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Old January 30, 2013, 08:31 AM   #1
Niël .
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Taurus PT1911

I am about to purchase another pistol and I have always liked 1911s.
The only 1911 that I can purchase new here in South Africa , seems to be the Taurus PT1911.

Is this a good pistol to buy ?
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Old January 30, 2013, 02:14 PM   #2
bigghoss
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Quote:
Is this a good pistol to buy?
Short answer: no

Taurus' overall reputation and that of the PT1911 specifically are littered with negative reports. I'm sure there will be several people to come along and say their's works great, and maybe even a few of them have put more than 500 rounds through their guns. But if you do a search you'll find that taurus has a much higher rate of lemons than other manufacturers.

If you really want a 1911 and that's the only one you can get (try looking some more and seeing if a dealer can order anything else) and you are only going to shoot it at the range for fun then it'll probably be ok. If you plan on using it for defensive purposes and trusting it to save your life then just stay away.
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Old January 30, 2013, 02:21 PM   #3
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Don't know about the PT1911, but I have been burned twice by Taurus in the last 2.5yrs...it will not happen again. Just be sure to look before you leap.
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Old January 30, 2013, 04:24 PM   #4
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The one I had was so-so. Very accurate but not reliable in igniting primers.

Others have had great experiences. Some even worse. There were things I really liked about the PT1911, but ultimately it was traded off after one attempt to fix it didn't solve the problem.

I thought about just having all the internals replaced, but I saw some reports that others who had tried that had to have extensive fitting done because some things weren't properly to spec. I would hope that has been improved since then.

I wanted to like it and in some ways I did, I just couldn't trust mine.
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Old January 30, 2013, 06:24 PM   #5
patriotic
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The PT1911 is good....

I can tell you from my experience and those I know who own a Taurus PT1911 that it is an excellent 1911. Mine has over 3,000 rounds through it without any malfunction. The only thing I did with mine was to put a fiber optic front sight on it. The gun is forged steel and comes standard features that are options on other manufacturers guns such as a ss match barrel. The only problem I have seen was with the early production models where the right-side safety lever would work loose. Taurus has corrected that problem. Lifetime warranty also.
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Old January 30, 2013, 06:39 PM   #6
BigJimP
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Short answer is No....

If you hang around ranges and gunshops...you'll hear more negative than good about them....are 3 or 4 out of 10 ok ...maybe ..no way to really tell.

But I think it is fair - to say the Taurus 1911...is not particularly well thought of ...and isn't going to be on hardly anyones list of their top 5 1911's...
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Old January 30, 2013, 06:42 PM   #7
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Boy.. I'm so glad I didn't listen to the Taurus bashers 5 Taurus firearms ago when I bought my first. 5 perfectly funtioning guns. Not a single failure of any type. I've owned a used PT145, a TCP, 2 Trackers, and a PT1911. I can't comment on customer service because Ive never needed to call them. But the guns have all been perfect. Maybe some people are just luckier in life than others. Haha... Heading to the casino now.. TTYL!

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Old January 30, 2013, 06:45 PM   #8
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Quote:
Boy.. I'm so glad I didn't listen to the Taurus bashers 5 Taurus firearms ago when I bought my first. 5 perfectly funtioning guns. Not a single failure of any type. I've owned a used PT145, a TCP, 2 Trackers, and a PT1911. I can't comment on customer service because Ive never needed to call them. But the guns have all been perfect. Maybe some people are just luckier in life than others. Haha... Heading to the casino now.. TTYL!
We are a Taurus basher if we relate what a rotten experience we have had with Taurus guns...

What a joke!
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Old January 30, 2013, 07:17 PM   #9
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Unless you were one of the ones bashing them 6yrs ago when I was researching them, then I wasn't speaking of you. Read my post better, and jeez! Don't be so defensive...

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Old January 30, 2013, 09:40 PM   #10
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I just bought my 15th Taurus. I did have to send a used Tracker back to them to have it repaired, had it back in 9 days, repaired free of charge. Can't speak to the 1911 but I'm soon to be in the market for one and the Taurus will be the first I look at. And, at least around here, you hear more bad stories of Taurus online than at the range. But maybe Texans don't know nothing about guns.
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Old January 30, 2013, 09:50 PM   #11
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Neil...

Ignore the banter here. There will always be the controversey about whether they are a quality piece or not.

I have two beautifull Tauruses that function perfectly. pt1911 and a pt-92 inox.

If that is what you can get in your area, go for it. Depending on the supply chain, check it out when you purchase to make sure it looks good. As we know there have been some lemons from Taurus.

Good luck.
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Old January 30, 2013, 10:35 PM   #12
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Is it true you get full auto ak47/yugo's ?

Pt1911, not a great gun, maybe just for fun but not protection IMO.
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Old January 30, 2013, 11:40 PM   #13
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My PT 1911 broke its thumb safety and its hammer in the first 300 rounds. Cheap Taurus parts, per my gunsmith.

If you must, determine if there is any gunsmith near you who can install better quality aftermarket parts if your Taurus parts break. Eventually, like me, you might end up with a good 1911, unfortunately after you've invested a bit in repairs....

How does Taurus service guns sold in South Africa? What is its reputation there for service? Here in the USA, my experience with them is they are alot slower than Ruger and Smith & Wesson, just for two examples, and (unless things have changed recently) they make you pay to ship to them unlike those two much better companies.

