Taurus PT-25 PLY

[antares_b]

I'm getting one of these, with a stainless slide. If anyone is curious about the fit, finish, and reliability of these little polymer-framed pistols, let me know, and I'll write a review.

[louiethelump]

Let us know if they have fixed the tendency for those to have parts fall off.............

   

   But, that WAS the old model, so maybe they have fixed that.

   

   Have you shot it yet?

[rjtravel]

I would like to know your experience with it.  I obtained the .25 for my wife some time back and we have taken it out several times.  It has been flawless and she is happy with it.

   Richard

[antares_b]

I just ordered it, so I won't have it for a while. These new polymer versions of the PT-22 and PT-25 have been getting fairly favorable reviews. When the gun arrives, I'll pay close attention to fit and finish. I expect a quality level similar to that of my Kel-Tec P32. Then I'll find out if it works.

   Glad to hear that yours is working out well, Richard. Mine is for my wife too, as she can't handle the recoil of any caliber other than .22 and .25.

[lauraslookout]

Antares, may I ask why you chose the 25acp over the 22lr? While I realize ammo performance has improved over the years for the 25acp, I opt for the 22lr on the thought I will practice more due to cheaper bang cost with the 22lr and CCI Stingers are pretty good on performance. Look forward to your review of the pistol. Jim

[antares_b]

You're absolutely right about the cost, Jim. I chose the .25 because of the +1 capacity and the (theoretically) better reliability of centerfire. Also, my wife is not so good at counting her shots, and an occasional dry fire with a .25 is less likely to damage the gun.

[therevjay]

I will be intrested in your test & review. Another reason to pick the .25ACP over the LR in a semi-auto is that rimless & semi-rimmed rds feed more reliably. (at least JMB thought so)

[heyjoe]

the reviews i have read online from everyday gun owners has been positive for the 25 ply. they have been reliable amongst those who posted. i was looking at the 25 ply also and wanted to get one, unfortunately i dont have a great amount of faith in Taurus and think you would probably be better off getting her a used Beretta 950bs. the local gun store nearest to my house will not sell Taurus anymore, he said he was sending back a couple a month that would not function correctly for one reason or another and got tired of it.

[rjtravel]

Antares,

   Your reasons are sound.  I would not want to rely on any .22 rf for sd purposes.  I would say one percent ignition failure is typical for .22 rf - with Remingtons it is closer to two percent.  In my many decades of owning and using .25 autos I have never had a failure of any kind whatsoever.  To me the ammo cost is insignificant when dealing with a weapon for self defense and limited amount of live firing coupled with lots of dry practice.  You made the better choice.

   Richard

[redhawk4]

Taurus PT-25 PLY - the name sounds like a box of kleenex tissues

   

   25 acp, a much underrated round, much maligned due to all the crappy cheap guns made at one time in that caliber that lost huge amounts of MV because of barrel quality/dimensions/tolerances. In a quality pistol you get about 22 mag performance and centerfire reliability in a very small package with 7-9 shots or so available.

   

   While not my first choice at all times for SD, I'd still like to see anyone take 9 rounds of rapid fire in the bread basket, from my Beretta 950 Jetfire and still want to continue fighting - believe me you can empty that thing really fast with the single action trigger and it's so small you can carry it anywhere.

[antares_b]

The Beretta 950 Jetfire is on my list of guns to get if I happen upon a good deal. I've heard nothing but positive reviews about them.

   

   I do have an Astra Cub, which is a single-action .25 that performs flawlessly, even in extremely rapid fire. Felt recoil is almost nonexistent. My wife and I both love that little pistol, but it isn't safe to carry because of its long firing pin.

[lauraslookout]

I once owned a Beretta 950 in 22short. Never jammed and you wouldn't believe how accurate it was, sad to say it was the victim of trading spree looking for new toys to enjoy. Jim

[wiseguy]

Thumbs up on the Beretta 950, I've got the 25acp and 22 short and love em both; great guns for the size. Also own a 21a in 22lr. so far like it too although it's a litte larger.

[franco22]

I haven't shot a Ply but I did handle one at the lgs. It appeared well made with good fit and finish. I too have read good reviews on other forums.

[antares_b]

I picked up the PT-25 PLY today. I'll shoot it in a few days to see how shootable and reliable it is, but I thought I would first say a few words about the construction.

   First, you should know that the gun comes with only one magazine, which is a definite drawback. And the instruction booklet is a general one for the entire PT-22/PT-25 series, so some of the information doesn't apply to this model, and it isn't specific enough.

   The gun has a fat grip, and thanks to the mag extension, my whole hand fits on it. This design makes the gun feel substantial, but (at least for me) it's a bit too bulky for pocket carry.

   The frame is steel-reinforced polymer. Apparently, the polymer is basically wrapped around the steel. In a few places, the steel is deliberately exposed and is finished black.

   The gun makes a great impression when you give it a quick look. But a close inspection reveals where Taurus cut corners—especially when you tip up the barrel and remove the slide. The finishing is rough on the part of the barrel that locks into the frame, there are deep gouges on the polymer-coated slide rails, there are some burrs on the slide, the trigger bar is covered in pits, and a polymer insert toward the front of the slide is badly chewed up.

   Everything is very stiff. I suppose that's to be expected, since the break-in period hasn't even started yet. But I was surprised at how sticky the tip-up barrel is; a lot of force is required to snap it closed. The trigger pull also feels fairly heavy. (It has only a little play, though.) After I cleaned and oiled everything, all the functions got a bit smoother. The slide is easier to pull back than I expected.

