New purchase... Taurus 145 Pro

FireMax · January 14, 2008, 01:29 AM

Hi Guys. I'm new to the forum... thought I'd get started posting....

I just purchased my first Taurus... PT145 Pro. I had a few considerations/requirements when I went to the Gun Show today...

1.) Compact or Sub-Compact for concealed carry purposes and double as a weapon for home protection
2.) I wanted a .45 Cal. or .40 cal for better stopping power
3.) My budget wouldn't allow me to pay more than $450 this trip.

I have heard bad and good about Taurus, but a buddy of mine has a PT140 and he loves it, so I thought I'd give Taurus a try. I didn't go in to the show with a lot of info about Taurus other than his personal experience and a few comments about Taurus from others, some good some bad.

I knew that, based on price, I was taking a chance with the Taurus PT145 (You get what you pay for) --- but I couldn't afford a better brand this go around... so I laid down just over $300 for the gun, case and 2 10rd mags. I felt pretty good walking out of the show today, thinking I had gotten a good deal but, man alive, when I got home and started checking the forums about this particular model, I came across quite a few horrible reviews mixed in with the good of course.

Now I'm nervous.

I am taking it out to the range tomorrow. I will be putting about 50 rounds through it which is about all I will have time for. I will take it out again this weekend. I am hoping I will not have any issues as I really like the feel of this gun, and that is important to me as many of the guns I picked up today felt terrible in my hand. In particular, it was hard for me to find a grip on a sub-compact weapon that wasn't too short. Even though my hands are not particularly large, my hands dangled below the bottom of the grip on many of the sub-compacts I picked up today.

Anyway, If this weapon turns out to be accurate and reliable, I will be happy as I wasn't very fortunate with my first pistol, the Glock 17. It worked well for the first 200-300 rounds or so, but then I kept getting consistent, intermittent jams where the round wouldn't chamber properly. I cleaned it after every visit to the range and I even had a local gun shop do a professional cleaning and lube (in case I wasn't doing something right). At first I thought the problem went away, but it persisted. I used different magazines, some hi-cap some 10 rd mags, etc... but it didn't seem to be the mags. So, I sold it to a friend (I told him about the issue with it).

Anyway, better luck this time?? I hope so, even though I know the Glock has a much better reputation than any Taurus model... I just hope my particular Taurus 145 pro will work out for me. If it jams less than the Glock 17 I had, I will be happy. I will let everyone here know how my first trip to the range with the Taurus works out.

sholling · January 14, 2008, 01:56 AM

Congrats!

Playboypenguin · January 14, 2008, 01:59 AM

As far as Taurus goes, those (along with the PT92) seem to be the most reliable and well spoken of models.

Pretty nice looking too.

I am sure you will enjoy it.

FireMax · January 14, 2008, 12:15 PM

Heading out to the range now. When I return, I will let you all know what my first impression is of the PT145 pro.

Ace_Breaker · January 14, 2008, 12:59 PM

I've posted it before. My newest generation PT-145 fell apart on my first visit to the range. I had cleaned and lubed it before the first visit. It had extraction problems, shot extremely low with loose groups, and blew the extractor retaining pin up and out of the slide at about round 55. The spring went flying into nowhere, the extractor fell off, and it failed to extract. I took it straight back to my dealer for an exchange and never looked back. There was another guy that posted recently with a picture of a bent barrel on his! I hope you got one of the good ones. Many people like those guns and I risk being attacked for speaking honestly about my experience with Taurus. Bottom line, I owned 3 and they all broke and had to be sent back for service.

jakeswensonmt · January 14, 2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

I got home and started checking the forums about this particular model, I came across quite a few horrible reviews mixed in with the good of course.

Hopefully you got lucky. Taurus does ship some pistols that work perfectly. Probably most of them. If they made all of them the same I would be a huge Taurus fan, but as a former Taurus lemon owner I still have a bitter taste in my mouth...

Good luck, please post your results!

FireMax · January 14, 2008, 02:37 PM

Just got back from the range. I put 50 rounds through it. It worked perfectly.

