Gonna find out how good Taurus' CS is...

[CHeatermk3]

Bought a new Taurus PT-1911 in March I think it was--had it out for the second time Saturday and the pistol locked up on me after firing, extracting and ejecting the last round in the magazine. This was approximately it's 250th round.

The slide is locked up about half way between battery and all the way to the rear; after trying to get it to the rear by hand(could not budge it) a closer inspection revealed that the slide stop had traveled to the left under recoil and the tit on the inboard side, that must be slid thru the notch in the slide to disassemble the piece was preventing slide travel; this in turn is caused by the plunger tube having become loose(un-staked?) in the frame.
A call to Taurus monday morning and a conversation with the knowlegable tech has resulted in their furnishing a FedEx shipping lable on their dime. Waiting on it via snailmail as my crummy software can't handle it electronicly.

I had never heard of this particular issue but one of the range officers on duty that day related the same issue occured with a colt he owned; Colt re-staked the plunger tube and alls well w/his gun...I guess if the problem is with the tube itself they'll jus stake another in place but if it's the relief in the frame it'll be a new gun.


We'll see how it turns out and report back later....

[XDROB]

Sorry to hear your having problems with your PT-1911. I have owned one , purchased new about two years ago. It has eaten everything I have put in it. One of my favorites. Hope Taurus treats you well.

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[JeffG]

I currently have 3 Taurus handguns. I sent back a model 85 that had a machining defect on one of the cylinder throats. All taken care of in exactly the amount of time they indicated. They replaced the cylinder on that revolver. My experience has been good so far.

[Lefty Red]

With SW dropping the prices on the Shield, I bet they will be cutting into the PT111 G2 sales. And I think it's a pretty good pistol!

I had great luck with their CS when I shipped my TCP-738 back in for feeding problems. Turnaround was like ten days and it never failed me after that.


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[Guesser]

I've had very good, very timely service from Taurus; but only on revolvers. I've never owned a Taurus self shucker. Other people have complained about their service. Wishing you good service,

[Idaho45guy]

The biggest issue as with any company is making them understand whats wrong with it.

Yep. I called S&W customer service when my new Performance Center 9mm Shield wouldn't group smaller than 8" at 25yds. I tried to explain to the woman that answered that the barrel was visually messed up and improperly machined. She tried to argue with me that the Shield was not meant as a target pistol. I had a bad cold that week and I admit I sounded just like Sam Elliot when I said. "Ma'am, I've been shooting pistols for 35 years, served my country, and worn a badge. I think I know when a gun ain't right, and this gun ain't right..."

I got a return ticket. Then, after holding my gun for two months, they sent me back the Shield with another barrel that was better, but still messed up and barely grouped 6". I called and argued with the customer service person who told me I could send it in, but that it was shooting within their specification of accuracy and couldn't guarantee they would fix it.

I told him I would sell this little *** and never buy another S&W product again. I did, and I won't...

[shoot-n-lead]

Good luck with Taurus...

IF you mess with the bull...sometimes you get the horns...I know from personal experience. I have had nothing but problems with them.

Never again...

[CHeatermk3]

The problem is that the plunger tube is improperly staked and has come loose allowing the slide stop to rotate partially out of the frame and lock up the slide.

The CS guy I spoke with understood what I told him; I fully expect to get my pistol back in good working order or possibly an entirely new one, if the frame turns out to be the problem.

Of course, I could be wrong..wouldn't be the first time!

After 31 years of factory work I understand that "stuff happens".

[Bigslug]

Not an uncommon 1911 occurrence and not a particularly difficult fix if you have a little Loctite and the right Brownell's tool, which consists of a modified set of Vise Grips, an anvil with a contour to press on the outside of the tube, and a rod to support the tube from the inside.

I doubt even Taurus' legendarily abysmal CS could screw that up, but don't be surprised if they say the gun is unfixable and they're willing to sell "their loyal customer" a replacement at a discount.

[69daytona]

I bought a used model 85 and it locked up on me while shooting, managed to get it open and unloaded, called them up and paid to send it in, they put all new parts in it including the cylinder and crane, took 2 weeks and they paid to mail it back to me no charge.

[ravelode]

I had a steel frame 1911 Taurus the firing pin was so far out of alignment that small primer .45 wouldn't fire. The second time I got it back the plate that holds the firing pin in the slide fell out during recoil getting a firing pin hitting my face made glad I wear safety glasses. I will never buy Taurus pistols again

[CHeatermk3]

When I was shooting IPSC in the early '80s I started out with a Gold Cup. First thing to go wrong was the front sight fell off during practice. A few hundred rounds later, I began to notice something weird was going on but was so focussed on my shooting I never figured out what it was until one time going safe/clear I saw that the slide stop was rotating out of the frame--the "Weirdness" was my seeing out of the corner of my field of view it whirling around during a string--it finally camr to rest partially uot of the frame-not enough to come apart, but just dumb luck that it didn't come apart and smack me in the kisser--the "teat" in the inside part of the slide stop had, somewhere along the line, broken off allowing the stop to come out of the frame with minimal force--how I missed it during cleaning, I will never know. Someone sold me a slide stop with a notch in the outside of it that engaged the plunger, for just such an occurance.

By then I had sold my Trident to finance a Wilson accucomp and went on to fame and glory---point is "Stuff happens" even to the big name outfits.

[Texas by God]

I'm sorry to hear of this. My nephew's PT1911 is still chugging along. I've had 5 Taurus handguns; one PT 22 had a slide problem that showed up in its first 100 rds. To my LGS, to Miami, back to LGS in 6 days. It's been flawless since. That's great service IMO.

