Taurus vs Springfield .45's

[snowwolfe]

Been thinking of adding another .45 (1911 model) to the collection. Have narrowered it down to either a Springfield Mil Spec or one of the Taurus's that is similar.
Owned a couple of Taurus wheel guns in the past and realize their quality can be hit or miss but have never owned a Springfield.
Any comments about either would be appreciated.

[chaos]

I've tried a bunch of them in the past, but never a Taurus. The Springfield gets my vote out of all I've tried. I like 'em better than even Kimber or colt 70's. Mine shoots like a laser beam.

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s132/colbcheese/piggy1.jpg

[oldhickory]

I don't know about the Taurus, but I do have a Springfield and I think it's the best 1911 built today. I have had some Colts, G.I.s, and a Wilson Combat, I would go with the Springfield hands down!

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive had some pour luck with springfields. I currently own none because of it. I tend to stick to colts and kimbers anymore. Only thing ill say on a tarus is i kind of dont like the fact there not made in the US but then again either is a springfield. Only experience i have with a tarus is my buddys and believe it or not its run flawlusly and he shoots the **** out of it. He allways says hes embarrassed to be caught carrying it but its a gun worth carrying. He allways threatens to grind the tarus off the slide.

[johnlaw484]

I have a two Springfields one Govt one Custom Loaded, Kimber TLC, Remington Rand Govt. and Taurus PT1911. As a law officer and have been for over 20 years, my life has been dependent on my 1911 more than once.
I have carried a 1911a1 since 1968. I carry the Kimber now, but I will tell you this. If I did not have the Kimber I would carry the Taurus hands down.
The machine work and fit out of the box equals the Kimber.

I am not knocking the Springfields, both excellent weapons, but the fit and machine work lacks something. I had to lap the slide and do a trigger job on both.

Don't rule out the Taurus until you have handled one.

If you don't muck Browning's design there's not a whole lot you can screw up.

[hoosierlogger]

I have no experience with Taurus, but I do however own a Springfield 1911A1 GI. It shoots great.... now. I had to do some work on the barrel to get it to feed my Truncated cone boolits to feed without getting cockeyed in the chamber. I also put in a stiffer recoil spring after it failed to send the slide all of the way forward on me a couple of times. people get nervous around someone who cusses at their gun on a crowded pistol range. Like I said it shoots great now. It is no Kimber, but you get what you pay for.

[jack19512]

I have a Mil Spec and like it a lot but have heard good things about the Taurus also.

[dubber123]

A fellow shoots a Taurus at our bi-monthly plates matches. I strongly dislike the sights, (his are very "gappy"), and the safety parted company within 100 rounds. Nothing would get it to stay in, I finally ordered an aftermarket safety and installed it for him. I have a Springfield, and it had to go back soon after I got it. They repaired it, and I had it back in less than a week, no charge. I would NOT expect that from Taurus after dealing with them in the past.

[MtGun44]

Don't have much experience with Springfields, but I smithed on a Taurus 1911 recently
for a friend. MANY non standard parts in that gun, he had problems with trigger pull,
replaced hammer, sear, disconnector, trigger, springs, and tried to replace pins, but std
pins won't fit the frame, holes too small. It has a variation of the series 80 firing pin
lock.

NOT a ***, but definitely the engineers made a very serious effort to cheapen up every
single internal part to minimize labor and fitting on assy. Is this a guaranteed bad thing?
No, but the only reason he considers his to be a good deal is that he bought it used and
with hammer following so you couldn't shoot it for $200. I fixed it, works fine now, but
not everyone has a freeby gunsmith on tap. He did pay around $100 for parts IIRC.

My personal view is I will avoid Taurus's guns. They aren't junk, but they do cut a whole
lot of corners, more than I like.

Bill

[S.R.Custom]

My personal view is I will avoid Taurus's guns. They aren't junk, but they do cut a whole
lot of corners, more than I like.

Bill

A good summation... +1

[littlejack]