I did have an accuracy problem, but it might be me. I have not shot a pistol in about a year. My target was at 25 feet and it seemed like I was missing about 12 inches low and 12 inches to the left. Again, this was the first time I shot the Taurus and I cannot blame the gun at this time. When I go out to the range again, I will start targeting a little closer (10 - 15 feet) and then work my way back to 25 feet.

As for the gun, it felt great to shoot. I really like the feel of it in my hand. It felt balanced, it is not heavy. The trigger pull seems a little long, but by my third clip, I was able to get a feel for it.

The gun has a nice boom to it. A couple of guys down range asked me about it after I was done shooting. As for recoil, it was not bad at all. That surprised me. The recoil seemed similar to the Glock 9mm I used to own.

I will post pics of my target later.

FireMax · January 14, 2008, 03:04 PM

Here's my target. As you can see, I wasn't even close until the 4th clip. At that time, I had figured out that I was missing 12 inches low and 12 inches left, so I compenstated by aiming 12 inches high and 12 inches right on the last 2 clips. You can see that most of my misses were to the bottom left of the white back board.

It's probably me. I need to practice more with the weapon. It is probably how I am holding my head while I aim and I am probably jerking the trigger a bit right before I fire.

FireMax · January 14, 2008, 07:42 PM

Okay, I have adjusted the rear Heine site to compensate for the left side miss at 25 feet. I will test it out on Thursday and adjust again as necessary.

I don't believe the Taurus site has an ability to adjust vertically. Anyone Taurus owners have a suggestion here? I was shooting at least 12 inches low earlier today with the white dots lined up. Should I wait and figure out the left/right aim first and then work on the up/down aim afterward?

Thanks.

yomama · January 15, 2008, 02:49 PM

The shorter barrel makes longer shots harder. Don't think about it, just aim and only consentrate on trigger pull. Get some snap caps for dry fire.

I have one, with 150 rounds flawless so far. Also only time I've had.

tuckerdog1 · January 15, 2008, 05:15 PM

To check if it's the gun or you, take yourself out of the equation as much as possible. Shoot a few mags using a rest.

Tuckerdog1

dgludwig · January 15, 2008, 06:49 PM

And/or have another accomplished shooter try it.

Playboypenguin · January 15, 2008, 06:55 PM

Quote:

And/or have another accomplished shooter try it.

That is what I do with every new purchase that does not perform the way I think it should first time at the range. I hand it off to someone else and see what happens.

Most of the time I end up say "Oops...glad I did not open my big mouth."

tseabourn · January 16, 2008, 12:00 PM

Nobody's mentioned this, and you may already know this, but the Heine "Straight Eight" sights are different than "normal" three-dot sights.

See this page: http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=835.0 for more information...

Hope this helps!

txsharpshooter · January 19, 2008, 08:31 PM

I bought the PT145 MilPro about a year ago. It is identical to yours, and I havent had one single problem out of it yet. I couldnt shoot it well at first, but I am slowly getting better. I havent shot it that much. I have maybe 250 rds thru it. But I really like it a lot. I was going to buy the taurus 1911 the day I bought the PT145, but I saw the PT145 and decided to buy it for CCW and home defense. I'm glad I did. I would like a light for mine.

jakeswensonmt · January 19, 2008, 08:54 PM

Quote:

and it seemed like I was missing about 12 inches low and 12 inches to the left.

Shooting way low, classic Taurus. Dang. The 24/7 I had shot about one inch low for each yard to the target. I ended up filing the top 2/3rds of the front sight off before it would put bullets on paper. And it was the gun, not me, with a Ruger or Sig I can easily group around the target center.

While I owned the 24/7 I learned all there was to know about the cursed Heinie sights and their "straight-8" sight picture. Why would Heinie, or any other manufactuer, feel the need to create a different sight picture? Why is it that I can pick up just about any other pistol or rifle and use the sights, but Heinie thinks I should have to retrain just because? Forget it.

No matter what sight picture I used the Taurus shot waay low (and way loose, the groups were huge!) Taurus really should drop this Heinie sight nonsense and put a (very) adjustable rear sight on their pistols, they have enough problems to deal with already without the Heinie fiasco to add onto it.

