What's wrong with Taurus?

[CajunBass]

Edit to add: One thing to keep in mind is no American law enforcement or military are issued Taurus firearms. That should tell you something.

It doesn't tell me anything. For all I know, Taurus may have never tried to get into the US military or LE market. They may have, I admit that I don't know, but without more information your statement really tells me nothing except that none have been chosen.

I can't speak to their semi-auto's, simply because I don't care much for semi-auto's, but the Taurus revolvers I've owned (and still own) have all performed well. Of course I have bought most of them used, and check them out carefully the same as I would a Smith & Wesson or a Colt. I've seen a few Taurus guns I passed on, but those were individual guns.

[Tactical Jackalope]

I live in Miami and have my whole life. Been to the Taurus facility. Owned one way prior to that that was a complete lemon (PT145). Know a Taurus worker... Well used to..

Let's just say I will never own or recommend a Taurus to anyone I don't hate with a burning passion.

[Pahoo]

Taurus are a lot of gun for the money, so how much is the trashing of the brand actually snobbery?

To a certain extent, I agree as we all know some gun owners can be very biased. However, if this was a dominant view, why aren't other manufacturers, that make less expensive guns, equally bashed or more so? I won't mention them as I don't want to step on anyone's toes. ...

The bashing might also be due to the high number of guns and models they make, thus leading to a higher number of defects. There are hundreds of satisfied owners out there and only a hand full that are dissatisfied. ...


Be Safe !!!

[Deja vu]

My wife wanted a Taurus Judge so I got her one. It worked ok but would not lock back in to single action. When you cocked the hammer back by hand it would snap forward and fire the round with out the trigger being pulled. It worked fine in double action.

I sent it to Taurus to be fixed and 5 months later it cam back and had the same issue. I called them and complained and sent it back a second time. about 7 months later I get it back and it was not the same gun. It had a different Serial number.

To me it does not look like the lock to the hammer would be a major fix but apparently it took two trips to Taurus and a new gun to get it correct. The new gun works well!

[Mystro]

As owning multiple Taurus guns, Their quality is spotty and their customer service is appalling. I can afford to not own Taurus products now and I traded out all my Taurus guns for higher quality manufactured firearms.

[Ryu825]

I have no personal experience with Taurus but through all my reading and window shopping, I can confidently say ill never own one. When I buy a good gun brand new I get super excited but the times I bought used I always had an anxious feeling thinking there must be a reason this gun is here instead of the previous owners closet though I know most times the reason is money. I feel I'd have a similar feeling while buying a Taurus. Is it gonna work right? Am I gonna have to send it back twice and wait for several months for me to finally just give up after they send the same problems back to me?
I have other guns that work great and I'm patient enough to save more money for a better gun. Nowadays it seems Taurus guns are really not much cheaper than other respected brands. $489 for a pt92? How about a real beretta 92fs for just 100 more? $699 for a stainless pt1911? I just bought a s&w e series 1911 brand new for just $90 more? Taurus 357 tracker or whatever it was for I believe just under $500? Less than a hundred more dollars and you have yourself a nice ruger gp100. I'm not just typing random numbers, these are real prices I have seen. Why settle for something that may or may not work and even if it does, has an ugly finish IMO, when you could be confident in your purchase of a quality gun from a reputable manufacturer with great cs for just one more bill? But like I said first thing, I have no personal experience with Taurus. My post is based entirely on observations. There are many people who are satisfied with them but even with that said I'd rather be ecstatic about my awesome new (not taurus) gun than simply be satisfied with a gun that wasn't that much cheaper.

[Quentin2]

I have two Tauruses myself, an old M85 snubby and PT-101 Millennium Pro. No real problems, when new the 9mm wouldn't fully go into battery when racking and releasing the slide but a rap on the rear finished the job. It didn't happen except for the first round chambered. Gradually it corrected itself so likely was just tight or rough slide/frame rails.

Anyway I like mine but hesitate recommending Taurus because where there's smoke there may be fire. I'd certainly inspect one carefully before buying (but then that's true of most purchases).

[Skans]

Stay away from older PT99's and PT92's. The locking blocks break and when they do, you may find that the only way to disassemble your gun to replace the broken part is to cut the barrel. Also, you may think it's just a stuck shell, in which case trying to move the slide (which you can't resist doing) can permanently damage the aluminum frame. This is exactly what happened to mine.

Beretta fixed the problem by beefing up their locking blocks a number of years ago. I don't think Taurus ever followed Beretta on this, but don't know for sure.

Oh, one more thing about my PT99 - the nickel finish quickly discolored between the slide serrations. It offers no rust protection at all. The non-aluminum parts on this gun need to be kept oiled. FWIW, I bought the gun new, only had it for 1 year - 6 months of which were spent with a gunsmith trying to get a decent part from Taurus to fix it.