[FergusonTO35]

My boss at work carries a new model Taurus Millenium Pro 9mm. She is solidly pro-RKBA but not a gun person, I doubt she shoots it more than a few times a year. For her purposes I'm sure it is a good choice. I shoot my carry guns a lot, several thousand rounds a year. Other than their .38 Special revolvers which have been around forever and seem quite solid, I don't think that a Taurus bottom feeder would be a optimal choice. Especially when I can buy the Ruger or S&W equivalent for the same price or a little more.

That being said, every gun maker has lemons go out the door. Kimber apparently owns the back cover of American Rifleman, the gun rag equivalent of a billboard in Times Square. As noted in my thread about it, my Micro .380 developed some fail to eject and loose magazine problems. I sent it back and they fixed it, so far it is acting like it should. Still you would think that a gun from a maker with not so low prices and endless self promotion would not let these kind of defects go out the door. Sadly this is not uncommon, you can read about the myriad Micro tales of woe on the Kimber Talk forum.

[Lefty Red]

I know the PT111 G2 gets high marks! I know of a lot of LEOs that carry them off duty. Slimmer and lighter than the Baby Glocks.


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[FergusonTO35]

The 111 has always been a big seller around here. It's been around for what, almost 20 years?

[CHeatermk3]

Got my shipping label in the snailmail Weds. 5/17 and dropped it off at FEDEX 5/18. Got an email this afternoon it's been rec'd by Taurus today, along with contact info to check up on the progress of the repair process. They say it'll be resolved in 6 weeks--the guy on the phone told me this is their standard response time most repairs esp. on newer guns is shorter.

We'll see...

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

.....

[CHeatermk3]

Well, I shipped the gun on 5/10 and today is 6/21, six weeks to the day since shipped. I saw that the gun was recieved the Monday after I sent it in, and as of today the Taurus website still has it's status as recieved but not in repair. I guess i'll wait till Monday 6/26 and then call Taurus CS, needless to say I am not impressed.

EDIT:
I called Taurus just now(5:45PM PST) and spoke with a rep. who advised that the gun is in the process of repair. I forgot that I'd had trouble printing out their shipping label so it was the 17th of May I sent it not the 10th. Also I'm pleased that even 15 minutes before their quitting time (9PM EST) the young man answered the phone and searched out my gun's status; so it's just 4 weeks minus 2 days they've had it.

[CHeatermk3]

Checked the Taurus CS Warranty Repairs Tracking web page almost every day since I spoke with the nice young Fellow on 6/20. The status did not change from "Recieved awaiting repair" all this time even though I'd been advised it was in repair in progress status, as late as 10AM PST today.

I just checked a minute ago and the status is now "Repair complete" so next it "shipped FedEx". I think I'll find it on my deck before the website updates again--I should have my Pistol back this week (Keeping fingers crossed"...

[Texas by God]

I'm sorry I gave you a good recommendation now. I hope it comes back 100%!
Best, Thomas.

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[CHeatermk3]

Thomas,
Please don't be sorry about the good recommendation--I'm not sorry I got the Taurus PT1911--it does have all what we put on the series 70 gov't models to make them competitive back in the day==from the flat mainspring housing to the full-length guide rod, the ambidextrous safety(I'm seriously left-handed), the beavertail grip safety to the stippling on the frame and mainspring housing. The gun just flat shoots---as with anything mass produced, stuff happens.

Got the gun back today and it's in fine shape. The letter Taurus sent with the gun explaining what was done is kinda sparse it just says "Adjusted Slide".

The plunger tube has been re-staked and the annular scuffing I found at 2 o'clock about 3/4 the way to the muzzle is gone too--I doubt they'd have replaced the barrel but who knows? maybe they did and were just too lazy to put it in their note; they did not mention the main issue which was the loose plunger tube which is not even part of the slide--The only issue I have with it now is one I noticed right off when I first shot it--the beavertail grip safety is shaped with a "Lump" at it's bottom end not a smooth curve as you'd find in a Wilson--This causes it to disengage as the gun shifts in my hand during firing--I think I'll have it drilled and pinned.

[Texas by God]

If you're happy otherwise I'd pin it too. My Ballester doesn't have or need one and I'd sell my Colt before it if it came down to that.
Good shooting!

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[DougGuy]

I would not drill and pin the grip safety. JMB designed this fine piece of machinery to work safely, and the grip safety is an integral part of the mechanism that insures the gun doesn't accidentally discharge. If the grip safety is preventing the gun from firing under normal circumstances I would change it for a Wilson that doesn't have the lump and see if it fits your hand better and also functions properly. I personally do not like the lump and prefer old WWII era grip safeties on my 1911s.

Also, if you wanted to keep the stock grip safety it can be filed slightly so that it will release the trigger bow a little earlier in it's travel, this way if you are not depressing it fully into the frame, it will allow the gun to fire but it will still work when you aren't gripping the gun in a firing grip.

A 1911 with a non-functional grip safety can discharge if the gun is dropped muzzle up, because the trigger is free to move rearward where it will push the bottom of the sear rearward, causing the hammer to fall and discharge the round in the chamber. When the grip safety is fully functional, it guards against accidental discharge if the gun is dropped because it blocks the rearward travel of the trigger.

[CHeatermk3]

Doug I hear you about the grip safety--it's possible that the spring that it pushes against is a bit too strong (if that;s the right word); it is WAY harder to depress the GS on the Taurus than on any other 1911 that I have now or have had. I'd hafta say it's 4 or 5 times stronger than the one on my series 70 Colt. I'm not a gunsmith I just shoot 'em but I know good work when I see it and I know what I have in the Taurus just needs a bit of tuning the pinning idea just came out of a desire for a cheap, quick and permanent fix.. I agree it isn't the best option for a weapon that will not be fired exclusively in a match/practice setting.

[BigAl52]

:lol::lol::lol: customer service at Taurus.