The main difference is that Taurus has a long history of erratic quality control. All manufacturers turn out some bad guns, straight off of the assembly line, but Taurus seems to let way too many of them get out the door and into the hands of unsuspecting buyers. I can't tell you what the scope of this problem is, because there are no statistics that compare the various manufacturers. But most gun store owners and proprietors will tell you that they have more returns on Taurus guns, by a wide margin.

Revolver vs semi-auto? Revolvers seem to be less mystifying to those who have no experience with guns and are not particularly interested in learning how they work. There are no significant advantages to them, provided the training is good and you practice a lot. Some women complain that the slide on a semi-auto is too hard for them to work, a necessary action to load the chamber on a semi-auto. In reality, there are very few adults that cannot manage it, given the correct technique and enough practice. Some semi-autos give increased capacity and faster reloads, but this may not be much of a factor for a new shooter.

In my opinion, a new shooter should choose whichever he/she wants and do a lot of shooting with it, and then swap it later on, if not pleased with it. If you shoot enough, you will be spending enough on ammo that whatever loss you take on swapping the first gun for the second will probably not be very significant.

Read here: Taurus Quality?

You do get what you paid for.

Lisa, In case you didn't notice, you jumped to another thread so I posted an answer there:
Taurus Quality?

Dear Scott;

what do you think of the Taurus? i wanted to get a another person tell me what they thought now, i have to say when i clicked onto another thread, alot of people seem against a Taurus and that alot of them have had problems with Tauras, it seems to me that alot of problems with this brand from others, but that can be for anything.

Lisa

Lisa,
In my experience/reading, Taurus makes a lot of good guns but also sends out more bad ones than other big-name builders. By this, I'm talking about dimensional tolerances, surface finishes, and metallurgical flaws. You can't go by the model number; for example, they make some great PT709s and other 709s the require multiple trips to Miami to get fixed (usually). If you know what you are doing, you can check out a revolver pretty thoroughly by inspecting it carefully; but you almost need to be a gunsmith (or at least experienced) to do such an inspection. You can check out some things on a semi-auto pistol by inspection but you actually need to fire it (with several brands of ammo) to see if it will feed, fire, extract, and eject properly. So buying a Taurus is rolling the dice: you may get a good one or you may get a problem child. So it depends on you. If you are buying a gun just to shoot at the range it's only an inconvenience (and maybe expense) if the gun requires multiple trips to FL to be fixed. If you are buying a gun for self defense, I'd start with one that has a better reputation for reputability. Once you have a reliable self-defense gun, you can afford to play Taurus roulette. I might add that UPS requires handguns be shipped "overnight" which will cost you $50-75 if you have to pay for it. I have a Ruger P95 and a CZ75B (both full size 9mm) that have always been 100% reliable and the Ruger wasn't very expensive. I also have Taurus PT709 that has been to Miami once, subsequently had a faulty extractor replaced by me, and I'm still working on some trigger force problems. In case you didn't see my previous answer in the other thread, I'll repeat it here:
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Lisa, everything in guns is a tradeoff.

Revolvers are simpler. Just load rounds in the cylinder, pull the trigger, and it will go bang. If it doesn't, just pull the trigger again. No safety to fuss with. On the negative side, they hold fewer rounds (typically 5-7) and loading/unloading is not as fast. Most recommend .38 caliper as the minimum self-defense revolver caliper. Pistols chambered for the more powerful .357 round can also use less powerful (and less costly) .38 special ammo.

Semi-auto pistols typically hold more rounds, the small concealed-carry types hold 6-8 rounds and larger pistols hold 15-19 rounds. Loading a pistol magazine takes some time but a loaded magazine can be inserted or removed in seconds. Most recommend 9mm as the minimum caliper for self-defense pistols but some of the newer .380 rounds are pretty effective too (but less than 9mm). 9mm has the added benefit of being lowest-cost for a center-fire round. Of course .40 and .45 caliper are more effective, but also more costly with much more recoil. Complexity is the down-side of the auto pistol; lots can go wrong: jams, misfeeds. failure to fire, failure to eject, failure to feed. Some semi pistols won't work with certain ammo. So pistol users need to be prepared to deal with these problems.

Taurus guns seem to have more quality problems than other brands but any brand can fail. My advice would be to test any new gun thoroughly (several hundred failure-free rounds) before you trust it in an emergency. Be sure to "wring it out" any new gun while it's under warranty or during the 12 month free shipping period in the case of Taurus.

