[neil0311]

Three questions for folks...

1) who carries the G3C as your EDC?
2) do you feel confident in reliability?
3) is there a quality OWB holster for the gun with a Viridian E-series laser added?

For question #2, I own a G3C. Bought at Academy Sports in a sale bundle with the Viridian laser for $329. I couldn’t pass it up, and bought it almost on impulse.

I have a Sig P365XL, a Springfield Hellcat, and a S&W M&P Shield 2.0 in the same size range. Not sure I put the Taurus into the same quality class, but wanted to ask other owners. Have you had issues with the trigger/safety, feeding of JHP ammo? Both have been publicized issues.

As you can tell, I’m not a “fanboy” of any brand. I have a Glock 17 for home defense, along with a Sig P320. Just curious to know if the Taurus quality is good enough for carrying.

Would love to hear the good, bad, and the ugly.

 

[lmichael]

Early on had some JHP issues but a little polishing and some good cleaning/lube and it's very reliable (at least enough for me to EDC and trust myself to it). Would I have loved to have the $$$ to say I have a Glock or a Sig, but while it may not be as showy it certainly gets the job done. Same as my G2S. I tend to fall back on the G2S more often but ONLY because it's just a bit slimmer and easier for me to get in and out of my cars with on my side. If I could get about 50-60 ;bs off my big fine body that would certainly change

 

[Czechbikr]

Welcome from Northern Illinois! I carried a PT 111 G2 for a few years after insuring that it would feed my SD ammo consistently. 12 +1 in a small and acurate package like this model of gun is a powerful allure. I upgraded to the G3 just a few months back and haven't carried it yet having only 200 rounds or so down the pipe. One more outing and I'll be more convinced. I carried my G2 in an Alien Gear IWB holster sans laser sight and the G3 fits well in that holster also. An attractive thing about the platform is the ability to use Sig P226 hi-cap mags as backup.

I also carry a S&W Shield Compact 45 and currently a Kimber Mirco 9. I am looking forward to getting the G3C into rotation.

That was a great deal on yours, it was like getting the laser free. I paid $319 delivered for my G3C.

edit...regarding feeding, I would clean and lube it and polish the feed ramp. Load your magazines full and let them sit for a few days like that to relax the springs a bit.

 

[neil0311]

One thing that’s interesting is I’ve tried to get the manual safety to engage with the trigger partially pressed (no idea why anyone would do that in real life) and I can’t get it to do what the videos on YouTube show.

Has Taurus fixed the problem?

 

[Czechbikr]

One thing that’s interesting is I’ve tried to get the manual safety to engage with the trigger partially pressed (no idea why anyone would do that in real life) and I can’t get it to do what the videos on YouTube show.

Has Taurus fixed the problem?

I've never tried it on the PT145, G2 and G3C ...That issue is supposed to be the reason for the recall on the original Millennium series which cost Taurus 100's of millions. Pretty sure they are tuned into the issue. I sent my PT 145 SS in on the recall as it was under lawsuit for not being "drop safe" and received a PT 111 G2 15 months later.

 

[neil0311]

I've never tried it on the PT145, G2 and G3C ...That issue is supposed to be the reason for the recall on the original Millennium series which cost Taurus 100's of millions. Pretty sure they are tuned into the issue. I sent my PT 145 SS in on the recall as it was under lawsuit for not being "drop safe" and received a PT 111 G2 15 months later.

There are YouTube videos of the G3C as recent as a couple of months ago with people talking about being able to partially press the trigger, activate the safety, and then still press the trigger and fire the gun.

Maybe I’m not doing it right, but I’m not able to do it. Was just wondering if anyone else has the issue or if Taurus fixed it.

 

[lmichael]

If you have a half a brain it's not how you operate a gun anyway. (not throwing insult on you) only the people who do this and obviously don't have the brains to posses a firearm safely. I was watching the guy on YouTube showing this and I'm slappin my head trying to figure out WHY would some one do this?

 

[neil0311]

I'm slappin my head trying to figure out WHY would some one do this?

I agree, but just trying to figure out if there was a hardware fix, since I can’t even reproduce it on my new G3C.

