Taurus Security System (TSS)s Taurus family of semi-auto pistols now feature the Taurus Security System, which provides instant-ready defense with built-in ability to secure your pistol and make it inoperable at the turn of a key. When the Security System is engaged, the pistol cannot be fired or cocked and the gun's manual safety cannot be disengaged. As with our revolver Security System, the device is part of the firearm and cannot be lost, and the same special Security Key works for both the revolver and pistol Systems (two keys come with each gun). To engage: simply insert the Key into the button on the rear or side of the pistol and rotate one-quarter turn clockwise. This engages the Security System. The manual safety cannot be moved and the trigger cannot be pulled. To disengage: simply rotate the key one-quarter turn back. This releases the Security System, yet leaves the pistol's manual safety in the "safe" position until you are ready to release it yourself and fire the gun.
Loaded Chamber Indicator Taurus provides a loaded chamber indicator on all new compact, medium and large frame pistols. As with all Taurus safety and security innovations, the indicator in no way interferes with the operation of your pistol and is provided at no extra cost, but gives you an "at-a-glance" verification that there is a round in the chamber. When a round is in the chamber, the ejector pops out of the slide, exposing a red strip just behind the ejection port. While any loaded chamber indicator is no substitute for common sense and safe firearm handling, it is one more example of Taurus' commitment to outstanding firearms
Accessory Rail Features the Genuine Picatinny Rail allowing use of many accessories
Steps to conceal carry for a New Gun User. (Note: If a new gun user, don't buy into the "Your Finger is Your Safety" thing. After several months of actual use, maybe.) 1. Get some training on safe use, and local laws. 2. Learn about your gun. 3. Range Time, Range Time, Range Time. 4. Carry in house for a week, on Safe and Not Chambered, practicing Trigger Finger Discipline anytime you handle it. 5. Work up to where you are comfortable with it, then carry Chambered and Off Safe. Any time it comes out of the holster and not in your hand, on safe. 6. If you have any little ones, please do not leave it laying around. Amd if not to be activly used, utilize the Taurus Key Lock to prevent unintentional use.
The rear sight is adjustable, but the screw WILL come loose, and become
lost if you are not extra careful with it. A hefty dose of Locktite is
needed under the sight and on the screw after verifying its position. Use
242 - Blue locktite only.
Light:
Holster:
I recommend IWB unless in the Winter, or a long shirt or coat will completely cover it. Carrying a gun exposed does nothing but draw unnecessary attention to you, and makes you the first target of a gunman.
A leather holster will always look nice, but they change there retention of the gun over time, are noisy, and change characteristics with heat and humidity.
Kydex holsters can be molded to fit any pistol, usually have a screw to adjust retention tension to fit your needs, and are not affected by temperature or humidity. They can be a little uncomfortable against your body or tee shirt on a IWB holster.
My choice for IWB, is a hybrid, with Kydex front and leather rear. This gives great fit and retention, along with more comfort.
I have tried several holsters, and decided on the Raw Dog IWB Holster. It is very easy to put on, or take off, holds the gun very well, are easy to draw you gun from, and make re-holstering the gun easy. I have a few guns stashed around the house, so I do not carry full time. If I did, I would consider one of the Alien Gear holsters that are comfortable, and great for all day carry. They are not the best for short term since they are a little time consuming putting on and taking off and a tad bulky.
What ever holster you choose, make sure it has good retention, the trigger is completely covered to prevent accidental discharge, and make sure the magazine release button is also covered to prevent it from being accidentally released, or someone else intentionally releasing it.
One last thing, pick up a small tube of blue Locktite, and loosen the screws that hold the holster together one at a time, and put a couple drops on the treads from the back, and re-tighten. Make sure you have a good snug retention fit on the pistol. This will prevent problems down the road.
Gun Belt:
I have found that Bigfoot Gun Belts offer a very well built gun belt that Will Not Sag, and at a very affordable price. These compare to gun belts costing over $100.
I have tried top of the line 1 1/2 wide, thick leather belts, and they do
OK for a few months, then they start sagging. Leather softens over time from flexing, and absorbs a certain amount of moisture, which also makes it flex more. With a gun belt made with the thin metal strip in between 2 layers of leather, it will not sag over time.
These keep the gun where you want it to be, and not requiring readjustment while you are carrying, and remain comfortable.
Ammo:
FMJ ammo is ideal for Range use, but you should use Hollow Points or Jacketed Hollow Points in your Carry Gun. Basically what will happen if you shoot someone in self-defense with FMJ is this: That bullet is going to go straight through your target and continue on to whatever may be behind it. ... Instead, if you use a JHP round for self-defense, the bullet is designed to open up upon impact in order to expand.