Well, I will add to the pot.
In 2000, I bought a LLama Max-1 45 from my BIL who needed the money. I had shot the pistol, so I did know how it funtioned and it's accuracy potential. I did have a trigger job done on the pistol. This is the first 1911 style pistol that I had ever owned. To make a long story short, this pistol has shot 100 rounds of factory Win 185 grain swc's and hundreds of my reloads with rn, tc's and swc's. It functions great. It will keep all shots for me in a Copenhagen lid at 12.5 yards standing with a two handed hold. I live in a unsavory part of town, and if I decide to take a late evening walk, this pistol goes with me. Fast Forward.
Liking the 1911 so well, I decided to upgrade a few years later. In 2008, I decided on the Taurus PT1911. My decision was made on the options availabe on the pistol for the price. I paid 600.00 out the door. I must say, I do not have any expierienxe with any other 1911 pistols except the LLama. This Taurus does everything I have ask it to do with ease. It funtions flawlessly unless I try to run a bad reload through it. I like the sights and it will shoot better than I can hold. At 12.5 yards it will hold all shots in a two inch circle for me standing with a two handed hold.
I use the 12.5 range at the gun club to do most of my pistol shooting.
I have read several threads over on the Taurus site from other owners about these
PT1911's out shooting other high cost and custom pistols.
Go to the Taurus site to get the owners truth about these pistols.
To this day, while I have been shooting, there has not been anyone with any 1911 no matter what the make, come to the club range, public or member, that would out shoot this Taurus.
Jack

[JSH]

This just discussion, so no one take this wrong.
I hear and read about a lot of small groups. I even see some pictures of groups, with writing on them..... but, I do question some everyonce in a while. Castboolits is one of th every few places that I really believe. There are a lot of other places I have seen groups that i think may have been shot at 25 or 50 rather than the 100 that was marked on them.
I do refuse to believe a lot on some things and have to prove it to myself. Some times it has cost me other times I have found some things I was told to be BS.
Just for an instance years back I ran across a AMT hardball NIB for $200 OTD. Buddy of mine says to oh stay away from those. I had read a bit in the gun rags and they had about the same thoughts as the Tauras 1911. It wasn't a month later he bought one, shot it and proclaimed what a fine rig it was right out of the box.
Another 10 years or so go by. I see how this guy shoots and all he has is all kinds of BS answers to why his groups are ****. I grab one of his guns off of the table, and run a couple of mags through it. Tore the center out of a target that he had been shooting at that looked like it had been shot with a shotgun. I was shooting almost every week at this point and had some darn fine folks guiding me along the way.
In a nut shell the gun has to fit you and the shooter has to be able to shoot.
Some folks talk a big story. As a friend/coach of mine says, "it ain't bragging if you can do it".
One other thing, if a gunssaya 1911 made by XXXXX shoots a group of 2" off hand at 50 yards ONCE, does that make it a 2" gun?
I am the last person on this sight that should make any comments about 1911's or clones there of. I have picked up a truck load of them in the last couple of years, out of all of them I found a grand total of ONE that I liked and didn't have the oportunity to shoot it, an old race gun. I am waiting for it to come up for sale.
However, I was worried about getting taken this past weekend on a Kimber I bought for my son. After seeing some of the prices above I did darn good. 45 acp custom and the Kimber 22rf kit, $750,OTD. This will be his B day and Christmas for a while.

jeff

[Wireman134]

I've tried a bunch of them in the past, but never a Taurus. The Springfield gets my vote out of all I've tried. I like 'em better than even Kimber or colt 70's. Mine shoots like a laser beam.

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s132/colbcheese/piggy1.jpg

Hog huntin with a 1911 has got to be fun. I'd like to do it some day with my Springfield "Loaded" loaded with some hard cast 230gr. RF boolits.

[StarMetal]

Don't have much experience with Springfields, but I smithed on a Taurus 1911 recently
for a friend. MANY non standard parts in that gun, he had problems with trigger pull,
replaced hammer, sear, disconnector, trigger, springs, and tried to replace pins, but std
pins won't fit the frame, holes too small. It has a variation of the series 80 firing pin
lock.

NOT a ***, but definitely the engineers made a very serious effort to cheapen up every
single internal part to minimize labor and fitting on assy. Is this a guaranteed bad thing?
No, but the only reason he considers his to be a good deal is that he bought it used and
with hammer following so you couldn't shoot it for $200. I fixed it, works fine now, but
not everyone has a freeby gunsmith on tap. He did pay around $100 for parts IIRC.

My personal view is I will avoid Taurus's guns. They aren't junk, but they do cut a whole
lot of corners, more than I like.

Bill

If everyone thought that way from the beginning there would have never been any great guns: Winchester, Mauser, Remington, Marlin, etc, etc.

Joe

[dubber123]

I don't think Bill said anything inappropriate. He's much kinder to Taurus than I. He had issues with them putting non standard parts in a 1911, making repairs/modifications difficult. I agree. The Chinese Norinco 1911's were a very inexpensive piece, and from all reports I have heard, they got all the specs right on, no "one off" parts.

If the guy at my plates shoot didn't have a "freeby gunsmith" as Bill put it, he would have had to pay someone, (none local), or take his chances with Taurus' repair center. Of the 2 choices given by the origional poster, I believe he's much better served with a Springfield.

