[Proud Texas Resident]

GUN OF TOPIC: Taurus PT-38s semi auto pistol; chambered in .38 super auto. (picture of assembled gun included)

Howdy I hope you guys are enjoying the new year!

For my sister's Christmas present I was prowling for pistols because she finally feels comfortable enough to get one, being around me and my guns. I was contemplating buying a pistol fully assembled but this website called "everygunpart.com" (They sell pistol kits and parts, but the only catch is that they can not sell a lower receiver/frame in order to remain in legal operation.) caught my eye and so did this pistol while perusing through all the pistol kits they have to offer. This pistol was screaming my sisters name with the pearl grips and stainless finish. I also like the fact that these discontinued Taurus' are a complete aluminum alloy frame, in my opinion it just feels better in the hand and like an actual gun, not a piece of plastic. So with that being said, I have every other part necessary to build this gun except for the most crucial thing, the frame (lower receiver).

I have searched the internet like a mad dog, checking gun broker, ebay, and a pleather of other sites looking for the frame but can only find other parts for the gun and those parts are a scarcity as is, considering this Brazil make is discontinued. I am kind of stuck at this point in my efforts to acquire a frame for this pistol. I wanted to make this post looking for some advice. Searching through forums I found that the PT945 frame is very similar to the 38s, but even then I don't want to risk compatibility, and I can't even find a 945 frame for sale anywhere. The next actions I can think to take are go around to local gun stores/smiths and hope they know where a couple of these frames are. I'm also thinking about contacting some gunsmiths about using a custom 1911 frame. Has anyone ever done something similar like this building a pistol having everything but the frame? Does anyone know about any compatible frames which mount up to the PT38s or where to get discontinued pistol frames? Please reply to this post if you have any suggestions, ideas, or advice.

Thank you very much, hope you have a good day!

 

[flareside_ford]

Not to be negative but I think you are in for a very long hunt. First the frame is the firearm according to the ATF so that is the part that was destroyed to create the part kit you have. There aren't a lot of pistols out there where owners would buy another frame to swap there components on to. In fact most manufacturers wouldn't sell a bare frame to do this anyway. The only pistols I can think of where this has occurred are glocks and 1911s. I also think you will have a hard time getting a gunsmith to take on the project of fitting that slide to a 1911 frame. There is a lot more that goes into a slide and frame working together than them both being offered in the same caliber and single stack. I think your only choice is buying a complete gun and swapping parts. In MOST cases a gun in .45 and .38 Super would share a frame but I can't say with certainty about the Taurus though. Taurus has made pretty much all of thier metal framed guns in this configuration through the years so it may be easier to just look for a complete gun configured like you want instead.

 

[DeltaBravoKS]

There are PT945's that show up on GunBroker from time to time, but you'll have to buy the whole gun. At least you'd have a complete working gun if the fit doesn't match to your Super. If I recall PT945's are going in the 350-450 range, depending on color and condition.

I'd check Numrich gun parts to see if they have schematics/part lists for both the 945 and the Super. Maybe you can get lucky and see if the part numbers are identical.