I'm moving towards buying the PT 740 Slim.

[Buck Snort]

Does anybody think I've gone stark raving mad for considering this gun for my primary CCW piece? Its less than an inch wide and weights 19 oz, plus it fires a proven round. I think I'd be much more likely to actually carry it on a daily basis than a Commander sized 45 ACP. I'm look'n for feedback here.

 

[harmon rabb]

I own the PT709, which is the same gun in 9mm. You're not crazy at all for considering the 740. Best "pocket" single stack for the money out there.

Great design, great gun. Light, thin, great (although unique) trigger, thumb safety if you want to use it, real sights, comes with two mags, and mine has been dead reliable. Taurus' new pistol designs are great.

The best thing about it is that it's actually comfortable to shoot. I don't know how in the world it manages to do this, but it soaks up recoil almost like a full size. I owned a PF9 at the time I bought my PT709, so I was expecting the 709 to be similar at the range (i.e. a snappy little bitch that's no fun). It couldn't be more different. I now no longer own that PF9. Any time I shot them side by side, the PF9 felt very crude in comparison.

Oh. The trigger. As I said, it's great but... unique. The first 9/10's of the travel has almost zero resistance, and then right at the end of the travel it stacks. Pull through that point (at which it's still very light, maybe 4-5lbs) and it breaks, and the gun fires. The trigger reset is at that point as well, so once you get used to it, your follow-up shots are very quick. It does take a little getting used to.

If you buy one, a tip on field stripping it that the stupid manual doesn't tell you: dry fire it after you have used the release tabs to release the slide. The slide will come off as smooth as anything then. If you don't dry fire it, you pretty much have to rip the damn slide off there.

The one thing I will say is that if money is not a factor, and you were planning on pocket carrying, you ought to check out the Kahr PM40 as well. The Kahr also has a good trigger and soaks up recoil well... and is physically smaller than the PT740 in every dimension. The Kahr might be worth the price increase if you're going to pocket carry. If you were going to just carry IWB, though, it's probably not worth it.

 

[Buck Snort]

GADZOOKS!! The Kahr is over TWICE as much as the Taurus. Its not that I can't afford it but pocket carry is not all that important to me. Thanks for the info on the PT 40, I'll stop by the local gunshop today and order one.

 

[harmon rabb]

If you're not going to pocket carry, then I don't think the Kahr is worth the difference.

A fair price for the Slims would be about $350-$375.

 

[SteelManCM]

I have a 709 Slim that I carry every day. Like it so much, I got a 740. Haven't shot it yet , but am looking forward to some range time soon.

 

[Buck Snort]

Well, wouldn't know it, the PT 740 Slim is NOT on the list of Big Brother approved handguns here in the People's Republic of Kalifornya. I'll have to find a way to make do with what I already have.

 

[libertarian1]

Too bad about the model not being approved. I also have a 709 and although a different cartridge- as stated above it is a fine shooter. I think Taurus is really beating the pants off a lot of other manufacturers in the industry by responding to the public demand rapidly with new models. This is a company that is on the rise and I firmly believe that Brazil is turning out a lot of quality steel (I mean the commodity not just guns). This is probably the reason they have top notch fabricators.

 

[libertarian1]

Great post above Harmon. I used to have an LCP but steped up to the 9 mm too.

 

[BP Hunter]

SteelMan,

We are looking forward to complete range report and review on the 740. Well... I need it. I am looking seriosuly into purchasing either the 709 or 740.

Thanks.

 

[gofastman]

We are looking forward to complete range report and review on the 740

ditto.
i love my 709, but the 740 looks like it may be worth a closer look, provided it still shoots as well as the 709.

 

[harmon rabb]

Too bad about the model not being approved. I also have a 709 and although a different cartridge- as stated above it is a fine shooter. I think Taurus is really beating the pants off a lot of other manufacturers in the industry by responding to the public demand rapidly with new models. This is a company that is on the rise and I firmly believe that Brazil is turning out a lot of quality steel (I mean the commodity not just guns). This is probably the reason they have top notch fabricators.

Taurus is absolutely on the rise. Their new designs have been quietly smacking competitors upside the head. TCP vs. LCP / P3AT? PT709 vs. PF-9? Thoroughly outclassing the competitors, especially in areas nobody would expect (i.e. trigger pull). I eagerly await the 24/7 G2's and to see how they compare to the competition.

Taurus still needs to improve customer service (although I hear it is now a lot better than it used to be) and quality control a bit, but once they get those two firmly under control, I think the other companies need to look out, because Taurus is offering more features and better designs for less money. They are also NOT afraid to take a risk or offer a unique product.

 

[libertarian1]

Taurus is absolutely on the rise. Their new designs have been quietly smacking competitors upside the head. TCP vs. LCP / P3AT? PT709 vs. PF-9? Thoroughly outclassing the competitors, especially in areas nobody would expect (i.e. trigger pull). I eagerly await the 24/7 G2's and to see how they compare to the competition.

Taurus still needs to improve customer service (although I hear it is now a lot better than it used to be) and quality control a bit, but once they get those two firmly under control, I think the other companies need to look out, because Taurus is offering more features and better designs for less money. They are also NOT afraid to take a risk or offer a unique product.

Fair points all. The funny thing about my 709 is that I got it used from one of my favorite stores here in MN during their big gun show in the summer. When I got it the guy behind the counter told me the classic...”a guy bought it for his wife but she only shot it once then they got rid of it...” line. I gave him an incredulous look and then he stressed that even though I might hear that kind of thing before that this time it was true.
The gun was in great shape and did appear to be straight from the box. When I got it home and took it apart to clean it I could tell that it really was pretty new because it still had all that overseas heavy grease on the parts. The original owner probably turned it back in after the one range session thinking it was a finicky shooter because of the gunk.
RECOMENDATION FOR ALL TAURUS BUYERS: Clean the gun thoroughly when you buy it. They get complaints of having jams when purchased but I think a lot of this is the heavy grease they ship it in to prevent corrosion in transit and under the glass.
After the cleaning it has not had a problem.

 

[MYNEWSONG]

709 report

Ive run about 250 rounds through my 709 slim. It is the smoothest gun I own. I put a rubber grip on it and then taped it with black plastic tape to make it slide easy out of the front pocket. Very light recoil. I still cant believe how nice this gun is. Its my new 24/7 buddy. Sorry lcp, that's show biz.
I would get a 740 if i knew that there would not be much more recoil. Would like to hear from you 740 owners regarding this. Thanks

 

[MikePaiN]

My "Slim" was all those nice things you all said...light, easy to carry, minimal recoil, nice trigger. I had it under a year as my EDC. With ~600-700 through, it suddenly started with 1-2 FTEs per mag....Taurus repaired it. At the next range session, it had frequent light strikes ~1 every 5 rounds, back to Taurus once again....Unfortunately, that was the last straw, I lost faith in it...when it got back I sold it and bought a Kahr K9 and will never look back.