No Taurus Bashing Please

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KMAX

New member
It may be usless to request no Taurus bashing, but here goes. I have a Taurus PT1911. I like the gun, have had no problems with it, and am pretty accurate with it. I have told my friends that the only way I would part with it is to trade up for something better. I realize that Taurus is a low end gun. If I were to trade up, what would be a mid range gun that would perform better? How much should I expect to pay for said gun and how much should I expect to get for my Taurus? It is black and does not have the rail underneath. It has the 5" barrel and 8 shot mags. I am not really sure I want to trade it off, but just thinking about what I could look for.When I originally posted this thread I forgot to mention that I was talking about trading up for another 1911 (45acp). Love the 45acp.
 
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dalegribble

New member
i'm not sure you can "trade up" to a "better" gun without spending a whole lot more money.....and even then you would have to define better. i have a taurus 1911, it works well ALL the time, it shoots as WELL as any more expensive gun either i or my friends own.
this is not to say that there are not better made, more durable, more accurate 1911's being made because i am sure there are. it is just cost vs performance. also many people that own high dollar 1911's also prefer rolex over timex, name recognition is as important as performance to many people.
 
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KMAX

New member
I went to the range yesterday to test a Bersa that I replaced a spring in and while waiting for a spot to shoot a guy came up and got almost in my face and asked what I was going to shoot. I had the Bersa 380 and a S&W 642. He had several, the first of which he present was a Kimber something which he seemed as proud of as his first-born child. He also had a Colt light-wt Commander and a Springfield Govt. which seemed to be 2nd and 3rd child. I felt this was a case of name recognition. Maybe I just misread the guy though. The finish on the Kimber looked very worn. Not sure if this was from extreme use or poor care, but I was somewhat surprised at how worn it looked. As for name recognition, Colt strikes something in me. I have never owned one, but the name holds some "magic" for me. Not exactly sure why.
 
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Cheapshooter

New member
I like the gun, have had no problems with it, and am pretty accurate with it. I have told my friends that the only way I would part with it is to trade up for something better.
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Why? Just to have something acceptable to others? If your Taurus is reliable, and performs well for you, why not just keep it?
The PT1911 is one of Taurus's better products, with very few complaints.

Besides you would be violating rule #1!!!
 
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KMAX

New member
Cheapshooter,
You may be correct in ALL you say. I am only thinking about trading, no real plans. Thanks.
 
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pilpens

New member
1. If the pistol functions well and shoots good groups, then there may not be anything that needs fixing/replacing.

2. Some would not buy a tuarus because their spotty QC. You are already pass this first step of the risk taking. You already own the pistol.

3. Taurus also has a reputation for spotty customer service. So, 2nd risk is owning a pistol from a manufacturer with maybe spotty CS. If it were mine, I would not worry about this.

4. This is a question --- Is taurus 1911 a standard 1911? Would parts from a milspec 1911 fit taurus? In any case, as long as normal wear parts are available, then it is a none issue.

5. if the pistol does not satisfy you, trade to one that might. The additional expense may bring you insignificant upgrade but it might satisfy your want for a better built pistol with better manufacturer reputation.

If in 45, Springfield Range Officer.
If in 9mm, STI Trojan or Kimber Custom Target II.
 
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Adamantium

New member
The tough thing about trading up out of your gun is that unless you want another 1911 (which wouldn't really make sense unless you want a commander or something stainless)you are going to end up trading an apple for an orange. Price wise your gun should be worth a used Glock or XD, but good luck getting it if you can't find someone specifically looking for your gun. Thats the rub about owning a lower end steel gun trying to trade for a mid range anything else.

Have you though about staying with the same gun but doing something different with it? The USPSA has a division of competition specifically for 1911's, Single Stack, that I started shooting in at the start of the year. Its a blast and doesn't require much equipment to get started. http://www.uspsa.org/
 
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Adamantium

New member
The other option, seeing you are in Texas is to put up an ad on Texasguntrader.com with some trade ideas and see what comes it. Trading a Taurus though expect to wade through some lowball offers. When I sold my Taurus 22lr I had someone texting me 5 minutes after putting up my ad asking for my bottom dollar and trying to get it for dirt cheap. The irony is he really wanted to gun but was so wrapped around the axle about taking the price down someone else bought it in the meantime.
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
i usually can't help taurus bashing, but for you, i'll hold off.

chances are, unless you can sell it to a friend, you won't get more than $250 for it even if it's immaculate. when you start with a cheap gun, you don't get much back for it. gun stores are notorious for giving very little for used guns even on trades.

next step up from taurus in 1911 would probably be sti or para. then you have sig, kimber, or low end colts. then you hop up to high end colts or dan wesson, then up to something like wilson combat.

having only owned high end kimber ($1600) and low end colt ($900), i can't give you much help on picking the model. i'm not much of a fan of the 1911 platform myself. i couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with either, but both went bang every time. i'm more of a semi auto guy. if you wanted to head to the semi auto side of things but wanted to keep the 45acp, i would go with the sa xdm for poly or the cz 97b for steel.
 
