What's wrong with Taurus?

[Mike Irwin]

Was at my high school class reunion last night, and one of my classmates was carrying his Taurus .45. He says it's been stone cold reliable for him since the day he bought it, and has a pretty high round count through it.

He's very happy.

[rodfac]

Weshoot...I'd be very interested to learn which Federal agency issued a Taurus to your friend. I'm not saying the statement is false, but I've not heard of any. My brother-in-law, former instructor at the Federal firearms training facility near Brunswick, GA has not heard of any to date either. Can you specify? Rod

[4runnerman]

My opinion is based on one purchase to date. PT1911 in 45 ACP. well over 5000 rounds now,never a issue. As i stated it is based one one purchase 4 years ago.
Did I get a good one?. I sure think I did,Would I chance a second- Yes. I will have to follow up when and if my first ever breaks. IMHO- I see no need for more than one pistol. I only carry one at a time and being it is not for hunting why ,other than want ( which is fine) would I need 2. I have been looking at some smaller one's lately for ease of carry.

[P5 Guy]

Not a Taurus hater, I just would rather have something else.
I've owned a couple of their revolvers and for the money I'm buying a Ruger.
Just because Ruger is made in the USA

[Mike Irwin]

To the best of my knowledge, no US Federal agency has ever issued Taurus handguns.

[leadcounsel]

I'll chime in.

I have a Taurus 357 full size that is awesome.

I had a PT140 that was an unreliable POS.

I have a PT145 that is totally reliable and an excellent pistol.

I have some I've never fired, but they feel like good quality, including a Tracker .357, a PT 92 and PT 99 and 1911. The fit and finish are great. I actually prefer the feel and safety on the PT92 over the Beretta. And the 1911 fit and finish is just as good as other non-custom 1911s.

Less cost is going to necessarily mean less of something.

You can generally find them in the $250-400 range, which is considerably less than other guns. If you get a good one, that's a heck of a bargain.

[seeker_two]

Only way I could see a Fed agency issuing a Taurus would be for an undercover operation where the agent needs a gun that doesn't scream "LEO" like a Glock or SIG would....probably something confiscated from a prior arrest. Those guns would be checked thoroughly by the dept. armorer before issued.

If I could get a Taurus checked out by a professional armorer before purchase, I'd probably buy it, too....

[Bezoar]

taurus has very simple primary markets. The governmental agencies of Brazil. And the citizens of america.

The law enforcement and governmental agencies in the us buy what they want, if a company will give the gun they want at the big discount they want like glock does, it gets the business.
there is far more buying on the american civilian market everyyear then with the leo market.

Too many people bash taurus and refuse to buy taurus period because of simple reaons.

1. their favorite 3 gun competitor uses glock or sw or sig or ruger. and in order to feel like they have some special bond with that person, they have to buy the same gun.
its why a good portion of john wayne fans seem to end up with a replica of his favorite colt.

2. they had a buddy whos buddy or whos cousin bought a taurus that blew up the first shot

3. their buddys buddy or buddys cousin talked to someone who claimed they had a taurus blow up on the first shot

4. refuse to buy something made in another country, but drive a car assembled in america from parts made in korea and mexico.

5. Some people take pride in how much they pay for something. i see people everyday who are proud that they bought a 50 inch tv for 800 dollars when it was available a half mile down the street for 500.

[RX-79G]

Bezoar,

Where's number seven and eight?

7. They read multiple first hand accounts of failures and poor service on forums they belong to every time Taurus quality comes up. They can converse with those posting the first hand accounts and don't notice the same frequency of first hand failure reports from any other brand.

8. See a video posted by Taurus apologizing for quality and customer service problems.


I really don't understand people like yourself that attempt to shame people into thinking that something that's clearly happening is some sort of psychologically driven conspiracy theory. There are enough reports just in this thread to suspect there might be a problem.

Is this just practice for denying global warming and the Holocaust? Really, what motivates you to read all the first hand accounts in this thread and then write a post that denies they even exist????

It is just really insulting to treat your fellows like they're all lying, since you took the time to list 6 origins for this "rumor" and not one of them acknowledges the posts before yours on this very thread.

[4runnerman]

RX-79G- I go with all you say in your last post,but One thing to keep in mind is the exaggeration to a point too. Take High Point pistols. Once you get done with the looks,weight and all else, what you have is IMHO one,no the most reliable pistol ever made. Might take 200 rounds to get there, But after that,beat on them,drag them in the mud,run over them,cram stuff down the barrel ect ect( you get my point ) and they still go bang every time. Discounting all the superficial stuff ( looks,weight ect ) I would love to see a contest between High Point and any other pistol made. Except Kimber( Lord knows you look at them wrong and they wont work ). Take one of every brand name made put them through the worst of worst treatment and watch them drop one at a time. In the end--The High Point will be left standing by itself as the only one still working.
Point I am getting at is people trash High Point in here all the time. So I take all comments in here as you probebly do to,with a grain of salt. Now Taurus is definety not top line stuff,but I think one bad point goes a long way here.

