Taurus PT1911...good gun compared to other 1911's?

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by bitttorrent

I love my Pt1911, but it is an older build - have to look at it but at least 10-12 years ago.

I'm almost certain that Taurus was not making 1911s 10 or 12 years ago.

[Venom1956]

The point being that there are reliability problems with a lot of more expensive 1911's. For the money the PT1911 is a great gun. You can find plenty of posts on the internet about reliability issues on $2000 Les Baer 1911's.

Every gun can malfunction. I've seen glocks fail. GASP!

But saying a PT1911 is the equal of something that is clearly superior in quality makes no sense. As I said before I never said its a bad gun I simply stated that I feel there are superior weapons in that price bracket. Except you guys get all defensive if someone disagrees with your opinion of the gun.

Your now comparing a PT1911 to Les Baers?! Why to make you feel better?

For my money Springer, Ruger, RIA. If you feel that the Pt1911 is a better gun buy all means keep yours I don't have to own it.

[cuba]

Venom1956, the only one comparing the PT1911 to the semi-custom 1911's is you, I don't think any of the PT1911 owners that have posted hear have said that their PT1911 is any better then any other 1911,(no snob owners) but have just stated the fact that the PT1911 is one hell of a good 1911 period nothing more or nothing less, chill out.



shoot safe, shoot straight and have fun

[Venom1956]

i am chill? I've only compared them to RIA Ruger and Springers... not sure where you got that other info from this thread.

I am simply offering counterpoints and my views. Which I believe you dismissed early on simply because I "don't own one" or some such nonsense.

PT1911 is one hell of a good 1911

I've said repeatedly I feel it is an acceptable weapon. I just feel there are better ones in the price bracket.

[Officer's Match]

I've said repeatedly I feel it is an acceptable weapon. I just feel there are better ones in the price bracket.

And as a former PT1911 owner who also has/has owned 1911's Wilson Combat, Ed Brown, Les Baer, Springfield Armory Custom Shop, Coldt Customshop, Kimber and others, that is where I disagree. I wouldn't begin to compare a similarly priced pistol to a PT1911, or at least to the one I had.

[cuba]

The RIA tactical is probably the only one that can be considered comparable to the PT1911 price wise, and its made from casted steel, the only Springfield within the PT1911's price range is either a GI or Mill spec, the material their made of is comparable to the PT1911 but are bare bone 1911's and do not come with all the features that the PT1911 comes stock with and you would probably have to spend the amount advertised by Taurus to attain the upgrades that come with the PT1911, the Rugar if you can find one will probably set you back $799 vs the PT1911 under $600 and though it comes with upgrades it falls shot of all the upgrades that the PT1911 has and it is also made from casting vs the PT1911 hammer forged steel, I'm not saying that the PT1911 is a better 1911 just stating the facts, they're all 1911 and I love them all.



shoot safe,shoot straight, and have fun

[hulley]

I'm not a 1911 guy but was happy with the PT1911 that I had. I would like to add another 1911 one day and I have in my mind what I want, and if Taurus make that model I would highly consider another one. But the 1911 is not on my immediate radar right now.

[Fishbed77]

the Rugar if you can find one will probably set you back $799

I've never seen a Ruger SR1911 priced over $699 locally. They turn up quite regularly at gun shows around here.

[Venom1956]

Ok glad we got that sorted out. It wasn't intended as a slight. Now for questions.

ok, Cuba which features do u feel set the Pt1911 above is competitors? Simply curious. I do agree normally I would prefer a forged frame but a properly cast frame on a 1911 can be just as good I believe Caspians railed frame is one such example. I would sacrifice a forged frame for less MIM in the internals personally. Such as the Ruger for example.

MIM makes me nervous because it seems to have less tolerance when improperly made.

@Officer's Match, since you've had numerous 1911s did the Pt1911 frame feel larger then the norm? That was one thing that I really noticed when holding it. it felt oversized and unfinished compared to the other 1911s at the shop. A kimber of some sort and 2 springers.

Another reason I'd find it hard to recommend a Taurus is their QC apparently both of you have fantastic 1911s which I do not doubt. But every single Taurus firearm I have encountered has had some sort of major issue usually resulting in an unsafe or non functional firearm. I believe the count is up to five now? I know others have great luck with them but I do not hence why my views differ.

[Officer's Match]

Actually the Les Baers I've owned (BTW my favorites apart from my SACS) had the largest grip frames (front to back), but yes the PT1911 was a bit "square-ish towards the front.

[9mm]

I have heard good things about the Taurus 1911, as being a great entry/with all the options it comes with, and bad things.. I wouldn't trust my life with it, but if it's just a range peice give it a shot.

