View Poll Results: What is your experience with Tauruus handguns?
Terrific - no complaints or issues
5
71.43%
Multiple failures to feed or fire
2
28.57%
Needed to return for repair
0
0%
Issues with Customer Service
0
0%
Voters: 7. You may not vote on this poll
Taurus pistols and revolvers
01-20-2020, 08:33 AM
#1
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,746
Taurus pistols and revolvers
Without getting into any arguments I'd like to get everyone's opinion on Taurus firearms. If I knew how to set a poll up for this I would. Maybe a moderator can do it for me. I'd like to see how many members like Taurus revolvers and pistols enough to use them for hunting or to trust them with their lives. I'm one of the ones that would definitely trust their dependability. Although I normally carry a M&P Shield 9mm daily I have the following Taurus pistols and revolvers and would not hesitate to depend on them for my life. Revolvers: 605 in .357 mag, 44 in .44 mag, 617 in 17 HMR. Pistols: PT99, PT1911, G2C.
I can't say how many rounds I've fired out of these handguns but I know its a lot (except for the G2C which is relatively new). They all have performed flawlessly and are plenty accurate.
I can't say how many rounds I've fired out of these handguns but I know its a lot (except for the G2C which is relatively new). They all have performed flawlessly and are plenty accurate.
01-20-2020, 08:43 AM
#2
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: texas
Posts: 1,201
I worked at a local gun shop for a few months in the 1990's ,
yeah that was decades ago,
but back then the shop had s significant percentage of those pistols & revolvers being sent back for repair work.
I have talked with that shop owner many times and he says things have improved, but they are still not on par with manufacturers like ruger, S&W, EAA,CZ,
sig, Springfield ,etc.
btw I own a taurus 92 9mm
https://www.taurususa.com/firearms/p...ural-anodized/
its functional, but Im less than thrilled with the quality or accuracy
yeah that was decades ago,
but back then the shop had s significant percentage of those pistols & revolvers being sent back for repair work.
I have talked with that shop owner many times and he says things have improved, but they are still not on par with manufacturers like ruger, S&W, EAA,CZ,
sig, Springfield ,etc.
btw I own a taurus 92 9mm
https://www.taurususa.com/firearms/p...ural-anodized/
its functional, but Im less than thrilled with the quality or accuracy
Last edited by hardcastonly; 01-20-2020 at 09:12 AM.
01-20-2020, 08:47 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
I have not been around them for years and I would not buy one due to the experience I had with them when I was a firearms instructor. Deputies have to buy their own sidearms and some against advise would buy Taurus revolvers because they were substantially less expensive than Ruger, S&W or Colt. Invariably they were trouble on the firing line when a lot of shooting was done. When they got hot the cylinders would seize up , that was a common problem and I saw cylinder releases fly off the guns. Eventually the men would buy a good name firearm and loose more money because they didn't get much on trade in. As I said, it has been decades since I handled one but that was my experience and it was not isolated cases, it was common place and why I would not own one.
01-20-2020, 10:35 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,903
My experience with Taurus revolvers has been varied the roles of gunsmith and owner. Many of the Taurus models are exceptionally great value products, and some others are disasters.
In general, Taurus steel pistols, like the M9 and 1911 clones have been very good quality for their price point, and every bit as reliable and functional as any other clone of their type. PT1911’s and PT92’s are proven models in Bullseye (I used a 92 myself for a very short time), and while relatively inexpensive and relatively less refined than some elite clones, these are very good pistols in their class.
Their steel revolvers of various flavors, like the 85 small frame, the Trackers, Judges, and the Raging series of revolvers are also very great quality products. I shared a rebuild of a Taurus 85 I did a few years ago on this forum, as an example of what one of these revolvers can take, and how badly abused they can be, but still survive well enough, despite severe “injuries,” to be accurately fired, surprisingly without catastrophic failure. The Taurus Raging Bull and Trackers, while heavy, are well priced in their classes and very good quality revolvers.
The alloy frame ultralight versions of the 85 series frame do seem to have relatively common metallurgical issues - these models utilize hardened steel bushings pressed into the frame and cylinder for the firing pin and main pin, and unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for these bushings to be over-tempered, fracture under the impacts of use, and render the revolver inert. The only solution is replacement by Taurus. When I had my shingle out full time, I had a handful of these failures come across my bench each year - even as an exceptionally small, word-of-mouth advertised smith shop operating in a relatively low volume market in a relatively low population state. In other words, seeing so many of these failures happening implied there were larger smith shops out there seeing 10x or 100x what I was seeing (although, admittedly, part of my draw was the fact I’d work on revolvers, while many would not).
