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Taurus pistols

My dad has a Taurus Raging Bull. Whatever was the biggest one of those that they made. Its a huge sidearm. I can't shoot it without being forced to step back with the recoil. Its accurate though! He's never mentioned any issues with it.

If I were to buy a gun though, it'd be a baby eagle:
The Baby Desert Eagle
 
I got my wife a Taurus .38 (not sure the model#) that is quite nicely made, well balanced and had been just fine for the 200 shots so far, she's gettin' pretty accurate with it. Not as nice as my Ruger but at less than half the price no worries. I also picked up a 4510 but have not shot it yet, should be fun.
 
I had a Kimber 1911. I sold it and kept my Glock 30 for one reason - the Glock is WAY easier for me to disassemble to clean.
Back on topic, I've heard the same about Taurus' and the lack of consistency. They may have improved some over the years, but I read a lot more negative reviews than positive.
 
I've done OK with a number of different firearms, but some did require gumsmithing to assure reliable function.

I recently bought a Kel-Tec P-11 9MM, one of the smallest semi-autos that's powerful enough to be worth carrying. To me, if it's less than a 9MM it might as well be a .22 LR Hi-Vel...not interested in .380, .32 or .25 cals.

I'm not sure why you need a .40 or .45, as small semi-autos in those calibers can be quite punishing. Of course, if you shoot a lot and often, it may not bother you. But social distance is 7 yeards and under, and I'm not going to stop at one, or even a double-tap.

Personally, I have $250 to put into a personal carry firearms but not $600. I'm also not a big enough guy to carry a large frame semi-auto firearm without using a special rig or looking like a hunchback.

The P-11...14 oz unloaded, 5.6" x 4.3", and only 1" wide.

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The Kel-Tec PF-9 is even thinner. Both are available used under $300. Both are double action only, every shot.

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These are not high end firearms, but their quality, reliability and durability are vouched for by many people. I found that the P-11 was solid and performed well with no misfires or bad feeds in the first 70 rounds. Mine was bought close enough to new that the feed ramp wasn't scratched up.
 
I don't know about guns, but I'm wondering how you guys mean when you say the quality is hit or miss. You put in a bullet, pull the trigger, and it shoots. What makes one pistol better at that than another? Materials used?

-Mike

I would guess that with a gun, hitting or missing would have something to do with it.
 
I don't know about guns, but I'm wondering how you guys mean when you say the quality is hit or miss. You put in a bullet, pull the trigger, and it shoots. What makes one pistol better at that than another? Materials used?

-Mike

The quality problem is usually that it doesn't shoot. Guns are precision machines, and a dimensional variance here or there can ruin a guns reliability. Different types of ammunition also introduce a wide range of parameters that affect how well they work in this or that type of firearm. Some guns are more tolerant of these variances, either by their design, their execution (manufacturing QC), or both.

Other quality issues that shooters concern themselves with are based on fit and finish, the 'feel' of the trigger, and the inherent accuracy of the gun itself (not counting the accuracy of the shooter :)).

FWIW: My only Taurus is a .44 Special snubby, and I had to tweak it to get it to run right. Having opened it up and seen how the lockwork was designed (dumbed down), it's clear how the corners were cut in comparison to how a Smith is made, for example. The price point reflects this, and should come as no surprise to the buyer. Taurus at least gets points for some interesting designs, but their warranty reputation is horrid, and I'd put my disposable income elsewhere.
 
S&W 500. For real gangsta sh**.

No. Glocks are great real reliable, never had one Jam on me (the semi-auto's that is) and really low recoil.

Barrettas are another great choice and the most widely used law enforcement gun in the US.

If you want an old school vibe, go with a revolver. Man do I love revolvers. Nothing in the world like it. I fire a Colt Official Police myself and couldn't be happier.
 
If you are getting a 1911 style pistol then I would NOT recommend a Taurus. A Springfield or Colt would be the way I'd go at that price point. Personally, I carry a 3inch Kimber 1911 and have a SA Operator on the nightstand.

