Tram said:
So.. I've been carrying the P-32 and love it, but I'd like to go to the P3AT..
I popped into a few stores today (which is another thread all by itself.. 3 stores, 3 widely different prices, 3 different attitudes.. $239 to $319.) Anyway, in one store I was able to look at the Tarus TCP..
Quick thoughts - seemed a little heavier.. Seemed to be higher quality.. I liked the slide lock on it versus the P3AT.. However, I still like the P3AT..
Just wondering if anyone has been able to shoot the two side by side and how do they compare?
Well, here's my experience with both. I bought a the P3AT at a gun show because the price was too hard to pass up. The gun looks cheap but fit my needs for a CCW weapon that I would actually be able to carry 24-7. I did my homework and read through all a lot of forums, reviews, and such. My findings were that most people who bought this gun had pretty good luck with it. There was a lot of feedback stating that the p3at needed a break in period and that some malfunctions could be expected within the first 150-200 rounds or so. My experience was very good with this little pistol. I have never had a single problem with this little pistol. Not even during the break in period. Is has never had a single problem through the 1000+ rounds. Did I get one of the good ones? All I can say is that I feel confident this weapon will work when and if needed.
Now for the 738 TCP: I was attracted to this one for a few reasons and purchased it without hesitation. First the trigger pull was surprisingly smooth compared to the p3at, the slide locks open when the mag is empty, it looks a heck of a lot better (SS slide) and has a better overall look, it comes with 2 magazines, and offers a lifetime warranty regardless of ownership. How could I go wrong? I purchased the first one for my better half. It seemed to have a lot less recoil and was actually somewhat pleasant to shoot compared to my p3at. Heck, I could have shot this all day and not had any problems as compared to my p3at which packs quite a punch and isn't a "pleasure" to shoot. I was pretty impressed at first and my better half shot the rest of the 1st box of ammo. Towards the end of the first box (50 rounds) of ammo she motioned for me to come over and take a look at a problem she was having. She would pull the trigger, the hammer would come all of the way back but never drop. The trigger had malfunctioned (trigger pivot pin broke) leaving the pistol completely useless. This was very disappointing since this was a Birthday gift to her and it couldn't make it through 50 rounds of ammo before malfunctioning. Thank goodness for the lifetime warranty. I knew this was a new model and there are always bound to be some problems right off the bat. So we sent the gun in for repair. I will have to say that Taurus only asked for the serial number and didn't question anything further before approving shipment and repair. They even pay for the shipping which impressed me. At this point I was feeling a little bit better and thought perhaps I got one of the "bad ones" for her. There is always a chance for a component to fail in any machine no matter what it is so I assumed I must have just drawn the short straw on this one. By the way the turn around on a warranty repair from Taurus is at least 1 month so if it's your primary carry weapon you may want to arm yourself with a sword or a brick in the mean time.
Now here's where I'm kicking myself: After the fore mentioned happened, I, (in my brilliance) decided I needed one of these for myself and purchased another one thinking that there couldn't be 2 lemons in a row. Boy was I wrong. I couldn't get 3 rounds off in a row without a FTE jam. (Yes I cleaned and lubricated before using). This was with 3 different types of ammo and using both magazines. I was wishfully thinking that maybe it needed some "break in" to work the bugs out but to no avail. I actually spent quite a bit of time clearing jams just trying to get some rounds through this to make sure it wasn't a break in issue. I wish now that I hadn't wasted the ammo on this piece. Towards the end of my futile effort the exact same thing happened to my TCP that happened before where my trigger completely quit working. (YEP, The trigger pivot pin was snapped) I replaced the pivot pin and the trigger worked wonderfully once again but it still fails to eject.
Now I will say this: The customer support at Taurus was very good and they will warranty their product and even pay for th shipping and arrange pick up (You will be without for at least a month). But for a defensive weapon that you plan on carrying, I can't possibly imagine trusting my life or loved ones to one of these after my experience. Even if I get these back and fire 1000 rounds through each without a hiccup I can't see myself trusting the TCP in a life or death situation. I realize these little pocket guns are very simple little machines and anything can fail. But 2 in a row says something in the back of my mind that I can never recover from.
For me: I carry my P3AT nearly 24-7 for 2 main reasons
1: IT WORKS EVERY TIME with everything I've put through it.
2: It will actually go with me no matter how I'm dressed where I found my other guns sitting at home because it wasn't "convenient".
Just my 2 cents. Take it or leave it but I wanted to share my experience so far.
The trigger guard is huge so if you have big fingers that might be an advantage. Ruger LCP has a larger trigger guard than the P-3AT too. I think someone wrote up a report of the his-and-hers set of TCPs he bought for himself and his wife in the "Other Guns" section. One worked fine and the other did not as I recall.
