Training Emergency Deployment-Taurus .380

[Old cop]

I was at the range yesterday w/my Shield 9MM and decided to shoot my Taurus TCP .380 as if it was an emergency. I pulled it from my pocket holster and the first round did not go off (Federal HST). I racked the slide, did a mag dump, combat reload, second mag dump, all w/o a single failure. The problem, I believe, was the long trigger pull that I short stroked but since I could not find the ejected round I’m not sure.

To say the least it rattled me but I’m pretty sure it was user error. This weapon has a long, light ( 4 - 5.5 lbs) and very smooth trigger. I cleaned it and put it back in the safe but now have a quandry b/c it’s been 100% reliable and accurate. Anyone else have experience w/this weapon?

 

[forrestinmathews]

How long was it left loaded? Do you swab out the striker channel after detailed cleaning and leave it fairly dry? I once had a 1911 do that. And it turned out to be a dead primer from oil in the firing pin hole.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

Rotate your carry ammo. And use good quality ammo.
Geoff
Who has not had a failure with his carry ammo, yet....

 

[Old cop]

In answer to the above: (1) Left loaded for just over a month; (2)Yes & left the striker channel dry; (3) Rotate carry ammo annually; and (4) I’m using Federal HST 90 grain hollow point ammo purchased several months ago. I rotate carry ammo annually b/c that was my department’s practice.

 

[nachogrande]

ME

Rotate your carry ammo. And use good quality ammo.
Geoff
Who has not had a failure with his carry ammo, yet....

Not with store bought or hand loads. For S/D, EDC ammo I take EXTREME care in EVERY step of the reloading process AND make sure the rounds fit in cylinders easily, pass the plunk test, feeds/extracts, primers are all seated correctly, etc. Check the store bought ammo too, before loading. I have had 1 rifle load I must have missed putting powder into in app 40 years. You don't wanna find out you have an upside down primer during a S/D event. That would be BAD.

 

[DD357]

Rotate your carry ammo. And use good quality ammo.
Geoff
Who has not had a failure with his carry ammo, yet....

Me, but I carry a revolver

 

[petepeterson]

I do the same drill with my Kel-Tec. I fire a few from whatever condition it is in. I think it's had one or two failures since 2003, but something still makes me question it.
Solution- still have that j-frame laying around?

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

I have never had one failure doing similar drills with any of my S&W's or my Ruger LC9. Could be your choice of gun.

 

[misswired]

I'm betting you didn't have a round chambered... being as you couldn't find it.

 

[Old cop]

In response to Post #8 this was a first for my Taurus, and this was the only .380 that ran 100% up to this point. I really like the platform b/c of how easy it is to carry & conceal but I must have 100% reliability in any self defense gun. The .380 may just not be for me. As to Post #9 I never carry w/an empty chamber.

 

[adwjc]

Key point in nachogrande's post above - I was running a county CCW course and found one shooter with new, brand name factory ammo that had not one but two primers installed sideways in the same box of 50.

You need to examine each round as you load.

 

[Whitwabit]

I'm betting you didn't have a round chambered... being as you couldn't find it.

I was wondering the same thing .. a live round should have been pretty easy to see usually .. and one should have seen it being ejected when he racked the slide ..

 

[Ziggy2525]

...
Anyone else have experience w/this weapon?

My TCP isn’t reliable enough to carry.

IMO, with the small .380’s, the pistols are small enough and there’s enough variability in the manufacturing tolerances of both the pistol and ammo that overall they aren’t as reliable as 9mm and larger.

I’ve got a couple gen 2 LCP’s (not LCP II) that have been super reliable, but run across other people with the same model that haven’t been as lucky.

 

[Old cop]

I NEVER carry my Taurus, or any other semi auto, w/an empty chamber. It’s contrary to my police training and, as a survivor of three deadly force encounters, know from experience this is a dangerous thing to do. Regarding the weapon’s reliability the little Taurus is the only .380 mouse gun that has run 100% in the year I’ve owned it, and I run a couple of mags through it each time I go to the range.

 

[federali]

Ignored Problem

The OP touches on an often overlooked problem that we're all probably guilty of. That is, we have different guns with different operating systems. Switching from one gun to another can indeed cause a failure.

Depending on who you listen to or read, developing muscle memory requires a minimum of 2000 repetitions. Shooting several cases of ammo through your Model 1911, then switching to a DA/SA pistol may indeed cause an initial user-caused failure simply because the gun will discharge at a different point in its trigger travel.

 

[Old cop]

Federali: I completely agree re: the gun “rotation” idea again b/c it runs contrary to my LE training & experience. I’d been carrying the Taurus as my EDC for awhile, leaving my J frame in the safe, and I make a habit of shooting a couple of mags with every range trip. I still think my problem was user error and have been dry-firing @ home to ensure my muscle memory is where it should be w/this little gun.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I think you're hesitation is natural. But it can happen to any gun at any time. I would go back to the range and try again. But I would load one round at a time to start.

If all goes well then it may have been user error. That happens too. Don't give up on the gun just yet.

 

[RGVshooter]

You know, a couple things here. Lets start first with the round not going off. Assuming that there was indeed a round chambered, that type of malfunction could have happened with any gun. Most modern pistols nowadays are incredibly reliable, but it does happen. As far as dealing with the malfunction, a simple tap & rack cures most semi auto failures but most people have that knee jerk reaction of pulling the trigger again. A tap & rack to clear the chamber & pop in a new round takes an extra second with auto loaders, and IMO this is where double action revolvers shine. If you pull the trigger and nothing happens, even with that knee jerk reaction of pulling the trigger again, cycles the cylinder and the next rounds goes off.


If the OP thinks what happened to him was bad enough, an acquaintance of mine met me at the range recently and proceeds to pull out his EDC Taurus PT 709 and pulls the trigger.....nothing. The guy actually used the internal lock and locked the pistol, never checked it, goes around town carrying this thing thinking he's protected, and doesnt even have the key with him either. lol, he had to go home...

 

[M29since14]

Everything mechanical is “100% reliable” - until it fails the first time. If you are ABSOLUTELY positive you had a round in the chamber (it IS a bit odd that you couldn’t find the ejected round) then all you can do is repeat the test and see if you can reproduce the failure.

I don’t own a Taurus like yours, but I have yet to see one of the .380 pocket guns that gives me much of a sense of confidence, but I guess they’re better than nothing. Hope you get to the bottom of your quandry. Good luck!

 

[Walkingwolf]

Key point in nachogrande's post above - I was running a county CCW course and found one shooter with new, brand name factory ammo that had not one but two primers installed sideways in the same box of 50.

You need to examine each round as you load.

This has happened to me with factory ammo a few times over the decades. On the range that usually is not a big deal, but it has never happened with my own personal reloads. If they can get the primer backwards, they can load a case without powder, or with too much.

The only factory ammo I use is 22 rimfire, and 9X18. I have had good luck with the old Russian ammo. And I am not set up to load rimfire. But as with any factory ammo over the years I have had 22 fail to fire or go poof. I would assume they forgot the primer in the rim on the ammo that fails to fire. And in the rounds that went poof failed to put powder. The fail to fire is one thing, another round can be cycled. But in a SD situation if the gun goes poof that spells bullet in barrel, out of commission even in a revolver.

Again I want to stress that this has only happened a few times over decades of shooting. But for me once is too often.