Perldog007 · January 19, 2008, 10:08 PM

This may not apply, but after a layoff of seven years I got back to the range. Everything was low. Finally after about three hundred rounds I realized I was not holding the sights at eye level and was looking over them.

Might be something to check out.

railroader · January 20, 2008, 02:40 AM

I had 24/7 that seemed to shoot a hair low also. Taurus don't have different height replacement sights to correct elevation problems. I know I called and asked them. Now other gun companies have different height sights . Guns I can think of off hand XD's Sigs, Cz's, Rugers and Glocks have different height replacement sights so why wouldn't Taurus. Who knows. Mark

tex45acp · January 20, 2008, 07:25 AM

FireMax,

I don't know how much experience you've had with the DA setup in the PT-145 and such a long trigger pull. I have the generation before yours, that does not have the Heinie sights and is a DAO gun. Being an old DA revolver shooter, the gun's long DA trigger felt natural to me. Get yourself some snap caps and dry fire the heck out of it, if possible in front of a mirror, watching the muzzle. I think this could help in tightening up those groups.

Good luck...they are fine guns...I have two and really enjoy shooting & carrying them both.

tex

katana8869 · January 20, 2008, 10:08 AM

I have had excellent reliability out of my PT-145. 1200 rounds so far. My only complaint is the Heinie sights. My accuracy with the Straight Eights was simply awful. I ended up blacking out the white dots with a black sharpie because I couldn't stand them anymore. :barf: Works alot better for me now!

Rapid fire, 7 yards
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Abu Jack · February 10, 2008, 06:41 PM

After about 300 rounds the upper reciever on my PT 145 Pro started locking to the rear after every round. Its pretty frustrating. I bought it to be my primary concealed carry weapon but when it became a single shot, I knew I should have spent more money to buy something reliable. Any suggestions?

Playboypenguin · February 10, 2008, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Any suggestions?

Kahr PM40 or MK40.

55spartan · February 15, 2008, 02:28 AM

Does the newest model of this gun come with DA/SA like the Taurus site says or is it DAO only???

dawgfvr · February 16, 2008, 01:50 PM

Who was it that said, "I'm just as lethal with my PT145 as I am with my Wilson Combat".

I have one...found it very reliable and it is a .45 ACP...eh? When I do carry it...I practice for self-defense only. I lower it, center of my own body mass, extend arms and point shoot with it. I use my body like the turret of a tank...swivel to the target, fire in strings and reload another magazne very quickly...fire again. Here is my quick fire, two magazine target:

It carries well a High Noon holster:

Although I usually carry a revovler, I have carried the Tarui on occassion and use Corbon DPX 160 grain. Feeds well, low recoil and expands relaiably. I usually keep it at home on the night stand for home defense.

imahotshot · February 16, 2008, 03:54 PM

Recently I bought my first Taurus----I was largely influenced by another shooter who has two Taurus pistols. One has been totally reliable (PT92) and the other, one of the 45’s, had some problems. He sent it back and it is totally reliable now. I have a 24/7PRO.--now somewhere around 300+ rounds and no malfunctions.

I recently looked at a PT145. It looks just like my 9mm. You can call it DAO, or DA/SA, whichever strikes your fancy. Since it has no de-cocker, it’s basically DAO, and you carry it “condition one,” just like a 1911. But if it fails to go bang, you can pull the trigger again for a seconed hit---so I guess you could call it DA/SA. Unlike the Glock, which has no safeties, the Taurus has three, including the safety lever on the side of the frame. The Glock has no safety---only that little “do-dad” on the trigger which keeps the gun from shooting you if you drop it. You won’t put a round through your foot when you holster aTaurus and bump the trigger on your holster! For whatever it’s worth, my next gun will most likely be a Taurus PT145.

As an afterthought, I guess I might be among the few who only practice at about 8yds. I’m told by many people I believe are very knowledgeable that most confrontations occur at less than 10ft, so I don’t practice at 25yd!! Some police departments (and courts) take the stand that at 25yd you are not being threatened. Maybe you might be, but you might have harder time proving it in court!

For whatever it’s worth, I like what I see in Taurus.

