61 replies to this topic

[Menace]

With the plastic bottom it looks top heavy... Along with the short grip if you have medium to big hands you have the chance of pinching your pinky finger when inserting the mag or not getting it in all the way and then have the mag drop when you need to fire the thing. My buddy carries an off duty gun similar and I can't stand the way it shoots and still have the scars on my pinky finger.... Unless you're one of those guys who drink wine and load pistols with your pinky finger out j/k I have never owned a taurus and they tend to be cheap knock offs of other weapons. Shot the knock off of the 92fs they made and I hated it... but that was over 10 years ago.John

[Menace]

Thats why I quoted "shoots all the time" I have not come across a gun that is 100% reliable all the time. I'm sure those of us who have spent their fare share of time in any gun store could fill a thread with gun myths, urban legends, and bad advice we have heard employees, friends of buyers, or buyers them selves utter out.John

[Ken43]

Just for thought. The worst malfunction I ever had was in a revolver. I was carrying a S&W mod. 19 (357) and working for the Ca. Hwy. Patrol. Went to the range one day to shoot some .357 ammo that I had been carrying for about 6 months. The first shot the cylinder locked up. Upon examination I found that the firing pin had popped a hole in the primer and allowed hot gases to come out the hole in the primer. The metal in the primer had melted and flowed back into the firing pin hole in the frame and welded the cylinder to the frame. By pushing on the cylinder release and hitting the cylinder with a closed fist I finally opened it. On the next shot the gun did the same thing. Needless to say I didn't shoot a 3rd shot. My biggest mistake was I didn't shoot this ammo before I started carrying it. I never made that mistake again.

[45Colt]

Hi Ken43,I don't think it was the ammo.The ammo sounds like it was reliable.I do believe it was the firing pin being a smidge too long.When the firing pin hits,it makes the indentation too much at the anvil,causing a hole.Then, those hotgasses sprays back.Causing the lock-up.I think my S+W Model 28 Highway Patrolman did the same;pierced primers.Took a couple of file strokes on the firing pin.Never had a pierced primer again.After that, shot over 30K rounds with it.Had it until the 44mag bug bit.No, S+W didn't recommend me to change to the 44 mag.Even if it was an "N" frame.OK, sold it.Bought a Ruger SBH 44mag.Haven't looked back since.

[capitol]

I'll take an auto loader over the sexier revolver any day. I think the revolver has its place, but a reliable 1911 is it for me.

[Quade]

Same here, There is something about the 1911 I just love it.

[harry carey]

1) Sam Colt invented the revolver and called it a pistol , dueling "pistols " !!! 2) by the way ... it was Hatcher who changed the meaning of the term semi-auto and should not have as the term was already taken. does anyone know what i am talking about ? 3) the guns that break the most in rental inventories in ranges are Glocks. Glocks are only kept two years in the Glock rental pgm. which is a profitable deal for the range by the way. ( $275.00 for the gun ) 4) if you can find someone in a range who will tell the truth you might learn a great deal. I worked in more than one. S&W revolvers went one to one and a half millon rds. every 300,000 to 350,000 rds,. we sent them back for a new cylinder as the notches tear and free of charge S&W would replace barrel and cylinder. after two trips, more than one millon rds. we would sell it to a gun smith. we had one S&W model of 1905 that was 75 years old. we did not clean it much and the copper build up finally split the barrel at the forcing cone. 75 years old . I shoot autos as much as I do revolvers and like both . it is a different if you actually shoot guns a lot and not just talk about them as most people do. most folks shoot very little but talk too much and do not have the experience necessary too back it up. the 1911 is the most durable auto there is. period. if you do not like them , buy something else, if you dont like wheel guns buy something else , but do not try to BS your gun into something it is not. you can only go so far on BS. it was Hatcher who said... energy, bullet shape, bullet composition are the requirments for stopping power. you can get this easier from a revolver. hey , i had a 9mm magnum once. that was a hoot. i also had a S&W 610. accurate. scary accurate, and enuf power. Sigs never went more than 8,000 rds w/o breaking. Berettas went 5,000 in rental . facts . SHOOT< SHOOT A LOT .

