Taurus Bashing?

[JaPes]

I've had good and bad experiences with Taurus. My experience is that Taurus handguns that are produced on established designs are good to go. For example, the PT92 is basically an evolutionary branch of the original Beretta 92. The Taurus revolvers that were brought to market during the Taurus/S&W corporate step-children era are good.

I own a new-to-me Taurus PT92 circa 1999. It had a bent trigger bar. Taurus took it in, and had it back to me in 11 days (including transit and weekends) in perfect working order. I own a Taurus M66B6. It's been nothing but good to me, no issues.

(Don't be jealous of the tactical butter knife. )

I had a Taurus PT709 slim that wasn't good. I had a Taurus Judge that had timing issues. I have some trigger time on the Millineum series pistols. IMO, anything that is pure Taurus design is hit-or-miss.

 

[George9]

WHEN you can have the original? Guns are not the place to pinch penny's, especially for S/D. If all were the same price, would ANYONE buy a Taurus clone/copy, OR THE ORIGINAL. I came close to buying Taurus a few times, but I knew I really wanted S&W, & was willing to wait/scrimp/save until I could get what I really wanted. I've never regretted paying too much for a FINE gun, I've regretted OFTEN paying too little for junk I ended up replacing later.

Ok By a ORIGINAL 1911? You mean a Colt? Browning? Or just a top brand? You know they start at $1000,$1500, $2000,$2500 it goes on.. $499.99 street price MSRP $600 to $780 will get you a darn good enhanced 1911! You do have to look them over really good but they have a forged frame slide and barrel to start with.. You get a guy at Taurus that has been fitting them for 20 years that takes pride in his work then you have a decent gun ya even from Taurus.. Again I'm not a Taurus guy and I would bash 80% of what they make. But fact is you can get a darn good gun from them too! George

 

[JaPes]

WHEN you can have the original? Guns are not the place to pinch penny's, especially for S/D. If all were the same price, would ANYONE buy a Taurus clone/copy, OR THE ORIGINAL. I came close to buying Taurus a few times, but I knew I really wanted S&W, & was willing to wait/scrimp/save until I could get what I really wanted. I've never regretted paying too much for a FINE gun, I've regretted OFTEN paying too little for junk I ended up replacing later.

I partially agree with you. I'm mainly a semi-auto pistol enthusiast. Revolvers are range guns for me. I need a revolver around to practice the horrible double action trigger that most people whine about.

As far as the Beretta 92fs v.s. Taurus PT92, I've had both. I've detail stripped both, and found both to be almost identical. The reason I own PT92 and traded away my Beretta 92fs is my preference of safety placement. No matter how much I practiced with the Beretta 92fs, the slide mounted safety/decocker and I never got along. The Taurus PT92 frame mounted safety works better for me.

 

[George9]

I partially agree with you. I'm mainly a semi-auto pistol enthusiast. Revolvers are range guns for me. I need a revolver around to practice the horrible double action trigger that most people whine about.

As far as the Beretta 92fs v.s. Taurus PT92, I've had both. I've detail stripped both, and found both to be almost identical. The reason I own PT92 and traded away my Beretta 92fs is my preference of safety placement. No matter how much I practiced with the Beretta 92fs, the slide mounted safety/decocker and I never got along. The Taurus PT92 frame mounted safety works better for me.

Yep more or less the same location as a 1911 That why I got a PT99 when I did in 1990 something. long since sold it but not because it was bad but because I wanted to help fund a Colt 1911 I wanted at teh time.. I'm a 1911 guy have some Colts and yes a Taurus 1911.. It's a darn good gun! George

 

[GKC]

WHEN you can have the original? Guns are not the place to pinch penny's, especially for S/D. If all were the same price, would ANYONE buy a Taurus clone/copy, OR THE ORIGINAL.

I guess by this logic, you drive a Mercedes-Benz or an Oldsmobile?

Most people think that Henry Ford invented the first car...not so. He didn't even invent the internal combustion engine. He did pioneer mass assembly techniques that made modern production capable of a cost-efficient car, but automobiles (steam, electric, and other propulsion methods) had been in existence for a couple of centuries (albeit not widely, and not mass produced) before Ford.

The reason I asked if you drive a Mercedes-Benz or an Oldsmobile is because the first production of automobiles was by Karl Benz in 1888 in Germany (there were others, but aren't currently making cars.) The first American car company was the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, founded in 1893, but they aren't in production. The first American car that is (or was, until recently) in production was the Oldsmobile, which was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1902. So, if you only buy an "original" versus a "copy" then I assume (based on what is reasonably available on the market) that when it comes to cars, you either have a M-B or an Olds.