I have researched, and tried several different brands and types of ammunition, and for just plan range shooting, just about any Brass, Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) will work. What ever is available, and on sale at Wal-Mart. :) Now for Defense Ammo, it is very Important. I found that the 150 gr HST Micro is only very slightly better than there easier to find 147 gr HST, and cost MUCH More, so I chose Federal 147 gr HST to be the best choice for the short barrel Shield. It has Great Expansion, and good penetration, Without Over Penetration. It is best to use some range ammo that is close to the same grain weight as your defense ammo. I use 3 different ammo at the range, Wal-mart's cheapest just to put rounds down range, and 147 FMJ to go along with my Federal 147 HST Defense Ammo. Using 147 FMJ, or something close in weight to train with the 147 HST should give very good training results.
These test show why I recommend Federal 147 G HST for 9mm Defense use.
Note: I switch out my standard 147gr HST for 147gr +P HST during the Winter to have
better penetration through heavy clothing. The PT111 G2 are rated for +P, but not +P+
P9HST4 Ammo is +P, and not for regular use, but ok for Winter Defense with heavy clothing.
P9HST2 is standard HST, and perfect for Defense use anytime.
For range plinking, any 9MM ammo is fine, but for Training, you should use
ammo with close to the same grain bullets as your Defense Ammo. If you use
147 HST for Defense, any of these should be good for Training, and help keep the cost down.
1. Range plinking ammo, 2. Affordable Training/SHTF Ammo, and 3. Personal Defense Ammo.
For the 9mm pistol, I pick up what ever Walmart has On Sale for plinking, then for serious training, since I use 147 gr HST for Defense, and I use 147 gr FMJ for training also. I always end each range session with one magazine of my Defense Ammo.
What ever you do, do not use FMJ ammo as your carry ammo, since it does not expand, it is prone to go through who you are shooting at, and hitting someone else also, plus not having the stopping force of Defense Ammo.
Below is a performance comparison between the 147 HST and the new 150 Micto. There is not enough differance between them, to justify using one over the other, but the Micro only comes in a 20 round box and runs around $24 per box, but the 147 HST comes in a box of 50, and runs about $20 a box. Much better choice overall.
Shooting:
This is a Great Video that covers why a small hand gun is harder
to shoot, and what to do to get the best results from them.
Improve Grip
Reduce or Control the Recoil
Reduce Trigger Effort
Below photo shows the most common cause for constantly missing where you aimed, but your shot group is good.
Starting with a one handed grip, take the firing hand and form a salute, separate the thumb from the salute. The meaty web portion between the thumb and index finger should be seated all the way into the top of the back strap. Wrap the lower three fingers around the grip panels and place the index finger down inline with the side of the pistol. Then allow the thumb to naturally rest on the grip panel (preferably inline with the slide).
For a two-handed grip take the non-firing hand and make a salute, separating the thumb from the salute. Take the non-firing hand thumb and palm and slide it into the open area of the grip panel. Rest the non-firing hand thumb directly under the firing hand thumb (pointing inline with the slide towards the target). Wrap the remaining fingers around the firing hand fingers.
Doing the 2 handed method, which is much more precise, you will need to shift the pistol/wrist alignment slightly, and support the pistol equally with both hands.
There are a couple of things that can cause you to constantly shoot off center. Incorrectly holding the pistol, and the sights being out of alignment. With a slim pistol, it is common for the shooters to not grip it properly, and pulling the trigger with the finger in a way that it causes you to twist the gun slightly as you pull it.
The other thing is the sights being off. You can verify your sights easy with a laser bore sight. These are put in the chamber like a regular round, and puts a red dot where the barrel is pointed at, and with perfect sight picture, you can compare them and determine if the problem is sight alignment, or shooter problem.
These are very affordable, running between $10 and $30, and can be found at most gun stores, or on line.
If you use the laser bore sight, you want your sight alignment like this, and if the laser red spot is off center like this, your sights are off. Do not worry about high or low at this point, since that needs to be compensated for with a pistol anyway, depending on distance. If the sights are off, depending on the pistol, you will need to have eiter the front or rear sight shifted, then rechecked. Most Gun Stores have sight pushers, and someone that can adjust them for you.
Loading the Magazines:
I have loaded magazines for several pistols and rifles over the years,
and tried a UpLula Universal Pistol Magazine Loader. These will work
on any 9mm through 45 cal single or double stack magazines, and are
great for those that have trouble loading magazines, especially the
last few rounds. They work just as good unloading the mags, when you
want to switch from FMJ to Defense Ammo also "It actually makes
loading the magazines fun".
Some add on Grips:
Talon has some Great Grips that are available in both granulate and rubber texture. The rubber ones feel great, but the granulate ones are way too aggressive for IWB carry. The granulate grips should be fine for
Range Use, but too aggressive for daily carry.
