Taurus PT140 is terrible.

[Krkucin]

Sorry for the long post but I have had very bad luck with this PT140. This is the letter I sent with the weapon to Taurus explaining the problems. Any input from all of you is appreciated.

To Whom It May Concern:

Let me start this letter by expressing how dissatisfied I am as a Taurus customer. With all of the problems I have seen posted on message boards that mirror the problems I am having with my gun, I would think that you would be working very hard to send out a product to the public that works right the first time to avoid situations such as this. I only hope that the customer service end of your company is much better than the manufacturing end. I sincerely hope that once my firearm is returned to me repaired, I will have a different outlook on the Taurus product.

I purchased a Taurus Millennium Pro PT140 on 3/27/06 for my primary summertime carry gun. The next day I cleaned the gun and proceed to load the magazine with Winchester 180 GR. JHP. The first sign of problems was right away when I attempted to release the slide. The first round would not even feed into the chamber. Knowing that some guns can sometimes have ?issues? with certain types of ammo, I reloaded the magazine with Remington 180 GR. UMC. This time the round went into the chamber without a problem.

This is all fine until I go to the range to get familiar with my new PT140. As I begin to fire the weapon, approximately every two to three shots fired, the slide fails to return all the way. In a magazine of ten rounds, at least two in every magazine are failure to feed, and at least one is failure to eject. I went through about 200 rounds that day and left the range regretting the purchase of the PT140. I returned to the gun shop that afternoon to talk to them about the problems and they stated that it might take a few more rounds to ?break the gun in?. I have never heard of this, as all the other pistols I own have fired flawlessly right out of the box all of the time. Giving the Taurus the benefit of the doubt, I figured I would give it one more try before requesting the gun be sent in.

The second try at the range is even worse. I try another magazine loaded with the same Remington 180 Gr. UMC and nearly every round fired the slide fails to return all the way. Now thinking it might be me, I hand the gun over to a fellow officer and he has the same results. Not giving up yet, I try some different ammo for the third time. This time I use Wolf 180 GR. FMJ. The first two rounds the slide fails to return fully, the third round is a failure to feed. After clearing the weapon and reloading, the next round fails to fire the first time and then the round gets stuck in the weapon! I release the magazine and try to pull the slide back to eject the shell and it will not move. I want to like this gun and I want it to work but I don?t think either is possible. As I said, I am a very dissatisfied customer and now you know why. I only hope you can change my attitude about this weapon.

Just to rehash the issues,

FAILURE TO FEED
FAILURE TO EJECT
FAILURE TO FIRE
SLIDE FAILS TO RETURN FULLY
SLIDE WILL NOT OPEN
SHELL STUCK IN BARREL, AS SLIDE WILL NOT OPEN

Please take your time to fix this weapon or send me a new one that works. I do not want it fixed quick if it will not be fixed right, I want a weapon that works every time, all the time. Also, please take the time to fire several rounds through the weapon to make sure the problems do not exist before sending it back.

[leadcounsel]

Friend,
I tried going the bargain route once before too with a Taurus semi-auto and was not happy. For the record, I do own a Taurus .357 revolver that is a great gun at a steal of a price. However, when my friends were buying their Glock .40s for $550, I bought a Taurus PT140 for something in the $300 range (don't recall exactly, this was in 2000). I was literally embarrased at the range time and again because that MF'er would not feed, fire (you could see where the pin hit the primer, but the striker didn't hit hard enough), or eject reliably. After another $25 on shipping for repairs and waiting a week to get it, it STILL had the same failures. I finally ended up trading it in at a gun store for my first Glock and have never looked back. Net cost, oh, I don't know a couple hundred bucks and several trips to the range wasted.

Some swear by Taurus and I think I would buy another revolver, but seriously I would just save up and buy a better semi auto than to get another Taurus.

[Quail Fat]

Did you check the function of the extractor? It seems to me that it is a little tight (too much tension). It could have a burr on it or there is some gunk causing it to stick.

[RobRocket]

I really liked the Mil Pro and had considered it, I had a chance to fire a PT140 and a PT145 (new out of the box). One misfired 3 rounds out of the mag, the other misfead and jammed the pistol with the slide almost closed locking the gun to where even the gun shop couldn't get it out. 2 Gun shops that I went to did not recommend the Mil Pro, the one store even said that for every 10 they sell 2 come back with issues.

So to avoid possible hassled and dissapointment I spent the money and picked up the Glock 27, been to the range with it 3 times already and not one problem with it, complete faith in it and no regrets.

Hope Taurus sorts it out for you, keep us posted...

[threegun]

The Taurus PT-92 and 99's are great bargains as are their revolvers. Once I could afford better I bought the beretta 92 and it was apparent the difference, with the beretta head and heals above the Taurus. Since I have switched to the Glock pistols and now have experienced combat handgun nirvana.

Suggestion. Fix the Taurus and sell it. Use the money and buy a Glock.

[Tall Pine]

I feel bad for the guy, but lets not paint the whole picture with that one color just yet. My PT-145 and many other semi-autos we read about have had no issues after many many rounds.

