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Old December 11, 2017, 08:39 AM   #26
old bear
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Taurus can and does make decent firearms. I've owned and shot, a fair amount, a model 617 Ti with no real problems. The only problem I had was the factory internal lube thickened up from lack of use after a year or so. That was a home fix; pull side plate, clean out old lube, re-lube and I was good to go.
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Old December 11, 2017, 10:24 AM   #27
David Ozlo
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I've had no Taurus issues(own 6). I did have two Glocks that needed to visit the repair shop, "Perfection" requires a return shipping label apparently. I've had two bad Ruger semi autos also.
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Old December 11, 2017, 03:50 PM   #28
ThomasT
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I have owned around 8-10 Taurus revolvers and only had one that spit lead from the cylinder gap. So no complaints from me but I doubt I will ever buy another unless its a smokin' deal and I can check the gun in person. No guns off GB for me even with an inspection period.
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Old December 11, 2017, 10:33 PM   #29
Apple a Day
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M-66 : great trigger but after years of shooting started getting funky. Taurus did half-donkey job of fixing. Gone
PT-22 : fun gun that worked great. Shouldn't have sold it.
PT-111: piece of garbage that had several fatal issues. Taurus couldn't seem to fix it, had several go-rounds with customer service. Gone.
M-94 : crap with shallow barrel grooves that started keyholing after a couple dozen rounds. Back to the dealer
M-85. Great revolver. Gave it to inlaw relative who is now EX-inlaw. I should have kept the revolver. Dangit.
I'm done with Taurus. There are much better options.
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Old December 12, 2017, 09:40 AM   #30
desertsmith
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Found barrel down range of my new stainless steel 85

I went to the range yesterday to shoot my new Taurus SS 85 snubby. I started with 130 grain winchester fmj standard pressure. I fired 5 rounds and on the fifth round the barrel broke off. I had the range master shut down the range and we found the barrel at the end of range in the bullet stopping material. I turned the gun into the dealer and got a receipt. He is taking this issue up with distributor. What a shock to all of us at the range. Anyway this gun was a smooth shooter until destruction.
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Old December 12, 2017, 11:45 AM   #31
hdwhit
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I have a Taurus PT-111 Gen 2. Once I got far enough up the ladder with my reloads to reliably cycle the gun, it has run like a champ with everything I feed into it (plated, jacketed, lead, round nose, hollow point, truncated cone, etc). Yes, the trigger pull is long and heavy, but if I wanted a target pistol, I would have paid the money to get a target pistol. For a $250 gun, it has given me no reason to complain.

Of course, I do follow the manual's recommendations and I don't dry fire it.

And while I have never had to deal with Taurus Customer Service myself, the thread on the Taurus forum (taurusarmed.net) suggests that most people are pretty satisfied with their experience both on the phone and with the work done on the gun.

Of course, the people whose guns are part of the class-action suit are not at all happy since the litigation has dragged on for years and they can't get their guns back until everything is finalized, but that's a problem of the courts and the legal system and not Customer Service.
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Old December 12, 2017, 10:28 PM   #32
James K
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A barrel breaking off is the result of over-torquing and is not unique to Taurus, though it is almost unknown in any other make. Again, poor quality control in assembly, the perennial problem with that company and, in this case, impossible to detect in advance.

For many years, Taurus has claimed that it has solved the problems, usually by appointing a new QC guru, some "expert" who will magically make things right. Like sports teams hiring a new manager/coach, the "fix" seldom works since the problem is endemic to the production line, and the solution works only as long as the new man has enough authority to hire and fire as well as educate employees who probably can never own any of the guns they work on, and see no reason to worry if some rich dude on another continent gets a lemon.

Jim
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Old December 13, 2017, 05:28 PM   #33
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Hmmm . . . I think like their guns their customer service quality is inconsistent. I sent my PT-22 in for repair. It came back in just over two weeks and runs like a champ. First time I needed parts for a Taurus gun I called them and they sent them free. Second time I called them, talked to a CS rep who clearly did not know what she was talking about and had to pay for parts. With Taurus it's a crap shoot. I only bought the PT-22 because it was at an auction and I got a great deal on it and it's become one of my favorite guns.
Life is good.
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Old December 13, 2017, 07:15 PM   #34
gwpercle
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Not all Taurus revolvers are Lemons. I bought a Taurus model 455 , a 5 shot snub nosed 45 acp revolver in 2004. That's 13 years of moderate use , 100 to 200 rounds per month fired at the local indoor range adds up to 15,000 rounds in round numbers .
No problems to date, it is the most accurate 45 acp I own (3 are 1911's).