The polymer pistols have been a very rocky road, and the newer models have a lot of bad history to correct. Feeding, extraction, and ejection tend to be common issues. Feeding issues, in my experience, can be corrected. The Taurus Millenium models tended to be very picky about seating depth and bullet profile, but some correction to the feed ramps generally helped remedy these. The 709 Slim has been a relatively good model despite its terrible aesthetic, once the extractor has been corrected. The 709 was essentially designed as a CRF feeder which needed to be mag fed, such dropping a round into the chamber and closing the slide, as many do for their “+1” loading process, yielded broken extractors. Later production models have had improved extractors and don’t seem as sensitive to dropping rounds in the chamber. I have had a very high number of Taurus polymer pistols on my bench, asking for reliability improvement. The extra effort isn’t highly technical, but it does take time, and would elicit a higher price point if done at the factory. Most run fine, especially with certain ammunition, but many do have issues.
The Curves I saw were sluggish in feeding as well, but I struggled more to get them to swallow ammo well. The Curve and the TCP were relatively short lived, which I think follows a common path for Taurus - release products, let the consumers act as the beta testers, then correct any errors in the next models.
Naturally, the recall which pulled back over a million Taurus pistols at only $200 value should be an indicator of a considerable issue with the Millenium and 24/7 pistols, which accounted for almost 20 years of Taurus production. The G2 attempted to right the ship, and on its face, appeared to do so. The G2c’s I received through the recall did feed and eject well. I’ve not handled the G3’s enough yet to have an opinion, but they appear to continue the same trend. But with Ruger and S&W offering poly pistols at low price points, it’s a narrow market for Taurus, and frankly, I would personally rather see them focus on other products.
By and large, it’s very popular for folks to regurgitate lines about poor metallurgy or inconsistent tempering of internal parts, even going as far as calling Taurus revolvers “pot metal,” or “Saturday Night Specials,” most of these being folks who have never touched one themselves. The feeding and extraction/ejection issues common to their older polymer pistol models were legitimate concerns, and reason enough for me to recommend most people to steer clear of their pistols until the G2.
So personally, I own several of the all steel revolvers like the 85’s, Tracker 17 HMR, Judge (novelty), Raging Hornet, and Raging Bull with a smile on my face. The poly pistols - eh, there are other pretty girls at the dance which don’t have as much baggage.
In general, Taurus steel pistols, like the M9 and 1911 clones have been very good quality for their price point, and every bit as reliable and functional as any other clone of their type. PT1911’s and PT92’s are proven models in Bullseye (I used a 92 myself for a very short time), and while relatively inexpensive and relatively less refined than some elite clones, these are very good pistols in their class.
Their steel revolvers of various flavors, like the 85 small frame, the Trackers, Judges, and the Raging series of revolvers are also very great quality products. I shared a rebuild of a Taurus 85 I did a few years ago on this forum, as an example of what one of these revolvers can take, and how badly abused they can be, but still survive well enough, despite severe “injuries,” to be accurately fired, surprisingly without catastrophic failure. The Taurus Raging Bull and Trackers, while heavy, are well priced in their classes and very good quality revolvers.
The alloy frame ultralight versions of the 85 series frame do seem to have relatively common metallurgical issues - these models utilize hardened steel bushings pressed into the frame and cylinder for the firing pin and main pin, and unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for these bushings to be over-tempered, fracture under the impacts of use, and render the revolver inert. The only solution is replacement by Taurus. When I had my shingle out full time, I had a handful of these failures come across my bench each year - even as an exceptionally small, word-of-mouth advertised smith shop operating in a relatively low volume market in a relatively low population state. In other words, seeing so many of these failures happening implied there were larger smith shops out there seeing 10x or 100x what I was seeing (although, admittedly, part of my draw was the fact I’d work on revolvers, while many would not).
The polymer pistols have been a very rocky road, and the newer models have a lot of bad history to correct. Feeding, extraction, and ejection tend to be common issues. Feeding issues, in my experience, can be corrected. The Taurus Millenium models tended to be very picky about seating depth and bullet profile, but some correction to the feed ramps generally helped remedy these. The 709 Slim has been a relatively good model despite its terrible aesthetic, once the extractor has been corrected. The 709 was essentially designed as a CRF feeder which needed to be mag fed, such dropping a round into the chamber and closing the slide, as many do for their “+1” loading process, yielded broken extractors. Later production models have had improved extractors and don’t seem as sensitive to dropping rounds in the chamber. I have had a very high number of Taurus polymer pistols on my bench, asking for reliability improvement. The extra effort isn’t highly technical, but it does take time, and would elicit a higher price point if done at the factory. Most run fine, especially with certain ammunition, but many do have issues.