January 14, 2008, 01:29 AM	#1
FireMax Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2008 Location: MOLON LABE Posts: 1,063	New purchase... Taurus 145 Pro Hi Guys. I'm new to the forum... thought I'd get started posting.... I just purchased my first Taurus... PT145 Pro. I had a few considerations/requirements when I went to the Gun Show today... 1.) Compact or Sub-Compact for concealed carry purposes and double as a weapon for home protection 2.) I wanted a .45 Cal. or .40 cal for better stopping power 3.) My budget wouldn't allow me to pay more than $450 this trip. I have heard bad and good about Taurus, but a buddy of mine has a PT140 and he loves it, so I thought I'd give Taurus a try. I didn't go in to the show with a lot of info about Taurus other than his personal experience and a few comments about Taurus from others, some good some bad. I knew that, based on price, I was taking a chance with the Taurus PT145 (You get what you pay for) --- but I couldn't afford a better brand this go around... so I laid down just over $300 for the gun, case and 2 10rd mags. I felt pretty good walking out of the show today, thinking I had gotten a good deal but, man alive, when I got home and started checking the forums about this particular model, I came across quite a few horrible reviews mixed in with the good of course. Now I'm nervous. I am taking it out to the range tomorrow. I will be putting about 50 rounds through it which is about all I will have time for. I will take it out again this weekend. I am hoping I will not have any issues as I really like the feel of this gun, and that is important to me as many of the guns I picked up today felt terrible in my hand. In particular, it was hard for me to find a grip on a sub-compact weapon that wasn't too short. Even though my hands are not particularly large, my hands dangled below the bottom of the grip on many of the sub-compacts I picked up today. Anyway, If this weapon turns out to be accurate and reliable, I will be happy as I wasn't very fortunate with my first pistol, the Glock 17. It worked well for the first 200-300 rounds or so, but then I kept getting consistent, intermittent jams where the round wouldn't chamber properly. I cleaned it after every visit to the range and I even had a local gun shop do a professional cleaning and lube (in case I wasn't doing something right). At first I thought the problem went away, but it persisted. I used different magazines, some hi-cap some 10 rd mags, etc... but it didn't seem to be the mags. So, I sold it to a friend (I told him about the issue with it). Anyway, better luck this time?? I hope so, even though I know the Glock has a much better reputation than any Taurus model... I just hope my particular Taurus 145 pro will work out for me. If it jams less than the Glock 17 I had, I will be happy. I will let everyone here know how my first trip to the range with the Taurus works out. Last edited by FireMax; January 14, 2008 at 01:37 AM. Reason: add picture

January 14, 2008, 01:56 AM	#2
sholling Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 1999 Location: Hemet (middle of nowhere) California Posts: 4,261	Congrats! __________________ Proud Life Member: National Rifle Association, California Rifle & Pistol Association, and the Second Amendment Foundation. Annual Member: Revolutionary War Veterans Association (Project Appleseed) and the Madison Society.

January 15, 2008, 05:15 PM	#11
tuckerdog1 Senior Member Join Date: September 20, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 281	To check if it's the gun or you, take yourself out of the equation as much as possible. Shoot a few mags using a rest. Tuckerdog1 __________________ Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. - Henry Louis Mencken

January 15, 2008, 06:49 PM	#12
dgludwig Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2005 Location: North central Ohio Posts: 7,486	And/or have another accomplished shooter try it. __________________ ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED ...Aristotle NRA Benefactor Life Member

January 16, 2008, 12:00 PM	#14
tseabourn Junior Member Join Date: December 27, 2007 Posts: 1	Shooting with Heine sights Nobody's mentioned this, and you may already know this, but the Heine "Straight Eight" sights are different than "normal" three-dot sights. See this page: http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=835.0 for more information... Hope this helps!

January 14, 2008, 01:59 AM	#3
Playboypenguin Junior member Join Date: February 27, 2006 Location: Great Pacific Northwest Posts: 11,515	As far as Taurus goes, those (along with the PT92) seem to be the most reliable and well spoken of models. Pretty nice looking too. I am sure you will enjoy it.

January 14, 2008, 12:15 PM	#4
FireMax Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2008 Location: MOLON LABE Posts: 1,063	Heading out to the range now. When I return, I will let you all know what my first impression is of the PT145 pro.

