Taurus 9mm PT111 Gen 2 review
Jan 30, 2015 4:02:41 GMT
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Gingerbread Man and omegaman like this
Post by as556 on Jan 30, 2015 4:02:41 GMT
Ok guys, I will try and keep this relatively short, but basically I saw this on clearance for under $200 and after reading some reviews I decided to roll the dice, and I'm glad I did. Yes, I realize it's a Taurus. But the fact is I had a TCP and now this PT111 and they both flat out work. Ill break it down into some sub-categories along with some photos.
Cost-
This gun usually retails around $350, which for me is steep considering what else is in that price range. At $199 I honestly think its the best deal running. We are talking Hi Point prices here, guys. For a modern striker fired with an impressive feature list? C'mon.
Reliability-
This still remains to be seen, but my initial impression is very favorable. I put 200 rounds through it in about an hour and it did very, very well. I used:
50 Winchester 124gr NATO
50 Speer Lawman 124gr
70 Federal aluminum 115gr
20 Tula 115gr
15 Gold Dot 124gr
I took a pistol course a few months ago using 200 rounds over 4 hours and 2 "nice" 1911s choked several times using brass. The course of fire today was much faster paced and it was smooth sailing. (My Sig laughed at the 200 round course..it could probably handle a 2k round course easily)
Accuracy-
Wow. This little gun is a shooter. I was getting better groups right off the bat than I do with my other pistols. Weird, right? The bullets just seemed to go where I wanted without much effort.
Ergonomics-
The gun feels nice in the hand and allows a 3 finger grip unlike my old G26. Taurus evidently has been watching the market because the stippling on the frame is remarkably similar in feel to Sigs E2 grips. Was going to add Talon grips but it's honestly not needed. The reach to the trigger leaves nothing to be desired and works for my average size hands (size M glove). The safety is frame mounted reminiscent of a 1911 and is easy enough to actuate. The slide cant be cycled with the safety on. The slide stop is a little far forward and a bit sharp, but that's ok because I slingshot slides into battery anyway. Takedown is identical to a Glock.
Trigger-
The trigger, to me, is very nice. It is kind of unique in that its what I would call a SA/DA. When you chamber a round the gun is in single action mode. When the slide cycles in recoil it is once again in SA mode and will continue to be until the gun is empty. The only time it's in DA is if you have a failure to fire in which case the trigger converts to DA mode, allowing you a second strike capability. In DA the trigger pull cocks then releases the striker. If the round ignites it will cycle the slide thereby cocking the striker and putting you back into SA. The reset is very short and tactile, its actually quite a bit shorter than my Sig short reset trigger. The SA is an extremely light pull the first 3/4 of the triggers travel, then you hit a wall and its about 6lbs to break it. I like this because it's very easy to stage. The DA is about 6lbs throughout its travel.
Sights-
They are a standard 3 dot style, nothing special. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation with a flathead driver. I found them easy to acquire even as it became dusk.
Stippling compared to E2
Cost-
This gun usually retails around $350, which for me is steep considering what else is in that price range. At $199 I honestly think its the best deal running. We are talking Hi Point prices here, guys. For a modern striker fired with an impressive feature list? C'mon.
Reliability-
This still remains to be seen, but my initial impression is very favorable. I put 200 rounds through it in about an hour and it did very, very well. I used:
50 Winchester 124gr NATO
50 Speer Lawman 124gr
70 Federal aluminum 115gr
20 Tula 115gr
15 Gold Dot 124gr
I took a pistol course a few months ago using 200 rounds over 4 hours and 2 "nice" 1911s choked several times using brass. The course of fire today was much faster paced and it was smooth sailing. (My Sig laughed at the 200 round course..it could probably handle a 2k round course easily)
Accuracy-
Wow. This little gun is a shooter. I was getting better groups right off the bat than I do with my other pistols. Weird, right? The bullets just seemed to go where I wanted without much effort.
Ergonomics-
The gun feels nice in the hand and allows a 3 finger grip unlike my old G26. Taurus evidently has been watching the market because the stippling on the frame is remarkably similar in feel to Sigs E2 grips. Was going to add Talon grips but it's honestly not needed. The reach to the trigger leaves nothing to be desired and works for my average size hands (size M glove). The safety is frame mounted reminiscent of a 1911 and is easy enough to actuate. The slide cant be cycled with the safety on. The slide stop is a little far forward and a bit sharp, but that's ok because I slingshot slides into battery anyway. Takedown is identical to a Glock.
Trigger-
The trigger, to me, is very nice. It is kind of unique in that its what I would call a SA/DA. When you chamber a round the gun is in single action mode. When the slide cycles in recoil it is once again in SA mode and will continue to be until the gun is empty. The only time it's in DA is if you have a failure to fire in which case the trigger converts to DA mode, allowing you a second strike capability. In DA the trigger pull cocks then releases the striker. If the round ignites it will cycle the slide thereby cocking the striker and putting you back into SA. The reset is very short and tactile, its actually quite a bit shorter than my Sig short reset trigger. The SA is an extremely light pull the first 3/4 of the triggers travel, then you hit a wall and its about 6lbs to break it. I like this because it's very easy to stage. The DA is about 6lbs throughout its travel.
Sights-
They are a standard 3 dot style, nothing special. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation with a flathead driver. I found them easy to acquire even as it became dusk.
Stippling compared to E2