 

[silverstring]

AS far as EDC reliability, it is fine. I don't currently own one, but the G2c and G3 I owned were fine, actually more accurate than expected. However I have owned and reviewed so many pistols, and I ended up with S&W's as my personal carry/HD weapons. Not that Taurus is bad, but quality and shootability of the Shield and M&P's is better.
Wanting to determine if the user error caused safety issue is present on the G3C, is not something I would even try to do. What is the point, if you want a reason to not add to your carry rotation, that kind of failure shouldn't be a factor IMO. Now if it doesn't feed or has long term reliability issues, then no way. Have you shot the G3C yet,,I think you will be surprised.

 

[neil0311]

Have you shot the G3C yet,,I think you will be surprised.

Yes, took it to the range and zeroed the laser. Loaded then emptied the 3 mags. I plan to spend more time with it this weekend.

 

[olfarhors]

Reliability of any pistol can differ widely as to the quality of the build and the Quality Control out the door.
so what your pistol may do or not do really has little to do with the one that went out the door ahead of it or the one that went out behind it.
Personally I carry a CZ P-01 and a Sig 365, both have proved to be reliable and accurate to an unusual rate, the CZ is Past 8-K rounds with not a single malfunction, nuff said for me.
enjoy the new weapon.

 

[pegasus]

If you have a half a brain it's not how you operate a gun anyway. (not throwing insult on you) only the people who do this and obviously don't have the brains to posses a firearm safely. I was watching the guy on YouTube showing this and I'm slappin my head trying to figure out WHY would some one do this?

It doesn't make sense to me either, but if it can be done (either intentionally or not) it will happen in real life somewhere, and the result will be a negligent discharge where someone will sue claiming it's the manufacturers fault. I say "ND" because even with a safety on you should treat a firearm the same whether it has the safety on or not, or even whether it has a safety at all. I have a PT-111 G2 and a compact 1911 type .45 but when I'm handling them I treat them the same as a loaded Glock. I don't violate the basic safety rules for a firearm. There are people however that think that if you have a safety on you can then be lax about things like where the barrel is pointed or having your finger on the trigger, etc.

 

[neil0311]

It doesn't make sense to me either, but if it can be done (either intentionally or not) it will happen in real life somewhere, and the result will be a negligent discharge where someone will sue claiming it's the manufacturers fault. I say "ND" because even with a safety on you should treat a firearm the same whether it has the safety on or not, or even whether it has a safety at all. I have a PT-111 G2 and a compact 1911 type .45 but when I'm handling them I treat them the same as a loaded Glock. I don't violate the basic safety rules for a firearm. There are people however that think that if you have a safety on you can then be lax about things like where the barrel is pointed or having your finger on the trigger, etc.

I agree completely. I always treat all guns as loaded and keep my finger off the trigger until I’ve acquired my target and know what’s beyond. Got that.

The prior issues with Taurus...several years ago...involved the gun just literally going off in the holster without being touched. I’m sure those have been fixed.

 

[pegasus]

Reliability of any pistol can differ widely as to the quality of the build and the Quality Control out the door.
so what your pistol may do or not do really has little to do with the one that went out the door ahead of it or the one that went out behind it.
Personally I carry a CZ P-01 and a Sig 365, both have proved to be reliable and accurate to an unusual rate, the CZ is Past 8-K rounds with not a single malfunction, nuff said for me.
enjoy the new weapon.

I found that out the hard way when I bought a Glock 17 once. When I told someone that it was failing to feed, his response was that I must be limp wristing it, because he claimed "Glock's don't fail"
He had a good reason to say that because at the time he hadn't heard of the company putting out one with defects. He refused to even consider it was the gun until he came over to the range to show me what I was doing wrong and he had the same problem. When I contacted Glock they did not give me a hard time about it because apparently I wasn't the first person to contact them recently to my call. To Glock's credit their CS was very quick both times. The 2nd time was because after I got it back the first time it worked fine for a little while and then a part broke on it.

 

[Czechbikr]

It doesn't make sense to me either, but if it can be done (either intentionally or not) it will happen in real life somewhere, and the result will be a negligent discharge where someone will sue claiming it's the manufacturers fault. I say "ND" because even with a safety on you should treat a firearm the same whether it has the safety on or not, or even whether it has a safety at all. I have a PT-111 G2 and a compact 1911 type .45 but when I'm handling them I treat them the same as a loaded Glock. I don't violate the basic safety rules for a firearm. There are people however that think that if you have a safety on you can then be lax about things like where the barrel is pointed or having your finger on the trigger, etc.

