Non-SASS But Gun Related - Taurus Spectrum Rant

[Church Key, SASS # 33713]

Recently posted this on GlockTalk, thought it might be of interest here:

 

I recently got a new Taurus Spectrum from Bud's for $140. I carry a S&W Bodyguard .380 and thought that the Spectrum would make a good replacement or backup as it's lighter and recently received a very good review in the American Rifleman; my bad!

Disassembled it to see if it needs lubing, was fairly clean and lightly oiled. Managed to put a mild kink in the recoil spring when reassembling, was a red flag that I should have noticed. Contacted Taurus via their website and wanted to know how to buy a couple of extra springs. They never responded to me (another red flag).

Tried to dry fire it with dummies and had several jams (red flag #3). Took it to the range and got multiple misfeeds and jams; managed to get 9 shots before completely giving up. Sent a repair request to Taurus via their website. Been two days, no response from them. Am now at red flag #4. Also, their warranty fine print states that I have to ship it to them on my nickel. This is at least $50 based on a recent transfer to an FFL in Ohio.

I'm going to see if one of my trap buddies or the gun shop where I did the transfer will buy this POS for $50. Now I understand why Taurus has a lousy reputation. They work hard to earn it.

I've bought many new guns in the past. Over time have had to return a S&W 62, Ruger Bisley, and a SCCY SC-2 for repairs. All have had shipping paid for by the manufacturer; not so with Taurus. Lesson learned, never deal with them again.

Rant Over

[Pat Riot]

I feel your pain...I bought a Remington R51 nearly 2 years ago. It took 3 trips back to Remington before they finally opted to replace it. The one I bought was a Gen 2 gun. They replaced it with a Gen 1 gun, a reworked return. They kept the fiber optics sights on the first one and didn’t credit my account for them as promised. 
 

The Remington RM380 I bought at the same time. It was a wonderfully reliable pocket pistol, but I got rid of them both after I noticed the frame on the RM380 was eroding slightly. I found little tiny bits of aluminum in the slide rails in in the trigger area. 
 

I am happy to be rid of both. 

[Henry T Harrison]

20 hours ago, Church Key, SASS # 33713 said:

Recently posted this on GlockTalk, thought it might be of interest here:

 

I recently got a new Taurus Spectrum from Bud's for $140. I carry a S&W Bodyguard .380 and thought that the Spectrum would make a good replacement or backup as it's lighter and recently received a very good review in the American Rifleman; my bad!

Disassembled it to see if it needs lubing, was fairly clean and lightly oiled. Managed to put a mild kink in the recoil spring when reassembling, was a red flag that I should have noticed. Contacted Taurus via their website and wanted to know how to buy a couple of extra springs. They never responded to me (another red flag).

Tried to dry fire it with dummies and had several jams (red flag #3). Took it to the range and got multiple misfeeds and jams; managed to get 9 shots before completely giving up. Sent a repair request to Taurus via their website. Been two days, no response from them. Am now at red flag #4. Also, their warranty fine print states that I have to ship it to them on my nickel. This is at least $50 based on a recent transfer to an FFL in Ohio.

I'm going to see if one of my trap buddies or the gun shop where I did the transfer will buy this POS for $50. Now I understand why Taurus has a lousy reputation. They work hard to earn it.

I've bought many new guns in the past. Over time have had to return a S&W 62, Ruger Bisley, and a SCCY SC-2 for repairs. All have had shipping paid for by the manufacturer; not so with Taurus. Lesson learned, never deal with them again.

Rant Over

I bought one of those pieces of trash it had a $35 rebate which made it what I thought would be a bargain. It wasn’t. To start with I never got the rebate. The trigger pull is horrible and the sights non existent. I’m still waiting for a full magazine without a malfunction.

I’ll never even consider a Taurus again. Lesson learned when you pay Saturday night special prices you get what you pay for Saturday night special junk

[Fast Tracker]

While working at Gander Mountain, more Taurus guns were returned than all others combined.

[Trigger Mike]

Wow.  How are their revolvers?  No excuse for bad service 

[LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L]

5 hours ago, Trigger Mike said:

Wow.  How are their revolvers?  No excuse for bad service 

The revolvers seem to be better than the semi-autos.  I've got two friends that carry only Taurus revolvers.  I've done action jobs on them and they are sweet.

 

We sell a ton of both revolvers and autos at the LGS I work at part time.  The price is the reason.  Taurus revolvers are 2/3 the price of comparable Smith and Wesson, and the semi autos are 1/2 or less.  

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

5 hours ago, Trigger Mike said:

Wow.  How are their revolvers?  No excuse for bad service 

Their older revolvers are great little guns. I have several Model 85s, 2 & 3 inch barrels, and my wife and I both carry them as our CCW guns. I also have a 94, and an 82, no complaints there either.

Newer ones, like the Judge series I have heard Bad things about. 

[JD Lud]

Had a Rossi (same as Taurus last I knew) 357 I bought new 10 years ago.  Had to wear safety glasses as not aligned perfect and would spit metal on your face when fired occasionally.  The cylinder and frame all fell out into the snow one day when shooting.  Sold it for next to nothing to be rid of it...don’t plan on ever buying a product of theirs.

[LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L]

My Taurus horror story is the Thunderbolt.  I worked on one for over a year, sent it back to the factory twice.  Would not reliably feed 10 rounds without jamming.  I finally held it above my head at a match and in a loud and unmelodious voice stated that the first person with a $100 bill was welcome to it.  

 

I haven't owned a Taurus since then.

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L said:

The revolvers seem to be better than the semi-autos.  I've got two friends that carry only Taurus revolvers.  I've done action jobs on them and they are sweet.

