Initially, I was avoiding Taurus 1911s, as I considered them to be not much better than Girsan 1911s (next level from disposable). That is based on watching reviews and seeing folks that owned them share not-so-good experiences with Taurus 1911s.
I’m really curious though, because there have been more than a few guns that I bought that had similar stories, yet turned out to be free of problems – the Bersa Thunder, for example, or the Springfield Armory XD.
I think I’m going to buy two of them this coming spring. I don’t have a 5″ 9mm 1911, nor do I have an Officer-sized 1911. I can buy both for under $900 if I buy Tauruses. Or, I can buy one next year and one the year after that (because I still want a 2011 and a Kuna next year, too).
The Taurus 1911s have some features that you don’t normally see with guns under $1500. When was the last time you saw a $400 1911 that has checkering on the front strap? The last gun I saw that was under $1000 that had front checkering was a Tisas 10mm 1911, and that was priced at $800. Magnum Research and Bul Armory has them but those are usually $1000. Many $1000+ 1911s do not have front strap checkering.
Taurus 1911s are not all that pretty, either, but I’ve a few 1911s that are parkerized and look to be chiseled. I just need it to work – I’m not really looking for a sub-$400 masterpiece (those don’t exist).
I also do not have any Series-80 1911s. All Taurus 1911s are Series-80. The most voiced complaint of Taurus 1911s is that they’ve bad triggers – bad as in heavy and/or mushy. Part of those issues are almost certainly attributed to the guns being Series-80 1911s. The firing pin safety makes the gun drop-safe, which greatly benefits folks who will carry the firearm. The con is that the safety mechanism will make the trigger less crisp. The trigger will be less crisp than a 1911 that doesn’t have a firing pin safety, but still better than most striker-fired triggers.
For some reason, Taurus’ Officer-sized 9mm 1911 is $100 more than the Taurus 4.25″ and 5″ variants – I’m not sure why. I also don’t have any Officer mags, but I’m sure I can find some good quality ones that aren’t expensive.
I do wish they sold them with rails and also wish they had optics-ready versions. Then again, optics-ready will raise the price.
What I’ll do is watch as many Taurus 1911 videos as possible, focusing on both the 5″ and 3.5″ 9mm variants.
I guess it’s time to study up!