Taurus Slim

[Guest Jeremey]

I purchased one of these about 3 weeks ago. When I took it to the range that weekend it turns out a guy who is at the range pretty often picked one up about the same time. Saw him last weekend and he showed me that the ejector was sheared off. He said it got to the point where it would not eject about every other round right before it broke all the way off. Now, I know first hand how bad Taurus' customer service can be. It took them 8 months to ship a dis-assembly latch for a friend's PT140. I took a chance on a pistol that seems to shoot really well for me. I seem to like the little pistol, but not enough to yet make it a carry piece. My question is, should I get rid of it before it starts to have problems. The guy said his has less than 400 rounds in it before it broke. I have 500 on mine.

[Guest JHatmaker]

That's a tough one. He could have just gotten a bad gun, or abused it. If his broke with 400, and you've got 500 rounds and no wear (I assume), then I would think you'll be fine.

A few guys on here got a Slim, so hopefully they will get in here and say they've had no issues. I think it's a cool little gun, and thought about getting one. I had a PT140 MilPro and never had an issue with it. I didn't put more than 5-600 rounds through it, but still it ran smooth.

Do you noticed any un-necessary wear on yours?

[Guest Jeremey]

If you look at the ejector with a magnifying glass it does look a little beat up, but doesn't show any signs of fatigue or stress cracks. I am thinking about keeping it and shooting about another 300-400 rounds through it before making it my bug. It will never replace any of my M&Ps as a primary carry though.

I was hoping some other people with them would chime in and tell of any problems they have had.

[Guest JHatmaker]

That's probably a good idea, since it's broken in at this point, I wouldn't take it to the range too much.

This probably isn't a reason for excessive wear, but what kind of ammo are you using?

[Guest Jeremey]

Mostly my own reloads, but have also shot Federal Champion, Blazer Brass, Federal Hydro shock, and Speer Gold dots.

[Rangemeister]

The "Slim" first noted in the Handguns magazine is NOT the same model finally released. The original was slated to be released 4th quarter 08 and in fact the newer, updated version, was realized early this year. the original looked much nicer to me. I have heard the "First" model had several "problems". Now the "New" version is out and I wonder about it's quality. I don't know about Taurus customer service as a person, they responded only half a** when we had several problems with their revolvers. I have had one Taurus in my life, I wanted a Slim in it's original design, but decided to pass whe I seen the final product. If you have a few hundred rounds through the gun, you are probably ok. I have always thought and told all my HCP classes that a Taurus is NOT a range gun. LOL

[Guest TN_Mike]

I used to be a Taurus fan. I own 2 Taurus revolvers and 2 semi-autos. The newest Taurus gun I own is 10 years old.

So far, none of mine have given me any problems but then again, all of them are from a time when Taurus quality seems to have been much better.

I like the looks of the slim but, I am very hesitant to actually buy one after hearing ll the stories of people having so many problems with recent Taurus guns.

Right now I will continue to steer clear of the Taurus line which is a shame because they really do have some very interesting and innovative designs.

[Guest bkelm18]

Honestly I haven't seen an increase in Taurus problems. They have gotten much better from what I have seen. Just like any gun maker, they can have kinks. How many recalls has Ruger issued on brand new guns?

[Guest .45]

I have a 709, and I'm selling it ASAP... my advice is steer clear of them until Taurus works out some of the kinks in the gun. just check taurusarmed.net lots of folks having problems with their 709's...

mine is very unreliable as far as extracting rounds...just don't trust it. got a Ruger LCR instead. no probs w/the Ruger so far...

[Guest JHatmaker]

I have a 709, and I'm selling it ASAP... my advice is steer clear of them until Taurus works out some of the kinks in the gun. just check taurusarmed.net lots of folks having problems with their 709's...

mine is very unreliable as far as extracting rounds...just don't trust it. got a Ruger LCR instead. no probs w/the Ruger so far...

As far as your issue, are you having problems with a particular brand of ammo, or is it only hollow points, or a mix of everything? I'm just curious.

You've been keeping it clean and oiled etc? How many rounds have you put through it?

[Guest .45]

As far as your issue, are you having problems with a particular brand of ammo, or is it only hollow points, or a mix of everything? I'm just curious.

You've been keeping it clean and oiled etc? How many rounds have you put through it?

1st trip to range - cleaned gun before shooting...3 mags of Winchester white-box, then started failing to extract...shot 100+ rounds, w/approx 2-3 malfunctions per mag.

2nd trip to range - started dirty this time, did not clean...50 rounds of American Eagle...no FTE's...discovered I have bad mag (slide wouldn't lock open on last round), other mag was fine. back to WWB ammo...started to malfunction again. shot about another 50 before I got tired of clearing the malfunctions....

3rd trip to range - cleaned gun thoroughly before shooting...50 rounds PMC...no malfunctions. 49 rounds Federal...failed to feed last round.

total rounds at this point = approx. 350-400.

it's that last failure to feed that worries me so much...just can't get it out of my head. honestly, at this point, when I pull the trigger on this gun, I don't know what to expect...and that just doesn't cut it for a defense pistol IMO. just can't make myself trust the gun...and certainly don't want to waste the $$$ running actual carry ammo thru it. if it malfunctions w/FMJ, why would it do differently with HP?

found a good price on the LCR, and grabbed it...VERY happy with it so far...only one trip to range, but no issues whatsoever. (packs/conceals easier than the 709 too)

PS - I'm not a Taurus-basher my main carry gun is a Taurus 24/7...had it for 3-4 years w/out a single problem...but I've been very UN-impressed with the 709.