My point is that "original" versus "copy" when it comes to guns (and any other manufactured things) is ridiculous. Almost any manufactured "thing" isn't a true original...it is evolving technology that builds on similar things that went before. (Even a true original that is successful is "copied" when the patent expires.) When it comes to cars, TVs, computers, guns, or any other mass produced things, there may be some individual differences, but I can't really think of a manufactured item that is truly a one-of-a-kind uniquely-never-copied item. Even a completely custom built 1911 still uses the same mechanisms of any other 1911...maybe better machining or materials, but it's still the same basic design.

 

[George9]

Well said! George

 

[one eye joe]

I OWNED 3 TAURUS REVOLVERS, A .22 LR, A .22 MAG, AND A TOTAL TITANIUM .357 MAG. I WAS PLANNING THE .22 MAG AS A CARRY GUN AND THE.22LR AS A PRACTICE GUN, FOR MY WIFE. I WAS GOING TO USE THE .357 AS A TACKLE BOX GUN. I WAS LURED BY THE LOW COST AND EYE APPEAL OF THE GUNS. I HAVE OWNED AND SHOT COLTS AND S&Ws EXCLUSIVELY FOR CLOSE TO 60 YEARS. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. THESE THREE GUNS WERE JUNK, THAT COULD NOT BE GUN SMITHED INTO AN ACCEPTABLE CARRY WEAPON. I COULD NOT SELL THEM ON GUN BROKER, OR EVEN THE TAURUS FORUM. MY LGS WOULD NOT TAKE THEM IN TRADE. I ENDED UP UNLOADING THEM FOR 1/3 OF THE PURCHASE PRICE @ KITTERY TRADING POST, IN KITTERY MAINE. THEY WILL BUY ANYTHING THAT YOU DRAG INTO THE STORE. I WAS GLAD TO BE RID OF THEM. THE RETAIL CUSTOMER APPEARS TO BE THE QUALITY CONTROL INSPECTOR AT TAURUS…………

 

[silentflyer]

Horrible trigger pull, heavy with a very LONG pull....

 

[Mule Packer]

I'm not one of those guys who can go out and spend money like a drunken sailor on leave. (My apologies to our Navy people on the Forum.) That being said, I, like many here, try to find bargains and pinch pennies on a lot of items...like socks, cotton swabs, or hemorrhoid cream.

Firearms, however, are not one of those items. It may take me awhile to save up for the quality firearm that I want, but when my personal safety or the protection of my family are in the balance, saving a couple hundred bucks by purchasing an inexpensive knock-off is not even a consideration.

I'm not going to "bash" any particular brand, because there is always someone who has one or knows somebody who has one that has worked exceptionally well and has never had a hiccup after 450,000 rounds. I'm just saying that "when push comes to shove," I'm willing to spend the extra money for a gun whose odds of going "bang" when you want it to are better than 50/50.

Just my two cents.

 

[Johnnu2]

TAURUS bashing

I can only relate my personal experience with Taurus; I had a PT-145 which I truly loved because it looked so cool to me. I kept it a full ten years even though it is the only gun I ever owned (in my 70 years) that actually suffered catastrophic failures; not once but three times (that's why I kept it ten years....I just couldn't believe it would fail me again, and again...what are the odds). Now, I have a LOAD of handguns and never had one break (especially break to the degree of making it inoperable). The last breakage was when the plastic trigger mechanism just broke in bits; I called Taurus and they actually made me pay the shipping back to them. I have to say that paying the shipping was the straw that broke the Camel's back. They fixed it and the turnaround was excellent. As soon as I got it, I traded it in to a large gun shop and came home with and XDS-45. No more Taurus for me. Just a personal experience (s).....There is no room for mediocrity in the firearms world in my humble opinion....

 

[George9]

Hey don't forget some of us really do also have other brand guns then Taurus too!! I mean where is this all going? I have a Taurus PT 1911 full size.. I got it for the range not for protection!! I have Colt compact 1911's many S&W's Gen 3's and M&P's all in .45 cal my choice not to mention a S&W model 36 snuby Beretta's and oh yes a few Rugers too!! ALL are decent guns! At least the models I have are anyway! I don't even like 90% of Taurus's but one can do a lot worse then a PT 1911 for sure as you can see from some of the posts here.. I'm done P--sing now. George

 

[JaPes]

The Cure for Taurus Bashing

The Cure for Taurus Bashing:

That's my Hi-Point JHP45. Let the real bashing begin!