My PT1911- 2 weeks after I got it ( 4 years ago) I stepped on one of the mags ( by accident) and broke it. Called Taurus told them I stepped on it,2 days later Fed Ex delivered 2 ( yes 2 ) brand news one to my door for free. Horrable customer Service,can't believe they made me wait 2 days. But yet Taurus Customer Serice gets blasted here always. Also- Glocks-- Can't stand them,but I do Not deny they are probebly one of the most solid best built pistols ever made.
Me I am a Savage Fan big time- To me nothing no matter how much you spend is going to out shoot a Savage,but that's just me. It''s all opinion

So keep in mind- In here ( this forum ),There are a certain group of people. The above and beyond crowd. That is a very small fraction of whole. So in here maybe it seems a lot of problems with Taurus and for that matter High Point, but this forum accounts for a very very small percent of the whole. For all we know there are hundreds of thousands of Taurus and High Point people out there that have no issues at all, they are just not into forums and shooting as we are here.
Their pistols are for personnel use and the name or quality or price means nothing to them. It is a tool and nothing more important than a drill or a hammer to them. They go out and shoot it once or twice a year and never have a issue.

[Justice06RR]

Where's number seven and eight?

7. They read multiple first hand accounts of failures and poor service on forums they belong to every time Taurus quality comes up. They can converse with those posting the first hand accounts and don't notice the same frequency of first hand failure reports from any other brand.

8. See a video posted by Taurus apologizing for quality and customer service problems.


I really don't understand people like yourself that attempt to shame people into thinking that something that's clearly happening is some sort of psychologically driven conspiracy theory. There are enough reports just in this thread to suspect there might be a problem.

Funny, because you hear of real issues also from Glocks, S&W, Springfields, Kimbers... (recalls, brass-to-face, FTF's, etc). Then you hear terrible CS from Sig or HK etc.

But somehow when it comes to Taurus, it becomes the one of the most bashed companies out there when clearly all other companies have their own issues.

[RX-79G]

You kidding? Spend some time on Sigforum. Or read more about Kimber here. Taurus hardly seems special.

The only people that seem to think that Taurus's reputation is unfaira are Taurus owners. Weird, right?

Look, if I had never heard of a Taurus problem before, just the problems and failed solutions in this thread would turn me off.

[n5lyc]

I do think every manufacturer has its issues in some way at some time.
But for warranty service, when you talk to the reps, sometimes your attitude, or perceived attitude may have an outcome on the customer service experience. (Remember the old saying you get more bees with honey than vinegar or something like that?

Other than the times I have had to return guns mentioned in my previous post
I have had these experiences too.

I bought a used Remington 710 in . 270 for $100. I triped and fell one very cold morning. And broke the stock at the wrist. A new stock $97 I called Remington and inquired about wanting to buy a replacement stock , I told them what happened, and I am not the original owner. , they are no longer made, but the 770 stock fits, they offered me a replacement at no charge.

Called S&w about buying new shock buffers for my 22-a1. I offered to buy them, we had a great chat about the guns. They sent 5 for free.

I bought a chiappa 1911. Used for $125, it was missing the rear sight. I called their customer service number, talked with an agent, explained in shooting the rear sight went MIA, and couldn't find it.
I offered to buy a new one ($13 with shipping) they took my credit card info, sent me the replacement sight, but never charged my card.

Maybe I am just lucky, but over all, I have not had a really bad experience with a firearms customer service.

[FYN409]

I will just throw in my $.02. I am a Taurus owner; I have experienced more issue with my Taurus than any other gun I own. I agree that it seems if you get a good one, you get a good one.

My Dad and I both purchased TCP738's on the same night at the same LGS. His has been flawless, mine had been trouble. He has many round through his and it has not hiccupped. I have put a similar round count down mine and 10% of them have had issues.

Sent it back to Taurus and they "fixed it" and had it back to me in about 3 weeks. Turn around was decent, but I would not say they "fixed it". I will give them credit, they made it better. I have had less issues than before, but still issues. At this point I do not trust it enough and have purchased its replacement.

-Ryan

[Mike Irwin]

I will say that I have seen one serious failure of a Taurus semi-auto, the copy of the Beretta 92 in 9mm...

The barrel split at the chamber, locking the gun completely up. The person who was shooting it was using Winchester factory ammunition (WWB) and reported no issues with it; it just stopped functioning.