On the other hand, the Taurus .357 Revolver that I bought for a girlfriend many years ago worked just fine. I don't hate Taurus - I just hate just the PT99 that I had. I can't even look at a Beretta 92 now without feeling queezy.

[Fishbed77]

I have seen taurus revolvers lock up on several occasions. if a revolver can't be expected to operate reliablity I have no interest at all in any of their semis.

Agreed.

My bother's former employer has a .44mag Taurus revolver I've fired on several occasions that is, for lack of a better word, a POS. The overall construction is sloppy, and the fired brass practically requires a ramrod to remove from some of the inconsistently-sized chambers.

[KMAX]

They are inexpensive so don't expect S&W quality, but then you can't expect it from S&W either. At least not at that price point. I suspect that you hear more bashing of Taurus because there are so many sold. S&W owners are more tolerant of their flaws and make excuses for them.

I have a Taurus 1911. It is not a Wilson Combat, but for what I paid for it I have no complaints. I did have a PT92 which was flawless, but I let bashers influence my thinking and I traded it away. Bad move. I really regret letting it go.

Taurus are not top of the line, but are usually pretty good for what you pay. If you want the finish and performance of a $1000 + gun then pay $1000 +.

[Skans]

I think the problem with Taurus (at least with their older guns) is that they make less expensive versions of more expensive guns. In doing so, I think they cut corners where you can't see it - quality of internal parts, fitting, quality of nickel finish. I'll admit, many Taurus guns look really nice.

Whereas, with a Hi-Point, they focus on making a reliable gun and cut corners on anything that makes the gun more visually appealing.

[histed]

WOW! Never expected this level of response, but it is great. It seems that the biggest problem is (lack) of customer service. Lemons seem to produce bad feeling - understandable. I am especially intrigued by the last comment concerning Hi Point, as this is another option for my limited budget. S'all good information. I've never owned a Taurus, but... I'm thinking. Please keep the comments comming

[Pianoguy]

The last gun I bought was a Taurus 617. Felt great in the hand, tight lock-up, very nice DA trigger pull (which surprised me based on what I have read about Taurus triggers) and just seemed very solid. First trip to the range it shot great w/ no problems - 38specials and 357magnums. Granted I will need a few more trips before I can have an opinion that will be worth anything. But so far it seems a very nice gun for the money. Most of my concerns come from what I have read but most negative comments seem to take on lives of their own on the Internet - some are years old and should have no bearing on what's being sold today. But still where there's smoke look out for the fire. But from what I read it's pretty obvious there is some gun snobbery out there regarding Taurus (and has been in the past with any new gun).

For me Taurus guns are very intriguing. They make some interesting guns for a nice price. And since I don't need anything I am willing to gamble on a gun that wont' have a large financial downside and be different. I'm not going to bet my life on one any time soon but I'm willing to buy a less expensive gun for the range and just for something new.

If I was buying my only gun, that I was going to bet my life on I'd buy a Sig or something (which I already have). A few hundred $$ difference between a Taurus and a premium firearm isn't worth being cheap.

I would think there are plenty of people like myself that can afford to gamble on a gun that feels good in the hand, has all the features you want and if they do work seem to work very well based on plenty of reviews.

I'm not a fan or a basher just someone that likes variety.

[huskybiker]

Evidently, I'm one of the lucky ones. I have 4 Taurus & 1 Rossi revolver in the family (wife, daughter, & me). All have been 100% through hundreds of rounds. The only Taurus semi auto I ever owned was a PT-945. I only had it for a short time, but I put around 500 rounds through it with no problems. I can't speak to the polymer framed models, I've never owned one.

[Rattlehead]

Their QC may or may not be within the norm of firearms manufacturers... the reason I will stay away is their CS. Even the best companies can produce a lemon and the failure rate is of little concern when that one in whatever is the one you purchased.

Many of the stories of customers interactions with their CS department leave a lot to be desired... not a risk worth taking when there are many brands who will bend over backward to maintain their reputation and stand behind their products.

JM2C.

[spanishjames]

WOW! Never expected this level of response, but it is great.... I've never owned a Taurus, but... I'm thinking. Please keep the comments comming

After all those comments, you still need more to make up your mind? There's plenty of info on the web regarding whatever model you like. There's only one reason to start a thread like this.

Leejack: I've owned several and nothing wrong at all.

You picked the best place on the planet to start this thread, the Taurus hating capitol of the world.

I'm with Leejack on this one.

