Taurus PT-738 Review

[Sharpshooter9x19]

Thanks to information from other forum members I have made my next purchase. I was in the market for a reliable, well made BUG (Back-up gun) in an adequate caliber. I went to Kinsey's looking for a Bersa Thunder .380 and a Taurus PT709. I've always been a fan of the PPK, and Bersa has always had a good reputation with owner's I've talked with at the range. I walked out with a Taurus TCP, and am (Mostly) pleased with my decision.



I originally had a 1st Gen Kel-Tec P32 with an Armalaser LAM that was relegated to BUG duty. Wanting a weapon that was a more solid build with more punch than .32ACP I sold it to a forum member and began using a S&W 642. During the summer months I began to miss my "Pocket Gun" and the ease in which I could carry it so I determined to replace it at the first opportunity.

I like the weight and heft of the Bersa, and LOVE the restrike capability of the PT709, but both were too big for what I needed in a BUG, and I'm not keen on a manual safety being on a weapon relegated to deep concealment(One more thing to go wrong at the worst possible moment).

I had a chance to handle a Micro-Eagle, and it was a great looking and feeling gun. Heavy yet small, but with a $500 price tag I decided it wasn't what I was looking for. After handling the TCP, P3AT and the LCP the decision was easy. I walked out with my wallet $320 lighter and the proud owner of a Taurus TCP(PT-738).

Having secured some .380 ammunition at this past weekend's gun show in Lebanon I was afforded the opportunity(finally) to put this gun through its paces. I was not astounded, but not disappointed either.



I used Speer Lawman 95gr FMJ and Speer Gold dot 90gr GDHP in my testing. I fired a total of 75 rounds, and overall I was pleased with the way the pistol felt WHEN it fired. The second magazine I experienced a failure to feed the last round. No big deal since the mag springs are tight. On my 4th mag I experienced the same thing so I eliminated that mag from my session. 6th mag I experienced the slide failing to go back into battery on the 4th shot. Try as I may it would not lock into battery with a round chambered. After multiple "tap-rack-bang" drills I emptied the mag and it went into battery. After some tinkering I determined through process of elimination it wasn't the ILS as I had suspected but the loaded chamber indicator/extractor that was causing the malfunction. As I had shot approx 40 or so rounds it was extremely dirty, so I cleaned the chamber thoroughly and experienced no more malfunctions with my remaining FMJ rounds.

I then loaded the GDHP's and fired two mags with no malfunctions whatsoever. My best grouping at 10 yards was approx 5 inches with one very low "flier" (on the bottom right edge of the pic) causing the large group. If I had done my part I feel the groups would be tighter.



Cleaning the weapon is as easy as disassembling a Kel-Tec. In fact it "takes down" the exact same way.



The fit and finish are miles ahead of Kel-Tec, and the internals are simple. The grip is excellent, and the rear cocking serrations allow positive control when racking the slide. It comes with two 6 round mags (one of which, it's true, did not function 100% but the other did). When the 8 round mags come out I plan on securing several, as I always hated my pinky hanging off the Kel-Tec P32 grip.


From a size comparison The TCP is well suited for Pocket carry.



TCP on top of my G19:


Overall I'm pleased with this weapon. The Taurus Security System (Their version of ILS) is something I wish had been omitted from it's design, but since my S&W 642 has an ILS and after almost 400 rounds has never given me any issues I can live with the ILS on the TCP (Wow, that's a lot of abbreviations!).
Time will tell if these problems persist. I plan on acquiring more .380 ammunition shortly, and will be running another 150 rounds through the gun before I sign off on this as a concealed carry weapon.

Caveat: Good luck finding holsters and accessories for this Pistol. As of this writing it's nigh impossible. LCP/Kel-TecP3AT holsters are hit & miss due to the enlarged trigger guard on the TCP. Currently I'm using an Uncle Mike's Pocket holster for a Sigma 380, and it's a tad bigger than I'd like. The TCP also fits my Desantis Apache ankle rig for S&W J-frames.

I did find one holster maker on ebay that has a pocket rig for the TCP
http://stores.ebay.com/D-M-Bullard-Gun-Leather

High Noon holsters also has a few PT-738 friendly holsters, though none are what I'm looking for.
http://www.highnoonholsters.com/index.html

I've put a call into Taurus regarding my magazine, and also to inquire about accessories and additional mags. As of this posting I'm still waiting to hear back from them.

My thanks go out to Keystoneman85 for his thread on the PT709 and all of the forum members who contributed. This greatly helped me make my decision.
http://forum.pafoa.org/pistols-41/67...al-review.html

I'm just sayin....