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3rd gen, new to me, PT111pro range report and review

1660 Views 14 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  VegasGuy, 
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I already have a compact 9mm, but when I saw the Millenium at Gander Mountain, in the used gun cabinet, for $230 bucks, I couldn't resist. I was impressed with the SA trigger which I had read negative reviews of. In fact, I was very impressed with it in DA too....lighter than the Sig P250 and cleaner and only slightly heavier than my S&W M&P C.

Ergononomics: The grip is a very nice fit though I wished it has the soft texture of the 24/7 or the palm swell of the M&P. I was concerned the serrations might be irritating when shooting but I never noticed them. The action is a little easier to rack than the M&P. The sights, while offputting at first, just because they are different from what I'm used to, worked very well.

The Millenium is slightly less chunky than the M&P and seems a bit less noticeable in the pocket (though all double stack revolvers are a bit too thick for pocket carry.)

The trigger pull is long but clean and light with no creep. I had no reset issues through 500 rounds.

The safety is a bit disconcerting. I wish it stuck out further and had a higher effort. It seems too easy to snap off with a bump...while at the same time too low a profile to the gun to locate in an emergency situation. For pocket carry, I feel a little uncomfortable carrying it cocked and locked.

Accuracy: Wow. I was easily able to hold 6" groups offhand, slowfire at 20 yards. With some concentration I produced a couple 4" groups offhand and one 2.5" ragged hole. Interestingly the gun shot about dead on...for a traditional 6 o'clock hold...as opposed to the dead-on hold it was designed for. I get the same high results with my M&P when fire slowfire technique (slow increase of trigger pressure....shots spaced one second apart or more.) However, when I pick up the pace and start squeezing the trigger as fast as I acquire the target the groups pull down 4-6" depending on how fast I'm cranking....which is the type of fire these kind of guns are designed for.

Compared to the M&P, I could hold slightly tighter groups with the Millenium in slow fire. I suspect that is because of the cleaner SA trigger.

I did notice one thing. The white dot in the rear is not centered perfectly...it is a smidgen to the left. Again, not a big deal when cranking at 7-10 yards but enough to move the POI about 6 inches at 20 yards when switching from the dot alignment to the blade alignment. I have a hankering to take a file to the left side of the blade to even this up, but then I'd have to deal with rebluing the sight (they are blued steel aren't they?) I might also try nitesiters...as a quick fix.

It fit my hand well when shooting. I never had to readjust my grip. Recoil was tame.

I haven't tried anything but FMJ Winchester WB and Remington through it but it fed those 100% reliably.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the gun. I need to spend a little more time with it and run various HP's through it to assess it's reliability before I totally count on it, but I'm starting to prefer it to the M&P...which is very high praise. The M&P fits well, shoots well, and digests everything I throw at it without a hiccup. In comparison the Millenium feels almost as good in the hand, is slightly lower profile, and shoots a little more accurately for slow fire.
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R
NIce to hear a report like that, comparing two dif firearms.
On the sight being slightly off, while not really adjustable, you could loosen the rear sight, and drift it in the appropriate direction to center things up. I had one that arrived to me with the front sight to the left and rear sight to the right. It went back due to other problems, but I know others have drifted them in the dovetail to correct a centering problem.
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rwcreigh
bye the way,welcome from texas
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D
Robby said:
NIce to hear a report like that, comparing two dif firearms.
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I'm particularly impressed when you consider the Taurus is considerably less expensive than the M&P.

Robby said:
On the sight being slightly off, while not really adjustable, you could loosen the rear sight, and drift it in the appropriate direction to center things up....others have drifted them in the dovetail to correct a centering problem.
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I should have been clearer. The problem is not that the front and rear sights are misaligned and the aimpoint it off. The problem is the big dot on the rear sight does not align with the slot on the rear sight. If I center the front blade in the rear slot, with equal light on either side it hits dead center. If I align the front dot with the rear dot it shoots 4-5 inches to the left (at 20 yards.) It probably doesn't make a difference in actual defensive use, but it still annoys me.
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WildRice
Due to the extra recoil of 45 ACP, I found the front strap checkering abrasive on my PT145 and filed it down a bit, but with the PT111 I had no finger abrasion. You could try a Hogue Handall Jr. slip on grip ($10). It has a soft grippy texture, single finger rest on the front strap, and side palm swells that make the PT111's good grip even better.

