The Taurus PT92 9mm Semi-Automatic Pistol

My wife was looking for another 9mm pistol with an all steel frame for a new my side arm for our action pistol competitions. We went to our local gun shop and were checking out a couple of pistols when one of the salesmen mentioned that he had a used Taurus PT92 with 5 magazines. I had mentioned to him that she had been shooting a Beretta at our club and we were considering one of them, but really did not want to spend the $500-$600 you usually can get them for. I also did not want to put $400 out on a used gun that will not honor a warranty after two years since you never know how old the used gun is most of the time. I must admit that I had been not very keen on Taurus for quite awhile because of quality control issues they had in the past. I was impressed by their 1911 pistols though and figured I would at least look at them.

The salesman mentioned that it was $375 and the warranty from Taurus was a lifetime warranty on the gun not the purchaser. I was not 100% aware of that, so he called Taurus to verify. My liked it and I bought it for her. She felt that it felt identical to the Beretta 92 in how it felt and the trigger pull. I was wondering how it shot as was she. We were actually heading to the range the next day and would be getting the chance.

Whenever we get a new gun we typically will run at least one magazine with hollow point ammunition to insure that it feeds right since this would be the type of ammunition that we carry for self defense purposes. Overall my wife thought it shot just like the Beretta. Her groupings were close at the 20 feet that she normally shoots from. She was able to make multiple shots fairly quick since there was not much felt recoil at all. When I shot it I was impressed. I felt the trigger pull was very good and also smooth and crisp.

The Taurus PT92 is best thought of as a copy of the Beretta 92. There is no two ways about it that this was Taurus intent and they did a good job. It has a capacity of 17+1 and is a single/double action pistol with fixed sights. The grips are able to be changed if you want a slightly slimmer grip. There are also a couple places that you can get grips with designs on them like the American flag, eagles, snakes and the like. The Taurus PTp2 frame is all metal as are the magazines giving the pistol a bit of weight at 34 ounces similar to many 1911 pistols. This weight is about 8-12 oz more than your typical polymer pistol like a Glock or Springfield XD and is one reason the recoil is so light. The barrel is 5 inches making it a larger gun that typically would not be a concealed carry piece, although it can be worn under a jacket or in a purse holster. There is a manual safety that also serves as a de-cocker, which the Beretta 92 does not have. The Taurus PT92 comes with two magazines and a box instead of a case.

Overall I think the Taurus PT92 is a great pistol. This is really evident when you factor in the lifetime transferable warranty. It is very comfortable in most people's hands and has little felt recoil. Field stripping it is more involved than a Glock, but overall it is not that hard and there are plenty of videos out there on places like youtube.com that can show you how to field strip it. It will use most Beretta accessories except magazines. You can put a laser meant for a Beretta or use a Beretta styled holster without any problems in most cases.

There is really not much downside to the Taurus PT92. Many women, other than my wife, find the gun a tad big for their hands. My wife has smaller hands, but just does not let it bother her. We initially looked at the Beretta 92 and she felt it was too bulky until she actually decided to shoot it one day. Then she figured she could deal with it. She can shoot it with one hand, but is not ultra comfortable with more than a couple shots one handed. In a self defense situation you should not have to shoot more than twice with one hand anyway. After the first shot you should be able to get your other hand up for support. The Taurus PT92 also is a big gun and not something that many people would carry comfortably in an in the pants holster or small purse. I would not recommend it for a concealed carry gun, but depending on what you are going to be wearing it can be concealed. The only other drawback is Taurus being too cheap to give you a case, but the price is right on the gun

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Sources and further reading

I own one and use it