Echo40
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I hope that everyone will pardon me in advance if I wind up waxing eloquent here, but I'm extremely excited to announce that at long last, I have obtained a Taurus PT92 AFS!
I grew up watching motion pictures and playing videogames featuring 92 Pattern Pistols, most of which were the classic Beretta 92 in some configuration or another, typically the 92F or FS model, but in some cases it was a Taurus PT92. In fact, when I thought of a pistol as a boy, the image which typically came to mind was either a Colt 1911, Walther PPK, or Beretta 92FS, as those were the pistols which I most commonly saw on television.
So long before I ever knew the Beretta 92 by name, it's iconic appearance had left an impression upon me, serving as a quintessential example of a semiautomatic pistol within my cognition. I was always impressed by the style of the gun as well as it's size, and it very nearly became my very first firearms purchase, but ultimately I chose a Walther PPK/S for that role since it was smaller and I wanted something that would be easier to carry.
Nevertheless, I had always planned to purchase one later on, but it always got placed on the backburner in favor of something more necessary.
My first introduction to the Taurus PT92 came in 2017 while I was shopping around online. I immediately took to it not only because it was cheaper in price than the Beretta, but also because the frame mounted safety seemed more natural to me. Of course, I was always somewhat put off by those who would assert that Taurus brand firearms were junk and that a Beretta was the superior choice. In addition, the Beretta 92 was obviously the more iconic of the two, appearing in far more films/games than the Taurus, so in a silly sort of way, I had repeatedly struggled with the fact that the PT92 wasn't a "real" 92 Pistol like the Beretta.
Fast forward to this year, when after years of procrastination, financial setbacks, and distractions had at last faded away, leaving me to decide that it was finally the time to get the gun.
Initially, I was looking at Berettas, but was surprised at how much prices had increased over the years. Back in 2017, a brand new Beretta 92FS would cost you $500, and the market was awash with Police Trade-ins priced around $300, sometimes even less for the .40cal Beretta 96, but now a new Beretta 92FS will run you $700+, used models cost $550+, and Beretta 96s are unobtainium, despite the fact that they're supposedly still in production.
So I took a look at Taurus PT92s, which surprisingly haven't increased nearly as much. Back in 2017, a brand new Taurus PT92 AF would run you about $350-$400, and now they're $430-$500. Used prices were around $200, but now they're only marginally less than a new one, so it's honestly not worth it, IMO.
Nevertheless, I kept going back and forth between Beretta and Taurus, unable to decide which way to go. Ultimately, the Taurus won out because I got an extremely good deal on the PT92 AFS online. I had also learned that the Stainless Steel PT92 (Specifically, the AFS Model) was no longer being imported into the USA, which forced my hand because I hate Taurus' cheapo matte black oxide finish. If I want a Beretta 92 as well later on, then they'll still be around, and there may even been some future deals to be had on surplus M9s.
Anyway, I just picked up my new PT92 AFS today, and I'm happy to say that I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever.
When I went out to pick it up the sky was darkened by clouds and the rain was pouring down by the time that I arrived at my LGS, which could have easily been mistaken as an omen of things to come. However, the moment that I opened the box, took her out, held her in my hands and looked her over, I knew that I had made the right decision.
She's slick and smooth all over, from the finish right down to the action. No sharp edges, no grit, just smoothness. The slide cycling, DA Trigger, SA Trigger, are so smooth it's startling. I've always hated it when people use expressions such as "like butter" or "like glass" to describe such things, so I'm going to simultaneously take the road less traveled while using a better analogy by describing the both the smoothness as well as the appearance as being "like ice". It's shiny and smooth, just like ice.
No exaggeration. As soon as I had walked out of the store, the clouds had parted, the rain had stopped, and the sky was bright. I took her home, broke her down for cleaning, and was all the more impressed. The inside of the gun was practically the same as it was on the outside. I mean, obviously they didn't polish up the inside of the slide/frame as they did on the outside, but there were no visible toolmarks and everything was smooth. This surprised me because my Taurus Judge Magnum was very ruff on the inside when I got it, with sharp edges, grind marks, and tool marks all over the inside of the grip frame, not to mention some rather crude machining on the ejector star, but the PT92 is as clean as a whistle. What's more, there was very little packing grease, whereas the Judge had been literally dripping with the stuff, so evidently over the past six years since I purchased my Taurus Judge Magnum, Taurus has really stepped up there game when it comes to fit/finish.
In fact, the only thing close to a cosmetic defect is that it appears whoever applied the red paint for the safety got a few tiny flecks on the slide above it as well.
Alas, although I had planned on taking additional pictures of the pistol while it was field stripped so that you could see the inside of it, it had already gotten overcast yet again by that point, so for now, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Rest assured, there will be more pictures and threads to come on my PT92, as I have some exciting things planned for it in the future, so you will get to see it in greater detail and under better lighting conditions eventually.
