[cantshoot4crap]

Here's my delemma. I carry a pt-140 for my ccw and I love it. I've been to the range several times, and fired about 600 rds. thru it without a burp. It's got a durable stainless steel finish, thumb safety, smooth trigger, very good accuracy, easily concealable, and, the best erogonomics of any of the small pistols I've tried. All features the competiters guns don't have, and everything I ever wanted in a ccw. I could not design it better myself..........So why do I keep getting this feeling that one day the safety lever is going to fly off, or the gun just isn't going to work? Why do I keep feeling like I should only trust my life to Glock?
Help me here guys...why do I keep thinking this way, and what could instill the confidence I need to keep carrying it?

 

[kansas_plainsman]

It's hard to ignore 'bad press' - and Taurus guns get it by the carload. It's undeserved these days, but years and years ago Taurus was a price-leader clone maker, and that meant that some of their guns suffered fit/finish/durability issues. The 'conventional wisdom' on these boards is sometimes out-of-date. REALLY out-of-date. Out of wisdom as well, I find.

Of the modern crop, you sometimes hear of problems with the very small .22 and .25 autos - small caliber and small-rim-fire autos are difficult to get right to begin with - Taurus tries to do it on the cheap, and that's a tough call - ask SIG about their Mosquito.

I've got the PT140 and see the same quality handgun you have - solid, dependable, accurate, appropriate. I've also got an HK P2000SK and would have a hard time isolating any manufacturing or design details where the PT140 compares unfavorably. The HK is more accurate, but I did buy *something* for the extra money... as a defensive pistol the PT140 is *well* within the requirements, and it costs less too.

 

[Mamba]

+1 to what the plainsman said. I've had my Keltec P-11 for years, put hundreds of rounds through it, it's always gone bang. I mention my "Katie" because Keltec, like Taurus, gets a regular pounding from detractors just because it's not a "high end" gun. Tho' I've only had my PT145 for a couple months, I love the fit, features and function and would trust it with my life...and I do since it's my regular carry now. Yes, Taurus had some quality issues years ago, but so have many other companies that are now trusted and revered. All one need do is hang out awhile on any of the "other" handgun forums and you'll find they have their fair share of problems also.

 

[kansas_plainsman]

BTW welcome, Mamba - I have a family connection to Longmont - mother spent many of her growing-up years there - of course as far as I'm concerned, it's populated with 38 Chevys and Ford trucks. :

Actually, last time I was there was in the early 70s on a family vacation. As a flatlander I'm far too impressed by mountains. Wouldn't want to live there, but love it for a chance of pace.

Anyway, back to guns - the level of competition coupled with the ready availability of quality machine tools is a great boon to us gun enthusiasts. You either build a quality gun or your customer will go to the guy who does. You've got to go down pretty cheap before the quality falls off dramatically. And for some, if that's all they can afford, then more power to them. Glad they've got choices.

 

[jwc007]

Here's my delemma. I carry a pt-140 for my ccw and I love it. I've been to the range several times, and fired about 600 rds. thru it without a burp. It's got a durable stainless steel finish, thumb safety, smooth trigger, very good accuracy, easily concealable, and, the best erogonomics of any of the small pistols I've tried. All features the competiters guns don't have, and everything I ever wanted in a ccw. I could not design it better myself..........So why do I keep getting this feeling that one day the safety lever is going to fly off, or the gun just isn't going to work? Why do I keep feeling like I should only trust my life to Glock?
Help me here guys...why do I keep thinking this way, and what could instill the confidence I need to keep carrying it?

Quiet your mind and remember, that your PT140 has never failed to operate well!
Believe in your own experience with your PT140! Remember the holes you put in your targets with it and know that it will operate when you need it!

Ignore the noise around you telling you that your PT140 will fall to pieces when most urgently needed, for that is what it is! Just Noise!

"What If" thinking is the path to insanity! Follow it, and you will most assuredly arrive there!

 

[Mamba]

...it's populated with 38 Chevys and Ford trucks. :

I've got an '88 Dodge van. ;-) But otherwise the town has "grown up" a lot. I recall in the '80s that I used to think of this city as just another cow town kinda like Greeley. Today the culture, like the location, is somewhere between that and Boulder....pretty good place to live and (especially, being into motorcycles) I never get tired of the mountains. Tho' I do still drive to the plains (Prairie Grasslands) to shoot.

 

[LedJedi]

You know, I felt the same way for a while. I did tons of research before finally settling on Taurus.

I can say after all I've read, Taurus is really where it's at as far as $ vs features and quality. Years ago that would not have been a true statement but it is now.

 

[Steelheart]

Well, you could start reading Glock horror stories. I'm not saying that Glocks are bad, but if you need some extra irrelevant data to help convince yourself that should do it. :yipee:

Steelheart

 

[cantshoot4crap]

Thanks guys....everything you're saying makes a ton of sense. I really do feel better and I'm certain and confident and I will continue to carry my pt-140.
Both my son and I bought our pt-140s at a gun show. After picking up and fondleing both the Glock 27 and the Springfield xd40 compact, we both concluded that, the weight, size, and ergonomics of the Taurus was far superior to that of the other two. Thanks again!

 

[pastor paul]

my pt-140 is my ccw of choice and now must beat my wife to it first thing in the morning, as it is her ccw of choice as well. my choice is based on experience with it not any "feelings". go with your own evaluation and don't let the woolies scare you out of it.

 

[jwc007]

Pastor Paul, you'll just have to buy your wife her own PT140! After all, a pistol can only be in one place and one holster at a time!