[Guest JHatmaker]

Man, sorry to hear that. On the bright side you got a gun I've heard nothing but good things about. I'd like to get an LCR one of these days.

[Guest .45]

Man, sorry to hear that. On the bright side you got a gun I've heard nothing but good things about. I'd like to get an LCR one of these days.

yep it's a shame too...the 709 has a lot of good points, but none of that matters if it won't go bang. honestly, I think it's just a QC thing...hopefully Taurus will get it sorted out. maybe the 709's will be a safer bet down the road at some point?

I haven't heard any bad about the LCR either...figured I could trust Ruger to make a good revolver

[Guest Jeremey]

I guess I should say it again that I havent had any problems with my 709. It has ate every type of ammo I have thrown at it.

The range I shoot at just got an LCR in as a rental. I am going to try it out this weekend. I played with it a little, but didnt shoot it Sunday.

[Guest Rugerman]

What does the fit and finish look like on these? Any major burrs, rough feed ramps, etc?

[Guest Jeremey]

Mine isnt that bad fit and finish wise. It came slathered with some nasty looking grease that I cleaned off before the first trip to the range.

[Guest nascar22]

Just got back from the range where they had the Slim in the rental case. I had to take it for a spin as I am in the market for a carry 9mm.

I don't know how many rounds had already been put through it since its last cleaning but it was dirty inside.

I shot 100 rounds of Wally World cheap Federal FMJ through it without any kind of hiccup. It shot flawlessly.

I loaded it with full and half full mags to see if I could get a malfunction.

I really liked this gun. From the start is was easy to handle, easy to put on target with the white dot sights and was very accurate (5 inch groups are good for me) up to the 15 yards I shot it at.

The gun felt like decent quality in its slide and mag actions. Not the best but not the worst.

The trigger is different. Not bad but diffferent than I'm used to. There is a lot of take-up to the actual break. The take-up to the break had very little resistance. The break however was crisp and easy to double tap. It was easy to get used to and I ended up liking it alot after about 20 rounds.

Recoil was a lot less than I had anticipated and was easy to get back on target very quickly. I can tell this would be an excellent back up carry gun for most anybody or a regular gun for anyone with small hands.

I am strongly considering this gun now and my wife wishes I had not gone to the range once again. She mumbled something about selling my motorcycle.

[DavidD]

Thanks for the report. I'll be in Knoxville in a couple of weeks. Which range has it for rental?

[Guest .45]

not to be a nay-sayer, or rain on a new-gun-parade...

but you owe it to yourself to do some reading around before you buy a 709...lot's of folks having issues w/them. some of the 709's (like your rental gun), seem to be fine, but lots of other folks are having problems.

read this thread from a Taurus forum: http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=23587.0

actually gets kind of funny after you realize that these guys are literally having to super-glue pins, polish chambers, etc, etc...right out of the box, just to get the guns to run. there are several other similar threads on the same site...

again, not trying to be a party-pooper...just giving a friendly heads-up on this gun. wish somebody had done the same for me before I bought one...

just seems to be a gamble at best right now w/the 709's.

Edited September 10, 2009 by .45

[Guest nascar22]

Thanks for the report. I'll be in Knoxville in a couple of weeks. Which range has it for rental?

www.coalcreekarmory.com

[Guest nascar22]

not to be a nay-sayer, or rain on a new-gun-parade...

but you owe it to yourself to do some reading around before you buy a 709...lot's of folks having issues w/them. some of the 709's (like your rental gun), seem to be fine, but lots of other folks are having problems.

not trying to be a party-pooper...just giving a friendly heads-up on this gun. wish somebody had done the same for me before I bought one...

just seems to be a gamble at best right now w/the 709's.

That is my main concern and I why I haven't purchased.

I agree it would be a gamble. But I'm not sure it would be a big one. You know the old saying that when someone gets a bad one they tell 100 people but when someone gets a good one they tell 3 people? This may be the case here.

Plus I am even more conflicted because I personally know 2 people who have put more 500 rounds through theirs with zero problems.

Worst case scenario would hopefully be that if I got a bad one, I have to ship it to Taurus, they keep it for a month or so and I get it back ready to go.

I am only considering this gun so seriously because it has all the traits and features I have been looking for in a small 9mm. I also like the looks of this gun. Any comments on the looks?

[Guest Rugerman]

The way they designed the slide looks a lot like the slide on the CZ PO7 duty.

[Guest HexHead]

Are they making these in FL yet?

[Guest nascar22]

Are they making these in FL yet?

I believe these are made in Brazil. I think they are making the new 22 pistol in FL.

I went ahead and bought one in stainless. I could only find the blued local. It will take a few days to get it here. When it arrives and I get to the range I will report.

[Guest trtstreet]

got to play with one a little i have been waiting to see one to decide on this or the keltec i have shot a keltec 9mm with no problems at all seems to be great gun but for price difference between the two think im goin with the keltec9 ant thougts from people who have shot both