide (which bothers the bejabbers out of me for some reason). The grip on the Taurus feels like I'm trying to grip the butt end of a 2X4. Blocky is how one of my shooting buddies described it.

And I think it's an asinine design to have the safety on the slide instead of the frame. I can swipe the Taurus' safety from a firing grip with no other hand movement. Safeties belong on frames, not slides, IMO.

So to each their own, there.

The grip is the same as the Beretta, too. It's just a thick pistol. Hogue makes slimmer rubber grips for it, but it's still a big combat pistol and always was. I like the thick grip, myself.

[IM_Lugger]

Or how about a used Beretta?

[elprofeloco]

My experience w. Charles Daly was same as link523 above (and it was not from ammo, limp-wristing, mags, or the usual other excuses). I've owned dozens of pistols of at least half a dozen different brands; CD was by far the worst of the bunch.

The dealer I bought the CD from said he'd had so many problems with CD firearms that he was no longer going to sell or buy them.

That said, there are many who have had good results from CD firearms - but CD seems to have more lemons than other brands, and those lemons sometimes border on being non-functional. If ya get a good CD, you got a deal - if not, you are not alone.

I've had two Taurus pistols (24/7 and PT111) - both of those are perfect shooters. (Taurus too has manufactured some lemons, just not as many as CD).

Don't get a CD without test firing it or having full money-back guarantee.

[Officer's Match]

PT92, by a country mile. Not even close.

[hj28rules]

Bought a Charles Daly HP 9mm on sale. Dissapointing firearm: very rough trigger, hammer bite, ammo sensitive and IMHO a poor clone of the Browning HP. As for the PT92 (Beretta clone), It's OK, I guess. I never could warm up to the Beretta M9 platform when I was on active duty.
Sold the Daly and bought a CZ75B. Beats the others, hands down.

LM...Ft. Worth, Tx.
PO1 USN: 1964-1972 Viet Nam Vet
SFC US ARMY (NG): 1982-1996 Desert Storm Vet (ret.)

[Ranger325]

OK, I'll take the contrary point.

I have a CD HP and have not had a problem with it. It digests any 9mm I load into the magazine. The trigger was gritty out of the box, but it's very nice since I removed the mag safety and shot it in some. The XD's truely take some getting used to -- they're not your daddy's target sights -- but for me they're quick for target acquisition.
I like my autos single action and have not fired your Taurus PT92.

Good luck and good shooting.

Regards,

[gb_in_ga]

IMHO, if you want a HP or clone of such, there's better options than a Charles Daly.

OTOH, there's nothing wrong with a PT-92. I know, I've got one. No complaints at all with it.

...I like the PT-92. Thing will keep on shooting forever. Plus any accessories except for grips meant for the ubiquitous M-5/Beretta 92 can be used with it.

Well, there's one other "accessory" that won't interchange -- the magazines. I haven't found that to be a problem, though. There's no shortage of PT-92 mags out there, and prices aren't sky-high. And -- MecGar makes mags for PT-92s as well, and they work great.

The Taurus PT92, on the other hand, is an older Beretta design (at least mine is) with the manual safety/decocker lever on the frame as opposed to the slide (which bothers the bejabbers out of me for some reason). The grip on the Taurus feels like I'm trying to grip the butt end of a 2X4. Blocky is how one of my shooting buddies described it.

I've got fairly large hands, therefore I find that the big "blocky" grip of the PT-92 fits my hand just fine. It is one of those things that you are either going to like or you aren't. If you have small hands, you'll hate it. As was pointed out -- yes, it's a big combat pistol. It is supposed to be that way. If you don't like that, then don't buy it. Buy something that fits smaller hands.

[Taurus_9mm]

A big +1 on the Taurus PT92. I've removed the factory plastic grips from mine and replaced them with a set of Hogue rubber grips. They've made an already nice pistol that much nicer in terms of both aesthetics and how they feel to the hand.

I don't know how readily available extra magazines are for the Daly but for the PT92, they are somewhat abundant and not what most would consider costly.

Best Wishes

[link523]

nate my gun is a 1911! does not matter what ammo or mag i use> If you think it me i will sell it to you cheap!!!!!!!!!

[Cliff47]

The CD Hi-Power is the old FEG PJK-9HP from Hungary (I have a couple of those and they are sweet!). Magazines fit right across witht he FN or FM Hi-Powers (also Arcus, Inglis, Kareens, and the L1 that was imported from India). There enough old HP mags out there to float many a shooter's boat (the pistol has been in production since 1935, right?).

[JR47]

If the frame-mounted safety of the Taurus bothers you, why doesn't the same thing on the CZ75?

[clu]

Charles Daly worst gun i ever owned its a 1911 made by kbi

Charles Daly metal framed 1911's are made by armscor in the phillipines (the same company that makes rock island armory 1911's if im not mistaken)
Charles Daly polymer framed 1911's are made by Bul in Israel

Charles Daly HP parts are manufactured by FEG in Hungary and then assembled in the U.S.

In an interview a executive with CD stated that the thing they would like to change the most about their HP is the Rowel(burr) style hammer and that may be an issue they could address in the future

regarding hammer bite some claim to be "bitten" more often by the old style hammer and some claim it is an improvement.

[Willie D]

I thought FEG Hi-Powers were DA? Either way they are not very well regarded.

An argentine FM Hi-Power might be an alright choice if you don't want to spring for an FN. Gunbroker has some and Sarcoinc still has a few of the shorter Detective models for $300.

The Taurus is less likely to have feeding problems due to the oversize ejection port but I also think the Taurus/Beretta 92 is one of the most uncomfortable guns of all time while the Hi-Power is one of the best. Split the difference and get a CZ.

[ranburr]

All I can say is this, I bought a CD Hi Power to have a cheap 9mm for my students to use. Out of the box and 4K+ asssorted rounds without a malfunction. I finally decided to give it the first cleaning and lubrication. I would have to say that it is a best buy in handguns. CD makes nothing themselves. The Hi Powers are good guns. The plastic 1911s are good guns (Kimber thought so). The steel framed 1911s are crap.