Taurus PT111 Review (Pic Heavy)

[pgrass101]

I have replaced my beloved Makarov .380 with a Taurus PT111. The PT111 was chosen over the Kel-Tec PF9, Kel-Tec P11 and Bersa Thunderer UC9. The PF-9 recoil was too snappy for my wife to shoot comfortably, the P11’s trigger was bad, the UC9 was disqualified by its magazine availability and thickness. If the UC9 came with 2 magazines it might have been selected, but the costs and availability of extra magazines ruled it out.





In two range trips I have put 200 rounds of WWB, 60 rounds of Speer GoldDots, 100 rounds of 115gr HP that I reloaded, 50 rounds of Blazer brass, 50 rounds of Wolf, 50 rounds of CCI Blazers. Total of 610 rounds

I experienced 0 FTF’s or FTE’s, although the Wolf ammo tested the PT111’s second strike ability 7 times, every round fired.

Due to the initial slack in the trigger I tended to shoot low until I became use to it. The first range trip was just to get use to the trigger. The second was to practice point shooting and to test my preferred carry ammo Speer GoldDots 124gr.







In arriving at the Forest Service range early I got it to myself. In between shooting sessions I practiced with another defensive weapon.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[echobaby]

Try putting some 147gr. ammo through it.

[heyyodaddio]

Thanks for the review. I purchased the PT111 SS about a year ago and have been CC'ing it everyday for the past 4 months. Love it. After an initial recoil spring problem in the first 20 rounds(and back to Taurus for 2 months to get it fixed...) I have put almost 2000 rounds thru it and have not had any FTF or FTE. While I do keep it clean, it also fires great after 300 rounds without a cleaning. I know that there are better made guns out there, but for the $300 bucks I paid for this, I can trust my life with it.
I like it so much I may even get the PT145 for the times I need just a little bigger hole...

[pgrass101]

Try putting some 147gr. ammo through it.

I might when I reload some, but I like 124 or 115 gr as a personal prefence.

[crzy4guns]

That is the bullet weight range in 9mm that I like too for self defense.

I have a Taurus Judge 410/45 I bought a week ago and I purchased a .38 special Taurus model 85UL for my married daughter a year ago.

Both have been excellent guns and I think Taurus has first rate quality firearms.

Thanks for your report and pictures.

I may have to add the PT111 to my ever growing wish list.

[snowdoctor]

isn't it nice to bring a new toy home, and love it...glad you had a great experience....shoot well.

[LenS]

Glad it works well for you.

I bought one in 2002, learned to hate it in short order (Terrible trigger) and sold it last year, with only ~150 rds thru it.

Only goes to prove that some of us will love a gun, others will hate it . . . and the one that works for you is the only important answer.

[mike28w]

Wow, I sure like your shooting range !!

[Danimal]

I bought a PT-111 about 6 years ago and I have loved it. Mine has eaten everything that I have put through it. I don't carry it now, but I keep it in my safe as I think it is a good gun for new shooters to learn on.

[TonyB]

OK,here's a couple of questions for you pt111 guys.I have one too,and have 2 issues...1st it shoots low about 2" w/ 115 gr ammo.and I absolutely HATE trigger..not that it's heavy or gritty,it's not.but the long trigger reset and long pull drive me nuts.is there any way to shorten the pull or reset?the gun has been 100% reliable and I like the way it fits my hand better than a glock 26,and want to like it,but the trigger keeps me from falling in love,and I am close to getting rid of it.I used it last night in IDPA,and where I usaually am in the top 3,I did alot worse than usual....any ideas?thanks

[pgrass101]

Tony B,

The intial slack in the trigger was the hardest thing for me to get use too. It breaks clean after the take up, but I had to learn to pull lightly until I met resitance, then squeeze.

Since I point shoot, I started out shooting low. It took about 250 rds to get use to the trigger and another 100 to become comfortable with it. Practice dry firing and see if you can take up the slack and then squeeze.

[TonyB]

just came back from the range w/ the pt.If I shoot it like my revolvers,I can make head shots double taps at 7 yards,after about 75 rounds cosistantly.I must be getting used to it.It's sooo different from my glock 17.I only failed to reset the trigger once while doing double taps.I just have to approach it like a revolver.I will say I am more accurate w/ the pt than my 642,which is my usual carry.I think I;d feel comfortable carrying the pt more now.I like the fact that I can pocket carry it.I have a glock 26 desantis nemesis that works great.I'm gonna stick w/ it till I can shoot it as good as my g17.It may take a while.COM hits are no problem,and head shots aren't really advised for SD for the most part.I can defanately make them better w/ the pt than the 642.

[Danimal]

Go out and shoot a few magazines out of a KT P-11, then shoot the PT-111. Enough said.

[Saint77]

Nice write up on the PT111

OK,here's a couple of questions for you pt111 guys.I have one too,and have 2 issues...1st it shoots low about 2" w/ 115 gr ammo.and I absolutely HATE trigger..not that it's heavy or gritty,it's not.but the long trigger reset and long pull drive me nuts.is there any way to shorten the pull or reset?the gun has been 100% reliable and I like the way it fits my hand better than a glock 26,and want to like it,but the trigger keeps me from falling in love,and I am close to getting rid of it.I used it last night in IDPA,and where I usaually am in the top 3,I did alot worse than usual....any ideas?thanks

Is that only with 115? It could be what your brain is expecting from the recoil of that weight ammo vs how your treating the firing cycle. as opposed to say, a G26.

It could also be what I experienced when I first starting shooting mine, which was getting used to the odd straight 8 sights on my gun. I thought it was defectve at first, it shot so oddly. Turns out it was me. It took me a while, but I figured out that there should be a gap between dots to get the gun to aim right. At first, I was shooting 6-8 inches low. After some time, I got it to shoot tight groups at 10 to 20 feet now.

As far as the trigger goes, Other then the extra travel it has, its just like my G19, and close to my XD45. Pull til you feel resistance (take up the slack) and your ready. I would prefer much less travel, but I really don't even think about it.

I havent heard of anyone doing anything to reduce the travel. hopefully there is a trick to it out there somewhere.