It will never be for sale because I really like this little power house. A large bore snub nosed revolver with a ported barrel is just an awesome little powerhouse in a compact package....Don't believe all the negative press spewed out about Taurus revolvers , not all of them are bad .
Gary
I've heard a lot of S&W horror stories, not every one that rolls of any assembly line will be perfect and sometimes customer service is poor from all of them.
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Old December 13, 2017, 07:38 PM   #35
Dave Chuppa
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I have had 12 Taurus Revolvers. I have Two left. Should have kept some of them I sold. I would buy more again.
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Old December 13, 2017, 07:43 PM   #36
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Taurus is like Charter Arms, if you get a good one its good. if you get a bad one you're s.o.l.
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Old December 14, 2017, 01:38 AM   #37
Xd45owner
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I must have got lucky too. I have 4 Taurus handguns never a problem in over 20 years
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Old December 14, 2017, 06:42 AM   #38
jetinteriorguy
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I've had two Taurus hand guns. The first was a SS85, really a nice little gun. I should have had my bore light with me when I bought it, bore was very rough, a lot of chatter marks. But once I learned how to handle it I could shoot a fairly nice group at seven yds pretty consistently. Unfortunately no matter what I did it was always 3" to the left. It was me, not the gun. It just didn't work with my hands, so I traded it off. My second one is the PT111G2, and once I got my handloads working correctly it's been good. But, like the revo I should have had my bore light with me when I bought it, chatter marks in the rifling again. It doesn't seem to bother the gun, it's not a target gun by any means but is adequate for its intended use. It's my car gun and goes with me to work every day.
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Old December 14, 2017, 11:16 AM   #39
Glenn E. Meyer
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My two Taurus firearms had unacceptable problems. However, I have had an unacceptable Glock and two SW guns that had severe problems. The SW guns - one was ditched and the other fixed acceptably. The Glock is under review.
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Old December 14, 2017, 11:42 AM   #40
4V50 Gary
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As gunsmithing students, we all disliked Taurus revolvers. They are simply inferior to S&W upon which the Taurus design is devoluted from. Taurus really cheapened the design and are a PITA to work on. Transfer bars are almost always guaranteed to break and Taurus is aware of it, but won't do the proper heat threatment or change the metallurgy.

Friends don't let friends buy Taurus.
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Old December 14, 2017, 06:53 PM   #41
osbornk
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I traded my Hi-Point C9(good gun but bashed by gun snobs) for a Taurus Model 84 38 special revolver to see if the Taurus bashing was as misplaced as it was on the Hi-Point. The old 70s era Taurus turned out to be a good old reliable and accurate revolver. Because of that, I bought a new TCP. It malfunctioned on the first box of ammo and I sent it in for repair. It was repaired and has been reliable for 600-700 rounds so far. I then took another chance and bought a PT111 G2 for $199.99. It is accurate and has been flawless so far in 800-900 rounds. I'm happy with my 3 and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
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Old December 15, 2017, 12:34 PM   #42
LubeckTech
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People sometimes ask me about Taurus and I tell them I can't in good conscience recommend one. That being said I go on to say you might get a good gun and if you do you will probably have a very good gun - the odds are about 50-50. I have owned 3 of them. A 92 clone which is poorly made bit is functional except for the adjustable rear site pin walking. Second is one of the is a 8 round .357 which bought new and is a disaster. Third is a PT111 G2 which used for EDC until I got my XD9 Mod2. The only problem I have had with the G2 is occaisional premature slide lock which I think is me nudging the slide lock. Reason I went with the XD9 is I don't like it's trigger. Aside from guns I personally own I have witnessed lots of problems on the range. The older guns are better than the newer ones and the only way I would buy one of those is the price would have to be really good and I would have to shoot it first.
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Old December 15, 2017, 01:03 PM   #43
nanney1
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I was set to purchase an 85 about a month ago. I read the online reviews and message board comments and decided to go ahead and get one. The local Big gun store had several in stock at a good price. I called first and asked the sales clerk a few questions. This was just after the rebate ended in October.