 

[shouldazagged]

That's my Hi-Point JHP45. Let the real bashing begin!

That's not the cure for Taurus-bashing. Lots of people say the Hi-Points have the ergonomics of a bumper jack but fire reliably.

Now if it were a Lorcin...

 

[George9]

I had 3 or 4 of the zinc cast guns when I was a kid .22's and 380's even a 9mm blow back. .. Again never a issue,,Heck i think some of them were better then some of the plastic guns of today!

 

[JaPes]

That's not the cure. Lots of people say the Hi-Points have the ergonomics of a bumper jack but fire reliably.



Now if it were a Lorcin...

Get used to the trigger and the Hi-Point has great potential for accuracy because of the fixed barrel.

 

[Cyrano]

When I wanted a cheap 45, I went with the Rock Island Armory compact instead of the Taurus. For $300 I couldn't find a better pistol; excellent quality, the inside is as well finished as the outside. It even feeds wacutters without adjustment. It's sitting next to the computer as I write. I couldn't be happier.

 

[hangnoose]

BY WHAT YOU WANT, YA

Everybody seems to think that the gun they own is the best one ever made, especially the people that only own 1 or a few, that's fine. I didn't mean to get anyone's knickers in a knot. I am far from rich, have never owned a new car, LET ALONE A MERCEDES. I have also went through more than my share of "inexpensive firearms" when a young newbie. After you get your bases covered with 3-6 basic guns, it becomes more about WHAT YOU WANT, THAN WHAT YOU NEED. If your heart is set on a Colt Python or Gold cup, is ANYTHING else gonna satisfy you? So you scrimp/save $, forgo going out to dinner/fast food/ eat ramen noodles 3-4 times a week, do WHATEVER you have to do for AS LONG as it takes to get what you really want. HOW BAD DO YOU REALLY WANT IT? So suppose you pay 1,500$, which if you shop wisely used will buy a real nice gun used, YES IT'S A LOT OF $ up front. Average that 1,500$ over the 30+ years of pure pleasure EVERYTIME you use it, then sell it for a profit when done with it. That 1500$ it cost originally (that you got back/maybe more when sold) works out to about the same $ you spend on chewing gum and much less than stuff you won't even remember. Since this is a S&W site I'll use them for an example. In the last 2 years I've found: a no dash mdl 681 300$, a no dash 640 stainless with rosewood presentation grips 325$, a 10 shot 617 with the IL 475$, sure it takes some patience/homework and luck but can be done. Would you REALLY prefer a Taurus clone of any of those, when the price new full boat retail plus tax/shipping/background check would cost much more? And exactly how do you find one of those 20+ year experienced Taurus master smiths? Does such a person actually exist, or are they mainly the kind of worker they can get that they have to pay the least $ that may have been flipping burgers last week, like MOST other mfgr's today?

 

[GKC]

When I wanted a cheap 45, I went with the Rock Island Armory compact instead of the Taurus. For $300 I couldn't find a better pistol; excellent quality, the inside is as well finished as the outside. It even feeds wacutters without adjustment. It's sitting next to the computer as I write. I couldn't be happier.

RIA/Armscor makes some really good guns...and they stand behind them. I've owned several RIA 1911s, and while the finish isn't so much for pretty, they sure are good shooters.

 

[Modified]

Get used to the trigger and the Hi-Point has great potential for accuracy because of the fixed barrel.

No.

Just...no.

 

[JaPes]

No.

Just...no.

^LOL. I hear ya my friend. I would have said the same thing a year and a half ago.

I bought that Hi-Point JHP45 just to find out for myself whether or not it truly deserved the overwhelming negative reactions on the net. It is big, it is top heavy, the grip contour is that of a packing tape dispenser. The best thing I can say about the trigger is that it is unique.

Once I got accustomed to the trigger, the ugly duckling shoots straight and is very accurate. It's been problem free over 500 rounds of 230gr LRN reloads. I really wanted to hate the Hi-Point. Pull the trigger it goes bang. It only cost me $100.

I stridently believe that a law abiding citizen of sound mind should not have to pay a high entrance fee to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. I believe that the Hi-Point's price opens the door to fierarms ownership for those law abiding citizens of sound mind who are on a strict financial budget during the current challenging economy. It fills this niche perfectly.

The Hi-Point JHP is staying in my collection because it is problem free and the resale value is peanuts. .