 

We sell a ton of both revolvers and autos at the LGS I work at part time.  The price is the reason.  Taurus revolvers are 2/3 the price of comparable Smith and Wesson, and the semi autos are 1/2 or less.  

I've got a Taurus 605 .357 snubbie that's great! No problems and shoots good! I was carrying it for awhile but it's now one of my many house guns!

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life]

Their "Colt" style rifle was, IMHO, one of the worst mechanical contraptions of my experience!!! 

[Go West]

I had one of their model 66's years ago and it was a good shooter. I also had two semi-autos and they were awful and unreliable. I have been tempted by several foreign gun makers from time to time, but have decided I am better served by top American makers for self defense and edc. I can easily justify spending another hundred dollars or so thinking my life is worth at least that much.

[DocWard]

Since resuming a part time gig at Gander Outdoor, Gander Mountain's successor, we've sold a ton of the Taurus G2C, and the feedback has been positive. The reviews and comments on YouTube and elsewhere have also been positive. The Spectrum, on the other hand, has been a mixed bag at best. When someone shows an interest, I tell them to do some research before they buy one.

 

I will say I don't recall the last time I saw a magazine of any sort give a firearm a truly bad review.

 

I find it interesting that Taurus has changed their customer service for the worse. A few years back when I needed a repair on a revolver, they paid shipping, and I had it back in less than two weeks. A sign of the times, I suppose. 

[Blackwater 53393]

I have a Taurus Millennium Pro in .45 acp that has been a solid performer for me and then my son for nearly 20 years. Literally thousands of rounds of all kinds, including some pretty stout reloads, without any problems.

 

 I also have a Taurus 450 snub nosed revolver. It shoots where I point it and has been most reliable as my “dressed” carry weapon.

 

 I did have one of the ‘mater stick rifles that initially didn’t function very well, but Willy McCoy put it right and I’ve heard no complaints from the subsequent owner.  He wanted it worse than I did and paid good money for it!!

[Trigger Mike]

My 14 year old wants the taurus judge for snakes but the reviews have been bad so I tell him to save up for a smith governor instead.

[Patagonia Pete]

If you made your purchase decision based on an article found in American Rifleman then you should probably direct some of your feedback to them.

 

It wasn't clear in your posting ... did you try shooting the gun before you disassembled it to lube it up ... (when the recoil spring got kinked)??

[Badlands Bob #61228]

You get what you pay for when it comes to guns.  

[Chili Ron]

Howdy,

I worked in a factory for a while.

When a shipment of parts shows up some will be out of spec.

Do they get dumped or reworked or used as they are.

The more parts get dumped the higher the price of the remaining parts.

The more often parts get checked the more the checking adds to the cost.

And do they xray parts for hidden flaws?

All this adds to cost. Quality control aint free.

Best

CR

 

[Three Foot Johnson]

I was the gun room manager for Sportsman's Warehouse from 2007-2012, and sent back more Taurus revolvers for warranty service than everything else we sold, combined. The Judge was the worst piece of crap in the entire manure wagon. The autos though, I can only remember sending back two, one of which was for a buggered sight screw the customer couldn't get loose. I don't remember what the other one was for. This was "pre-Spectrum", of course.

[Cypress Sun]

45 minutes ago, Chili Ron said:

Howdy,

I worked in a factory for a while.

When a shipment of parts shows up some will be out of spec.

Do they get dumped or reworked or used as they are.

The more parts get dumped the higher the price of the remaining parts.

The more often parts get checked the more the checking adds to the cost.

And do they xray parts for hidden flaws?

All this adds to cost. Quality control aint free.

Best

CR

 

 

Yep.......so screw the customer whose life may depend upon the product.

 

I may be are rare person these days. If it ain't 100% right, I'm not going to put my name on it or sell it. Some folks have integrity, some don't.

[Church Key, SASS # 33713]

OP update as of 1/23/20 – As suggested by several folks, finally contacted Taurus Customer Service via telephone; took two tries, finally spoke to a live rep after a 23 minute hold. They emailed me a FedEx label, so no shipping cost. Had my info in the system, but apparently only deal when pinged with phone calls. Anyhow, will post and update when the saga is finished.

[Rye Miles #13621]

4 hours ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

You get what you pay for when it comes to guns.  

Sometimes you pay too much for what you get too!

[Trigger Mike]

I've decided that life is too short to keep a jam o matic that I can't get fixed.   

[Ramblin Gambler]

It's a shame. Taurus used to be THE bar for customer service. I remember sending a pt-101 back to them 20 something years ago. Can't remember what was broke but it was definitely something I did. They sent a box, fixed my problem and 3 other problems I didn't realize I had and sent it back all for no charge. At the time no other gun manufacturer had anything approaching that level of warranty. 

 

2 years ago I sent a kel tech back for something that was clearly their screw up.  Near as I can figure they used the wrong kind of lock tite to secure the buffer tube. I'd taken it to a gunsmith and even he said it wasn't right. I still had to pay to ship it back to them but at least it was free after that. I think shipping it on our dime is the new normal. Probably had too many abusing it. 

[Sixgun Sheridan]

I had two G2s that barfed on me at the same time. I had to pay to send them in and it took four months to get them back... all they replaced were a couple of springs. Taurus does not sell spare parts to end users, so if anything breaks or wears out you're screwed unless somebody in the aftermarket sells it.

[Dirty Low Down sass 23492]

O.K.----been considering the little Taurus tip up barrel  22 semi  for a present for our daughter-----post on wire recently made me aware that  Baretta made one also (that I was overlooking)-----sounding like I need to dig out some more $$ and go the Beretta route !!  years ago I had some good Taurus pistols --a 45 acp ported barrel semi & a 44 spec snub nose revolver ---they were both heavy to carry but great shooters!!