The Curves I saw were sluggish in feeding as well, but I struggled more to get them to swallow ammo well. The Curve and the TCP were relatively short lived, which I think follows a common path for Taurus - release products, let the consumers act as the beta testers, then correct any errors in the next models.
Naturally, the recall which pulled back over a million Taurus pistols at only $200 value should be an indicator of a considerable issue with the Millenium and 24/7 pistols, which accounted for almost 20 years of Taurus production. The G2 attempted to right the ship, and on its face, appeared to do so. The G2c’s I received through the recall did feed and eject well. I’ve not handled the G3’s enough yet to have an opinion, but they appear to continue the same trend. But with Ruger and S&W offering poly pistols at low price points, it’s a narrow market for Taurus, and frankly, I would personally rather see them focus on other products.
By and large, it’s very popular for folks to regurgitate lines about poor metallurgy or inconsistent tempering of internal parts, even going as far as calling Taurus revolvers “pot metal,” or “Saturday Night Specials,” most of these being folks who have never touched one themselves. The feeding and extraction/ejection issues common to their older polymer pistol models were legitimate concerns, and reason enough for me to recommend most people to steer clear of their pistols until the G2.
So personally, I own several of the all steel revolvers like the 85’s, Tracker 17 HMR, Judge (novelty), Raging Hornet, and Raging Bull with a smile on my face. The poly pistols - eh, there are other pretty girls at the dance which don’t have as much baggage.
01-20-2020, 11:15 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
I am on the fence here, as I too had a gun shop in the 90's and sold a LOT of this brand guns due to price/value, and I had very few problems or returns.
so, the way I see things, is when you go with lower price tags , you some times get what you pay for, and the fit and finish are NOT as polished as you SOMETIMES get on higher end guns, that Taurus more or less copied!
and the end results can be guns that have some issue's
more on reliability than safety IMO
as lawyers have most firearms makers in check anymore and they are rather safe, just some can have feed issue's and or fit and finish issue's taking away some of the refinements of higher cost like models!
the way I always viewed less name brands price tagged guns, was it was like pick of the litter, some just worked better than other off the same run of productions
as things get made tolerances start to get closer to out of spec, and company's that are trying to make a lower price point item, tend to NOT re set things as fast or have lower tolerances to start with period!
production standards are NOT all the same !
and this is why, many get one "X" make model and someone else will get the same Make/model and have different results with how well it worked or NOT for them!
and this si also why I always tell folks, carry guns and duty guns should ne be the CHEAPEST one's you can buy, and they should be fully broke in and used, to ensure they work well, both dirty and CLEAN and with ammo you plan to use
I sold thousands of guns and seen countless owners shoot ONLY cheap ammo at targets and never really ever shoot the ammo they carry in there guns
I have also sold a ton of guns to law enforcement folks, and seen many buy guns based on CHEAP as to quality
NO lie, I have seen some buy HI point and like guns that they planned to carry on the job
IT was a BIG plus for ME< to see, how so many dept's in the 90's or so, started to have requirements in guns they ONLY allowed as to just anything one wanted to carry!
now as for Taurus, I have shot a few hundred of them or more over the decades, most all worked well for me, YES I have seen that needed to be sent back and or didn;t work well
But I can also say I sent back some very HIGH end guns as well for like reasons (wilson combat Ed Brown, colt, S&W, and all the rest to be honest)
bad one's get out on all of them, , and almost every maker has made a few models that were problematic!
overall, Taurus IMO, makes a decent gun that is both reliable and safe!
but you do need to test them to see what you end up with, !
so, the way I see things, is when you go with lower price tags , you some times get what you pay for, and the fit and finish are NOT as polished as you SOMETIMES get on higher end guns, that Taurus more or less copied!
and the end results can be guns that have some issue's
more on reliability than safety IMO
as lawyers have most firearms makers in check anymore and they are rather safe, just some can have feed issue's and or fit and finish issue's taking away some of the refinements of higher cost like models!
the way I always viewed less name brands price tagged guns, was it was like pick of the litter, some just worked better than other off the same run of productions
as things get made tolerances start to get closer to out of spec, and company's that are trying to make a lower price point item, tend to NOT re set things as fast or have lower tolerances to start with period!
