Florida Shooters Network

First Taurus I had was a PT111 first gen. It was a nice compact 9mm that even with it's long trigger shot well. Problem with it was whenever I carried it, when I pulled it out of the holster the magazine wouldn't be seated in the gun and would fall out. Made sure mag was seated prior to putting in several holsters with same result of released mag upon draw. It seemed that the mag release button was way to weak. Sent it to factory and when I got it back found they didn't do anything to it stating that it was with-in specifications. Sold the gun because it couldn't be trusted for carry.

Second Taurus was a nice ported 44mag Tracker. On the second cylinder of 44mag the cylinder stopped rotating. Had enough with their customer service from the PT111 so I traded it for a Ruger 44mag at a local gun store. The Ruger has been great and yes I let the store know about the Taurus's issue so I didn't get much for the trade in.

Third, this time, many, many years later, I decided to give them another try and bought a Taurus 605 Poly 357 mag. Since I have gained weight my Ruger 44mag had me pulling up my pants a lot when carrying it in the woods due to it's weight, so I figured this light poly 357 would be the ticket, not! My first range trip was OK, it had a long, somewhat gritty and heavy trigger pull, but functioned ok with a few rounds of rat shot then a box each of 38 Special and 357 mag's. After that range trip, it was cleaned and I have carried it many times, but haven't shot it again until yesterday. This range trip I shot about 4 cylinders of 38 and 3 rounds into my second cylinder of 357 the hammer would only cock halfway, cylinder only turn halfway to the next round and get stuck. I could hold the hammer back and wiggle the cylinder back and forth to get to function again, but the problem persisted at least twice per cylinder thereafter. I decided to try the 38's again and the problem persisted with them also. Searched the internet and several people said they had the same issue and it was from the screws by the trigger being loose. I so wanted this to be the problem so I could get it back up and running again, but they are all tight.
Man, so now my choice is to send it back to the factory where they might or might not fix the issue. I am now to the point where I feel that I can't trust a Taurus firearm. I am not normally a brand basher, but what the hell is up with this company?

As with nearly any brand, you will find loyal followers that defend a company no matter what. Taurus is no different. While you can find plenty of examples of Taurus pistols with high round counts and zero issues, you will also find plenty of examples of poor metallurgy used in their production. Pistols coming apart, hammers breaking, cylinders locking up, etc. etc. Personally I own two Taurus revolvers, both 5" if I remember correction. One of them is well used and has a great trigger, which is why I've kept it. The locking is shit though. The other one was an estate purchase, and the pistol is in absolutely MINT condition. Flawless. Oh, and it doesn't work. Pull the trigger, and it locks up halfway through.

I would never ever ever select a Taurus handgun for personal protection, home protection, or even target practice if there's another option out there. Their Beretta clones are also prone to failure, and I remember reading that their police forces are scared of them due to the failures. I don't trust Taurus for anything other than a paperweight manufacturer. YMMV.

My Taurus PT92AF is a fantastic pistol.

I acquired a 4" 357 Tracker because I wanted to see if i could work on them. Seems i can. After a complete disassembly, trimming a coil off the rebound an hammer spring, taking off the rough edges with a shine and polishing the inside of frame and parts it went from feeling the action was full of sand, to stock S&W.
I have since ran 3000 th 8 an full power magnums through it. Aken a hog, 3 monitor lizards and the largest white tail I've gotten to date. I'm willing to bet I can fix that Taurus of yours in a couple of hours. Or maybe we can work out some sort of trade if you just want rid of it.

Miami_JBT wrote: ↑Mon Oct 24, 2022 8:46 pm My Taurus PT92AF is a fantastic pistol.

Probably still their best product but not THEIR design....

I do have a GX4 that I picked up 6 months or so ago.
So far so good.

45caldan wrote: ↑Tue Oct 25, 2022 5:35 am I do have a GX4 that I picked up 6 months or so ago.
So far so good.

I too have a GX4. Great little carry piece so far. GARY.

Shipped it to Taurus via Academy Sports yesterday. Hopefully when it comes back it will work...

45caldan wrote: ↑Tue Oct 25, 2022 5:35 am Probably still their best product but not THEIR design....

While its true that's its not their design, I prefer the changes Taurus made.

I think the frame mounted controls are an improvement...

45caldan wrote: ↑Tue Oct 25, 2022 5:35 am

Miami_JBT wrote: ↑Mon Oct 24, 2022 8:46 pm My Taurus PT92AF is a fantastic pistol.

Probably still their best product but not THEIR design....

I do have a GX4 that I picked up 6 months or so ago.
So far so good.

Yes and no as to it being "their" design.

When they bought the factory and rights from Beretta. It was for the Model 92. Not the Model 92S or 92SB. Just the regular old Model 92



No enlarged hammer pin, no American pattern magazine release, etc.... Beretta and Taurus at the point of purchase made the same exact gun.



At that point, all the parts and guns were the same, the magazines were even the same.

Things changed when Beretta made the Model 92S. They moved the safety to the slide and it acted as a decocker too.



Taurus didn't and the frame mounted safety was just that, a safety. It wasn't a decocker.

Then both around the same time moved the magazine release to the their current locations independently of each other.

Beretta called theirs the Model 92SB.



Then Beretta made the Model 92F and later the Model 92FS. The Model 92F is the modern Beretta of today without the enlarged hammer pin to prevent the slide from flying back if it breaks. The 92FS is the same gun with the added safety from the factory. In fact, for a time Beretta would let owners send their 92F in to get the 92FS upgrade for a small fee.

Taurus took the PT92 and added an American pattern magazine release. But instead of doing it like Beretta, they went a different way. Also, by the late 80s. The safety became a safety/decocker. That became the Model PT92AF.

Mine is a 1994 production Model PT92AF.

Then, by the late 90s, the gun became the PT92AFS because Taurus added the "Taurus Security System". It is a lock on the mainspring housing.



They also went to a rail framed in 2003ish across the board for the gun.

The is this, PT92 has a common ancestor. But for the most part, since then, it is Taurus' own design in how they've gone about advancing the gun. Beretta went their own way too.

Now, in terms of quality, I consider a pre-1997 production Taurus PT92 to be superior to what Taurus makes now because a lot of cost cutting went into the gun after 1997 to reduce manufacturing costs and keep the guns price competitive on the market against more affordable polymers of the era. Remember, in the late 90s and early 00s, GLOCK, S&W, and Ruger all had affordable guns on the market.

Some Taurus porn...