Do you Taurus-bashers have ANY statistics to back up the "Taurus semi-autos are not-to-be purchased" mantra you are spewing to this board? Something along the lines of Taurus semi-autos rate of failures compared to other manufacturers? Now that would be great info we could use. If they exist you should include them with your posts.

[Hard Ball]

Taurus quality control seems to vary widely. Some pistols seem to function properly out of the box. Others have multiple problems. It seems impossible to tell what an individual oistol willdo until you test fire it. My personal solution is simply not to but a Taurus.

[duckcallinfool]

I have a PT140 Millenium (not Pro). Over 1000 rounds and I have had one jam. I think my thumb hit the mag release button that time.

Try the 165 gr bullets next time. That is all that has been used in mine. Why max out this gun with the 180's if it isn't necessary?

After looking at the ballistics on the Hydra-Shocs again, I think I am going to try the 155 gr. next time. They have higher velocity and energy than even the 180's. Interesting.

I originally went with the 165's because it is easier to find practice ammo in that weight than the 155's.

[threegun]

Tall Pine, Don't know of any stats but I do know a bunch of complaining customers over the years. That combined with my comparison of the pt-99 and the beretta 92 which the beretta was much better. If you here about 2 or 3 problem guns out of every 10 why would you take the chance? For you it's here-say, for me it is real. We stopped carrying the Taurus semiauto line because of customer complaints. In fairness the complaints were on the millennium pistols and the pt-22/25. The shop owner helped one of the complainants and decided to stop carrying them.

[Tall Pine]

Well 3Gun, your statement carries more weight to me than the others assuming you've sold a lot of guns of many brands. I would expect an experienced retailer would be able to spot a trend in bad merchandise.

Perhaps I/we can create a poll on the forum to see if we can spot the trend in more scientific terms. Just gotta think how to do it and what all should be polled/asked.

[hksigwalther]

Winchester 180 GR. JHP
Wolf 180 GR. FMJ
Remington 180 Gr. UMC

Although I'm aware of Remington 'United Metal Cartridge', what type of bullet profile is "UMC"?

[buckshott]

I also have a PT140 that my sons got me for xmas a few years ago. I really wanted to carry this piece for CCW. Very seldom did it feed a full mag without a problem. I have fired about 600 rds through it but still have problems and do not trust it. I thought about contacting the factory to see if they would take a look at it. Since my sons bought it for me, I will keep it even if it is in the safe only.

[Eghad]

I did give the PT 140 a try. It worked fine for the short time I had it. The trigger wasnt that good plus the ergonomics design of the gun tended to rub a blister on my trigger finger. I traded it in on a SA XD40. Other than those two issues I had no other problems with the pistol...

[Bullrock]

What a bunch of Hooey! If only 2 of 10 Tauri worked out of the box, Tauri would be out of business instead of increasing and diversifying their product line.

I've had a Mil-Pro 9 NIB and it was a great little gun and I shouldn't have sold it. Two weeks ago I ordered a PT-145 and it is backordered. When it arrives I do not expect any problems with it.

I have owned a PT-92AR for over three years and it may have hiccuped once in over 1,500 rounds. It is a very accurate, and a fun to shoot handgun. I compared it to a friends 92 just the other day and I can't tell the difference in the quality.

I read the post and replies with a suspicious raised eyebrow. I think some are genuine, but overall I'm not buying it.

I want to like this gun and I want it to work but I don?t think either is possible. As I said, I am a very dissatisfied customer and now you know why. I only hope you can change my attitude about this weapon.

What does that mean?

I've had several new purchases with problems over the years. The two most recent was my Bersa Thunder and CZ 75B. Before I did anything, I took them to a local gunsmith for a looksee. The Bersa was a throw-away. A minor adjustment to my 75B and it ended up being one of the best shooting auto's I have ever experienced.

I'm sorry Mr. President. I don't dance...

[RobRocket]

Perhaps the Taurus has worked well for others but the 2 Mill Pro's I shot both had issues and to have 2 gun shops tell me the Mill Pro's come back more than the others made it enough for me to shy away from it completely. If I bought one and got a bad one I would have been upset. So for me it was a case of okay, just spend the extra money and get the glock. Since getting the glock I have had no regrets and definitely think it was money well spent. Just my opinion though. I shot a Taurus P92 the other day and it was nice... but then I read some things here and would probably go beretta. Just don't think I'll ever end up with a Taurus.

[RsqVet]

Please guys ---

Stop saying that Tarus has no problems, people who post problems that they have seen or heard about are discounted as not being owners, owners are discounted as jumping the gun or too quick to judge or told other non-sense (using too heavy a bullett --- my favorite today gosh that is funny, and to think I own a sig that will feed any weight, any profile, heck it has even worked with CCI shot shells ---)

Please stop the madness, Tarus has QC problems, period, the number and extent of problemes is known only in broad terms becsue Tarus sure is not going to tell you the stats --- maybe if we could buy a few beers for the UPS / Fed -Ex driver who has the Tarus warranty departemtn on his route we could get real numbers but by god it is a real problem, you may get a working gun you may buy a headache, not to mention the incidince of complanints is probibly lower for Tarus than it is in reality because the market segment they occuppy is not compleatly filled with high volume / high demand users like say custom 1911's --- if Baer or Wilson put out the number of lemons that Tarus does do any of you think they would still have the reputation that they have or that people would not be driving to the factory to tell Bill or Les exactly what they could do with the gun?