Following Cooper's rules means that nobody should ever be injured by a firearm discharge, however things do happen accidentally. The drop safe condition of the PT 145 was of concern to me (before I learned that the people probably engaged the safety with their finger on the trigger (see Cooper's rules).

It's one main reason why I prefer carry guns with a manual safety. I have a tendency and long history of trying to catch objects that I drop. Don't know why, but I am or at least used to be fast enough and coordinated enough to be able to catch the majority of them before they hit the floor and damaged the article, floor or both. There have been instances where people have caught their falling firearm by the trigger and discharged the weapon. Another incident occurs when an article of clothing like a shirt or jacket gets inside the trigger guard and are surprised by a loud report. Sometimes familiarity breeds contempt when following the "rules". People forget to remove a magazine or even if they do, forget to clear the chamber. As stated in other places on the forum, the most important tool is the brain and to always handle a gun like the dangerous tool that it is.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

This. 100%. A manual safety is not to simply say the gun is inert now. You still treat the gun as though it has no manual safety, when the manual safety is engaged. Four rules of gun safety, always.

I never thought about the dropping and catching it thing, but man does that make sense, because I'd do the same thing If I was like showing it to a buddy and it slipped out of my hands. Not something I'd likely have happen, but anything CAN happen. The clothing or what not, in the trigger guard? That's the reason I have MS guns. Not that it has happened to me, but that manual safety is one more small piece of insurance against the ND.

Following Cooper's rules means that nobody should ever be injured by a firearm discharge, however things do happen accidentally. The drop safe condition of the PT 145 was of concern to me (before I learned that the people probably engaged the safety with their finger on the trigger (see Cooper's rules).

It's one main reason why I prefer carry guns with a manual safety. I have a tendency and long history of trying to catch objects that I drop. Don't know why, but I am or at least used to be fast enough and coordinated enough to be able to catch the majority of them before they hit the floor and damaged the article, floor or both. There have been instances where people have caught their falling firearm by the trigger and discharged the weapon. Another incident occurs when an article of clothing like a shirt or jacket gets inside the trigger guard and are surprised by a loud report. Sometimes familiarity breeds contempt when following the "rules". People forget to remove a magazine or even if they do, forget to clear the chamber. As stated in other places on the forum, the most important tool is the brain and to always handle a gun like the dangerous tool that it is.

Lastly, and this is nothing against the OP. I'm so tired of hearing this kind of stuff about Taurus, or any other gun manufacturer. Anecdotal evidence is already weak, unless you start getting a lot of it that aligns to a central theme, but Negative anecdotal stories/evidence irritate me. Regardless of whether or not it's true, It spreads, and over time, becomes accepted as truth because it gets repeated so much. I used to be guilty of being on the Hate Taurus Bandwagon. It then occurred to me, when I needed a gun priced in the PT111 Millenium G2 range, that I'd never even fired a Taurus and I got over my fear of it being a Taurus. I sure had judged them harshly over the years, but had never even touched one, like the majority of Taurus Haters. Ironically for my story and all my past Taurus hate, All my Taurus guns have been what I would call, boringly reliable. I've owned and own more than 1 or 2, btw.

However, a gun just going off in a holster, without being touched? Sorry, the odds are really really really low. Now... If that gun has been bubba'd or had something done to it internally by whoever owned it or reported it..... Maybe. However, people will believe whatever they have heard a lot and choose to believe. Take the 5 star glowing reviews, and the 1 star horrible reviews with a large grain of salt, and read the middle sections of reviews or opinions on guns or product, and you'll get more of the real story.

The prior issues with Taurus...several years ago...involved the gun just literally going off in the holster without being touched. I’m sure those have been fixed.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

Sorry, double post can't delete. Wanted to ETA my original post above:

OP: G3C is a solid choice. The fact that you get as much gun as you do for this price, is pretty awesome. It's no longer just a good gun for the money. It's just a good gun. Enjoy your G3C, I'm sure you'll grow to love it.

 

[AF Tim]

This. 100%. A manual safety is not to simply say the gun is inert now. You still treat the gun as though it has no manual safety, when the manual safety is engaged. Four rules of gun safety, always.