You can read a lot about guns in magazines and online but you really need to go to a gun store or gun show and hold a gun to see how it fits your hands and see how the trigger pull feels (ask permission before dry-firing someone else's gun). If the grip is too big or too small, if you can't comfortably operate the trigger, or if you can't reach or operate controls (like safety or magazine release or rack the slide), that's not the gun for you. Also consider weight: heavy is good unless you plan to carry the gun; then you want light. Light guns kick more. Bigger guns are easier to shoot well than small guns.

Personally, my self defense handguns are 9mm semi-auto pistols except for the one at my bedside. The bedside gun is a .357 revolver because I want something simple if I need to defend in the dark and maybe not fully awake. Also, the ultimate home defense gun is a shotgun (12 or 20 ga); shotguns are ideal for a defensive position (say barricaded in your bedroom) but they are harder to use on the move (like clearing your home).

Hey scott:

it has been some time sense we spoke wanted to let you know i picked out a gun a Taurus 92 and of cause paperwork not all in yet because i still have one more person to fill out one of the forms and then i can call and set up an appointment to get the paperwork in and also do the fingerprinting etc
i am looking foward to getting it and start wtih the course with my trainer who i got the gun from and i did shoot it as even though it is new he had to sell it as used and let me shoot it the first time high to the right and the second time right in the middle of the target.

I really like how it fits in my hand and like i said can't wait for everyting to come into place

Lisa, NJ

Lisa that should be a good gun for you, I have the same gun it shoots well, probably holds 17 rounds, that should be more than enough to get you out of trouble. It is a spin off for the Beretta 92 which the US military use. I have 5 Taurus weapons 4 revolvers, and 1 semi- auto. never had a problem with any of them. Just remember weapons are machines and machines do break depending on use. one thing about guns you have to pay attention every time you are around them, keep it lubricated and clean, you should really enjoy your 92.

Nice going enjoy your new gun. Have fun be safe!!!!

The Taurus 92 seems to be a nice weapon.

RCG

Originally Posted by LStetz

Hey scott:

it has been some time sense we spoke wanted to let you know i picked out a gun a Taurus 92 and of cause paperwork not all in yet because i still have one more person to fill out one of the forms and then i can call and set up an appointment to get the paperwork in and also do the fingerprinting etc
i am looking foward to getting it and start wtih the course with my trainer who i got the gun from and i did shoot it as even though it is new he had to sell it as used and let me shoot it the first time high to the right and the second time right in the middle of the target.

I really like how it fits in my hand and like i said can't wait for everyting to come into place

Lisa, NJ

I think that's a good pick. As others have said, the 92 is a copy of the current Beretta M9 military pistol (used by most US Armed Forces) but with some improvements. You've already know the gun's size and weight so that must be the type of gun you want. The 92 is a good design and since you've been able to check it out so it must be a good sample of that design. Individual Taurus guns are typically good or bad from the start; if they start out OK, they stay good. I think you'll appreciate the reduced recoil of a relatively heavy gun and the ease of shooting a relatively large gun. Be safe and always follow the three basic gun safety rules. Also be sure you understand the obsessive NJ firearms laws so you don't run afoul of the law. Good shooting.

hey:

well like i said when i was looking at the diffrent guns I kept going back to the taurus 92 with how it felt in my hand and i think shooting helped as well, the guy i bought it from is also going to be my trainer and has helped me with the paperwork and that is done and now have to call for an appointment with the firearms dept at the police station and also do finger prints, my trainer thinks it will be 2 months, others have told me 3 months.

i can not wait until i get the gun as my trainer has it because of the paperwork, it was strange that i kept going back to the taurus 92 because i really like how it felt, and i can not wait to be able to take the course and then take it to the range.

i also need to know what else i need other then ear and eye wear which i seen as kits. and a special safe for the gun, i was looking at the bulldogs? i think that is the name of brand i saw.

i also need to learn more about the nj laws, i know that they will never allow people to carry them as my trainer says, and i am glad he was nice enough to help me with the paperwork as it was a little confusing to me, now that i got all that done, will call for appointment with firearms dept and fingerprinting, hope it takes only 2 months because some people have said it has taken them 3 months to get their permits.

my trainer was having me hold the compact guns and i just could not get it holding such a small gun, keep in mind never shot a handgun and did shoot the one that i purchased only because it was sold as used even though it is new, this is all though my trainer but was not able to shoot the new ones and if something goes wrong then he will have to answer to me, and i really do not feel he would have sold me something bad as he did not come off to be that type of person as he works with the goverment.

the compact guns i just did not like how they felt, the one was heavy and i do believe that was a beretta that was not bad, maybe when i get used to shooting and have more experience then i will try a compact.

well that is it for now

Lisa, NJ