Unless you have a quality local gunsmith, or unless Taurus has a great reputation for service in your country, I would pass.
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Old January 31, 2013, 03:26 AM   #14
Niël .
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Thank you for all the advise guys ,

I need something reliable which I am going to use for ipsc competitions in classic division and I will use it for home defense .

Lots of innocent people here in SA wake up at night to find 3-7 intruders in there house with the attention to rape and kill (the steeling is just a bonus for them ) .

So , if I ever need the gun , I need it to function as i expect it to .

At the moment I carry a Rossi 38sp snub-nose and I am getting my G17 in 2 weeks time after I have waited ages for the license to be approved . my plan with the G17 is to shoot production division in ipsc competitions and to get a ronni carbine conversion .

I want a 1911 , because I have always liked 1911s and it would be nice to shoot it in classic division in ipsc .
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Old January 31, 2013, 10:31 AM   #15
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Double post
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Old January 31, 2013, 10:34 AM   #16
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I have family in South Africa. It's in my blood. You're probably my cousin. I know why you're going through. I had to send parts to my cousin on occasion.

I've heard mixed reviews of the PT1911. If I were you. Looking at it like family. I'd say get it. Try it for yourself. It's not like in the states where trial and error is just buying another gun. You can fix that one. There's a good pistol smith over there. Where exactly are you? Johannesburg?

You can, I think get certain parts in though right? And some not. I don't remember which I was able and unable to send. But swapping out a few parts won't be a big deal.

I know the crime there all too well. I wish you the best my brother.





Sent from my phone...expect typos.
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Old January 31, 2013, 04:25 PM   #17
+1k ammo
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Oh wow. I have heard of things in South Africa. I would not set foot in that area without something hi-capacity and reliable - so forget my other post.

You have a G17 coming - so stick with that and get the 1911 just because. I have a G14 4th gen that is hardly broken in with 75 rounds. Is accurate high capacity and i can take it apart in next to nothing. I was thinking of building up a g21 with a few spare parts and tried taking the slide completely apart for first time with just a few seconds youtube video. They are great simple reliable guns.

Good luck. And make sure you use correct ammo in the glock. Not crappy reloads that could cause problems and correct home defense so will not carry through the walls.

Good luck.
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Old January 31, 2013, 04:28 PM   #18
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over 5000 rounds and still going strong. awesome pistol and very very accurate
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Old January 31, 2013, 08:18 PM   #19
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I've owned 3 Taurus PT1911s... well 2 PT1911s and a PT1911AR. All three are accurate as can be out of the box. They're more accurate than most people can shoot so that's not a problem.

The 2 PT1911s are all original and each has had over 5k rounds through them. Frankly I'm rather amazed I haven't had to replace any parts yet on them considering they're all MIM.

The PT1911AR had the extractor break on me after 10 and a half mags of ammo. I contacted Taurus CS and was given a run around at first (they insisted it might be my fault the extractor broke) then they told me the extractor was out of stock and it would be back ordered. Then they shipped me the extractor for the wrong gun (shipped me an extractor for a PT1911 chambered in 9mm which didn't fit in my gun) and after a phone call to CS again they told me that it indeed WAS the wrong part and the correct part would be sent but it would be at least 3 months because that was still on back order. I ended up buying a Wilsons Combat extractor from MidwayUSA (which arrived in 3 days via regular mail) and since then the gun has functioned flawlessly.

For home defense though, especially against 6 or more intruders, I'd want a gun with a larger ammo capacity. In competition you might be able to drop a mag and reload quickly but the targets are standing still - moving targets in the dark could be more troublesome and having more ammo is always better. Of course if you haven't got a choice then get what you can get.
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Old February 1, 2013, 08:41 AM   #20
Niël .
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Hi all ,

Constantine ,You are quite correct , even if I had all the money in the world , it is not just a matter of buying guns until I find the perfect one , the law here makes it a bit difficult , but , yes there are a few good gunsmiths here , I am less that 100miles east from Johannesburg , I live in Evander Mpumalanga (about 10 miles from Secunda )

Regarding the law about handguns Here is SA , you are allowed one Handgun for self defense , one for occasional sport shooting and as far as I know it is unlimited for dedicated sport shooting , but for that you must first earn dedicated status by earning 6 points per year , which is not to hard achieve , but for now , I do not have dedicated status , so I have to get rid of my 38sp revolver first , before I can buy another gun and I will only do that once I am certain that the Glock functions good enough to trust it for SD .

So I do have time still to decide and shop around , maybe I will get the parts and have it put together .

Thanks for everybody's input , it is much appreciated .
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Old February 3, 2013, 06:21 PM   #21
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I have PT1911 with just about 3k of rounds thru it since last April, when I've bought it. About 2800 of those rounds were my lead reloads , mostly SWC.
Had zero issues with the gun. I'd have no problem trusting my life with it.
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Old February 3, 2013, 06:27 PM   #22
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It's overall a bad gun. A lot of people, including gun publications and blogs, have documented a lot of problems with them--mostly due to shoddy QC. Taurus just can't bother to consistently make a reliable gun.

Are there good ones out there? Yes.

Are there bad ones? Yes.

Does Taurus's customer service suck? Yes.
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