Taurus: How good are they?

[Firepower!]

Hello folks,
This is really for the Taurus owners or folks who have used Taurus handguns. I would like to know what makes you like them and what makes you hate them. I have personally owned three on various occasions and now have one. To be honest with you it never gave me any problem, may be luck?? Since every other owner I talk to call it a POS gun, and many also think its a second or third tier gun not worth the money.

I would like to know exactly why you like them or hate them.

Thanks

[WESHOOT2]

In the past: no comment (okay, one small comment. Taurus was second rate).

Nowadays: IME the revolver line is (still) a bit of a crapshoot, but significantly less so than some years back.
The autoloader line has been improved to the point that I could recommend budget buyers take a look.

I own a PT22 as a back-up 'always'. For over ten years....

[BamaBowtie]

I own 5 and just put another on lay-a-way yesterday. I have an old M66 made in '89 that looks and shoots like new, and the rest are newer production (PT1911B, M94, M85 Ultra-lite, and PT140) and I have not had a problem out of them yet. The one I just put on lay-a-way is an older PT92 AF. I will not hesitate to buy another Taurus if it fits the criteria I'm looking for at the time. As a matter of fact my wife is interested in a .45 and is considering the PT945 (the 85 and 140 are hers). The negative comments tend to come from people who have never owned them or had a bad one years ago and can't let it go. There are as many issues with Kimber pistols as with Taurus, but for the ones with trouble free Kimbers they love them.

[bobthewelder]

I owned one of the early PT1911's and never a problem with the exception of a weak magazine spring. Never a FTF, FTE, nothing. I shot everything through it including my own reloads. If your looking for a 1911 that has every feature of a higher priced Kimber but the reliability of a Colt at half the cost, go for the Taurus PT1911.

[DWFan]

Everyone has their likes and dislikes for various reasons. Taurus gets slammed regularly, but if you cruise firearms forums much, you'll notice there is someone who has had a bad experience with nearly every brand.

[Buzzard]

I have a m65 and I love it, very accurate and never a problem.....

[Sevens]

I use everything at my disposal when forming MY opinion. The following is all I've got. It's a long post and most will skip over it because of the length. I don't blame them.

I grew up in the late 80s reading Guns & Ammo magazine and Jan Libourel was their big combat handgun writer/editor. Anyone who's read his work has heard him rave over the quality and value that Taurus firearms represented. Being a kid with little or no money (bought my first handgun with paper route money!) I was always about getting the most for the little money that I had. So I had myself convinced for years that my first revolver was going to be a Taurus 669, full underlug and blued steel .357 Mag, 6-inch.

When the time came to buy, I got cold feet and put my $350 or so if that paper route money to a S&W 686, stainless, well, you know exactly what this gun is. I bought it because our club had a lot of PPC shooters and this revolver was the standard.

At the same time, my stepdad had shown interest in buying a home defense handgun and asked me what I recommended. I still thought the Taurus was a good buy, so I recommended that one to him for less money than I had paid for my S&W. When he got it, we took it to the range a few times and put some rounds through it and it impressed me as a capable, solid revolver.

Fast forward 20 years. My stepdad has long since passed away and my Mom has this revolver in her home. Over those years, I'll bet it has seen maybe 500 rounds of ammo through it, probably 350 of that being lead bullet .38 special rounds, maybe 150 of full bore .357 jacketed stuff. Now my 686 has run likely 10,000+ rounds of .38 special of all levels, mostly handloads, and around a thousand or less rounds of .357 mag. My 686 is as good or better than the day I bought it, and my grandchildren will take their grandchildren to shoot this revolver.

Recently, I had my Mom dig out the Taurus revolver that I almost purchased instead of my S&W 686. Frankly, it was a complete and utter disappointment. The ejector rod had come unscrewed and wouldn't allow the cylinder to close at all. I screwed that back in, it didn't feel like precision parts when I did it, but it did allow the action to close. The lockwork was iffy at best, not advancing the cylinder with reliability each time, as if it were gummed up a bit on the inside of the action. I hope to pull the sideplate off when I'm next able, and make sure there's nothing gummy inside. The finishing seems okay, but it's not up to the quality of any of the three S&W that I own. The rear sight is obviously substandard. The cylinder doesn't bind, but it sure doesn't feel like a smooth, precision engineered tool. I still do like the look and feel of the original wood grips. But overall, I wouldn't compare this revolver favorably to any of my S&W revolvers. And YES I will always compare any Taurus revolver to my Smiths because that's EXACTLY what they were created to compete with. They use the same design and they have always attempted to cut in to that market share. Anyone who tells me not to compare a Taurus to a S&W ought to tell that to Taurus, because that's who they wish to sell revolvers to.

