Taurus PT 640

in before :neverownedorshotyetantitaurusclub:

I'm aware of the stigma... I didn't personally seek out the gun, but it is being offered in a trade for some hunting stuff.

It was on sale at Academy for $299 black Friday, but regularly it sells for $400+. The thing I'm trading I put a value of $275... so we are right in the wheelhouse and I want my thing gone. I got a better replacement...

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Which one is the 640?

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It's a Brazillian Police pistol, there have not been a lot offered in the states according to my research.

No one makes extra mags or holsters yet that are readily available. I guess Academy just bought a shipping container full of them.

Gotcha. Again, I know the stigma is there for Taurus, but they seem to have improved their quality a good bit. There are worse guns out there than a Taurus, that's for sure.

T- I carry one of two different Taurus pistosl 90% of the time as my daily CCW. PT 24/7 pro compact 15% and a 740 slim 75% the other 10% is a Ruger LCP.


I really like the guns and have NEVER had a misfire, FTF, FTE, or other issue with either of the Taurus pistols over 1000-1500 rounds.

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in before :neverownedorshotyetantitaurusclub:

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Lets talk about this phenomenon. Taurus and Rossi were the classic examples of this (Yeah, I'm old, buddy, want to make something of it?) - they were, at one time, crap - or nearly so. They were the "foreign" alternatives to S&W, Colt and Ruger revolvers in gun stores for many years.

But, both of those brands got a lot better - however, their prices also went up proportionately, and with the highly competitive nature of today's gun market, they are not nearly as good of a bargain as they were when they were crap.

While I wouldn't feel like I valued my life cheaply with a Taurus - I just prefer to take the next step and get American made revolvers and, primarily, German/Swiss/Austrian designed pistols, whether domestically produced or of European origin.

But, that's just my personal preference. Rifles, I tend to lean all American - shotguns, I lean all Italian.

But, there are excellent mid-grade guns from many places, including the third world, to fit almost any budget.

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Of what design origin would you say the most popular Taurus Pistol belongs?

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Well, Taurus is a Brazilian company. They use primarily American designs for their revolvers and Italian designs for their pistols - being primarily lower cost clones of S&W and Beretta, respectively.

I'm not 100% certain of their current manufacturing status, but like many importers, many are manufactured or assembled domestically - typically from imported parts.

In any event, I would treat it as a compromise purchase - if I wanted a 92F (I really, really don't) I would go ahead and buy the Beretta. If I wanted a 629 (maybe I do), I would go ahead and buy the Smith and Wesson.

I don't even look at Taurus models, although I do not denigrate them either - they seem solidly built, particularly improved since my first experience with them approximately 25 years ago.

ETA: I guess I should clarify. If I were selecting a revolver (I am not, by nature, a wheelgun guy - but Mrs. Midnight is a traditionalist), I would probably go Ruger (at this point - our only revolver is a S&W, currently), or perhaps S&W. The Clinton commie lock holds me back from S&W, currently.

Colt would be third - and after that Taurus and Rossi would trail far, far behind. (Rossi does have some interesting offerings in .44 special - or they did, once upon a time).

Conversely, on the pistol side, there would be about 8 to 10 brands that would get a look before I got to Taurus.

I have not owned a Taurus, but I have fired a couple of examples over the years (I think 1 or 2 revolvers and 1 pistol). They seem comparable to the handguns they are attempting to emulate. I am not anti-Taurus by any stretch.

ETA: I didn't even realize Taurus had purchased Rossi in the 1990s - Rossi used to be based in Spain. I always rated them below Taurus, though.

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clones of S&W and Beretta

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if I wanted a 92F

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When Taurus made the first PT-92, they didn’t copy or reverse-engineer the Beretta Model 92F as is sometimes believed. Instead, they bought Beretta’s entire Brazilian factory with its machinery, parts and plans. They even kept Beretta’s trained workers at their stations.

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I would buy a Taurus for no other reason than some of the posters on this board.