Taurus SLIM

[ghostriderftl]

What are your thoughts on the Taurus SLIM?

How does it shoot?

What the recoil like?

Have you had any issues with it?

WOuld you buy one?

 

[AustinTX]

I would stay far away from this gun. The one I shot had no malfunctions and was pleasant enough to shoot, though it shot quite low, which is apparently very common with these guns. (I've read of some having to be returned to the factory because the rear sight couldn't be adjusted enough to sight the gun in properly.)

Which brings me to my main point: There have been loads of complaints about quality control issues with this gun. Just run a search on the gun here and on other forums.

Save up another couple hundred dollars and get a Walther PPS -- an outstanding gun backed by outstanding customer service. If you absolutely need something closer to the 709's price range, look at the Ruger SR9c. It's not as slim as the Taurus, but it's still quite concealable and far more well-made.

 

[daferg2]

How about a reply from someone who actually owns and shoots the PT709 Slim regularly?

- Mine does NOT shoot low. It is one of the most accurate pistols I have. It still surprises me how well I shoot this thing.
- Mine has had ZERO malfunctions through several hundred rounds (still under 1000). Maybe I'm just lucky (but I doubt it).
- Yes, I'm glad I bought it, and yes I'd do it again.
- Recoil is very good considering its size. the excellent ergos help a bunch.

Taurus takes lots of bashing, some deserved, most not. They have had QC issues in the past, but I do not think they'd stay in business if all of the crap you read here and other sites were true. Most complainers never owned the particular gun they are bashing.
I own currently 43 pistols of almost every manufacturer you can name. I shoot them all when I can, and I've had no more trouble with my Taurus pistols than my Sigs, Berettas, H&K's, S&Ws, etc, etc. They are ALL great gun makers. the only recent gun which I've owned that was a huge mistake was the SCCY CPX-1. It was a POS.

 

[texasmacdaddy09]

My 709 is Fine

Excellent point daferg2. I've had no issues with my Slim. It's accurate and fun to shoot. While it might not have the approvel of everyone, I've found most of time it's the people who DON'T own one who speak poorly of them.

 

[spodwo]

I had one.

It ran fine till around 150 - 200 rounds then the slide wouldn't lock back on one magazine after last round fired, then I started getting Failure to Ejects, then the other magazine acted up...

I finally sent it in and they replaced the extractor and adjusted the slide lock.
But it still wasn't reliable with some ammo which in turn, made it suspect.
I went with a Kahr PM9 which has had no failure to ejects on all brands of ammo that I have put through it.

I really wanted to like the Slim and ran hundreds of rounds of ammo through it to see if I could get to the point where it wouldn't FTE but I moved on.

You may get a good one, you may get a bad one. If you get one - you better run at least 500 rounds through it to make sure you can trust it.

 

[kalevatom]

We have 2 709's and they eat everything. Well over a 1000 rounds thru them. Factory, handloads, doesn't matter. Pretty accurate after you adapt to the loooonnnng trigger pull. Read about problems with them, but I've not had any. Our only complaint is the grooves on the backside of the grip. They will dig into the hand. A Limbsaver full-size grip is a must. My wife bought one because she thought it handled recoil better than the Kahr PM9. I bought one, well, just because. Good summer carry. My M&P 40 or 40c are my prefered winter carry's.

 

[AustinTX]

OP, you could spend an entire day reading about QC-related issues with the 709 on the Taurus fan site alone. Here are a few threads with very recent activity (again, from the Taurus fan site):

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=42394.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=42436.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=42450.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=42382.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=41793.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=35798.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=42791.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=42451.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=42071.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=41537.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=42097.0


It's certainly possible that you could end up with a 709 that never caused you any problems at all. With QC as deplorable as Taurus's, however, the odds of buying a problematic gun are unacceptably high.

My advice is: Buy quality once. Buying a lower-quality gun for the cost savings is very often an act of false economy. You may save a good deal of money up front, but there's a decent chance you're going to waste a good portion of that savings over time getting problems with the gun fixed (i.e. paying to have your gun shipped possibly multiple times to the factory). After that, you're still going to have a gun that's of much lower quality than other options.

 

[kalevatom]

AustenTX, I just googled all your guns. Should I post all the links of problems with yours? All first gen guns have issues. And I agree that the Taurus reputation did make me cringe. While I have no experiance with any other Taurus model, nor plan to, my 709's have been reliable and problem free. Maybe you should have posted the links from the Taurusarmed site of those happy with their CS. I think ghostriderftl should really go to taurusarmed.net and read up on the 709. I recommend that he at least go rent one, for starters.

 

[Onward Allusion]

I would suggest renting one before buying. Many of the forums are biased against Taurus. You know the saying - an unhappy customer will tell 100 people... or a hundred thousand in the case of Internet.

I personally would not trust a Taurus semi-auto for carry unless I've put 500 flawless rounds through it with the type of ammo you will be using on a regular basis.

ghostriderftl
Taurus SLIM
What are your thoughts on the Taurus SLIM?

 

[Forseti]

The 709 slim did catch my eye. I just don't like a safety switch on a self defense gun. After going through a self defense class, I quickly realized hitting the switch in full bore adrenaline mode is a potential problem. Wish they made a variant without a manual safety.