I never thought about the dropping and catching it thing, but man does that make sense, because I'd do the same thing If I was like showing it to a buddy and it slipped out of my hands. Not something I'd likely have happen, but anything CAN happen. The clothing or what not, in the trigger guard? That's the reason I have MS guns. Not that it has happened to me, but that manual safety is one more small piece of insurance against the ND.



Lastly, and this is nothing against the OP. I'm so tired of hearing this kind of stuff about Taurus, or any other gun manufacturer. Anecdotal evidence is already weak, unless you start getting a lot of it that aligns to a central theme, but Negative anecdotal stories/evidence irritate me. Regardless of whether or not it's true, It spreads, and over time, becomes accepted as truth because it gets repeated so much. I used to be guilty of being on the Hate Taurus Bandwagon. It then occurred to me, when I needed a gun priced in the PT111 Millenium G2 range, that I'd never even fired a Taurus and I got over my fear of it being a Taurus. I sure had judged them harshly over the years, but had never even touched one, like the majority of Taurus Haters. Ironically for my story and all my past Taurus hate, All my Taurus guns have been what I would call, boringly reliable. I've owned and own more than 1 or 2, btw.

However, a gun just going off in a holster, without being touched? Sorry, the odds are really really really low. Now... If that gun has been bubba'd or had something done to it internally by whoever owned it or reported it..... Maybe. However, people will believe whatever they have heard a lot and choose to believe. Take the 5 star glowing reviews, and the 1 star horrible reviews with a large grain of salt, and read the middle sections of reviews or opinions on guns or product, and you'll get more of the real story.

PilatusTurbo, well said. My first serious handgun (first actual handgun was SA 22 revolver made by FEI Model E15 that I bought with my father) was a Taurus 689 in 6" satin finish. What a beautiful gun. That was soon followed by a 699 4" with a blued finish. Equally beautiful gun, but probably more suited to defensive situations. I have never had any issues with either guns in 30 years.

I have owned several other guns over the years, but last year I bought a G3 for my 15-year old son. He has a 22 semiauto and I am wanting to get him interested in IDPA. The price was right so I bought it for him, but dang it, if didn't love it myself. It is comparable to my trusty Glock 17 but can be had for much less dinero. I feel no less equipped with my 4" 357 just because it doesn't say S&W on the side just like I would fell no less defended with "my son's" G3 versus my Glock 17.

To each his own. Remember, a Cadillac and a Chevy are made by the same company, and both are equally capable of getting you safely from point A to point B. Personal preference and cost may cause you to lean one way or another but in the end, you buy the car (or gun) that is best suited to your individual needs and preferences.

Thanks again,
Tim.

 

[Czechbikr]

PilatusTurbo, well said. My first serious handgun (first actual handgun was SA 22 revolver made by FEI Model E15 that I bought with my father) was a Taurus 689 in 6" satin finish. What a beautiful gun. That was soon followed by a 699 4" with a blued finish. Equally beautiful gun, but probably more suited to defensive situations. I have never had any issues with either guns in 30 years.

I have owned several other guns over the years, but last year I bought a G3 for my 15-year old son. He has a 22 semiauto and I am wanting to get him interested in IDPA. The price was right so I bought it for him, but dang it, if didn't love it myself. It is comparable to my trusty Glock 17 but can be had for much less dinero. I feel no less equipped with my 4" 357 just because it doesn't say S&W on the side just like I would fell no less defended with "my son's" G3 versus my Glock 17.

To each his own. Remember, a Cadillac and a Chevy are made by the same company, and both are equally capable of getting you safely from point A to point B. Personal preference and cost may cause you to lean one way or another but in the end, you buy the car (or gun) that is best suited to your individual needs and preferences.

Thanks again,
Tim.

Well said Tim and welcome from Northern Illinois!

 

[taurustoter]

If you have a half a brain it's not how you operate a gun anyway. (not throwing insult on you) only the people who do this and obviously don't have the brains to posses a firearm safely. I was watching the guy on YouTube showing this and I'm slappin my head trying to figure out WHY would some one do this?

Right?!? Why sit there, and try to make something fail? I bet if I grabbed just about any gun I have, and jacked around with it, I could figure out a way for it to do something wrong.