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GunNewb wrote:I just want to make one more update to this post...

I have now put 75 rounds through my new Taurus TCP 380 and I must say that this is a sleeper for sure. This gun works flawlessly!!! Check out my target from the range today.



That's 25 rounds on target...

Good on you broh!

chamuiel wrote:

wgoforth wrote:

GunNewb wrote:@mrvmax

I decided to pick one up today. I bought my TCP .380 at Academy for $216.00 after taxes. I didn't have a chance to take it to the range...but hopefully I can do that soon. I hope this gun turns out to be as good as the price I paid for it.

Be SURE to clean thoroughly....doesn't matter if it looks clean, Tauri's are packed in cosmoline, and gets down in hard to spot areas. Field strip first before range trip and you'll be happier with your experience.

It is not just Taurus guns. All guns need a good cleaning before heading to the range. I have seen many people complain about a gun misfiring, jamming, etx right "out of the box". And they mean right out of the box, no cleaning. All guns are packed in a coating of cosmoline. It is a rust preventative and the guns can be stored that way for years.

And you are right, of course...but i don't think I've ever seen any with as much as the Tauri's have.

A tip on mouse guns..... do not use slide releases to rack the round and be careful to not "follow the slide" or let your fingers touch the slide as it slams into battery. Although these can interfere with any gun chambering a round properly, it is very important on these guns as the lack of weight and force on a smaller slide as it closes. I used to have some issues with feeding problems till I learned not to use the slide release. This cured it.

Scott in Houston wrote:

GunNewb wrote:@ Jerry Bob

Well with a price like $216.00 for a gun that many people highly recommend..its well worth the risk. But thank you for the advice. I will let everyone know how this thing performs when I take it to the range.

One thing to keep in mind however…

The price of putting hundreds of rounds through the gun to ensure that it works is high. I would not trust any "pocket" gun without it being able to shoot several hundred rounds with zero issues.

+1 on the hundreds of rounds...with any gun. I will say I have shot hundreds of rounds with the Sig P238 w/o a single issue one.

barstoolguru wrote:should have went with a 9mm, ammo is cheaper and is a better defense round

As I mentioned above, .380 ammo is not that much higher now with the popularity of it. Up to a year or so ago, yeah. But I buy name brand regularly $11.45-$13.99 a box of 50. And anyone would agree a 9mm is a better defense round. A 40 is better than a 9, and a 45 better yet...

GunNewb wrote:@wgoforth

Oh trust me friend... I just spent over an hour cleaning this firearm. I'm still not finished yet... This thing had oil caked on it...

When I got it home..I racked the slide and noticed that it felt sorta gritty (only word that I could think of at 12AM). I found out why when I ran a clean cloth through it.

Great! Your ahead of the game

GunNewb wrote:@mrvmax

I decided to pick one up today. I bought my TCP .380 at Academy for $216.00 after taxes. I didn't have a chance to take it to the range...but hopefully I can do that soon. I hope this gun turns out to be as good as the price I paid for it.

Be SURE to clean thoroughly....doesn't matter if it looks clean, Tauri's are packed in cosmoline, and gets down in hard to spot areas. Field strip first before range trip and you'll be happier with your experience.

Jumping Frog wrote:

Napier wrote:The problem is that it is a Taurus. I love their designs, but EVERY Taurus pistol I have ever bought had to go back to Miami to get fixed... . .Just be prepared to send back for repair anything you buy. Good thing their warranty is the lifetime of the gun.

At $60-$70 per trip.

I've heard hot and cold reports from gun forums over Taurus customer service. Sometimes Taurus will pay for the return shipping. Sometimes they do not. If they don't, shipping a handgun is expensive.

Don't get me wrong, every firearm manufacturer can and will have customer service issues with a percentage of their firearms. However, I choose to stick with top-tier manufacturers like Smith & Wesson and Ruger because they have built a reputation for standing behind their products and providing superior customer service that spans decades.

In contrast, Taurus has a spotty record and reputation for customer service. Their new President has announced to the firearms industry that improving customer service is one of his primary corporate objectives, and they have made progress in the last year. However, "progress for a year" versus "reputation spanning decades" -- I am sticking with the latter.

That's my honest opinion, worth what you paid for it.

I have almost always found this to be the answer on the shipping with Taurus: IF it is purchased new, and in the first year they will ship. If they do not offer, ~ask~. I have owned a dozen Tauri, shipped back 3 guns 5 different times. All pre- paid by them. Not did not just e-mail a label, they had Fed Ex at my door with a box. One forum member thought I was calling him a liar when he said Taurus would not ship, then he realized his friends gun was indeed used. So be careful in reading the forum complaints in this respect as many don't realize when Taurus will and won't.

As to customer service.... I think the guys on the phone are the typical minimum wage front line phone answerers, and have seldom been happy with their understanding my need or issue.... but thankfully they are not the ones who work on the guns. I have had my guns back in a week, sometimes a month. Not predictable there.... but then my $800 Para-Ordnance was gone 3 months and sent back un-repaired.

Is Taurus a ~great~ gun? No. Is it a good bargain for the money gun? Depends on model. IMO the 24/7 has been one of their best. Shot 1,000 rounds in one day in a combat school crawling through blowing sand. Functioned 100%. Have now shot over 10,000 rounds through it and still functions 100%. PT 92 is the Beretta 92 made on their same machinery in their own factory purchased by Taurus. In fact, a better feeling trigger. That's a good purchase for the money. The 709, I didn't like but others do. I had the TCP and never had any issues but traded up to the S&W Bodyguard and then to the Sig P238 that is far and above any other .380 mousegun out there.

Scott in Houston wrote:I've had a TCP for about 2 years now. It's a decent little .380 (for a .380). I chose it over the S&W and the Ruger because of its trigger and the lock back on the last round.
Of all the .380 options, it's still the one I'd recommend to people just based on my personal experience.

All that being said, I almost never carry it. And when I do, I feel almost naked.
After Aurora, it feels like I'm WAY under-gunned... even though nothing has happened (yet). Also, the video of the internet cafe in Florida, that was a .380... a TCP actually. It was definitely better than nothing, but dang, if I'm ever needing my gun and that's all I have on me... I'll kick myself forever for not just going ahead and carrying the G26 or a bigger gun.

One thing about all of these "mouse" guns... it's very common to need break-in, and it's very common to need some sort of 'repair' to make them reliable. They're so small with such tight tolerances, that there's little room for error. Also, people tend to not practice with them because .380 is expensive, and the little .380's are not fun to shoot for long periods of time.

.380 was expensive when it was an unpopular round and made in limited supply. It was expensive during the ammo-grab a few years ago. The past year or so it has run close to same as 9mm as the market is so flooded with pocket .380's the manufacturers have caught up. I bought S&B .380 delivered at $11.45 a box 5 months ago.