'Followup' Traded a Smith & Wesson 357 revolver for a Taurus PT145 & PT111

[Doug11606]

I posted a thread of my trade yesterday & the naysayers were out in force, telling of the bad deal I made. I am not posting this thread to hear all the naysayers tell me I told you so. I am posting in case anyone was interested in the outcome. Saying that here I go.
Range tested today, things did not go well. Started with the PT145. I was unable to shoot more than two rounds without the magazine disengaging the pistol. Not only did the mag need to be reseated but the slide had to be cycled each time after the mag disengaged. I held the gun several different ways to assure I was not hitting the release. I am sure I was not. Not to mention out of the six other semi-auto's I have this has never happened.
The gun seemed to be reasonably accurate but was hard to tell with all the distractions from the mag. I was unable to perform any three shot bursts due to the malfunctions. I will evaluate the gun over the next few weeks and report in a new thread what it took to achieve reliability.
Next came the PT111. The gun performed reasonably well, no reliability issues. The issue with this gun was accuracy. I found my pattern was centered vertically but to the left. That is an issue, this gun having fixed sights. I do not want to change my shooting style to pull the pattern to the right because I do not have to do it with any of my other pistols.
I ordered adjustable sights today, when they arrive I will test and report back in a new thread the result.
All should keep in mind I am not your average gun owner. I have the means to buy as many & what I want. I work on these guns and better them for the fun of it, not to save a buck. So before the posts start that I could have bought a better quality firearm with the money I am spending on these, remember the cost just does not matter to me. The hobby is what matters.

[Sparks1957]

As long as you're happy with the trade, don't worry too much about what others say or think. Everyone has an opinion, doesn't mean it's worth a whole lot.

[kristop64089]

On the PT145 there may be a simple fix for this. All 3 of my PT140's did this. What I found(on Tauruarmed)was that the mag does not catch in the grip very well. You can actually bend the lip on the mag to help counter this.
A simple check(mine all failed this). Grip the ever-loving snot out of the gun. See if you can remove the mag without hitting the release.

On the PT-111, does it have Heine sights?
If so, that will be a big contributor. If you are right handed, it sounds like you are pushing your shots.

[Kreyzhorse]

I posted a thread of my trade yesterday & the naysayers were out in force, telling of the bad deal I made.

Regarding the aforementioned trade, you asked in your first post "How did I do, any comments?" Did you expect that everyone would agree that you made a wise choice?

Regardless, if you think you did okay, that's really all that matters, naysayers or not.

I hope your project guns work out well for you.

[MC 1911]

Sorry you had some problems. They sound fairly minor and with your positve attitude I'm sure you will have them fixed in no time!!

[American Eagle]

At least they weren't mayor issues, though the person who did the trade with you should have disclosed them beforehand. Shame on him for not letting you know the issues.

Consider yourself lucky your Taurus' only have minor issues....and next time you want to trade a Smith & Wesson revolver let me know and I'll be happy to trade you a better brand and quality of pistol for one of those. I love S&W revolvers.

[MagnumWill]

I don't own a Taurus, but I trust it enough that if someone pointed one at me, I can safely assume it would go bang. And I DO feel you on your trade- I love my huge 6" GP100 and I would never sell it, but you can't bring it anywhere but the range. I say good job, check your Taurus's out and make sure they shoot well- who could ask for more?

And yes, I'm one of those people that will spend $600 on a $100 gun to make it shoot like a $500 gun. I just enjoy being different

[HKFan9]

So people that do not agree with your decision are Nay-sayers? after you asked for our opinions? I fail to see any amount of logic there.

Like I said... there is a reason behind all the negative feelings towards Taurus, hate to say I told you so, and I personally don't appreciate being called a Nay-Sayer... when you ASKED for opinions and we gave honest ones. Don't ask questions you don't want to hear the answers to.

Regardless... you have one gun that will not work reliably... and one gun that you do not shoot well.... Generally left means your are thumbing the gun too much. Either scenario is not good for a CCW piece. Some guns people just don't shoot well... I shoot a Glock like crap... so I sold my G17.

I would really doubt it is the sights... regardless... instead of wasting even more money on a sour trade.. I would either take it to a local gun smith to sight it in by drifting the rear sight, or send it to Taurus and have them do a zero. No sense wasting money on adjustable sights when it may just very well be the gun doesn't fit the shooter right.

[RsqVet]

If you are serious about working on guns get a sight pusher to adjust the sights. Money well spent.

As for the mag issue should be fixable as it's nit the first many have seen this.

As a word of support I hope the tauri give you good service after the tweaks. Though I would not have done that trade I personally can understand the attraction of some tarus guns. They have a lot of good ideas. I keep wanting one of their 5 shot 45 colts.

Oh well maybe someday ruger will make one

[GM2]

So people that do not agree with your decision are Nay-sayers? after you asked for our opinions? I fail to see any amount of logic there

I agree with HKFan9

[Doug11606]

So people that do not agree with your decision are Nay-sayers? After you asked for our opinions? I fail to see any amount of logic there.

I was looking for honest feedback. That I appreciated! The vulgar and rude feedback is attributed to the nay-sayers and brand junkies.

If your feedback was honest and professional, negative or not. I was not referring to you as a nay-sayer.

Thanks for the comment.