January 14, 2008, 12:59 PM	#5
Ace_Breaker Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2007 Posts: 1,170	I've posted it before. My newest generation PT-145 fell apart on my first visit to the range. I had cleaned and lubed it before the first visit. It had extraction problems, shot extremely low with loose groups, and blew the extractor retaining pin up and out of the slide at about round 55. The spring went flying into nowhere, the extractor fell off, and it failed to extract. I took it straight back to my dealer for an exchange and never looked back. There was another guy that posted recently with a picture of a bent barrel on his! I hope you got one of the good ones. Many people like those guns and I risk being attacked for speaking honestly about my experience with Taurus. Bottom line, I owned 3 and they all broke and had to be sent back for service.

January 14, 2008, 02:37 PM	#7
FireMax Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2008 Location: MOLON LABE Posts: 1,063	Just got back from the range. I put 50 rounds through it. It worked perfectly. I did have an accuracy problem, but it might be me. I have not shot a pistol in about a year. My target was at 25 feet and it seemed like I was missing about 12 inches low and 12 inches to the left. Again, this was the first time I shot the Taurus and I cannot blame the gun at this time. When I go out to the range again, I will start targeting a little closer (10 - 15 feet) and then work my way back to 25 feet. As for the gun, it felt great to shoot. I really like the feel of it in my hand. It felt balanced, it is not heavy. The trigger pull seems a little long, but by my third clip, I was able to get a feel for it. The gun has a nice boom to it. A couple of guys down range asked me about it after I was done shooting. As for recoil, it was not bad at all. That surprised me. The recoil seemed similar to the Glock 9mm I used to own. I will post pics of my target later.

January 14, 2008, 03:04 PM	#8
FireMax Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2008 Location: MOLON LABE Posts: 1,063	Here's my target. As you can see, I wasn't even close until the 4th clip. At that time, I had figured out that I was missing 12 inches low and 12 inches left, so I compenstated by aiming 12 inches high and 12 inches right on the last 2 clips. You can see that most of my misses were to the bottom left of the white back board. It's probably me. I need to practice more with the weapon. It is probably how I am holding my head while I aim and I am probably jerking the trigger a bit right before I fire.

January 14, 2008, 07:42 PM	#9
FireMax Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2008 Location: MOLON LABE Posts: 1,063	Okay, I have adjusted the rear Heine site to compensate for the left side miss at 25 feet. I will test it out on Thursday and adjust again as necessary. I don't believe the Taurus site has an ability to adjust vertically. Anyone Taurus owners have a suggestion here? I was shooting at least 12 inches low earlier today with the white dots lined up. Should I wait and figure out the left/right aim first and then work on the up/down aim afterward? Thanks.

January 15, 2008, 02:49 PM	#10
yomama Junior member Join Date: February 28, 2006 Posts: 509	The shorter barrel makes longer shots harder. Don't think about it, just aim and only consentrate on trigger pull. Get some snap caps for dry fire. I have one, with 150 rounds flawless so far. Also only time I've had.

January 19, 2008, 08:31 PM	#15
txsharpshooter Junior Member Join Date: January 19, 2008 Posts: 1	I bought the PT145 MilPro about a year ago. It is identical to yours, and I havent had one single problem out of it yet. I couldnt shoot it well at first, but I am slowly getting better. I havent shot it that much. I have maybe 250 rds thru it. But I really like it a lot. I was going to buy the taurus 1911 the day I bought the PT145, but I saw the PT145 and decided to buy it for CCW and home defense. I'm glad I did. I would like a light for mine.

January 19, 2008, 10:08 PM	#17
Perldog007 Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2007 Location: Estados Unitas / United States Posts: 986	This may not apply, but after a layoff of seven years I got back to the range. Everything was low. Finally after about three hundred rounds I realized I was not holding the sights at eye level and was looking over them. Might be something to check out.