It was a rental gun at the range where I wokred back in the early 1990s, and to the best of my recollection at the time it failed it had had between 80,000-100,000 rounds through it with nothing more than a semi-regular cleaning.

Can't beat that as far as I'm concerned.

[dakota1911]

Nothing bad. I got one of the first PT1911s. I have owned and still own other Taurus pistols and revolvers. Not bad and they work but not the greatest thing out there. Good for the money? In the 1911 world probably an RIA is better in my mind.

[WESHOOT2]

He is with Homeland Security.

[Impreza]

Just got a TCP and love it!

[bikerbill]

Ask 100 Taurus owners, you'll get 100 different answers ...

I've had three. The oldest is a steel blued 85; it's close to 20 years old and has always worked perfectly. It's my glovebox gun when I'm going somewhere I can't carry.

I owned a PT-25 for a while and again, never had an issue. Sold it to get something bigger, as I recall, not because I didn't like it or because it had issues.

I also have a 617, the steel 7-shot .357 ... new, it had a gritty trigger and locked up after a cylinder or two. Rather than send it to Taurus, I took it to a 'smith and for $85 he gave it a wonderfully smooth trigger and opened the cylinder-barrel gap, which was too tight and had been expanding with the heat of fired rounds. It's now a great gun, one of my faves, accurate and issue-free.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Taurus. They aren't Smiths, Rugers or Sigs -- but you aren't paying those prices, either.

[hemiram]

After my first Taurus "expericence" with a model 83 revolver, my first gun ever, I had avoided them for over 35 years. A friend had a Taurus 24/7, and I really liked it, but didn't bite, but he recently got an 809 and I found one for a great price and I couldn't resist. I wish I would have, as it's been a ****. I sent it back to Taurus for repair, and it came back a few days ago. I picked it up and took it to a friend's place where I can shoot, and it's still very touchy, both with what ammo it likes, and it's not WWB or some Georgia Arms stuff that any of my other guns have no trouble with, and how the gun is gripped. It's got a severe case of "limp-wristing", and if it continues to have it, it's going to be gone soon. Too bad, I like the feel of it and even the trigger..

[Justice06RR]

Chiming in here again based on my experience.

I've owned 3 Taurus semi's now. The first 2 had no issues, while the 3rd, a 740Slim has a problem with one of the rear pins coming out of the frame every time you shoot it.

So that's 1/3, a 33% problem rate for Taurus... If that means anything

[45_auto]

I've owned one Taurus pistol, a PT99 (adjustable sight copy of a Beretta 92).

New, it shot horrible groups, over a foot at 25 yards offhand. Every other full size pistol I've ever owned I can easily consistently shoot 3" to 4" groups offhand at 25 yards.

Sent it back to the factory with sample targets. They sent it back about 2 weeks later with a new barrel. That fixed the horrible accuracy.

About a month later the rear sight broke. Sent it back to the factory, they returned it in 2 weeks with a new sight.

About a month later the rear sight broke again. Sent it back to the factory, they returned it in 2 weeks with a new sight.

About a month later the rear sight broke for a third time. Sent it back to the factory with a request that they replace the slide with a PT92 (fixed sight model) slide. They did so and returned it in about 2 weeks.

A couple of months later the locking block broke. Sent it back the factory, they returned it about 2 weeks later with a new locking block.

That was enough for me, I sold it.

It was stolen from the guy I sold it to several months later, along with the safe that contained it, when his house was broken into. He liked the control layout (frame mounted safety/hammer drop) and bought a new Taurus 24/7 with the same controls to replace it. The 24/7 has been plagued by misfires caused by light strikes since it was new, one every couple of mags no matter what ammo he uses. He's satisfied with that, although I wouldn't be.

I do have a couple of their Model 62's (stainless steel copies of a Winchester Model 62 pump 22) that have been excellent, even though the kids and grandkids beat on them unmercifully.

[4V50 Gary]

Holy cows 45Auto. That's a well traveled Taurus. The carrier must have a worn path between your place and the warranty station.

[Tactical Jackalope]

Yeah. I live in Miami, Florida and I think it's a waste of time to own one.

[cdbeagle]

What is wrong with Taurus? It is a Taurus. I own numerous long guns but never owned a handgun until five years ago.

I was looking at something fairly inexpensive because I didn't want to shell out money for something I didn't know if I would like or keep shooting. Handled several Taurus' and didn't like the quality. Wound up purchasing a Stoeger Cougar in 9MM and am glad I did. Since then I have purchased three CZ's, two Colt snubbies, a Browning and a Bersa. I would still purchase a Stoeger or a Bersa over a Taurus. I think they are good guns. YMMV and I certainly would not belittle someone who purchased a Taurus.