Only the first trigger pull has to be long. After the first shot, you can control the trigger return with your trigger finger. It only has to go a short distance forward (with a click) to reset the trigger for follow up shots. If you let your finger off the trigger, the trigger will go all the way forward for a longer (but smooth) pull.
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Disaster said:
I should have been clearer. The problem is not that the front and rear sights are misaligned and the aimpoint it off. The problem is the big dot on the rear sight does not align with the slot on the rear sight. If I center the front blade in the rear slot, with equal light on either side it hits dead center. If I align the front dot with the rear dot it shoots 4-5 inches to the left (at 20 yards.) It probably doesn't make a difference in actual defensive use, but it still annoys me.
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Ok, the dot is off on center, not the sight! Different ballgame then. Odd, but with anything made by man, definitely possible. As you have made the mental adjustment, maybe two possible fixes. 1. obtain aftermarket sights and replace what is there. 2. Black out the rear sight dot, and revert to using what a lot of us use with revolvers with just a rear groove sight. (as you have already said, centering the front sight in the open area of the rear sight.)
I think I will take a look at mine as I still tend to shoot slightly more left than right, but I attribute that to my trigger pull. I already have a trigger that is not centered in the trigger guard, but is positioned to the left side of the guard very close to the edge, when no finger is on it. It does not wiggle, or move back to center when pulled.
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D
Had my first FTF (failure to feed) with the gun after about 500 rounds of (WWB) Winchester White Box without a cleaning. The failure was a type 4 malfunction. The slide failed to go fully back into battery after firing a shot. I've heard WWB loads can vary in load and sometimes be light. They are also very dirty. Perhaps a light load combined with a dirty gun was the issue. I cleared it by dropping the mag to reduce friction and pulling back the slide partway and releasing it. I've had 4 similar failures with WWB with a Beretta Cougar. Never had one with the S&W M&P.

Also, had one noncritical failure. The black plastic dust cover over the firing pin broke off. I called Taurus and they are sending a replacement out, no cost to me.
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paulrabe78
Disaster said:
Had my first FTF (failure to feed) with the gun after about 500 rounds of (WWB) Winchester White Box without a cleaning. The failure was a type 4 malfunction. The slide failed to go fully back into battery after firing a shot.
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I wouldn't exactly call that a failure. 500 rounds without cleaning and only one ftf is a reliable gun in my opinion.
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paulrabe78 said:
I wouldn't exactly call that a failure. 500 rounds without cleaning and only one ftf is a reliable gun in my opinion.
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I would...especially if it was a normal load...which this might not have been. While I believe in the value of cleaning a gun, I expect it to fire for several thousand rounds without cleaning. My S&W M&P hasn't had one failure to feed and it has gone as many as a thousand rounds without cleaning.

One other consideration...it was firing with the lubricant that the last operator left with it...or that Gander Mountain applied when and if they prepped it for resale. I use FP10 exclusively which was designed for full autos and has one of the best high pressure lubricities. It will be interesting to see if I get any FTF's with FP10.
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joe sixpack
i agree unless the gun was running dry 500 rounds is'nt much to ask.

overall sounds pretty good im planing on getting a milpro just have'nt found the right deal yet.
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T
Different folks expect different things from their guns. Personally, I enjoy cleaning my guns after each use, and it gives me peace of mind. My question is, even if you can go 1000 rounds without cleaning, why would you want too?
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joe sixpack
i think the real question would be why wouldn't you want your gun to beable to go 1k round without cleaning?

sort of like why own a car that can exceed 65 mph?

the longer it can go without having problems from being dirty the more reliable it is, the more reliable it is the better.
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E
I make it a habit to clean my guns and to change the oil in my P/U. I don't need to know how long they will go before failure. I prefer to avoid induced failures in both. I own a 9 and a 40 milpro and they have not let me down yet.
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paulrabe78
EPWrangler said:
I make it a habit to clean my guns and to change the oil in my P/U. I don't need to know how long they will go before failure. I prefer to avoid induced failures in both.
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100% agreed!!
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VegasGuy
Great range report and review, Disaster. They should all be so good. :thumb:
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