taurus vs beretta

ghost614

is there a significant difference between a taurus and a beretta

ghost614

i'm thinking of buying an m9, though not sure from which company. i recently read that taurus models are better because the metal is of a higher quality. it was off the net, posted by a gunsmith, or at least that's what he said. anyhow, i know that this place is the SOURCE for this kind of stuff and was just wondering if anyone could shed some light on the matter.

competentone

First of all you can't get a "REAL" M9, as those are only sold to the military.

Beretta has marketed some civilian Model 92's with the "M9" name--and I guess it's about the same thing as the military M9's, so you could say that you could "get an M9".

But more specific to your question: I've never heard that Beretta uses "poor quality metal". Infact, Taurus got it's start making (what are generally considered to be) lower quality copies of Beretta's discontinued models. Taurus has since grown as a company and has produced innovative models of their own--which (in my opinion) are on a par with the quality of Beretta's handguns--including their models which are close in design to Beretta's "M9".

I can't say they're any better though.

Reloader

Oh boy! Another opinion from one of those 'internet gunsmiths'. Yea, I'm sure Beretta uses inferior metal. And remember - those slides breaking off are just an accident waiting to happen.
WAKE UP IDIOTS!

Nighthawk

Beretta USA corp is offering a limited number of M-9s they come with MIlitary type flap holster,cleaning kit etc.Only difference is you get 10rd mags istead of 15rd mags. I would pick the Taurus PT92 any day over the Beretta 92.The Beretta has some faults they have not managed to work out.The slide stop blocks have a tendancy to break and let the slide come flying off when firing. The US military recommends replacing them every 3000rds. Taurus incorporates a different system,and they shoot as wellas the Beretta.I own a couple of their shotguns and am quite fond of them.Also when Beretta came out with the 9000s pistols once I learned it used a tilt barrel locking mechanism,as does Taurus,I bought the type F .40 auto which has a 10 shot mag and one in the pipe.I liked it so well I bought the 9mm version which has a 12 shot mag with one in the pipe.However I think it just depends on who you ask.

Good Luck.


Rugster

Nighthawk

Im not quite clear who the idiot is here.This foum is for sharing of information.And voicing your logical opinion.I dont think doing either makes you an Idiot.Ignorant? maybe, as Websters Dictionary defines Ignorant as not knowing something about all topics. I know I fit that catagory.I dont know guess it just struck me the wrong way.However it was a Good question,and you got a very good answer or opinion by competentone,as I enjoyed his reply.

Rugster

ghost614

thanks for all the help so far guys, but reading your responses, i feel that i should have been a little more specific with the question. first off, i never meant to say that i was going to buy an actual "m9" but rather that model. i was just too lazy to type 92f/pt92. secondly, i never said beretta had low metal quality, but rather taurus had higher metal quality. to be specific, the guy that said taurus was better stated that there were "more metalurgical impurities" in the berettas than in the taurus models. finally, rugster is right, that there are no stupid questions, although there are damn close. and the only difference between the opinions of that "internet gunsmith" and the opinions on this forum are that i know i can rely on the information given here.



Edited by - ghost614 on 06/23/2002 21:01:38

NoelDog

I have shot both the Berreta and Taurus "M9" in numerous varients. I found both to be pleasant shooting irons, although both are a little beefy for my mits. The Taurus models are "typically" more inexpensive than the Berretas but either will suffice for most purposes. Taurus weapons, when first introduced gained a reputation for inferior quality products with horror stories of burst barrels and such, but the company has come a long way in inovating and improving and their firearms are of the same grade as any other major manufacturer. The M9 itself(originally by Berreta) had some troubles with the slide splitting after only a few shots, but this was not necessarily due to metallugical problems, as it was a design flaw which was corrected prior to the US Military trials. It basically boils down to what you want, a high priced status symbol type weapon or a (only slightly) more modestly priced quality self-loader.

R/
Noel

mballai

I suppose you could save some bucks with a Taurus, but Berettas are still reasonably priced (I put reasonable as roughly one week's average salary for new or slighly used gun--if you consider your life worth that investment) and proven by more law enforcement and military professionals. I bought an Elite II in a moment of weakness (I didn't really "need" it) and have not regretted my purchase.

The advantage for the Beretta is that you have a good supply of aftermarket parts--including viable hi-caps that won't cost a fortune, lots of different models to choose from(Vertec for smaller hands), trustworthy repairs and my favorite reason for 9mm: cheap ammo if you choose not to reload (Taurus has that too...)

How much better is the Beretta over a Taurus? Probably not much. But money is quite secondary for something I might very well stake my life on someday. My advice is to get the very best gun you can that fits your hands and divide the cost of the gun over 20 years projected life in average use.

Three Precious Metals: Gold, silver and lead

JustC

I posted a thread to clear some of this up a while back. Taurus bought Beretta's OLD factory in Brazil. The factory did not create enough revenue to make it worth keeping, and was therefore sold. That factory also had beretta's OLD machines. They do not and will not cut the metals and mill it to the same tolerance that beretta uses. I got this from the service tech at beretta.

I have shot them both, and bought the beretta. I can shoot a tighter group with the same gun design that is made by beretta. I will agree that taurus has grown it's reliability considerably from the original products they produced, but they are not beretta. Spend a couple extra $$$ and get the original. Also, consider resale value. Just my .02

A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.

rg666

A lot of good points have been made especially about the resale values. I really don't think anyone's knocking Taurus but Beretta has released the Vertec 96 (in 9mm & 40s&w) which should be a better gun than the m9. It combines Beretta's 96 & 92F into a nice hybrid that should be a great gun. I have a Beretta 96 & Taurus PT100 in 40s&w that both shoot well. I actually can shoot better groups with the Taurus but only because it has a little longer barrel. If you can afford the Beretta name buy it. If you can't, get the Taurus & trade up when you have the money. Both are worth the price either way. RG

thull

In response to a couple of points in this thread:

- I don't think the locking block issue raised by rugster is real; and unless you're talking about the slide coming off forward, the 'S' in 'FS' refers to the slide stop added in the 80's to prevent the slide from coming off to the rear; check out the Beretta Forum- there are a lotta folks who've put a lotta rounds through their pistols w/ zero locking block failures

- Not sure how the Vertec combines features of the 92 and 96; the changes include a less rounded front and backstrap, shorter trigger, and accessory rail; none of these features were part of the original 92/96FS; think the idea was to make it easier for folks w/ smaller hands, but several folks (Beretta Forum, again) have switched the short trigger for the standard

Have no idea about metallurgy, suspect you won't be able to tell the difference. It comes down to whether you're willing to invest a little extra in a Beretta. To me, it's worth it.