Hope your gun gets fixed or you are able to get something that works

[mini14jac]

If you buy enough guns, you're going to get some lemons, no matter what brand you buy.

Go the one of the 1911 boards: It's not unusual for someone to pay $1200 for a 1911, only to have to send it in for repairs. It happens.

Some that I've had problems with:
Ruger, Colt, Mossberg, KelTec, Taurus, Walther, and NAA come to mind, but there have probably been others.
In 90% of the cases, the issues were resolved to my satisfaction.

Early PT145s had frame cracking issues. (not Millenium Pro guns)
From everything I've read, the issues have been resolved.
I bought one Friday.
In the first 40 rounds, I had two failures to ignite.
A second pull of the trigger fired both rounds.
I then fired another 150 rounds with no issues.

I returned to the gun shop that afternoon to talk to them about the problems and they stated that it might take a few more rounds to ?break the gun in?. I have never heard of this, as all the other pistols I own have fired flawlessly right out of the box all of the time.

It's not unusual for an auto to need break in rounds.


I'd let Taurus work on your gun.
When you get it back, take at least 3 other types of ammo with you, and if possible, an experienced shooter who can verify that you're not riding the slide release or limp wristing the gun.
Either of those could cause your problems.
(With an auto, you are part of the recoil system.)

Then, if you still don't trust the Taurus, sell it.

buckshott,
Taurus guns have a lifetime warranty, but they can't fix your gun if you don't give them a chance.

[bedula32]

I own a Taurus 92 9mm and a Beretta 92 compact Italian made. I used to own a USA made Beretta 92 full size in stainless "INOX" which went back to the factory twice for broken parts. The quality of the Taurus is absolutely the same or better than the Berettas. My opinion is the folks who feel differently about that do so precisely out of emotional "feel" and not intelligent thought or experience. If you want to be goofy over a name brand have fun but stop the bad-mouthing. Tauruses 92's are made by former Beretta 'smiths on Beretta equipment. Taurus has been making their 92's a lot longer than the US plant has made their "Beretta" 92's. Taurus in fact has more "Beretta" craftsmanship in their 92's than the USA made 92's from my experience and careful unhurried side-by-side comparisons of the American Berettas, Italian Berettas, and the Tauruses. The frame-mounted safety/decocker on the Taurus 92's also puts the Beretta to shame. Taurus did build a better mousetrap.

All that being said I have heard of a lot of people having issues with the PT140's. My PT111 has been flawless and very accurate as well with almost 2,000 rounds through it now. In fact out of the three Taurus semi's I own I have not yet had a malfunction yet - all are 9mm. I did however have a Glock POS that jammed every couple rounds and a USP that had the trigger break in half while firing but those are OK I suppose because I paid a lot more for those. Sounds like Taurus 140's are picky about ammo. Apparently none of the supposedly "good" brands of firearms have ever put one out that was picky like that. Nope, only Taurus.

[defjon]

Eh, I got a model 85 snubby that I like. Rock solid good deal. I try to steer clear of their semi-auto's, but from the few I know who own 'em, they seem to swear by 'em..even over the XDs in the same class...who knows?

[buckshott]

Thanks mini14jac. I will try to get in touch with taurus tommorrow after I fire another 50 rds. I have the Millennium model. Will keep this forum posted on what happens.

[exprt9]

I feel sorry for all the people having problems with their Taurus Millenium Pro's. Just like cars, some come out as lemons. I own a Taurus PT140SS MilPro, PT111SS MilPro, M-94, and have owned a PT99 and not one single problem with any of these guns.

[Dave R]

SLIDE WILL NOT OPEN
SHELL STUCK IN BARREL, AS SLIDE WILL NOT OPEN

I'm betting these last problems are ammo-specific to the Wolf ammo. I say this because I own 2 9mm pistols, and both of them get lots of stuck cases with Wolf ammo, but not with any brass cases ammo. I think Wolf's dimensions are a little "fat", or the coating over the steel just geta a little thick in some cases.

If you had stuck shells with brass-cases ammo, then I withdraw the objection.

[stolivar]

I have owned 2 pre pro mil's and both had problems straight out of the box. Sent them back in and they have been flawless since. The PT140 is known to have problems with not going fully into battery. Now my PT145 mil Pro worked perfectly out of the box. It is one of my main carry guns. Would I buy another, I doubt it since they raised their prices to almost $400 for their guns. I would rather buy an XD or Ruger. But my main squeeze is my XD40SC. It is pretty well my main carry piece.


steve

[Trip20]

No problems with my mil-pro PT111. Guess I was lucky. Only one in every 50 Taurus pistols works flawlessly. I should go to the casino

[Tamara]

Taurus PT140 is terrible.

With a personally observed return-to-manufacturer rate of nearly 50% over the last five years, I find myself in agreement.