In '94, I bought my own Taurus, a PT-99, because I wanted a hi-cap 9mm because the Klinton's didn't want me to have one and were doing everything they could to curtail them. A Beretta looked nice but the Taurus was similar, a little more than half the price, and Libourel still had me thinking they were the best buy in all of handguns. Through this pistol I have put probably 1,500 rounds of general factory 115 grain FMJ ammo. It's not the most reliable feeding pistol, it's likely the least accurate (most of my handguns are quite accurate, so it's not a fair comparison for a combat type pistol) but it works, and works pretty well. The finish is nicely done, it doesn't feel or act like a cheap knock-off and I think it's a decent pistol. What I haven't mentioned yet is that this pistol is the SECOND one I got, because the first one I had to exchange-- after waiting out the ignorant Brady waiting period, I dry fired my new pistol to find that it would literally take all I had to break the trigger single action, and it took TWO HANDS to break it double action. This pistol had some obvious internal trigger/sear issues that I didn't want. It shouldn't have left the factory, so I asked for (and received) a different one.

IMO, if you are buying a handgun that you will shoot many rounds through as a range gun, a gun you shoot weekly, compete with, and/or a prized possession that hope to pass on to a son or daughter, look somewhere else.

If you need to buy a defense handgun for the home or for carry, that you will practice with on occasion and not use heavily as a range toy, and one that will get knocked around in a holster or a glove box, I still think it can be a darn good buy for the money.

If you have very little money, and you want to buy one handgun and it's all you will be able to afford and you will shoot it as often as funds and time allows, work some overtime, buy a better gun and get something that is built to last.

I applaud Taurus for trying their darnedest to bring new and innovate products to the market, but I'm not sold that these are top-notch items. I see them as better than Charter, Rossi, Hi-Point, Bryco and all the other known cheaper brands, but I can't agree that any Taurus builds are up to the quality of S&W, Colt, Ruger, or any of the established, quality brands.

I put one magazine through a Taurus PT-1911 at the range about 6 weeks ago and it felt and performed very well. But one magazine is my experiece... which is about 7 triggers pull more experience than never having even touched one. Which is to say-- very little.

[HilfigerCelica]

I have owned a Taurus model 82 revolver for 3 yrs and it has never given me a bit of trouble. It feels just like a Smith and Wesson Model 10 at half the price. The trigger on the Smith in DA are smoother than Taurus but you can't beat the value that Taurus gives you. I had been leery of Taurus semi-autos due to the stories I've read on the Internet. A couple of friends bought a Taurus 1911 and a Mil-Pro and they both had so many problems with those guns that gave me a bad impression of Taurus. A different friend has a full size 24/7 and a compact 24/7 and they have been awesome shooters. I really didn't want to like the 24/7 but after shooting a few hundreds rounds through it, I have been won over.

Also I have shot both the Beretta 92FS and the Taurus PT92 and besides the location on the safety, I couldn't tell the two apart. Both shot extremely well and I feel like a marksman with them due to their great accuracy. I liked the Taurus 92 so much that I recommended my sister's boyfriend to get one and he's been very pleased with it. It's his first gun and he's going to the range once a week with it.

So in summary, I think it can be a hit or miss with Taurus. Before I would buy a Taurus, I would do a little research into the model and make sure they have the bugs worked out.

[rogertc1]

Just got a Taurus and Rossi catalog in the mail. They have a heck of a selection. Beats Ruger in product.
I have several Taurus and their craftmanship is outstanding. My stainless Thunderbolt 45C pump rifle's finish blows Marlin away. The internal parts are also polished and clean.

Rog

[glockman19]

I do not like Taurus guns. Poor fitting, Poor Customer Service, cheap IMHO

[Kreyzhorse]

I think the guns are a crap shoot. Lots of people seem to get good ones and lots of people seem to get bad ones. That is true of any brand but I think your chances of getting a bad one are much higher with Taurus. Their customer service, or lack of, shows that they don't have much faith, or support, behind their product.

And, yes, I owned a NIB M85 that crapped out around 200 rounds. My first, and last, Taurus.

[Keltyke]

We have a Taurus Judge, an 85UL, and a .380 Millennium and love them all. The finish and fit on all three is good, they're accurate, and they cost MUCH less than comparable models from the Gun God, S&W.

[dawgfvr]

Simply an Economic law..."Supply and Demand"

If Taurus made consistently bad weapons they would not stay in business...eh?

They listen to their cusotomers, unlike S&W, "deceased" Colt, "deceased Winchester, et.al, and have continued to win gun industry awards for their new products.

If you do not like them, don't buy them. If enough people don't buy them, then they will go out of business.

Reality shows you that there is plenty of Demand...and they continue to supply that demand.

[Mannlicher]

I have seveal. So far, no issues.

[Dismantler]

About 20 years ago I was looking for a .22 revolver. A second rate gun shop in my area (now out of business) really pushed the Taurus line. They had glass cases across the walls, and you had to ask for a key to get a gun out to look at. I took a Taurus .22 revolver out to look at. The side plate did not fit, and one of the screws was obviously not the correct screw for the part. It was just too big, and was forced into the frame. I could not get the cylinder open. I put it back, thanked the owner, and left. How he did not see this was beyond me. But that gun should never have left the factory. I mean, the damn thing was not closed up!