[MtGun44]

"If everyone thought that way from the beginning there would have never been any great guns: Winchester, Mauser, Remington, Marlin, etc, etc.

Joe "

Huh????

[shotman]

Well the guy didnt get the hog with a Tauras cause the rattle of the gun would have spooked it. Buddy has one sounds like and looks like a toy cap gun. BUT it shoots good. I would not let him close to me as it looks like it could fall apart anytime. Buy a sig and forget the junk.

[rob45]

Aw, shucks, just get 'em all. :bigsmyl2:

[fivegunner]

setting here playing with my new les Baey `s super Tac!,:-) I say buy the taurus. give it a good run down and shoot the dickings out of it and let Us know how it worked out. (with pictures)

[johnlaw484]

Life is too short to shoot a Sig.

:bigsmyl2:

[Leadforbrains]

I own Two Springfield Armory 1911s. They are both great pistols and I would pick them over the Taurus.

[dubber123]

setting here playing with my new les Baey `s super Tac!,:-) I say buy the taurus. give it a good run down and shoot the dickings out of it and let Us know how it worked out. (with pictures)

Now that guy makes a nice 1911! I intended on buying a Les Baer, but talked myself into the Springfield at the last minute. For what I use it for, the Springfield is fine, and has been a good gun for 18,000 rounds. Having shot a few Les Baers since, I will definately own one some day....

[Lloyd Smale]

Fiverrunner im a bit jealous ive allways wanted a commander sized baer. I allways liked the limited run colt gold cup commanders and thought a commander sized baer with ajustable sights would be very cool

[Marlin Hunter]

I have had both the Springfield and Tauras 45 ACP pistols. I strongly favor the Springfield. I think they are both made in Brazil. My Taurus 45 ACP barrel slugged to .456 and the SPringfield was .4515.

[dubber123]

I have had both the Springfield and Tauras 45 ACP pistols. I strongly favor the Springfield. I think they are both made in Brazil. My Taurus 45 ACP barrel slugged to .456 and the SPringfield was .4515.

I think the forgings come from Brazil, but I believe they are assembled here, I could be wrong. My Springfield had a bad extractor new, and it was returned fixed less than a week from the time I had it sent out. My LAST Taurus, (get it), took over 3 months to come back scratched, dented, and best of all NOT repaired.

[mike in co]

may i ask why you eliminated the para ordance gi expert 1911 ?

thanks
mike in co

[dubber123]

may i ask why you eliminated the para ordance gi expert 1911 ?

thanks
mike in co

For the $$ of a Taurus, I would put my money on the Para. The OP didn't include it in his 2 choices, so I tried to not complicate matters. It is a very valid point to raise though....

[eljefe]

When was the last time you heard someone say "it's almost as good as a Taurus"?

[trickyasafox]

I own a mil-spec, and only had one occasion to shoot a taurus. I will say this: I ran 2 mags through the taurus and it ran well, no issues whatsoever, and the trigger pull was very nice. However, two magazines does not a gun review make.

My mil-spec has had thousands of my reloads through it with only 1 issue. The rear sight did come loose and fall out. I called springfield and they insisted I send the whole gun (I said thats silly, and offered to just send the slide to save them from having to overnight the thing) but they took it all, put a new rear sight in, and mailed it back on their dime in about 10 days.

I did recently put about 100 bucks in parts into the mil-spec-

EGW bushing, Wilson long trigger, wilson sear, and wilson hammer
If you switch hammers on the Mil-spec, you'll probably have to grind down the grip safety (I did) as it is a non-standard size and requires a bit of fitting to get other ones to work. I forget how they measure it, but from what I've read fitting new grip safeties can be a bit of a pain.

Again, I've never done that, a few minutes with a belt sander and a few more minutes with a fine stone to clean up the lines is all I needed to get the stock one to work- but it is something to be aware of.

The rest of the parts dropped in as easy as could be.

[Tater]

I just got a Mil-Spec and like it very much. It has all the things I wanted. Almost got a series 70 Colt but was talked into the Mil-Spec my a gunsmith friend. Arched mainspring, short trigger, throated and polished with out all the other bells and whistles. It's exactly what I wanted with nothing extra. Mine shoots great and have fired about 1000 rounds since I got her 3 weeks ago and has never skipped a beat. I did not like store bought ammo and have found that my reloads will shoot 1 1/2 groups from a two handed position. I still have more research to do on loads. I have not even tried cast bullets yet as I have been working up a carry load with J.H.P. XTP and Montana Gold bullets. So far I really like the Montana Gold even though the XTP's are on sale and cheaper now.

[Super38]

:mrgreen:


When was the last time you heard someone say "it's almost as good as a Taurus"?

:mrgreen: