SmallCaliberCentral

Been looking at one at one of the local shops. I don't know if I want a 9mm or 40s&w. I know revolvers and T/C Encore. Semi autos are kinda new to me. I do know it feels better to me than the XD and the Smith sigma. Are they dependable weapons?

VA, If you are picking between a 9mm and a 40 S&W I'd go with the 40. Ammo is a little more expensive but the performance is better. As far as Taurus goes they are not the best on the market but not the worst either. I've only owned one (a revolver) and it didn't float my boat (had to send it back for repair after one use). If I were you I'd find a good used Sig Sauer. Gary

I don't think I can afford even a used Sig. But I did go to the Sportsmans warehouse today and did a comparison. S&W Sigma, Taurus,and Ruger. All were in the same price range, and all were 40sw. The sigma had the worst trigger of the 3. The Taurus had the sloppiest feeling action. The Ruger(P94 I think) had the best trigger of the three and also pretty nice feeling action. I have heard the opinions of Ruger autos(non-rimfire) be all over the place. Would that be a step up from a Taurus or just a lateral move?

VA Varm: You did not say what you want the pistol for, but to me, and this purely subjective on my part, Ruger semi-auto centerfire pistols are overly 'clunky', bulky, and unnecessarly large and hard to conceal compared to competing brands.

As far as 'step-up' goes, any name brand pistol made in the USA would be preferred to anything made in Latin America, but again, that's subjective on my part.

In the end, buy what feels good to you, in your hand. Or save a bit longer and get something that you'll keep for many years...Colt, Sig, Browning, Kimber, Springfield, Beretta......you get the idea. (Notice Glock is not mentioned?....To me it's 'block'....I know, subjective again).

I'd consider more how the pistol feels to you, and less on what others have to say. A pistol is a very personal thing. In all fairness though, Taurus' reputation and quality have vastly improved since they updated their factory with all CNC equipment. They're not bad pistols for the money. It's your choice.

I've owned a Taurus .38 spl and a .357 mag and two 9 mm (mod 92). All worked very well. With the 9 mm I had only one "stove pipe" in about 3000 rounds. Why do I no longer have it? Sold it to pay the rent several years ago! If I were i nthe market for a new semi auto, I would look real close at their new 24/7. And although I've been a 9 mm guy in this case I would get the 40 because these new pistols hold so many cartridges.

I work at a gun counter and we sell a lot of handguns. That doesn't mean I know a lot because handguns are not a big priority in my life. We do sell a lot of Taurus products and most customers are very satisfied with them. When we have a problem, Taurus is THE FASTEST to repair and return. Their warranty is great. Surprisingly to me we send back a lot of S&W and they are good on warranty, but not fast. Ruger is very slow, but then we hardly ever have to send one back. I can't remember ever sending back a Springfield or a Kimber. My personal choice is a custom compact 1911 in 45ACP. They just do the job.