I grew up watching motion pictures and playing videogames featuring 92 Pattern Pistols, most of which were the classic Beretta 92 in some configuration or another, typically the 92F or FS model, but in some cases it was a Taurus PT92. In fact, when I thought of a pistol as a boy, the image which typically came to mind was either a Colt 1911, Walther PPK, or Beretta 92FS, as those were the pistols which I most commonly saw on television.
So long before I ever knew the Beretta 92 by name, it's iconic appearance had left an impression upon me, serving as a quintessential example of a semiautomatic pistol within my cognition. I was always impressed by the style of the gun as well as it's size, and it very nearly became my very first firearms purchase, but ultimately I chose a Walther PPK/S for that role since it was smaller and I wanted something that would be easier to carry.
Nevertheless, I had always planned to purchase one later on, but it always got placed on the backburner in favor of something more necessary.
My first introduction to the Taurus PT92 came in 2017 while I was shopping around online. I immediately took to it not only because it was cheaper in price than the Beretta, but also because the frame mounted safety seemed more natural to me. Of course, I was always somewhat put off by those who would assert that Taurus brand firearms were junk and that a Beretta was the superior choice. In addition, the Beretta 92 was obviously the more iconic of the two, appearing in far more films/games than the Taurus, so in a silly sort of way, I had repeatedly struggled with the fact that the PT92 wasn't a "real" 92 Pistol like the Beretta.
Fast forward to this year, when after years of procrastination, financial setbacks, and distractions had at last faded away, leaving me to decide that it was finally the time to get the gun.
Initially, I was looking at Berettas, but was surprised at how much prices had increased over the years. Back in 2017, a brand new Beretta 92FS would cost you $500, and the market was awash with Police Trade-ins priced around $300, sometimes even less for the .40cal Beretta 96, but now a new Beretta 92FS will run you $700+, used models cost $550+, and Beretta 96s are unobtainium, despite the fact that they're supposedly still in production.
So I took a look at Taurus PT92s, which surprisingly haven't increased nearly as much. Back in 2017, a brand new Taurus PT92 AF would run you about $350-$400, and now they're $430-$500. Used prices were around $200, but now they're only marginally less than a new one, so it's honestly not worth it, IMO.
Nevertheless, I kept going back and forth between Beretta and Taurus, unable to decide which way to go. Ultimately, the Taurus won out because I got an extremely good deal on the PT92 AFS online. I had also learned that the Stainless Steel PT92 (Specifically, the AFS Model) was no longer being imported into the USA, which forced my hand because I hate Taurus' cheapo matte black oxide finish. If I want a Beretta 92 as well later on, then they'll still be around, and there may even been some future deals to be had on surplus M9s.
Anyway, I just picked up my new PT92 AFS today, and I'm happy to say that I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever.
When I went out to pick it up the sky was darkened by clouds and the rain was pouring down by the time that I arrived at my LGS, which could have easily been mistaken as an omen of things to come. However, the moment that I opened the box, took her out, held her in my hands and looked her over, I knew that I had made the right decision.
She's slick and smooth all over, from the finish right down to the action. No sharp edges, no grit, just smoothness. The slide cycling, DA Trigger, SA Trigger, are so smooth it's startling. I've always hated it when people use expressions such as "like butter" or "like glass" to describe such things, so I'm going to simultaneously take the road less traveled while using a better analogy by describing the both the smoothness as well as the appearance as being "like ice". It's shiny and smooth, just like ice.
No exaggeration. As soon as I had walked out of the store, the clouds had parted, the rain had stopped, and the sky was bright. I took her home, broke her down for cleaning, and was all the more impressed. The inside of the gun was practically the same as it was on the outside. I mean, obviously they didn't polish up the inside of the slide/frame as they did on the outside, but there were no visible toolmarks and everything was smooth. This surprised me because my Taurus Judge Magnum was very ruff on the inside when I got it, with sharp edges, grind marks, and tool marks all over the inside of the grip frame, not to mention some rather crude machining on the ejector star, but the PT92 is as clean as a whistle. What's more, there was very little packing grease, whereas the Judge had been literally dripping with the stuff, so evidently over the past six years since I purchased my Taurus Judge Magnum, Taurus has really stepped up there game when it comes to fit/finish.
In fact, the only thing close to a cosmetic defect is that it appears whoever applied the red paint for the safety got a few tiny flecks on the slide above it as well.
Alas, although I had planned on taking additional pictures of the pistol while it was field stripped so that you could see the inside of it, it had already gotten overcast yet again by that point, so for now, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Rest assured, there will be more pictures and threads to come on my PT92, as I have some exciting things planned for it in the future, so you will get to see it in greater detail and under better lighting conditions eventually.
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