January 20, 2008, 02:40 AM	#18
railroader Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2000 Location: Tucson Arizona Posts: 1,756	I had 24/7 that seemed to shoot a hair low also. Taurus don't have different height replacement sights to correct elevation problems. I know I called and asked them. Now other gun companies have different height sights . Guns I can think of off hand XD's Sigs, Cz's, Rugers and Glocks have different height replacement sights so why wouldn't Taurus. Who knows. Mark Last edited by railroader; January 20, 2008 at 10:08 AM.

January 20, 2008, 07:25 AM	#19
tex45acp Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2005 Location: The Great State of Texas Posts: 1,032	FireMax, I don't know how much experience you've had with the DA setup in the PT-145 and such a long trigger pull. I have the generation before yours, that does not have the Heinie sights and is a DAO gun. Being an old DA revolver shooter, the gun's long DA trigger felt natural to me. Get yourself some snap caps and dry fire the heck out of it, if possible in front of a mirror, watching the muzzle. I think this could help in tightening up those groups. Good luck...they are fine guns...I have two and really enjoy shooting & carrying them both. tex __________________ “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.“

January 20, 2008, 10:08 AM	#20
katana8869 Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2005 Posts: 355	I have had excellent reliability out of my PT-145. 1200 rounds so far. My only complaint is the Heinie sights. My accuracy with the Straight Eights was simply awful. I ended up blacking out the white dots with a black sharpie because I couldn't stand them anymore. :barf: Works alot better for me now! Rapid fire, 7 yards [IMG][/IMG]

February 10, 2008, 06:41 PM	#21
Abu Jack Junior Member Join Date: February 10, 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 4	Problem with pt 145 PRO After about 300 rounds the upper reciever on my PT 145 Pro started locking to the rear after every round. Its pretty frustrating. I bought it to be my primary concealed carry weapon but when it became a single shot, I knew I should have spent more money to buy something reliable. Any suggestions?

February 15, 2008, 02:28 AM	#23
55spartan Junior Member Join Date: February 15, 2008 Posts: 2	Model: PT145 Millennium-Pro Does the newest model of this gun come with DA/SA like the Taurus site says or is it DAO only???

February 16, 2008, 01:50 PM	#24
dawgfvr Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2007 Location: Olympia, Washington Posts: 430	Who was it that said, "I'm just as lethal with my PT145 as I am with my Wilson Combat". I have one...found it very reliable and it is a .45 ACP...eh? When I do carry it...I practice for self-defense only. I lower it, center of my own body mass, extend arms and point shoot with it. I use my body like the turret of a tank...swivel to the target, fire in strings and reload another magazne very quickly...fire again. Here is my quick fire, two magazine target: It carries well a High Noon holster: Although I usually carry a revovler, I have carried the Tarui on occassion and use Corbon DPX 160 grain. Feeds well, low recoil and expands relaiably. I usually keep it at home on the night stand for home defense.

February 16, 2008, 03:54 PM	#25
imahotshot Member Join Date: February 15, 2008 Posts: 59	Recently I bought my first Taurus----I was largely influenced by another shooter who has two Taurus pistols. One has been totally reliable (PT92) and the other, one of the 45’s, had some problems. He sent it back and it is totally reliable now. I have a 24/7PRO.--now somewhere around 300+ rounds and no malfunctions. I recently looked at a PT145. It looks just like my 9mm. You can call it DAO, or DA/SA, whichever strikes your fancy. Since it has no de-cocker, it’s basically DAO, and you carry it “condition one,” just like a 1911. But if it fails to go bang, you can pull the trigger again for a seconed hit---so I guess you could call it DA/SA. Unlike the Glock, which has no safeties, the Taurus has three, including the safety lever on the side of the frame. The Glock has no safety---only that little “do-dad” on the trigger which keeps the gun from shooting you if you drop it. You won’t put a round through your foot when you holster aTaurus and bump the trigger on your holster! For whatever it’s worth, my next gun will most likely be a Taurus PT145. As an afterthought, I guess I might be among the few who only practice at about 8yds. I’m told by many people I believe are very knowledgeable that most confrontations occur at less than 10ft, so I don’t practice at 25yd!! Some police departments (and courts) take the stand that at 25yd you are not being threatened. Maybe you might be, but you might have harder time proving it in court! For whatever it’s worth, I like what I see in Taurus.