Range Report and Request for Help with a malfunctioning Taurus 709 Slim

[Bapak2ja]

Taurus has had the 709 for a week now. I called today to check on it. The Customer Service rep said it was awaiting the attention of the armorers. When asked, he indicated I should expect a one-month turn around.

 

[pool67]

I am sorry to here of your problem with the 709, I bought one about a month ago only had it at the range one time so far. only ran 90 rounds that day of remmingtons but did not have a single problem... you could call taurus for suggestions.

Hope you get this issue solved without giving up on the 709 that i am very happy with.

 

[jahpedro]

Hi Bapak

Same deal here, pulled my hair out with this gun for a month before i sent it on a vacation to Miami (as other forums call it). Good news is every poster says when they got em back no more problems Keep our fingers crossed aye. Shame mines a great shooting gun, for one round anyway

 

[Bapak2ja]

Got it back!!

The Taurus 709 Slim was returned on 24 March 2010. It was six weeks on rehab in Miami. Taurus replaced the extractor and the firing pin, and "adjusted" the rear sight, which had fallen off. It came back in a clear plastic bag, with so much oil on it that I could see the oil on the plastic bag.

I returned last night from 16 days in Myanmar, China and the Philippines so I have not had time to test it. If all goes well with unpacking and writing reports, I should be able to clean it up tonight and hit the range tomorrow. Full range report will follow.

BTW, I had some time to kill in Cayagan de Oro so I went exploring in a local mall. Discovered a fantastic gun shop right on the mall! It had S&W of many types displayed in the front showroom windows on the right-hand side of the door, and a huge selection of Rugers in the display on the left side of the door. Everything from .22 to .357. I thought I would chat up the sales clerk, but when I asked if they had any Glocks, she said "NO!" and turned her back on me. Man, I did not know I could cuss in Tagalog!

FYI, if you want some great scuba diving, check out Scuba de Oro in Cayagan de Oro, Mindanao. Great divemaster, great dive sites.

 

[mammynun]

Are "we" supposed to call it "Burma?"

 

[Bapak2ja]

Are "we" supposed to call it "Burma?"

British colonialists called it Burma because that is the name of the dominant ethnic group in the country. There are about a dozen more ethnic groups, or tribes, that are part of the country. The non-Burmese tribes like the new name of Myanmar because it includes them in the nation. Using "Burma", as far as they are concerned, excludes them as unwelcomed and unimportant inhabitants.

The official name of the country is Myanmar.

 

[Larryjr]

I realize I am way late on this but I own a 709 as well. I have had almost all FTE when shooting Winchester but none whatsoever with Federal.

 

[Bapak2ja]

I realize I am way late on this but I own a 709 as well. I have had almost all FTE when shooting Winchester but none whatsoever with Federal.

Thanks! I was wondering what ammo to try next.

 

[Tenacious1]

I see someone has already recommended www.taurusarmed.net that is a good place to start.

Also Taurus offers a lifetime warranty even if you aren't the first owner. Just give them a call, and they'll take care of you, also paying shipping both ways.

I was going to say something similiar. Taurus does have a lifetime warranty on malfunctions. I accidentally droped my .357 snubby on concrete one time and left a scar on the nose a consistent safety reminder. Several weeks later, I had some trouble with it. I sent it to Taurus per the instructions on their website. It took about 5 weeks but I did get it back with a list of parts they cleaned and/or replaced. I also had a diagnosis of the problem and a recommendation of cleaning. They told me the gun had been over oiled and the found greasy fuzz (likely from my pants pocket) in some not so perfect places. There was no mention of the obvious "abuse", which is sort of what I expected.

I hated the wait, but was impressed with the service and have not had a problem with it since. A gun smith did give me this hint, for revolvers specifically, but for pistols over all.

"If you carry every day, do a wipe down cleaning at least once a month. Give it a thorough cleaning twice a year and/or every time you go to the range. Don't oil parts that don't need it."

It's been good advice.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Bapak2ja]

Range Test Report

I made it to the range at H & H Firearms yesterday afternoon to test my newly returned Taurus 709 Slim. Taurus replaced the firing pin and the extractor, and repaired the the rear site.

I tested five types of ammo because many on this forum advised me that "dirty" ammo would be a problem for the 709. I tested (in this order):
1. Blazer 115gr FMJ
2. Black Hills 115gr FMJ
3. Magtech 115gr FMJ
4. Winchester Bonded PDXI 124gr +P JHP
5. Black Hills 124gr JHP

I loaded two seven round mags with each test ammo. I fired them off and practiced a rapid mag replacement technique. After the first two mags, I had to remind myself I was shooting a Taurus, not my Glock 26. All fourteen rounds fired perfectly. No failures of any kind. I reloaded the mags and did some slow fire, concentrating on accuracy. Perfect round performance. Accuracy was all I could expect, since I am still the shooter.

I repeated the procedure with each type of ammo, firing 28 rounds of each and doing various drills to practice accuracy, mag replacement, target acquisition, etc. NOT ONCE DID THE 709 FAIL TO PERFORM! Every round—EVERY ROUND—fired and ejected exactly as it was supposed to do.

I have the 709 and the G26 loaded with Black Hills 124gr JHP. IMO, both are good to go.

Thanks to members for help in assessing and resolving this problem. Thanks to Taurus for proper customer and warranty performance.

 

[mk2ja]

I made it to the range at H & H Firearms yesterday afternoon to test my newly returned Taurus 709 Slim. Taurus replaced the firing pin and the extractor, and repaired the the rear site.

I tested five types of ammo because many on this forum advised me that "dirty" ammo would be a problem for the 709. I tested (in this order):
1. Blazer 115gr FMJ
2. Black Hills 115gr FMJ
3. Magtech 115gr FMJ
4. Winchester Bonded PDXI 124gr +P JHP
5. Black Hills 124gr JHP

I loaded two seven round mags with each test ammo. I fired them off and practiced a rapid mag replacement technique. After the first two mags, I had to remind myself I was shooting a Taurus, not my Glock 26. All fourteen rounds fired perfectly. No failures of any kind. I reloaded the mags and did some slow fire, concentrating on accuracy. Perfect round performance. Accuracy was all I could expect, since I am still the shooter.

I repeated the procedure with each type of ammo, firing 28 rounds of each and doing various drills to practice accuracy, mag replacement, target acquisition, etc. NOT ONCE DID THE 709 FAIL TO PERFORM! Every round—EVERY ROUND—fired and ejected exactly as it was supposed to do.

I have the 709 and the G26 loaded with Black Hills 124gr JHP. IMO, both are good to go.

Thanks to members for help in assessing and resolving this problem. Thanks to Taurus for proper customer and warranty performance.

Excellent! Good to know that, even if you get a "lemon" from Taurus, they'll make sure they get it working for you at their own expense.

And as a bonus, maybe now you can take me shooting with it while I'm home.




/thread

 

[Joe Williams]

I'm glad you can now enjoy and trust your gun! As a huge Taurus fan, I'm also glad customer service came through for you. I've never had to make use of it, but bad stories abound. Of late, though, I've been hearing more and more customers pleased with the company's support. Perhaps Taurus has decided to address the issue, it's been a strike against them for quite some time.