[harry carey]

KEN 43- the ammo THEN was as hot as 46,000 cup ( supervel) in 357mag. the current SAMMI spec is 35,000. the old stuff was very hot, too hot for K frame guns on a regular basis. the biggest problems I have seen with handguns have been with FACTORY ammo and remanufactured ammo. yes they load too hot sometimes and screw up too . I have seen two S&W revolvers blow up because the remanufacturer put the WRONG gunpowder in the machine. S&W quality back when they were being bought and sold regularly was not good, read Elmer Keiths articles.

[outdoorsguy29]

Semi-auto is good to have if your one of those who can get or has a Conceal Carry Permit or live in a high crime area. Then again if semi's are what you like... If you don't plan on being in any gang war then revolvers are good as you don't have to worry as much about what type of bullet to use or what grain as some semi's are kind of picky what kind of ammo works best in what auto you get. Hope that helps.

[Portagee_Shooter]

One interesting thing about shooting .44 Special and .44 Magnum is they shoot extremely close to the same impact point. The slower .44 Special has time to raise the barrel and the .44 Magnum comes out faster so the barrel doesn't raise as much. [1]:

I've noticed that when shooting my Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 with special and magnum. I didn't understand why they shot so close together...NOW I DO! Thanks SJ!I wonder if that will still hold true when I pick up my Taurus M44 that's ported?BTW - for reliability I'll always take a revolver....BUT I LOVE THEM 1911's!!!

[Mayhem]

Right now ..... I Use my Sig p229 .40 S&W for CCW, Home Defense and Self Defense. It was my primary Duty pistol. (This is my People Gun)I Use my Sig p220 .45 ACP for Outdoors self defense for Fishing and hunting. (This is my jack of all trades and Animal Gun)Both have Trijicon Tritium Night Sights.I had a Glock 27 .40 S&W but didn't like it so I got rid of it.I plan on Adding at least 2 more hand guns. A sig p239 .40 S&W for CCW and Fishing (tackle box gun). a Smith Model 460V 5" Revolver in .460 S&W Mag or a Smith Model 460 XVR 8 3/8" Revolver in .460 S&W Mag (Hunting Gun). I want the .460 because I can go from light .45 Colt loads to .454 Casull and all the way up to hot .460 S&W mag loads.

[outdoorsguy29]

Why complicate matters? pick what you like. I tend to go for simplicity which means revolvers. Since I don't plan to be in any war or be in any gang wars fast reloading of any handgun is not really an issue. With my Taurus 608 I have 4- pouches of speed strips w/4 speedloaders (just in case). Other than the weight I have no problem with it. I have three different types of holsters. One is a western type the second is a tactical thigh rig which I find very comfortable and the third is a crossdraw which as mentioned is comfortable when sitting down or driving. Hope this helps.

[msand951]

Im a newbie when it comes to hunting but ive been shooting since i was 6yrs. So far my favorite gun is my 1911 38 super colt. Out of all that i have posted on my profile. As for the taurus I had the PT-140 millenium 40 cal. Looks good, feels good in your hand, And will shoot good but not as good as a 1911 ( my opinion). Also you need to use good name brand ammo. if not it will jam. Didnt like the plastic internals for the trigger assembly. It ended up breaking and the trigger wouldnt engage. The great thing is they have lifetime warranty thats is transferable if you sell it. I sent mine in to Taurus they fixed it at no charge and i sold it to my brother in law.

[BC9696]

I have several auto and revolving handguns but for the field I prefer my Glock. It's lighter than my revolvers and just as reliable...plus it holds 4 more rounds should I find myself battling pothead farmers and/or two legged coyotes.

[msand951]

What are two legged coyotes

[ShooterJohn]

Two legged coyotes would be BAD GUYS.

[yoteblaster]

Glock 21 .45, thats what good men carry!

[Old timer]

Bottom line to each their own

[outdoorsguy29]

I would go with revolver as you would have your pick of ammo to use where as semi's tend to be picky and you really don't need that much ammo unless that is the only gun you plan on taking.

