Taurus handguns used to be the scourge of the gun world. There was a time when the company was known to make some of the poorest quality firearms to be found. Reports of failures of all kinds were rampant and the mention of the name “Taurus” brought sneers to the face of gun enthusiasts. But not today.

From it’s beginnings 60 years ago in Brazil, until now, the company has undergone many transitions, trades, acquisitions and changes in technology. In 1980 the company purchased Beretta's Sao Paulo manufacturing plant along with the tooling, technical drawings, and work force necessary to produce several different pistol designs. In 1984, to effectively take advantage of the U.S. market, the company created a subsidiary, Taurus International Manufacturing Incorporated, also known as Taurus USA. Thus began a real turning point in the history of the company when one of their most popular semi auto pistols was developed; the PT92. The gun was and is a Beretta clone with some minor improvements over the original design. The gun quickly became a favorite and today remains one of Taurus’s most popular pistols. Read the PT92 review.

As anybody who surfs the web knows, there is a multitude of mindless criticism distributors without experience of any kind. Gun forums are no exception. I belong to a couple of gun forums and throughout the threads there is a constant criticism and cursing of these pistols and revolvers by people who have never owned or shot them. At this writing (August 07) I have owned three of their pistols in the last 12 months. Of the 13 handguns I have bought, tested and sold over that year, Taurus guns have performed flawlessly in their operation. Of the 3 that I owned, from 800 to over 1000 rounds were fired through each. None ever failed to do anything they were supposed to do. That is in contrast to some highly touted pistols Iowned such as a Springfield XD (failure to eject), and Ruger P345 (multiple failures to feed). Hmm…..experience means something when it comes to guns…..or anything else for that matter.

My first Taurus was a PT92, 9mm, the famous Beretta clone which was a joy to shoot, but because of that, soon became the property of my daughter. Well over a thousand rounds of ammo with no failures. Next was the PT 1911 .45 ACP, the firearm manufacturer's reach into the 1911 pistol market. Man, the jeers on the forums by people who have never shot one are remarkable. Hundreds of rounds later, no failures. Last was the 24/7 PRO stainless 9mm. Over 1000 rounds, no failures. It was my daily carry for a couple of months.

That’s the reality of these handguns regardless of what you read on the forums by criticism parrots who have never shot one.

Now, does the manufacturer ever put out a dog? Sure. But so has Smith and Wesson, Beretta, Springfield, Kimber, and even my beloved GLOCK, have had pistols and/or revolvers, particularly in early development, with significant problems. All of them, including Taurus, get those things worked out and produce quality guns. What’s interesting is, that gun enthusiasts seem willing to forgive the other manufacturers, but hold it against Taurus forever.

BOTTOM LINE: Taurus Arms is one of the largest firearms manufacturers in the world, using cutting edge technology, smart manufacturing (holding prices to reasonable levels), and turning out some of the finest revolvers and pistols that can be purchased. Read my reviews of the pistols I’ve owned and then go try one out. You’ll be glad you did.

NOTE: Don’t read anything into me not owning some of the guns reviewed on this site. I buy and sell guns based only on whether I need or want them, not even on necessarily how good they are. But sadly, I can only own so many, and there are so many out there waiting for me to shoot………..

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