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Hardcase

New member
having only owned high end kimber ($1600) and low end colt ($900), i can't give you much help on picking the model. i'm not much of a fan of the 1911 platform myself. i couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with either, but both went bang every time. i'm more of a semi auto guy.
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Uhh...:confused:
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
lol i assume you are questioning the "more of a semiauto guy" part. 1911 is definitely a semiauto. i just don't think of them that way. the 1911 is so different (operation and assembly) from other semis that i always separate it in my mind to revolver, semiauto, and 1911.
 
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Robk

New member
A good condition PT1911 should get you $400-$450 if posted on gunbroker or the like. A trade would be around $250 as previous mentioned. A friend of mine has one on these, and truly, for the price, it can't be beat. Now I prefer companies like Springfield for their customer service, but my Springer may not shoot any better than your Taurus. That said, moving up to another 1911 will get you a different name on it, cost you more, and may not get you any better performance. If you want to "upgrade", than go ahead, but do not expect a radical change in performance. Save until you can "upgrade" and in the meantime, shoot as much and as often as you can.
 
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KMAX

New member
Semi

Dan,
I too questioned the "semi-auto" part of your reply. Thanks for explaining.
Thanks for all your responses. I went out to the garage and cleaned my Taurus and considered your comments and have decided to keep it. It is worth way more, to me, than you guys say I will get for it. I may at some time in the future buy a different one if I feel it is right, but for now I'll stick with what I got. Maybe it is the bashing getting to me, it is not really the gun itself. Wow, now I feel almost guilty for even thinking about getting rid of it. Ha. Thanks again, guys.
 
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rigby06

New member
Not bashing Taurus VS the rest

I have owned several of the 1911 over the last few years, I have had a Taurus PT1911, several Kimbers, I currently have a Colt Anniversary, and a NightHawk custom. The 1911 is my favorite platform. Until I had shot the NightHawk custom I could not really tell the accuracy of any of the 1911's, all were about the same, even the Taurus. All would keep good groups, all shot without any issues.

I would have to agree that for the price of the Taurus you will not get much in the way of performance without at least doubling what you already have in the Taurus. So as others have said, keep it, shoot it, and enjoy the weapon. :)
 
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HKFan9

New member
Having dealt with Taurus firearms for my customers on more than one occasion.. and more times than I even care to remember... I can honestly say I despise them as a company... but wait I am not bashing honestly, let me point out a few things already mentioned.

Yes there are better 1911's out there, some for around the same you spent.

Taurus's PT1911 is probably their most solid gun, followed by OLDER made PT92s. I have dealt with a few of each, but they are solid to almost any other Taurus model.

Yours IS functioning fine... and you seem content with it. So you don't NEED to trade up for a new pony, but I understand the WANT to.

If you would feel better peace at mind trading up on the Taurus.. I personally would stand behind you in that decision... but I wouldn't tell you it is a MUST, or that you NEED to. But if you WANT to do something, that should be reason enough, no one should stop you.

If it were up to me... our shop would stop carrying Taurus, but it is not.. and with a tight economy it is understandable to want to save the cash. When customers ask my honest opinion I tell them about the gun smith logs and warranty repair logs. Taurus is my number one brand with issues (again rarely the PT1911's). I tell people if it is just gonna be a toy for the range, go ahead, save some money, and get a Taurus. Personally I am not comfortable recommending them for a defensive gun.

I am really trying to be fair... and not all Tauri are nightmares.. some work and shoot as they should, the real problem lies in their quality control... and their lack of customer service.

I know in posting this I will get people saying "Oh well your wrong.. MY Taurus works just fine." Yes your ONE or TWO or THREE examples of a Taurus might work great. You should thank your lucky stars and continue to enjoy them. I make my statements based on the fact I have sold, repaired, bought, and sent out for warranty repair thousands of them.

If you were looking for suggestions without breaking the bank...

SA Mil-spec's
STI Spartan.
Colt XSE
SA Range Officer
Ruger's new 1911.

Honestly shop the used cases. Times are tough for a lot of American's right now, I get people in every day trading in guns that are almost as good as new because they are tight on cash.
 
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Yung.gunr

New member
My only suggestion is to keep it if it works good for you and just save up your pennies for the other 1911. I have heard some not so good stuff about Para either. Maybe just make it a longer term goal to get the Springfield or Colt.
 
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