Comments on Ruger SR9c and Taurus 709 slim

[Sunny45]

I own a few Taurus pistols and I have used their cs a few times. They're great, very polite and very helpful on the phone. The repair turn-around time was very fast (within a couple of weeks). All my Tauri worked great, too, just like my Ruger's.

[chuckybrown]

Terryg, they send a FedEx box to your home for you to ship it to them, then ship it back once repaired.

And sorry for all the typos.....smart phone screen not formatting correctly...

[terryg]

Terryg, they send a FedEx box to your home for you to ship it to them, then ship it back once repaired.

That's pretty sweet - I like that.

[n5wd]

I would like to ask any of you who have experience with either of these models, to weigh in with pros & cons, reliability, etc.

I never got to fire a Taurus, but I did about 200 rounds with a rental SR9c and was very pleased with it. But, I hope you don't mind another suggestion. I also tried the Walther PPS at the same session at the range, and finally decided on that. The trigger feel of the SR9c and the PPS is quite similar, but with the PPS, I was able to get what felt like a better grip on the gun (I do have relatively big hands - mini-bear paws, if you will) and I did qualify with my son's full-sized SR-9 (248 out of 250) with a little practice., so it's not the size of the gun, rather the slimness of the PPS (it's a slim single-stack as compared to the SR-9c). I tried several other compacts, and while the SR-9c came up #2, I got the PPS, and love it. You might let the spouse shoot that one, if you can find one to rent or try, before making your decision. It's available in 9mm or .40, the 9mm has 6, 7, and 8-shot magazines (plus the one in the chamber).

Besides .. it's the one that the new Bond carries. How could you go wrong?

[Jumping Frog]

Frogger, what specific "catastrophic" failures are you talking about? As the owner
As the owner of two of these, I'd sure like to know.

Also, Taurus comes with a lifetime warranty ad door to door pick up and delivery. What "horrible" customer service should I worry about?

Are you speaking about first hand experience?

I never mentioned any "catastrophic" failures, so I cannot address that point.

As far as service goes, I have no personal experience. However, I have been a steady participant in certain gun forums for years, and have been involved in many conversations where people related their Taurus service experience. The two way shipping you are mentioning, seems hit or miss. I've read accounts where Taurus did pay to ship it back and I've read many accounts where they did not pay. I've also read accounts where people were waiting six weeks or longer without being able to get the status on their firearm.

Different manufacturers establish different reputations. Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and Springfield Armory all seem to have strong reputations for customer service. Conversely, there is a lot data floating around that would indicate Kimber and Taurus have a lackluster reputation. I don't personally have to have service problems with every brand to be aware of the reputation established by that brand.

[G.A. Heath]

My experience with Taurus is that they want to get their products fixed. I have a Model 44 (44 magnum) that the chambers were too tight on. I called them up and they were willing to ship it both ways from my door, I asked them to send the shipping label to my friend who is an FFL because our Fedex and UPS guys are fit the definition of India Delta 10 Tango. After I explained that aspect they had no problem working with me on that. From the day I called to the day I got it back in working order was 2 weeks and 1 day.

Since we bring Kimber into this one, I had a Kimber product break and they wanted to fix it as well I instead opted to upgrade some components and had it done locally. As to my experience with Glock, called them up told them the symptoms (Gen 4 in 9mm) and was told as soon as they got another batch of springs in they would ship me one. Three or Four weeks later I had the 04 spring for my Gen4 G19. My experience with Smith and Wesson was less than consistent, after all their extractors don't break. After asking them to accept it and look at it, and being refused, I finally gave up and sold that gun cheap with full disclosure of the damage. The other time I called them up I was told not to worry the part was on the way and wouldn't cost me anything. I once called Ruger to check on the availability of magazines and parts for a Ruger Standard (Think MK II/III but pre Mark I) I was thinking about buying. I requested an owners manual, after taking my address the CS rep remembered that the manual was available online and I told him I would just download it. About a week later I received a Standard/Mark II magazine in the mail at no charge, and the button was already flipped around for the older guns.

Some company's get a reputation for bad CS, some get a good one. Some people spread hearsay without any actual experience. Keep in mind that customer service is done by people. Those people make mistakes and have bad days. The bad examples get a lot more lip service than the good examples, and a good management team will correct the bad examples. In regards to my statement, everything I have posted above is from my own personal experience not something I have read somewhere or heard from a friend of a friends cousin's brothers father-in-laws uncle twice removed. My advice is simple: buy the gun YOU want, if your concerned about Customer Service then find a dealer that will get the gun from Davidson's for you so that you don't have to worry about dealing with anyone other than your local dealer. You may pay a little more, but their lifetime warranty is worth it to me.

[Sunny45]

I don't have the Taurus 709 but I do have the Ruger SR9c after owning the SR9 for about a year and loving it so much. The SR9c is a very sweet 9mm pistol for cc. The SR9 is my night-stand gun. Both worked flawlessly and have very light recoil. I also own a Taurus 24/7 Pro C DS in 9mm which is an excellent cc gun, too, but it's a bit bulky for summer time. The Ruger SR9c and Taurus PT145 are my favorites for concealed carry.

[chuckybrown]

How strange, the "catastrophic" failures post disappeared. Well, someone posted it then retracted it.

In regards to "other forums", consider that there is a lot of brand bashing that goes on. 1911 guys trash polymer guns, Glock guys trash Springfield guys, etc. And, I'm convinced a lot of these self professed experts are rapidly posting across many forums from their mommy's basements while still wearing footy pj's, quite possibly never having owned more than one gun....SO BY GOD THAT'S THE BEST GUN.

That being said, there are also a lot of folks that speak rationally to first-person experiences. Admittedly, its often tough to discern between the two, but I believe it can be done.

In regard to Taurus....IMHO they've found their niche. I'm happy I paid $340 for this little summer gun, and once things cool off I will default back to my XDm, or maybe my P12. Maybe.

Peace.

[Heartland Patriot]

How strange, the "catastrophic" failures post disappeared. Well, someone posted it then retracted it.

In regards to "other forums", consider that there is a lot of brand bashing that goes on. 1911 guys trash polymer guns, Glock guys trash Springfield guys, etc. And, I'm convinced a lot of these self professed experts are rapidly posting across many forums from their mommy's basements while still wearing footy pj's, quite possibly never having owned more than one gun....SO BY GOD THAT'S THE BEST GUN.

That being said, there are also a lot of folks that speak rationally to first-person experiences. Admittedly, its often tough to discern between the two, but I believe it can be done.

In regard to Taurus....IMHO they've found their niche. I'm happy I paid $340 for this little summer gun, and once things cool off I will default back to my XDm, or maybe my P12. Maybe.

Peace.

Having read quite a few articles on other firearms forums around the 'Net, I believe there to be a lot of truth in what you say about bashing. I think, in general, that the members of this forum are better than that, and hopefully can provide objective thoughts on firearms. And you have to use what works for you...