Take your time installing these, and read the directions a couple of times. I bought a bottle of rubbing alcohol and made sure the grip area on my pistol were very clean. Normal cleaning does not harm these, except CLP,which will loosen them up.
Problems:
The 3 known problems with the PT111 G2, are the TSS key lock system
moving internally while the gun is being fired, causing the slide to
get locked back. This will leave you temporally with a inoperative
gun. The 2nd problem is the trigger safety bar on the G2. It is weak
where the pivot pin goes through it, and have been known to break.
If it breaks, the sear will not function, and you be left with a
inoperative gun. The last known problem, is the plastic recoil
spring rod. These seem to be susceptible to breaking, especially if
it is not put in perfectly centered.
The TSS lock system can be disable, see YouTube for details. The
Recoil Spring unit can be replaced with a Stainless Steel one from
Lakeland, and the G2 trigger safety can be replaced with a G2C one,
or look up Keep Tinkering on YouTube for information on trigger
options.
The G2C has eliminated the TSS problem, and has upgraded the trigger
safety bar to prevent breakage, but the recoil unit still has the weak
plastic rod.
Trigger:
The trigger on the G2 are typical of standard factory triggers, and after a few hundred rounds, do get smoother. These have been improved greatly over the earlier non G2 ones, but have a lot of take up with the trigger safety design, but great reset. Hopefully someone develops a trigger with less take up in the future. Maybe Taurus will come out with a improved Trigger in the not to distant future.
The G2 has a complex designed trigger system, and is made to keep the weight down, so some of the parts are very small. Since parts are not readily available, it is best to leave any trigger work to a Gunsmith.
Recoil Spring:
The factory Guide Rod/Recoil Spring seems to be a possible weak point in the Taurus G2.It is made of
polymer, that will not hold up like stainless steel.
Magazines:
The PT 111 G2 comes with 2 12 round magazine which are the easiest to carry concealed. These can be found on line, and most Rural Kings, and Academy Sports.
You can also use other larger capacity mags, Sig P226/228/229 or Mec-Gar made mags in 15, 18 and 20 rounds, and work great. The 15 round one is a good choice for most in size, 3 more rounds, and gives a great grip. The Sig ones do not hold the slide open when empty for most, but the Mec-Gar ones do.
Most people order a custom sleeve to fill the gap from
This is the 15 round mag with the above sleeve.These can be ordered in several colors. They make them for the 18 and 20 also.
Shapeway
If you have your Taurus for a Self Defense gun, you really should have a few extra magazines, and have a couple loaded with your Defense Ammo, and a couple for range practice with FMJ in them.
Spare Magazine Carrier:
These are available everywhere, and I purchased mine at Lowes for $9.
I wanted a Spare Magazine Holder that was light weight, could be carried in any location or position, and be affordable.
I prefer to have my spare magazine on the opposite side as my carry gun so I can be holding the gun in my right hand, eject the empty mag, and pull the new mag out with my left hand and insert. These Flashlight Holsters are great for this,since they are extremely light weight, will hold a magazine snug, but allow easy removable, and can be secured to your belt at any angle.
Here are a few photos of mine,with a my S&W Shield 8 round magazine in it. Be extra careful putting the magazine in it the first time so it does not snag on
it. After the magazine is kept in the carrier for a week or so, it will be easier to put it in.
During my 22 years in the Army, I always smoothed and polished the feed ramps on any weapons I used to reduce FTF (Fail To Feed) problems. I decided to polish the feed ramp on any of my carry guns for the same reason, and since it does have a stainless steel barrel it is a no brainier.
Since all gun makers frowns on making any changes to any of there guns, and may not honor warranty work on modified guns, make sure to put a few hundred rounds through it before making any changes.
Polishing the Barrel:
There are several ways to polish the Feed Ramp and/or the barrel. This is how I did mine.
1. Use400 wet dry sand paper, and get any coating off. Move
up to 600, then 1200 to get it perfectly smooth and no sanding
marks showing.
3. Use a good quality metal polish on it, and polish till you have
the desired shine. I used Mothers Mag and Wheel Polish.
Note: Taurus G2 have the feed ramp polished at the factory, but could use a
little added polishing.
Hickok45 Doing a Review on the Taurus PT111 G2.
Separate Trigger Evaluation
The only thing I do not like about the G2 serier, is a gritty and long trigger pull.
This is a indepth trigger job on the G2.
More Range Testing the Taurus G2C
Part 1 of 3
Part 2 of 3
Part 3 of 3
Below is my new Taurus PT111 G2C
The new model PT111 G2C
My other Gun Pages
"Click on the above photos for detailed information on each gun."
Below is my SHTF Page
Click
How to set up a pistol case
Click
My Guestbook