[lee n. field]

Regardless... you have one gun that will not work reliably... and one gun that you do not shoot well.... Generally left means your are thumbing the gun too much.

Yup. I'm wondering if it's a problem with it being a very small gun. I have the same issue with my PF9 and my Firestar.

[HKFan9]

I would in all honesty take it to a gun smith and let them shoot it from a rest.

Not saying your a bad shot, but really some people and some guns don't mix well. I shoot a Glock terrible, I tried a g17 and ended up selling it. I am very much comfortable with a 1911 or a CZ. Not the Glocks fault... not generally my fault, but why learn new tricks when the old ones are just as good.

Even if the sights were off and it is not the shooter, a gunsmith can drift the read sight over for you with a sight pusher, much cheaper than installing adjustable sights.

Also try a few brands of ammo, both target and carry ammo, see what works best. I know I bought a few cheap box's of Magtech .45acp and my champion operator shoots way left with it.

[chiefr]

I have a friend who is a dealer. He sells plenty of Tauruses. His advice would be to send it back. Taurus can usually fix it.

[stoney64]

The PT145 is a cool little cannon, I would call Taurus, tell them your problem, schmooze the CS person and they might send you some new mags or a UPS tag to send it to Miami for repair. My 1 experience with Taurus CS was very positive and I was very pleased with the whole experience.

Please post pics of your new sights and a quick review.

[Doug11606]

I removed the magazine release on the PT145 & found it had significant wear. I am sure this is the issue. I was surprised to find it was metal & not plastic. Had it been plastic I would have fabricated one from scratch. Since it was metal I ordered one. Will post & update as soon as I receive the new release & test.

I should receive the new sights for the PT111 within a week. They are night glow and look very robust. Will post with pictures after I receive.

P.S. I just checked the release with a magnet and it is non-ferrus. When I get the new one I will reverse engineer and make another one out of tool steel and case harden. This will end the problem for good.

[bdb benzino]

Your gonna fab your own mag release? I'm suprised you would put that much work into that kind of pistol. Either way if you can do that, my hats off to you! Would love to see a pic of it when its done. Good luck.

[Sulaco]

I am not trying to be a nay-sayer, but I did find out a long time ago what you are now finding out. That is, it seems like most Taurus firearms need work to function. I had an old 357 revolver which would actually bind up when shooting in double-action. The shop I bought it from took it back and let me get something else with the understand that I (as a good and regular customer) would not buy another Taurus from them. No problem said I.

As the years have passed, I've seen new models come out from Taurus and once or twice I've thought how I might like to try them again. But that conversation from the LGS comes back and I stay away, only later to find threads on forums with folks having issues requiring them to send back or sell their Taurus'.

I'd love to have some of the guns they've come out with over the years, but I can't see it until their QC gets a lot better.

Thanks for the review though, and the honesty! You know, most folks would NEVER admit having problems, especially after being brow-beaten about the deal they made! Good on you!

Just my two cents.

[10mm4ever]

Try to understand that many are not "brand junkies". Some of us have(over the years)gotten accustomed to what's good and what's not. The willingness to pay a few more bucks for something with an earned reputation can save you ALOT of frustration and cash, in the long run. Taurus fodder can be extremely hard to sell or trade and when/if you can, be prepared to take a hit! So, if you add up the frustration and terrible resale/trade value, the Taurus is in NO way a "bargain" by any stretch.

[Sevens]

All should keep in mind I am not your average gun owner. I have the means to buy as many & what I want. I work on these guns and better them for the fun of it, not to save a buck. So before the posts start that I could have bought a better quality firearm with the money I am spending on these, remember the cost just does not matter to me. The hobby is what matters.

Really? Not your average gun owner?
Then, for the sake of the hobby... why didn't you just buy a couple of clunkers and fix them instead of trading a very nice Smith & Wesson revolver for them?

Or, if it's all about the hobby, you could also have pried the side-plate off your S&W and jabbed a screwdriver in to the guts and torqued it all up, and then had fun making it work properly again... just for the hobby of it.

A good way to enlist opinions next time, if you actually care about the opinions, would be to ask for them before you do the deal.

Another good hobby to practice is to get on board with how a discussion forum community works. You are seeing that first hand. It's a pretty predictable bunch. I only had to read the first post in your previous thread to know how it was going to develop.

And in the end, if you get those two Taurus pistols running like well-oiled machines, you might consider advertising your work for hire. I'm sure a lot of folks who have been down the road with Taurus' fine warranty service would be more than happy to pay you a couple of bucks for a decent repair on one of these pistols. And heck, if you can do turnaround in less than 14 months, you'll be well ahead of the factory.

I'm sure there will be plenty of folks with Taurus pistols that could use someone who can make them work.

[Doug11606]

I only had to read the first post in your previous thread to know how it was going to develop.

Following my posts, sounds like I have a fan. Thanks for your support.

[Sevens]

Well of course you have a fan!
You aren't the average gun owner!
You have over $10,000 in handguns! Including a Hi-Point, a pair of Taurus pistols and an Arminius revolver, or what's left of one.

Boss...
We just like to talk guns. Really. We don't need your resume. Let's just talk guns.

Give it a try.

[kokopelli]

maybe try some of this?







sorry, couldn't resist! I actually like taurus- I had a PT1911 for a bit- traded it, but I'd buy another one. I'm real tempted by the 'pro' 745 Millenium.