I asked if they had sold a lot of them over the summer and fall and they had. I asked if any of those recently sold model 85's were brought in for warranty work. He said quite a few had been returned for repairs/issues. I asked if he would own a Taurus and he said no, due to quality concerns. He also went on to say that their repairs/returns were very slow due to the backlog from the lawsuit. And he mentioned that Taurus was in hot water due to sales to Yemen. So, if anything does go wrong and you have to send it back, your single revolver is not their biggest concern.
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Old December 29, 2017, 01:51 AM   #44
Gene
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I recently purchased my very first Taurus, a SS Model 85 Ultra Lite. Absolutely love it. I have many Smiths, Rugers and other revolvers and this 85 is near the top of my favorites.

So light and handy and smooth single and double action trigger and very accurate for a snubbie. I guess it must be hit or miss with these and I sure got a hit.
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Old December 29, 2017, 03:04 AM   #45
Bill DeShivs
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If Taurus was as bad as people on the Internet say, they would have gone out of business 15 years ago.
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Old December 29, 2017, 12:35 PM   #46
Master Blaster
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I own and shoot two Taurusvrevolvers and both have been great. A 455 .45 ACP 4" which is very accurate and has a great trigger. Also a Taurus 94 bought in 1997 for $225 it is a great little .22 revolver and I own many S&W to compare it too.
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Old December 29, 2017, 02:45 PM   #47
tallball
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For better or for worse I have owned around a dozen Taurus handguns over the years.

Only one had problems, and they fixed it properly on the second trip to the factory. The others have been fine. They fall into three groups: reliable and smooth-shooting, reliable and okay shooting with a so-so trigger, reliable with a terrible trigger.

Almost half of them have been revolvers with good triggers, but those have mostly been older ones. My 25+ year old Beretta clone still shoots well, though its trigger is so-so. The newer ones I've bought have tended towards heavy triggers.

The best have been my three Model 66 derivatives (K frame, basically) and my two Model 85 derivatives (J frame). These have all been somewhere between good and excellent. The rest of my Taurii have been "okay". After several "meh" triggers in a row I would still buy one, but only if the price was insanely good, and/or I could check it out carefully first, and/or a friend I trusted was selling it, etc.
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Old December 29, 2017, 03:06 PM   #48
Ricklin
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No Complaints

Just got my first Taurus last summer, model 94. Other than a factory bozo putting loctite on the grip screw, it's great.
Dear Taurus, please do not put loctite on grip screws of Neoprene grips.

The trick is poking something sharp through the rubber to hold the insert whilst turning the screw.

Nice single action trigger pull. double action is two men and a boy. Nature of the small frame .22 beast.
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Old December 29, 2017, 04:25 PM   #49
Mike38
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Each and every Taurus made can't be bad, no company could stay in business if that happened. Do they have more problems than other gun makers? I don't know, but it would be interesting to find out the percentage of returns of Taurus guns compared to other major manufacturers. But I doubt those are numbers attainable by the general public. I'd bet a dollar to a doughnut there isn't that big a difference. Yea, I own two Taurus handguns, a M83 revolver and a PT22. I plan to keep them, thank you very much.

Quality Control / Quality Assurance has gone down in every major manufacturer in the past 20 years or so, including non firearm related products. Stock holders care more about the almighty dollar than they do customer satisfaction. It's the same everywhere, in everything made. Money trumps people. That's the way it is, and it will only get worse.
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Old December 29, 2017, 07:41 PM   #50
turkeestalker
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I own four Taurus revolvers.
A model 83 older model 38 special purchased used and problem free.
A model 431 older model 44 special purchased used and problem free.
Both have excellent D and SA triggers but I swapped springs in the 431 to get there.
A Non View purchased new, (yeah I'm one of those guys), problem free but very little fun to shoot much... it bites and draws blood... but my curiosity is satisfied.
A 608SS purchased used with a warning of a possible timing problem but at a price that couldn't be refused. I've replaced springs and transfer bar and taken care of light strikes and ridiculous trigger pull. Works flawlessly in DA, but can actually completely skip a chamber in SA if cocked vigorously.
Big heavy 8 shot cylinder, doesn't really surprise me.
May send it back some day, haven't yet.

Three out of four good ones considering what money I've invested isn't something that bothers me too much.
I wouldn't be afraid to try another for the right deal.
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