Would you buy a Taurus?

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  • inchrisin

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 8, 2015
    114
    18
    Indianapolis
    I apologize if this has been covered before, but I'm fairly new to the forum. I keep looking at the brand Taurus and I keep seeing a cheaper knock-off of a name brand company for a fraction of the price. I'm just hoping to create some discussion on your thoughts on the brand. Is there anything out there that you'd put your life on, or would you trade up for a name brand like Walther, Ruger, and S&W that you'd see on the market for an additional price tag?

    I'm not trying to knock the brand. They've had some issues with guns, and they've resolved a lot of them. Kind of like most other gun companies.

    What are your thoughts?
     

    Mgderf

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    43   0   0
    May 30, 2009
    17,875
    113
    Lafayette
    Yes, and no.
    O.K. You've opened a can of worms, but here goes.

    Yes, I have bought several Taurus firearms, still have most of them, and carry one on a regular basis.

    And no, there are models I really don't care for.

    Taurus makes some serviceable revolvers. They are a S&W knockoff but not as polished.
    I've taken many deer with a Raging Bull in .454 Casull.
    Taken a few more, and coyote or two with a 7-shot .357.
    I've been carrying a snub-nose .327 Fed/mag for a while, but also have and carry a J-frame .357 Taurus.
    Also have a PT1911 that I really like a LOT.

    Then, there are the fantastic-plastics.
    No thank you.
    Tried several of them, in .45acp, in .380acp, in .40S&W, didn't care for any of them.
    The TCP .380 would not run at all, with any ammo. Returned it to Taurus and instead of fixing it, they replaced it without saying what was wrong with the first one.

    I also could not handle the triggers on the polymer offerings.
    Horrendous amount of take up, and broke like drywall...

    I really like my Taurus revolvers, and my PT1911, but I'm done with the Taurus poly lines unless they come out with something new.
    Oh
    man, must be old-timers disease kicking in.
    Don't know how I forgot about my PT99, another knock-off, this time of Beretta, but that 99 is built like a tank!
    The PT99's and 92's are also very solid guns.

    I think I need to take my 99 out for some fun.
     
    Last edited:

    Route 45

    Grandmaster
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    92   0   0
    Dec 5, 2015
    14,884
    113
    Indy
    Only you can decide if your life is important enough to spend an extra $150 - $300 to obtain a proven defensive tool trusted by people who actively go into harm's way vs. a second or third rate bargain basement pistol from a company with a history of failures.

    On the other hand, if it's just a recreational shooter.....knock yourself out.
     

    BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
    25,890
    113
    Not any longer. When I was a rookie with little cash in need of a pocket revolver, yes. Now I can afford better, and it *is* better in terms of how it feels and shoots when you buy a S&W or Ruger.
     

    Leo

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    30   0   0
    Mar 3, 2011
    9,733
    113
    Lafayette, IN
    When I worked in the shop, most of all warranty handling was on Taurus products. People who bought them that had no problems seemed to like them.
     

    spec4

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 19, 2010
    3,775
    27
    NWI
    Bought a Taurus .380 once, sold it shortly thereafter. I did tell the buyer it was a problem gun. Would never touch another Taurus product.
     

    Bapak2ja

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    10   0   0
    Dec 17, 2009
    4,580
    48
    Fort Wayne
    I had several Taurii and enjoyed most of them. The Gen 1 24/7 Pro DS was a great pistol, until the trigger needed servicing and Taurus confiscated it as part of their law suit recall. The Gen 2 was just not the same quality of the Gen 1, so I sold it ASAP. My TCP never ran right, so Taurus replaced it with a new one. I sold it immediately upon arrival, unfired.

    I moved on to an FNH FNS-9 and a Colt Mustang. Doubt I will ever purchase another Taurus. Sad, but true.
     

    hoosierdaddy1976

    I Can't Believe it's not Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    16   0   0
    Mar 17, 2011
    6,469
    149
    newton county
    The three I have (111, 709, 738) all run fine. May be a case of I don't know what I'm missing because they are what I can afford. Never had an issue with them.
     

    Route 45

    Grandmaster
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    92   0   0
    Dec 5, 2015
    14,884
    113
    Indy
    The three I have (111, 709, 738) all run fine. May be a case of I don't know what I'm missing because they are what I can afford. Never had an issue with them.

    A S&W Shield is a far superior pistol to any Taurus, and can be had for about the same money. Same goes for the S&W SD9VE series.
    In fact, with the recent S&W rebate that expired June 30, I'm betting a Shield would almost have been less money than a Taurus in some cases.
     

    Ddillard

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    33   0   0
    Apr 29, 2016
    1,604
    27
    Jeffersonville
    It is all give and take. Taurus has come a long way and I have had good and bad. I do like my current, a PT111 G2. I originally got it as a plinker, but have carried it a lot. I have several carries, and a lot more dime spent upon such. To each their own, carry what is comfortable in the hand. All makes and models have issues and breakins, and Taurus has had more than its fair share of such. They have come a long way. Whatever you decide train, shoot, carry and train some more.
     

    AuntieBellum

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Dec 4, 2009
    1,226
    36
    Rensselaer
    Taurus wheel gun? Yes

    Taurus semi auto? No

    ^This. I had a semi-auto Taurus as my first carry gun. It failed so completely (I actually can't remember all the details...but you could pull the trigger with the manual safety on, you'd rack the slide and it'd go bang...yeah...thank God a competent friend was checking it out at the range when this all happened. I was a NoOb.). Sent it to Taurus, they sent a new one with no explanation. I took that sucker right in and traded it for the S&W M&P9c I carry to this day...several years later. Just this week I ordered a new striker assembly for it. I'm just gonna replace the pieces as they wear out and keep on shooting it!

    I've been told Taurus has started over in their engineering dept. But never again for me.
     

    littletommy

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 29, 2009
    13,015
    113
    A holler in Kentucky
    I have a 745 millenium pro (yes, one of the models included in their recall), that has thousands of rounds through it without a glitch, and my brother-in-law has a pt92 that just may be the sweetest shooting 9mm I've ever fired, also with thousands of rounds and zero issues. That being said, there are several other manufacturers I would look at first, and I no longer carry a Taurus, but I would not hesitate to carry, or feel unsafe while carrying either of the two I mentioned.
     

    Vigilant

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Jul 12, 2008
    11,659
    83
    Plainfield
    Not even with the free money that was given to Dean Crail to buy one! I've given them 3 separate tries on three different models, they all sucked, got to know them by name at Taurus Warranty. Never again!
     

    The Bubba Effect

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    19   0   0
    May 13, 2010
    6,221
    113
    High Rockies
    I have a Taurus Judge that I like enough for what it is (a fun and kind of awkward novelty). I doubt I will buy another Taurus, because I do believe that there are manufacturers who turn out a consistently better product. I would not turn my nose up at one, but if I want a decent sized autoloader, I am probably buying a Glock. If I want a snub nosed revolver, I am probably buying a S&W. If I want a long barreled revolver, I am probably buying a Ruger.

    I don't hate Taurus, I just think there are better options if you can afford it. Right now I have enough handguns that it is hard for me to not just save up and buy the gun I want, rather than buying a cheaper one that is not really what I want just to cover the use. Before, when I did not have hardly any money or guns, I bought the best thing I could afford and made do. There is no shame in that.
     
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