   The magazine does not drop free. In fact, it doesn't move at all when you push the release button; you have to pull it out. And it feels kind of cheap. Instead of being blued, it seems to have a painted-on black finish that's already wearing off in places. One odd feature that I noticed is that a miniature ramp is cut into the top of it.

   On the plus side, the crown and the rifling look perfect, and the feed ramp is smooth and shiny. And the trigger is made of metal, not polymer, which was a nice surprise.

   Below are some pictures that I took during the cleaning process. They're not great pictures, but at least you can see some of the details that I've mentioned. I also threw in a picture of the mag well from the bottom of the gun, so you can see how the grip is attached to the frame.

[antares_b]

Pictures...

[antares_b]

Pictures...

[antares_b]

And lastly...

[heyjoe]

double action only interesting. nice report, thanks.

[redhawk4]

Thanks for posting.

[capn]

Nice writeup & photos. A range report will be interesting, too.

[argleargle]

Antares, I have that exact Taurus PLY, but mine is in .22lr.  Great gun, but "shooting high or hyper velocity ammo voids the warranty" according to the fine manual.

   

   Also, if you're not careful with this design when firing left-handed you can accidentally flip the barrel-flip/takedown lever that's on the left side of the frame while firing and the gun disassembles itself while going bang! (Scared the hell out of me.)  Your slide will fly off somewhere and you look at the gun in your hand and wonder if you're about to start bleeding.

   

   It does NOT ever do this right-handed.  Just to be clear, I actually LIKE the pistol design.  It *DOES* have a left-hand limitation and the safety is non-ambi.

[coinchop]

Don't go shooting in tall weeds left handed.

   I shoot some of my smaller guns left handed.

   Don't have a Taurus so I am safe. Have a Beretta

    21A and a 950 BS, both with flip up barrels that I shoot part time

    left handed with no problem.

   That flip up barrel is pretty handy.

[argleargle]

agreeing on the handiness, coinchop.  My favorite feature of that tip-up barrel in my 22PLY is shooting shorts one-at-a-time.  Then again, I'm a weirdo.

[westerly1965]

"Then again, I'm a weirdo."

   LOLOLOLOLOL that's why you fit in so well here!

[redhawk4]

The flip up barrel is a great feature, I find it particularly useful on my Beretta 950, it provides a number of handy benefits. Being a single action pistol it gives you a very easy and safe way to get the hammer back to rest when the chamber is loaded. It also makes it very easy to unload or load the chamber with out the need to cycle the slide and the subsequent wear and tear that can occur on your carry ammo, over time, as a result of continually being chambered from the mag. A clever piece of design IMO.

[cedarview kid]

I really want to like the Taurus Poly. I really do. But my experiences with the Beretta 21A have tainted me regarding this Taurus, since it's basically a copy. (Even the parts above look like they were copied from the Beretta.)

   

   I have a Beretta 950 as well--mine's a Minx in .22 Short. That gun I like. Something happened in converting the design to .22LR that I don't like, even though I really want to like it.

   

   I've had two Beretta 21A's. I sold them both. Not only where they not terribly reliable, but that "feel in your hand" thing discussed in another thread just wasn't there. The gun is too wide for my likes.

   

   I should probably forget my prejudice against the Taurus and try it out, as I'm basing my opinions on something other than the actual gun itself (although I DID have a Taurus 94 and didn't much care for it). I've almost bought the Taurus "21A" a couple of times, but just couldn't pull the trigger--but the Poly version I saw in my local gun store looked awfully tempting.

[argleargle]

Naa_coll; The Taurus PLY frame is wide as hell since they've gone to the wraparound grip for shootability reasons.

   

   Double action trigger starts off kinda gritty, but mine worked in beautifully after a couple hundred rounds.

   

   Shootability is good for such a small piece.  I hit aerosol cans at 10 paces consistently.  I have to aim a touch low, as mine tends to hit high.

   

   I've taken small game with mine.

[antares_b]

Argleargle, thanks for the tip about the gun possbily flying apart during left-handed shooting. I'll be sure to NOT test that!

   

   How are the slide rails on yours holding up--is the polymer mangled or worn off?

[redhawk4]

If you are left handed, it sounds like you should invest in a hockey mask

[antares_b]

Or in a pinch, you can launch the slide into your attacker's face.

[redhawk4]

"Or in a pinch, you can launch the slide into your attacker's face"

   

   On other sites where people only carry 45acp, they'd probably recommend that as a better form of SD than 25acp

[gunr]

Antares,

   Nice looking gun. May I give you a friendly tip about photos. When you have more than one photo, especially when they are large, press the return key after each photo, before uploading the next photo. This way they will be in a column, one on top the other.  

   This then will keep your post in the limits of the page so we don't have to drag the horizontal bar back and forth to read all the post.  

   Give it a try the next time you have more than one photo, Thanks for listening.

[antares_b]

Thank you, Gunr. On my screen, the pictures are in a column and I don't have to scroll horizontally--but that may depend on the browser. I'll use your trick next time to make sure that everyone can see the info.

[Dinadan]

Antares,

   Very nice write up. I like the looks of that gun, though I am mainly a revolver person.  

   

   Regarding the column width, your photos are in a vertical column when I look at them,  

   but some of the photos are simply wider across than some displays. Try resizing down to

   about 800 pixels across. Your largest photos are about 1157 pixels across, which makes  

   the whole thread resize to accomodate the widest photo.