Last summer I was again looking for a .22 revolver, and looked at a Taurus. I had real misgivings, because these Taurus threads keep coming up, and I never see a "Can I Trust a Smith?" thread. I was not impressed by the SA or DA triger, and a Ruger MK II was the same price...new. Naturally, I took the Ruger. I would rather have had a revolver, but the Ruger was just superior to the Taurus.

I have not owned a Taurus, but I did look at them, and they lost.

Again, as I always post, does anybody know of a police department that issues Taurus firearms to its officers?

Okay, now, can anybody name me a department that issues Smith/Ruger/Sig/Glock/Beretta? Thought so.

[DMZX]

I have a 605 that is a good truck/pack revolver. If it gets scratched and nicked, no big deal. It shoot very well, is relatively light weight and unobstrusive.

Last year my son left his Model 17 (941 in 17HMR) with me and I simply locked it away. Yesterday, I was headed out to the local gravel pit to sight in my Single Six with the .22 Mag cylinder. I saw the Taurus laying there and since I had some 17HMR ammo, I grabbed it, thinking I would sight it in for my eyes as well.

Well, that Taurus shot much tighter groups than my Single Six. In fact I shot one of my best handgun groups ever with it. This was all off hand. Well, I was quite pleased with myself and with that "plain jane" Taurus.

[Dr_2_B]

I have the PT145 and I love it. Very small 11-shot .45 with possibly the best ergonomics I've ever experienced in a handgun. Never experienced a hickup with it and it is accurate enough for its purpose.

Just had to get it serviced by Taurus after I bent a spring in it. Customer Service was great and they got the gun back to me in about 3-4 weeks. I've had good experience all around with Taurus.

[elrod]

I have had three Taurus handguns. Had an 85 titanium hammerless snubbie, no problems. Sold it to a neighbor when I found another 85 SS ultra-lite with CT grips. No problem. I also have a 24/7 Pro in .40 S&W that has been flawless for 5 years. Both of the ones I still have may break in half tomorrow, but they have given me good service so far.

[TheNatureBoy]

I've only owned two Taurus 9mms. Never had a problem with either of them. Wouldn't hesitate to purchase another one.

[KancamangusMangler]

I have a pt111 that has been absolutely flawless around a couple thousand rounds (it's for ccw so it doesn't get the same use as others). The only thing I hate about it is having to explain to people that it's a decent gun every time I pull it out at the range .

[Leejack]

I've owned the PT99, M85, 85CHULT and the 94. All of them were excellent. Never a problem at all. I never had to deal with their customer service, so I can't comment on that.

I'm not waving the Taurus flag in any way, but after reading countless bashing articles on the internet, I just don't subscribe to the theory that " I must have got lucky and bought some of the good ones".

Weather you're talking about cars, jewelry, guitars, guns, or anything else, if you own the low to mid priced item in the group, your piece will never be held in high regard by those who spent alot more money than you to do basically the same thing. When a high dollar item breaks (I own some too), we tend to keep it a little quieter for some reason.

My shooting partner and I we're having a little side by side competition at the range one night; he with his 229 (great gun, by the way) and me with my 99 when all of a sudden, his gun broke. It just stopped working. He took it to a smith for repairs and 2 weeks later it was fine. Later he said "you could have really dogged my 299, but you let me slide". Why dog a friend who is having trouble? It could have happened to me!

My 2 all-time favorites are the Ruger Blackhawk and the S&W Model 10.

My best to all!

Donald

[Doc TH]

Had a Taurus .380 once. At the range, had the lever that depressed the firing pin safety block break, rendering the gun useless. Dealer told me he had never seen that occur before. Sent back to Taurus for repair. One month later, same part broke. Got rid of the gun, have never owned a Taurus since. Isolated instance? Perhaps. But a pistol designed for defense that is unreliable and unpredictable is worse than useless. If that had happened in a defensive situation, would have been more than annoying. I'll not go there again.

[starshooter231]

I like Taurus firearms, I do not like Taurus customer service. I own a Rossi which is owned by Taurus and it has been a great little gun no problems with it. I recently purchased a Taurus PT1911 worked fine until the ambi safety jammed. I took it to a gunsmith had it replaced with a Wilson single side safety no problems. I just put 200 rnds? through it on Sat. I had ZERO problems with it.


So Taurus CS=CRAP
Taurus firearms = Good gun

[Firepower!]

I just got off the phone. I was talking to this friend of mine who was talking about his Taurus experience. His major complaint was that it rarely hits the targets.

I have fired my Taurus a few times but never really to observe the groupings.

[WESHOOT2]

Maybe (just maybe) Taurus stays in business because they know there are those who will buy because of (cheap, comparably) pricing.

They also know (as do all the makers) that most people will not shoot their guns enough for them being crap to matter.