[dubious]

I have a Mil Pro 9mm (PT - 111 pro). I absolutely love it... it's kinda my beater handgun, but its a champ. The trigger took some breaking in but now it's sweet. Once you pull in the slack its very 1911 like for a polymer pistol. The slack is good on a CCW gun, but at the end of the slack is something like breaking a glass rod. The grip angle and safety are also very similar to 1911 and good for cross training with that pistol. At 18.5 oz, the 9mm is pretty snappy... the .45 would probably require some advanced pistolero skill to handle. Speaking of advanced skill, getting a full size handgun is the way to go for hunting... this is more of a CCW gun. That said I can personally shoot my PT-111 as well as my 1911. Taurus has lifetime warranty but they have a reputation for taking a few months to repair anything. Forget about buying any replacement parts like a glock or a 1911. I have considered trading my PT-111 for a glock or an XD many times, but the ergonomics and the trigger are just plain better, IMHO.

[dangerranger]

For years Ive carried a single action 22. I mostly use it for a close up finishing shot or for snakes. I wanted the lightest revolver to carry. I found a FIE with a 4 1/2" barrel. I also have a Ruger single six, but the FIE is much lighter. its the same design as the Heritage Rough Rider, mostly alloy with a painted finish. with snake loads it shoots quarter size pattern at 7ft thats dense enough to kill a snake. untill recently Ive been happy with that. but all around here farmers have been finding illegal drug dump sites. maybe its time to rethink my reasons for carrying a pistol. DR

[Braz]

What he heck is a FIE? Please don't assume everyone knows.

[Heywood]

Google's your friend Braz, just a quick search revealed:Firearms International Export (FIE) was not a manufacturer but an importer of inexpensive and frankly very poor firearms. Many of it's products came from small shops in Spain and Italy, but with FIE it could come from anywhere, including Pakistan and the Phillipines. IMHO one should steer clear of any firearm with the FIE Marqueand Previous importer (F.I.E. is the acronym for Firearms Import & Export) located in Hialeah, FL until 1990.F.I.E. filed bankruptcy in November of 1990 and all models were discontinued. Some parts or service for these older firearms may be obtained through Numrich Gun Parts Corp. (see Trademark Index), even though all warranties on F.I.E. guns are void.

[southwestca]

I think if it were me I would buy one automatic of your liking and one revolver of your liking. Just spread the purchases out over 6 weeks instead of three. That way you can tell her you have cut your spending by 50%.

[Braz]

Yep, I could use Google, but why should I expend the effort? The poster should just spell it out. Dang, how much time does it take to type a few extra letters? But if someone is that lazy, what can I say. By the way Heywood, thanks for expending the effort that the poster should have made.

[dangerranger]

FIE is the company name. they quit importing after the 1968 gun control act. and started making their own . they went broke during the last big ressesion [1980] and sold there operation to Heritage arms., who still make it as the rough rider. Ive heard alot of negitives over the years but after 40 years of constant use it still shoots min of snake.these were shot with high velosity ammo. with subsonics it shoots nearly to point of aim. my only complaint has been the painted finish. but every 10 years or so I repaint it. DR

[GSH]

I have a Colt Python 357 Mag. could not ask for a better shooting revolver, also own a Colt Trooper 357 Mag, shoots pretty good but not like the snake. Plan on getting a 1911 style pistol in 45 acp, just like the looks.

[Single Six]

My '70s retired PD Colt 1911. Yes, she felled that tree. I love it, they are an addiction. I haven't been on this forum in months since I got it, been on the 1911 forums. It's old and worn and not very accurate (I intend to rectify that to some degree), but reliable. A 1911 will cost more and take more knowhow to use and maintain. If you get one, get a used good one (Colt, Springfield, etc.) vs. a new inexpensive brand. I can't stand Kimber. A 1911 is very customizable, part of their attraction. I'd go basic to start, shoot it a while, then decide what you want to change. Don't mess with it right off the bat. I've tried a few changes and always gone back to original. A DA revolver is simpler and likely more accurate if you want to hunt with it too. Go DA, if one hand is busy you can still blast 'em off.

[outdoorsguy29]

With handgun you come across finicky ammo and then you have to find the right ammo that will work with your handgun. Revolvers are not finicky at all and you have more variety to choose from. For instance I have a .357 with it I can use not only .357 but any .38 special ammo as well.

[outdoorsguy29]

If you want a revolver to back you up or as a primary I would suggest a .44 mag single action and weighs less than a double action.