[cuba]

I don't believe that MIM should be a concern when manufactured by Taurus Forgas as they are known as one of the leaders in MIM technology in the world, if you are really concerned about Mim steel parts and they make you nervous you shouldn't fly on a plane because as I understand it most of the jet engine parts are made througth MIM process, as far as the longevety of the fire control MIM parts on the PT1911 I can testify that under magnification and after over 19K round through my PT1911 I can not detect any excessive where, I even have the original extractor on my PT1911. The PT1911 is a very good rendition of the 1911A1 with all the modern features, and is not any larger then any other true 1911, but it is also not melded as the Kimber 1911 either, also it will accept just about any after market part manufactured for the 1911's in todays market, Venom I think you need to check on your source concerning MIM parts in the Ruger SR1911 because I believe that it comes slap full of MIM, these are the feature that come stock with the PT1911.
Full length guide rod & reverse plug
Serrated slide rear and front
Checkered 30-lpi trigger guard
Checkered 30-lpi mainspring housing
Checkered 30-lpi frontstrap
Ambidextrous safety
Beavertail grip safety with memory pad
Skeleton serrated trigger
Trigger job
Custom fit barrel (air-gauged bushing)
Custom slide to frame fit
Polished feedramp and barrel throat
Lowered and flared ejection port
Custom internal extractor
Extended mag release button
Beveled mag well
Extra 8-round magazine

shoot safe, shoot straight, and have fun

[Crankgrinder]

i have an mim trigger assembly in my saiga 308 that had to be modified for fit and function, (arsenal 2 stage if memory serves me well) the thing was so hard i had to have carbide tiped masonry bits to drill out two holes, 1 for a spring 1 for a trigger pin. mim can be hard as a rock. To distill the previous points made further id like to add its not about the name, or the price with a 1911 to me its about having a 1911 that you can love. pt1911 is an excelent gun for its price. Only the ria tactical hangs with it, and with less features at that. you want a better gun you definately have to pay more, but if its 400$ more will it be 400$ better? Will you love your taurus as much? if so then its for you. If not then save your money up.

[4runnerman]

Had mine for 4 years now.Well over 5000 rounds down it and only one stove pipe ( store ammo) 230 gn American Eagle Brand. Other than that flawless and very accurate. The only issue you will have is Taurus Bashing,Function wise it is a great pistol and very very dependable

[Valerko]

Have a two tone PT1911 . Probably 3 k rounds thru since April , mostly my reloads. Eats everything and is lot more accurate then me.

[dgludwig]

I let a friend of mine shoot it with me. He wanted it, badly. I said it wasn't for sale, and he started "bidding". When he got to almost two hundred more than I paid (and he knew what I paid), I said uncle.

I'd love to find a couple of friends like that. The ones I have are way too crafty.

[patriotic]

I guess I am another one of those lucky PT1911 owners. Going on 4,000 rounds without any problems. Feeds anything you give it and is extremely accurate. Far better than the worn out Colts I was issued in the Army. Yes they did have an issue with the thumb safety on the right side coming loose but that was corrected two years ago. A fine pistol that could easily sell for $1800. The best part is that you don’t have to shoot 500 or so rounds to make it work right.

[mega twin]

I like my pt1911al,and so far has been 100% reliable.
I understand that the aluminum frame version is no longer made,and do not know the reason for that,but it's lighter weight makes it easier to carry,and I do not shoot thousands of rounds a year,either,so can not vouch for long term reliability,but would trust it with my life.
I also have a RIA,and while it is plain jane,would say the same of it,and do not regret either purchase.

[cheezhed]

I have one also. I think that it is a good pistol, I have had no problems with it other than shooting low and to the left. I was able to tap the rear sight to correct the windage and discovered that the sight picture is not the six o'clock
hold that I am accustomed to. I now have it shooting to P.O.A and find it to be a reliable shooter that eats my semi-wad cutter hand loads. I have fired it about 400 times and other than vigorous and distant ejection it has been issue free. I got this gun used from my son and he also had no problems with it.

[warningshot]

It appears to me that there are many more happy PT owners here on the net than on the range.

[Officer's Match]

I'm guessing you're exposed to a bigger sample on the net.

[4runnerman]

Never meet an unhappy one at the range either

[vyse.04]

No issues with my PT1911 either. I bought one around the first year or so that they were released, and outside of a crappy magazine that came with a shooters pack, it has been great. The "custom features" are a little overblown, but given the price range they are more than just acceptable.

I don't understand why people compare them to Springfield or Ruger 1911s. Outside of the bare bones line that SA makes (can't remember the last time I've even seen a GI), most of their 1911's have $200-$300 dollars on the PT1911. I know Taurus has a bad reputation on forums, but I can't complain about my experience with them.

[bearclaw46]

I have numerous Taurus pistols. I currently have a Taurus Raging Bull in 454, a Public Defender in 45/410, a PT Slim 709 a Model 85 38 special and a 24/7 OSS in 40S&W. None of these firearms have EVER given me any problems and I shoot them a lot, with the exception of the Raging Bull in 454. I shoot that once a year in the spring to make sure it's still sighted in for bear protection. It's not made for plinking or target practice. The 2 I shoot the most are the Public Defender and the Slim 709 (in 9mm). The 709 is really a reliable pistol and I carry it and trust it with my life. It's never jammed at the range and is quite pleasant to shoot. YouTube is filled with 709 happy customers. The 1911...I would not hesitate to buy it. You get a lot for your $$, IMHO of course.

[warningshot]

I say we have a Taurus vs. HighPoint shoot-out. And a Mosin Nagant side match. At stake will be the 4473 slips.