production standards are NOT all the same !
and this is why, many get one "X" make model and someone else will get the same Make/model and have different results with how well it worked or NOT for them!
and this si also why I always tell folks, carry guns and duty guns should ne be the CHEAPEST one's you can buy, and they should be fully broke in and used, to ensure they work well, both dirty and CLEAN and with ammo you plan to use
I sold thousands of guns and seen countless owners shoot ONLY cheap ammo at targets and never really ever shoot the ammo they carry in there guns
I have also sold a ton of guns to law enforcement folks, and seen many buy guns based on CHEAP as to quality
NO lie, I have seen some buy HI point and like guns that they planned to carry on the job
IT was a BIG plus for ME< to see, how so many dept's in the 90's or so, started to have requirements in guns they ONLY allowed as to just anything one wanted to carry!
now as for Taurus, I have shot a few hundred of them or more over the decades, most all worked well for me, YES I have seen that needed to be sent back and or didn;t work well
But I can also say I sent back some very HIGH end guns as well for like reasons (wilson combat Ed Brown, colt, S&W, and all the rest to be honest)
bad one's get out on all of them, , and almost every maker has made a few models that were problematic!
overall, Taurus IMO, makes a decent gun that is both reliable and safe!
but you do need to test them to see what you end up with, !
01-20-2020, 03:25 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 995
I've handled several of the older revolvers, as nomercy pointed out the all steel ones, and found them to be highly reliable and well valued at the prices they had back then. As far as their pistols go, until I tried, and eventually bought, a PT92 I stayed away from their pistols. My neighbor recently bought a G2c and brought it to me saying she was having stove piping issues. I fired several mags of 3 different ammo brands and weights with not a single issue. Had her come over to let her fire it figuring the complete cleaning I did prior to shooting it may have cured the problem. Well her 2nd shot, stove pipe. And I saw what was wrong right off the bat. The G2c, like most pistols in it's class, needs a pretty good wrist lockup to function flawlessly. Any noodle wristing at all will result in ejection issues. And her wrist is fairly weak. Once I corrected her form her issues cleared right up. Any firearm at a low price point should be looked at with a sharp eye and tested completely before buying. Taurus, while not up there with the big boys in quality, has stepped up to the plate with a much better bat than they used to.
01-20-2020, 03:50 PM
#8
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,746
My .44 mag is one of the lightweight models. It is indeed a lightweight compared to my S&W 29. But it also only has a 5 round cylinder. I'm comfortable shooting big bore revolvers including the BFR in .45-70 which I owned for a time and also rifle calibers in T/Cs Contender and Encore. But shooting full house .44 mag rounds in this lightweight is a real wrist wrencher.
I normally feed it light Cowboy loads or .44 Special loads with 240 gr cast bullets and those make it very manageable.
All my Taurus pistols are extremely accurate. I've consistently hit 12 shotgun hulls at 20-25 yards with my 99, With my G2C I can bounce soda cans all over out to about 45 yards. And with my PT1911 and a box of 230 gr hardball ammo I can punch a 2" hole in the center of a bullseye target at 25 yards offhand. I've never, ever had a failure to feed or failure to fire with either of these pistols. I had a little 748 (I think) in 380 that fit in my pocket and kept it loaded with critical defense ammo. I used to call it my get out of trouble pistol. Can't vouch for it being accurate because I only considered this a 15" or less firearm.
I normally feed it light Cowboy loads or .44 Special loads with 240 gr cast bullets and those make it very manageable.
All my Taurus pistols are extremely accurate. I've consistently hit 12 shotgun hulls at 20-25 yards with my 99, With my G2C I can bounce soda cans all over out to about 45 yards. And with my PT1911 and a box of 230 gr hardball ammo I can punch a 2" hole in the center of a bullseye target at 25 yards offhand. I've never, ever had a failure to feed or failure to fire with either of these pistols. I had a little 748 (I think) in 380 that fit in my pocket and kept it loaded with critical defense ammo. I used to call it my get out of trouble pistol. Can't vouch for it being accurate because I only considered this a 15" or less firearm.
01-21-2020, 04:54 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,903
The newly added poll options don’t well fit the reality of Taurus pistols. Some are fantastic, some in the past have been train wrecks, so blanketing “Taurus Handguns” with a simple “Good, Bad, or Ugly” classification across their fleet isn’t easy.
01-21-2020, 06:16 AM
#10
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,746