 

[TonyB]

True story:I carried a Ruger sp101 for 3 years.The gun never failed in any respect.I of course bowed to peer pressure and got a Smith and Wesson 642(which I DO love and carry all the time now)...but.....I was carrying it for a while and had maybe 400 round through it.Went to the range one day,and low and behold,it didn't go bang every time.The timing was all frigged up.....so the gun I was carrying for defense,may have failed when I needed it.Of course I sent it back,after an angry phone call and got it back good as new in 4 days.
It just goes to show that machines will fail ,no matter what the labal says.
always have a plan B.......at least with the SP101,if it wouldn't fire,I could've bludgeoned someone to death with it...the airweight is too light for that. ;D

 

[jwc007]

I of course bowed to peer pressure and got a Smith and Wesson 642...but.....I was carrying it for a while and had maybe 400 round through it.Went to the range one day,and low and behold,it didn't go bang every time.The timing was all frigged up.....so the gun I was carrying for defense,may have failed when I needed it.Of course I sent it back,after an angry phone call and got it back good as new in 4 days.

Peer pressure is just noise. Use what works!

Had that happen to my S&W M19, whose barrel forcing cone also split. Sent it back to S&W, got it fixed and got it back, then traded it off for a WWII P38, which I still have. I have a friend that carries an S&W 642, but he does not shoot it very often. Makes me wonder if the S&W 642 might be one of those "Limited Use" handguns where it's been lightened so much for carry that Long Term Durability is compromised. I know my S&W M19 was as far as the .357 Magnum Cartridge is concerned.

I think that the Taurus PT100 series Semi-Autos will take much more use than the S&W 642 or other light designs. While the Ruger SP101 is heavier, you won't break it unless you try really hard, and even then you'll have a hard time doing that!

 

[Mamba]

Pastor Paul, you'll just have to buy your wife her own PT140!

Have often wondered why some smart gun mfgr hasn't created an accessorize'n line with the ladies in mind for popular handguns. Ya know, like pink paisley checkered grips on a small-frame 1911 clone , or mink Hogue Handalls. lol

 

[dawgfvr]

Well...I carry the PT145...but there are quite a few instructors over on THR that claim Taurus Autos fail frequently in their courses. That is why I asked in a previous thread if anybody used their Taurus Auto in an actual pistol course...you know, one of those self-defense courses where you expend beau coup ammo in a short period of time under stessful circumstances. Nobody answered in the afirmative...except in a couple of instances where they used their auto for carry qualification which didn't really amount to much ammo usage. To be honest, I am considering going to a revovler w/moon clips for personal defense and leave the PT145 for home defense.

 

[TGinAZ]

PT145...... claim Taurus Autos fail frequently in their courses.

I've had a third generation PT145 for about 6 months now... excluding the time Taurus had it to replace the firing pin and spring. I couldn't reliably count on solid primer strikes and one out of every 3 or 4 shots did not go bang the first strike. The double action did have some interesting exercise...

After the repair (at my expense... $45.01 for UPS), the failure rate is now about one out of 50, and it's the same little dimple where the primer didn't get hit hard enough.

Except for the fact I'm a lefty, I love this gun! But if it can't be counted on at the range to go bang, do I really want to carry it?

so I was out yesterday with a friend who just got a second generation PT140, and guess what? A light primer strike occurred with that one too... and I wasn't even the shooter.

What gives? Anyone have a clue about what could be wrong? Obviously Taurus didn't fix mine....

 

[Steelheart]

Could it be that you just attract the rare, bad Taurus gun? ;D

I had a PT 140 2nd Gen a while back and I couldn't make that thing screw up and I tried. It was a possible gun for my, at the time, girlfriend. I traded it off as I like my XD better but that gun was very reliable. And that was within the 200rd traditional break-in period.

Something to remember is that some forums bash some brands without any experience to back them up. The other forum I frequent (I don't chose to deal with flaming) has the same amount of negativity across all brands. They don't say that "brand X" sucks. They will list specific issues they've had and what was done to try to correct it. And some of these are the firearms trainers for their LE department.

Every make can have issues with a given model. Like a manufacturer who suggested putting a matchbook cover between the mag and the back of the mag well so it would feed well. This was a major company that I know you've heard of. The person reporting it has decades of LE experience and is currently owning a gun shop. I'm choosing not to reveal either the make or model of the gun but it wasn't a Taurus.

Steelheart

 

[Qwiks draw]

We seem to have many happy and satisfied PT145 owners and users. Even ones that had problems and were corrected. Or the owner did the fix themselves.
Ship back time is the most frequent problem.

Taurus' market is vast. Overseas police agencies and civilians that can by up Taurus products fast. S. America and and Asia come to mind.
So with acceptance that large no wonder turn around rates are that long.

 

[Qwiks draw]

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=1814.0

 

[HERSHEY]

when i bought my 24/7 i had the same concerns, having just retired a very finnicky 1911 from carry duty, i tried my best to make it fail, poor ammo, limp wrist, on and on, i refused to deal w/ the nightmares i had w/ my 1911 again. after about 500 rounds i realized all the bashing on taurus as related to my 24/7 was unearned. i now own 3 milleniums, and one 24/7 and not a single faiure out of any of them. my older 908 is prone to the limp wrist and tossing an ejected round back at you, but i have never fussed w/ it to better it. it serves as a backup to my nightstand gun and always goes bang when practiced w/ in that way. i believe taurus has gotten serious about being a leader in the handgun market, their warranty is the best proof i have of that. as for glock's research the number of law enforement agencies that have left them, not because of reliability, but because of safety, they are very reliable, but are not perfect.