The next one I am going to look at is the Sig Sauer P290. Not out yet, though Sig said they start shipping December 2010.

 

[swmp9jrm]

My 709 has well over a thousand rounds through it. I carry it every day. Some folks have had problems with the 709, but mine's been just fine from day one. Eats any ammo I've put through it, both FMJ and HP. The 709 is a lot more comfortable to shoot than most small guns, which makes a lot of range practice possible.

 

[SauerGrapes]

I bought a 709 in June of 2009. The day after I bought it I went to the range with it. I was hopeful that I hadn't made a mistake buying it. I read all the problems and all the positive about Taurus and decided to take a chance.

Mine wouldn't eject through a full magizine. I sent it back the next day and 5 weeks later it was back. Again I was hopeful on my way to the range. The rest is history. I've put about a 1000 rds through it so far without one hicup.

In fact around the 600 rnd. mark the trigger started getting better and the gun will now shoot 3" groups at 50' and in some cases on a good day I can make a 15 round ragged hole. The trigger has a lot of take up on it, but a crisp 5lb. SA break.

When somebody asked about buying one, I just tell them, BUYER BEWARE! I probably will never buy another Taurus, but I have to say I like the 709.

 

[tenusdad]

Friends don't let friends buy Taurus.

 

[ranburr]

I bought the first one that I found and couldn't be happier. Keep in mind that most issues with guns can be traced back to user error. This is especially true the smaller pistols. I did have one issue. The slide rusted the first day that I carried it. I had it dura coated for $25 and don't worry about it anymore.

 

[jaweber]

i have the 740 slim in... you guessed it .40.. lol! any who i like the gun verry much purchased it as another carry option to my glock 23. only have a couple hundred rounds through it but no problems yet and i dont see there bein any to tell ya the truth it just feels really solid and smooth to me,but i could also be wrong lets just hope not lol! although it is pretty snappy in the recoil area but that is no suprise nor should it be since you have such a hot round in such a small lightweight package. and again this is not a target gun it is a self defense weapon and fits that role nicely atleast for me, i think alot of people forget what role certain guns are suppose to play!

 

[bossman]

Way to small for my hands make sure you fondle a few, liked the package just couldn't get a grip of it.

 

[sltintexas]

I really wanted the gun to work. Too many complaints on too many forums for me to take the leap of faith. I have one taurus and it had to go back for repair and took forever. I was at a gun show over the weekend drooling over the 709 this weekend. I wish I had enough faith to take the leap, but I just can't.

 

[xMINORxTHREATx]

My two cents about Taurus.

My friend has a Taurus PT1911, and a Kimber 1911. Guess which one he shoots the most, and carries. The Taurus.

And Taurus' customer service is amazing. My brother bought a Taurus 8 shot 357 revolver (not sure of the model number) for his girlfriend. He passed away in a car wreck the same day he bought it for her, so it's really close to her and means a lot to her. She went to shoot it one day and the hammer wouldn't pull back. She sent it back to Taurus, since they offer a lifetime warranty, with a letter saying why it was so important to get the same revolver back. They called her and said they could replace it right away, but since it means so much to get the same gun back, they will repair it and it may take a month or so. She was fine with it. They got the gun back to her within 3 weeks, and we checked the SN and its the same one. True to their word. Works fine now.

 

[Vince302]

New guy here. I have the PT709b Slim. I love the pistol and have run several hundred rounds through it in the couple of months I've owned it. All those rounds have been either CCI Blazer 115gr FMJ or Federal 115gr FMJ with zero malfunctions. I then tried some Cor-Bon 115gr JHP and the third shot jammed . I continued to try the Cor-Bon JHP +P with additional like malfunctions:. Later in the week I returned to the range with MagSafe JHP +P rounds and again experienced more malfunctions. The PT709 would fire and eject the first round from the chamber, the second round would chamber and fire but not eject with the third round still in the mag but partly out of the mag. The expended round still in the chamber upon removal exhibited a wrinkle about half way around near the base. I called Taurus to report the problem and was told the PT709 cannot handle +P ammunition which was news to me because there is no mention in the manual about that. At any rate I went back to the range this time with a box of Remington Golden Saber JHP standard velocity. The malfunctions continued as with the +P ammunition. I then called Taurus back to report the problem and am currently awaiting FedEx to pick up the pistol to send back to Taurus. I have read and did read numerous reviews of this pistol before purchasing it and saw some complaints about malfunctions, so I should have taken the comments to heart. FWIW I also own a Browning Hi-Power which is about ten years old that has had many thousands of rounds through it +P JHP's included as well as some of my reloads with never a malfunction. The Browning will eat anything I run through it. It is however too big for CC unless I have winter clothing on. That is the reason I purchased the PT709. I like its size and it shoots extremely well, but if I cannot run JHP's though it I do not want to carry it. We will see what Taurus does to it once they get it and return it to me. IMO a CC firearm must be totally reliable and even one malfunction in hundreds of rounds leaves me a little suspicious of it.

In the interim I purchased the Ruger LCP, got it on sale from Cheaper Than Dirt for $249. I love it, it shoots very good, is easily concealable in my back pocket wearing jeans. I have run everything though it except +P which the manual states at least two times in red that it cannot handle +P.

Thanks
Vince

 

[Vince302]

Well FedEx just picked it up we'll see how long it takes.

Vince