If you want a polymer frame, glock style semi-auto, there are other choices in the price range that I would feel safer trusting my life too. Like Springfield XDs, Glocks or even Kahrs. Keep in mind, for EDC that certain glocks tend to be as thick as bricks. Personally, with my size frame 5'10", 175lbs, and a form fitting wardrobe, I cannot find a way to carry my G26 without printing like crazy. Sure, I could change the way I dress and get larger cover garments, but I live in Texas and it's to hot. I perfer a thin single stack design for comfortable carry, a thick glock feels like a brick in my belt. I do own a G26 as a center consol piece for the car, though.

If you want a revolver, a taurus is a decent choice. It's hard to screw up a revolver. Although it seems like many guys who are carrying hammerless relovers now are rockin' the ruger lcr. Personally, in that catagory I like older Colts, S&W, and Rugers.

I guess I just wouldn't feel safe skimping on guns that I rely on for personal protection, but if it was just for fun at the range I could see getting a Taurus. Ultimately, find what feels great in your hand and shoot it!
 
A co-worker of mine has a model 627 tracker revolver (.357 mag) revolver as his service pistol, and its a pretty cool gun. Its super easy to shoot, has a great trigger, but it is LOUD. People stop shooting at the range to wait for you to finish because its so friggin' loud.

That being said, I wouldn't own one of their semi-autos. I've heard some really nasty reports of failures on them. In fact, I work as a juvenile probation officer where we are asked to carry a concealed firearm for our own protection, and my chief specifically asks that no one carries a Taurus semi-auto. The failure reports are just too high.
 
A co-worker of mine has a model 627 tracker revolver (.357 mag) revolver as his service pistol, and its a pretty cool gun. Its super easy to shoot, has a great trigger, but it is LOUD. People stop shooting at the range to wait for you to finish because its so friggin' loud.

That being said, I wouldn't own one of their semi-autos. I've heard some really nasty reports of failures on them. In fact, I work as a juvenile probation officer where we are asked to carry a concealed firearm for our own protection, and my chief specifically asks that no one carries a Taurus semi-auto. The failure reports are just too high.

The loudness is a trait of the .357 Mag caliber, not the pistol. It has an amazing snap/bite, much louder than other calibers.

The second part is important to note though about Taurus semi-autos; All of my LE friends from various counties, cities, etc. don't have Taurus models on their acceptable backup list that the departments put out. Take that with a grain of salt though because CZ's are usually never on them either and they are great pistols for the money and have a lot of LE/Military use in eastern Europe.
 
Yeah, .357s are loud, but the 627 has muzzle porting on top of that, which I think makes it crazy loud. At the same time, it really has minimal kick to it, which I also think has to do with the porting.

Porting does help the recoil, but porting or not you will be told your .357 is loud by everybody else. Even my .44 is not that loud but it has that lower frequency boom that you feel more than hear which I'm sure a lot of guys here are into ;)
 
I don't know about guns, but I'm wondering how you guys mean when you say the quality is hit or miss. You put in a bullet, pull the trigger, and it shoots. What makes one pistol better at that than another? Materials used?

-Mike

Reliability, reliability, reliability. Did I mention reliability? In a gun, especially one to be used for self-defence, you want it to work right, on time, every time. This is in spite of it living close to your body for years; picking up sweat and skin oil and lint, maybe not being used for weeks or months, maybe not being cleaned as often as you would like, maybe getting wet in the rain, or bumped against hard things like walls or cars. It needs to work.

Over and above reliability, accuracy is a concern. No gun is worth a darn unless it can hit a target reliably. Beyond that, caliber. The size of the slug is a factor, not just in terms of force delivered to target, but also in terms of the user's comfort, and the price-per-round for practicing. Beyond that, size, not just for concealment and comfort in carrying, but also because many jurisdictions have size restrictions on guns that you can carry. Weight is another factor in how comfortable it is to carry.

The materials the gun is made of, the workmanship in production, the design, all of these things work together.



...on topic though, me, I wouldn't go Taurus if I happened to live in the US and happened to want to carry a gun around with me. Were I to do such a thing, I'd probably be in the market for something like a Walther or a SIG in .45 ACP or .357 SIG: something large and loud, but more importantly: ultimately dependable.
 

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