at first look out of the box was clean and lubed from Taurus. First shots with fiocchi 90g, wolf wpa 94g, federal 95g all brands jammed in the front of the barrel. Those that did go off where light primer strikes. Went to fed HST 99g all shot great, no problems and they seamed to do something to the gun after being shot. After the HST the others would not jam but still had light primer strikes but fired after 2nd pull. . Today complete clean and oil, slide works better, there was some goo in the strike chamber but all cleaned now. All the above ammo fired again with light primer strikes except the HST which again fired flawlessly. Ordered more HST if thats what it takes. I dont know if there is any higher grain than 99 for 380's. or what the gun can even take. So for the guns intended purpose HST 99g works fine and the gun will do the job. Also the feel and size of the Spectrum for pocket carry are prefect.
new out of the box, jams , primer strikes, no failures with HST
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After the good cleaning, hopefully you find the pistol more reliable.
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47 Posts
That sucks. Hopefully you can track the problem down.
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5,403 Posts
Thank you for your report. Hope you can get more makes of ammo to run good in your pistol.
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24,045 Posts
Clean it better, break it in, I bet you'll have a very good pistol.
As for 380 bullet weight, I believe 105 grains is the max.
As for 380 bullet weight, I believe 105 grains is the max.
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129 Posts
If your pistol is lightly striking primers, unfortunately it won't go away. I think Taurus installed some weak firing pin springs on some of their early guns and you just happened to get one like I did. See my sig below. 
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I assume that Federal factory loading use federal primers and if so they are near the softest primer cups on the market.
that's likely why they worked.
as a note Remington makes a 102 grain Golden Sabre in 380.
not really sure why you want a heavier projectile but there it is anyway.
that's likely why they worked.
as a note Remington makes a 102 grain Golden Sabre in 380.
not really sure why you want a heavier projectile but there it is anyway.
Thanks to all for the help, I keep the spectrum clean as a whistle, however my Tauruses seem to like a bit more oil than just a wipe down. Then they work much better. The Spectrum though already has a steel striker guide, not plastic as in my 111g2, which I replaced with stainless Lakeline upgrade to get that gun working perfect every time. That 111g2 took many failures and ammo tries also to get it fixed and now it can use any .22 cent ammo but I still only trust HST. So going through this same senario with the Spectrum why the HST works and the other ammo doesnt or isnt reliable I dont get it. Im just thinking Taurus knows its use and should just require the best ammo in their products for the intended use of the smaller guns. Ill check to see if Lakeline has a fix for the Spectrums also. I know these are inexpensive guns so do you gun folks see these happening in other pricier brands. Thanks again Geoff
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129 Posts
I personally have never had a pocket pistol with the light primer strike issues I have seen with my Spectrum. And...I've had quite a few pocket pistols. Everything from a Kel-Tec P3AT to a Diamondback DB380 to a Beretta Nano to a Polish P64, etc., etc...
I just love how the Spectrum fits my hands.
I just love how the Spectrum fits my hands.
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5,403 Posts
I am in agreement with this. I have had tons of small pocket pistols, love them, and still have quite a few, but the Spectrum is not one of them. I just can't get by the reports like this of lite primer strikes. I have never experienced this on any pistol, no matter what size the gun, to date.
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38,514 Posts
MY sig 238, Bersa thunder, ATI 380 (Browning clone) all run perfectly on a wide range of different projectiles.
the Golden Sabre is just a tad more accurate it seems form the Bersa and the ATI, this is from firing unsupported and the accuracy difference isn't much so that could depend on how shaky this old man is on the day that I shoot as well.
The TCP is a bit picky and doesn't like Fiocchi XTP or Hornady XTP /FTX , not bad but certainly not 100% reliable with those.
the Golden Sabre is just a tad more accurate it seems form the Bersa and the ATI, this is from firing unsupported and the accuracy difference isn't much so that could depend on how shaky this old man is on the day that I shoot as well.
The TCP is a bit picky and doesn't like Fiocchi XTP or Hornady XTP /FTX , not bad but certainly not 100% reliable with those.
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40,802 Posts
I suggest contacting Taurus regarding the light primer strikes. Take some pictures of the primers with light strikes to send in with the gun. Don't wait for the free return shipping to expire. If you do send it back, please keep us posted on what Taurus says they did to fix it.
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743 Posts
Actually, I've never had any type of malfunction with my Spectrum using American Eagle 95gr [brass] FMJ. To be clear, this is the only brand and weight used in this gun thus far. With such good results, I doubt I'll change brand or weight at this point, particularly with the gun not being a current EDC.
I also thoroughly cleaned my Spectrum prior to first use and continue to be diligent about cleaning it after each and every range trip.
My two cents only, of course.
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16,604 Posts
HST is working :thumb: run another 500 or so rounds through it, then go back and try the others.
My SOP with a new firearm is to buy a box of everything I can find. Then find the ones that work the best, and put the others in the magazine (it has more than one definition). After firing 500 rounds of the ones that work, bring the ones that didn't back out and try them again. Those that work keep shooting, those that don't go back to the magazine. After 1000 rounds bring the jammers back out and give them another try. I've never had a firearm that refused ammo manufactured by a major ammunition company at the 1K round mark.
ymmv :wave:
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