[vtagert]

Hello all...

I just recently acquired a used PT 945. I really like the gun - especially the DA/SA trigger setup and ability to carry "condition one" as I previously owned a Colt Combat Commander for several years.

Anywho...I go to the range yesterday to try out my new baby only to find out that I have a couple of hurdles ahead of me. First off, the gun shoots 6-8" low at a range of 15 yards. This was repeated throughout my shooting session with 2 shooters (using 230 gr. FMJ standard velocity ammo). I did not try anything other than 230 gr. ammo, because that is the bullet weight I use for practice and defense loads. Of course, I haven't been able to locate adjustable sights listed anywhere for a 945 so far. I was wondering if anyone else had experienced the same problem, and whether Taurus might be able to correct it if I send the gun in for repair - or if another (reasonably priced) solution might exist? ???

The second issue is that all the recovered brass had evidence of "primer wipe". I know this can't be good for the firing pin as it was not designed for lateral loading. Is this indicative of a design flaw, or is this normal for these guns? Does my gun have a serious problem, or should I ignore it? Would new springs help? Heavier springs? ???

On the bright side, the gun did not fail to feed, fire, or eject a single time. ;D I really like the feel of the gun, and hope to make it my primary defense gun.

Any suggestions or assistance with these issues will be greatly appreciated!

Please help me get my baby shooting straight

 

[Flyer]

I can't help a whole lot ... but I know that every Taurus gun I've shot had primer wipes on them. I've seen others report the same thing as well. I think that's rather normal.

 

[Gopher]

Were you shooting DA for the first shot? I had a problem with that when I first got mine. The heavy DA pull was causing me to dip the front sight as I pulled the trigger. If your used to shooting a 1911 and the 945 has a heavier SA pull that could be causing this also. Try dry firing it with a snap cap in place and see if you POI doesn't come back up as you learn the trigger.

I had some problems with the DA to SA transition on my second shot. The lighter SA pull would always surprise me on the second shot until I practiced with the gun a bit. Sometimes now it still takes a mag or so before the muscle memory comes back if I haven't shot the gun in awhile. Same applies to my PT99.

 

[jwc007]

As for the Primer Wipe, don't worry about it! It seems to be normal for some of the .40 and .45 Caliber Tilt Barrel design pistols. My Sig P220 did it all the time and the Firing Pin never broke (approx 10,000 rounds), both my .45 Witnesses do it and one of those has over 17,000 rounds through it, never had any of those break a Firing Pin, either. What might cure it would be a heavier Firing Pin Return Spring and Wolff GunSprings provides those with replacement Recoil Springs. For the PT945 I recommend sticking with the Stock Recoil Spring Rate of 17 pounds. A Sprinco Recoil Buffer System is sometimes available for the PT945. I have one installed on mine, as well as the Taurus PT945/PT908 Short Trigger, my choice for DA pull. I also have a Hogue Handall Grip Sleeve installed and it seems to provide better control.

As for shooting low, mine is dead on with SA 3 inch groups at 50 feet, using a dead on hold. I'm using 185 grn Remington Gold Sabres or Federal 200 grn EFMJ for my carry loads. My 200 grn Flat Point reloads do as well if not better. I think you may be reacting to the recoil of the PT945, pulling the muzzle down (flinch). I find that I have to shoot my PT945 with a low thumb hold to keep from getting bit from the hammer, which is not what I do with my other pistols. My only annoyance with it, so far.

My carry holsters for the PT945 are a Kydex IWB holster meant for the GLock 21 and a Fobus HK-1 Standard Right Hand Paddle.

 

[vtagert]

Thank you for your replies! I appreciate any and all assistance.

I feel somewhat relieved to hear that "primer wipe" is a fairly common issue. I'll try to ignore it unless it gets worse.

As far as the gun shooting low, maybe I should have elaborated more on the shooting session. I was shooting SA only. I am accustomed to the recoil of handguns (especially .45 ACP) and I don't feel that the low POI was due to flinching in this case. More than once I put the 945 down and fired a 5-shot string from my Beretta 92 POA=POI every time. I also fired my .357 magnum during the range session; again, POA=POI. My 945 has the factory non-adjustable 3-dot sights with the large front dot - every shot fired was hitting 6-8" low from POA with SA pull. My buddy had the same results with the gun consistantly. Perhaps these sights are not setup for 230 gr. standard velocity ammo. I would much prefer a solution that will allow me to stick with 230 gr. ball for practice and 230 gr. SXT for defense, but I will try some 185 gr. Golden Sabers on my next trip to the range. I also noticed that the brass was being ejected 12-15' from the gun - perhaps a new recoil spring is needed? Again, I was firing standard velocity hardball ammo, not +P or +P+...

One good thing I noticed is that I had no issues whatsoever with "hammer bite".

I have read a couple of threads here about installing fiber optic front sights on Taurus pistols. Anyone done this on a PT 945? If I could find the right one that is shorter than the factory sight, my troubles would likely be over. What about the trijicon night sights? Anyone have experience with them? Do they change (raise) the POI?

Thanks again!

 

[Cimarron]

Yep... fitted my PT145 with Hiviz fiber optic front. There are several others on the market. The Hiviz is a hair smaller on the PT145 (the sight is .290 and the 145 dovetail is .300)... so I "peened" the dovetail to make a tight fit. You can buy any number of the .330 fronts in a .150 or .160 height which should work... you would then just need to thin the width of the dovetail.

I have a pretty accurate reload so I wasn't too interested in exotic work-ups... so the front sight swap was a good option... plus the fiber optic (or trijicon) will really grab your attention when you shoot.

 

[jwc007]

Ejection of Brass 12 to 15 feet away is pretty normal for my PT945. As I shoot at an indoor range, the brass winds up bouncing off of the walls.

Trigicon makes Night Sights, Front and Rear Set, that fit Taurus PT900 series Pistols. Installation is pretty straghtforward with the exception of the Rear Sight. In the PT92 and PT900 series pistols, the Rear Sight also retains the Firing Pin Lock, particularly the last 1/4 inch of Travel, as the Rear Sight is drifted from it's dovetail, from left to right. Without being retained, it will come shooting out to become lost. One method of installation is to drift off the Rear Sight a little and then start the new Rear Sight directly in behind it. The Front Sight will screw in and out unless you have an original first generation older model with the Dovetailed in Front Sight. If you have an older model with the Dovetailed in Front Sight, then the Trigicon Front Sight will not work.