[4runnerman]

PT1911- 4 years old,5000 plus rounds. No ISSUES yet. Very accurate and definetly dependable. Did I get lucky???. Not sure. know a few others that have gotten lucky too. Come to think of it-Everyone I know that has one has gotten lucky. Hmmmm Maybe you all just need to buy your taurus here in Fargo,ND

[James K]

"I think there must be a reason this gun is here instead of the previous owners closet..." Yep, and something to think about when considering buying ANY used gun.

On the Taurus, the thing with spotty QC is that some guns will be perfectly fine, as good as any of the type made anywhere by anybody. But the next one in the dealer's showcase may be real lemon. So some people will have a Taurus that works fine, and really believe that anyone who says otherwise is "bashing" the brand for no reason. The folks who have a bad experience will believe that Taurus owners who say they satisfied are wrong, liars or shills for the company.

One protection is to know enough about guns to be able to tell when something is wrong with a gun BEFORE shelling out hard-earned cash. A few simple checks, taking all of two minutes, will usually weed out 90% of the problem guns, both used and new, regardless of make.

Jim

[ccwnut]

I have a PT709 Slim that while being an okay ccw gun, there's definitely better options. My dad however has a Model 605 (snubbie .357 for anyone unfamiliar) that he loves. Like others have said, you get what you pay for.

(As a side note, I've had my eye on the Model 905 9mm revolver for quite some time.)

[Kreyzhorse]

Very simply Taurus can make a good gun. They can also make a bad gun. They also have a higher ratio of bad guns to good guns than most makers.

Their customer service iseems to be pretty poor on top of it.

After my experience with them, it's worth the extra money to buy a gun with a better QA department and better customer service.

[57K]

I think the PT-92 locking block issues that were reported previously are entirely incorrect. The problems occurred much more frequently with Beretta's. The 92/99/100/101 series pistols are sound. And why shouldn't they be? When Beretta sold their Brazilian plant along with the machinery the pistols were made with, along with the personnel that operated them, they sold to Taurus who continued production of the same pistol with a frame mounted manual safety identical to the pistols Beretta made for the Brazilian military. The only thing that's changed in that same basic pistol was Taurus' addition of a decocking feature to the manual safety. When Beretta M9s had slide breakages that cost some military shooters some of their teeth, no such problems occurred with the Taurus'.

Pistols that Taurus has produced since are kinda hit and miss and that's pretty much always been the case for their revolvers where you either get a good one, or you get a lemon. I've had experiences with their revolvers that reinforce my opinion, but I have never had any usrge to buy a Taurus pistol that wasn't a 92/99 series and don't know of any major problems that have ever ocurred with them. I don't know if Taurus has began using MIM'd parts in the 92 series, but they are commonly used in Taurus made pistols since. IMO, the 92 series continues to be a good product, but I would not consider buying any other handgun they make.

[wvshooter]

I'm not a Taurus fan but I've got three of them. Two revolvers and a 24/7 Pro in 45acp. I really like the 45.

Honestly, what they make now is much better than what they made a few years ago. But they are never going to be equal in quality to a Sig or CZ or any one of several other manufacturer's products. For what it's worth, I carry a Sig but I would feel perfectly confident carrying a Taurus.

[Psychedelic Bang]

I know this is the semi-auto forum, but just one more positive note on Taurus is that their selection of revolvers is so off the charts cool.

Taurus has guns and styles nobody else has got.

[IdahoG36]

Plain and simple, Taurus builds garbage. I don't understand Taurus loyalists. They defend Taurus and tell you that they build a great gun for less money. For $50-$100 more, you can buy a gun from a reputable manufacturer. I don't get it.

[Sarge]

I think the problems is that getting a good pistol is completely luck of the draw. An acquaintance of mine is a long-time employee of a busy west-central MO gunshop and for awhile, they tried to stock them for a price-point item. I helped him unpack a half-dozen Taurus revolvers 10 years ago and half of them went back because non-functional or binding actions. They few they sold didn't stay out long and were usually traded in on something better.

I've lost count of the Taurus 22 revolvers people called/emailed me about, over light strikes or binding in DA mode. I rebuilt one for a friend who does CCW classes and used it for a loaner. It lasted about 400 rounds and shot craps again.

I actually like their 92 clones, but avoid the adjustable sight models. They are fragile as eggs and the firing pin block bears up on them with each trigger stroke. It would be a non-issue with proper fitting... but that would require QC and with Taurus, that's a crap-shoot. A friend has one that munched the rear sight and the company has been a PITA regarding the repair.

I played the odds and bought two over the years, a PT145 and a stainless Public Defender. Both were decent guns and the PD still remains. I passed on a short, 480 Raging Bull that turned out to be a fine, accurate revolver for the eventual owner. I've shot it a few times (LOVE that cartridge) and it's a good one.