Taurus 905 - 9mm Revolver

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StrikeFire83

StrikeFire83

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StrikeFire83:

I have fired the Taurus 905 before, 9mm with moon clips. I have not owned one, but had the opportunity to shoot my Uncle's 905. That little booger kicked like a mule on steroids! :what: I'm definitely not an expert, but I think maybe that the 9mm operates at such a high pressure that it makes the revolver kick much harder than it would with a .38 Spl +P. I don't have any experience shooting a revolver similar to the 905 in .357 Mag so I can't comment there. I only fired 10 rounds through this revolver, so take my experience as you will, but I really did not enjoy shooting the 905. It's not something I'd want to take to the range and shoot a hundred rounds through to "get aquainted" with that gun. Other's may have a better opinion of this gun, I'm sure they'll chime in. I may just be a sissy-man, but I'll stick to my .38 Spl +P's in a compact snub and my .357 Mag's in a service-sized revolver.

JLaw
 
I had one for a while,i found the recoil to fall
between 38spl +P and 357 mag loaded with
midrange ammo.The major problem with it
was rough extaction with any decent +P's
i tried.I had contacted taurus about the use
of +P's in the 905 before buying one.Limited
use would be fine,when taurus was advised
of the problem i was told +P's shoud not be
use in that gun.It even stated in the manual
that +P's were ok in limited use.Taurus
seemed to think that there was not a
problem with the gun.I had a local gunsmith
polish the chambers but the problem was
still there.I sold it to a friend and likes it
as a range gun.
 
I've been tempted to get one several times but alot of people have complaints about the clips it comes with and last I heard there were no aftermarket clips being produced. Thats the only bad thing I've heard that might be worth looking for more info on. It still seems to me like 9mm would be a very very nice round for a snub.
 
I would strongly suggest not buying a 905. Mine will be on its 4th, that's right, 4th trip back to Taurus for light primer strikes. Since Taurus is unable to fix it I will be asking for a credit. If they won't give me a credit they can keep the revolver. I actually have some moral/ethical standards, and since the revolver is potentially dangerous to the shooter (frequent light primer strikes because of a defective part, namely the hammer), I don't want to trade this it in and let my 905 be someone else's problem.

I think Taurus is a good company, but they've had some problems with the 905. Taurus makes good revolvers, but if you get one of the lemons, their repair dept. is utterly worthless. The recoil is snappy, but not that bad. It is after all a lightweight revolver in a high pressure cartridge(9mm para).
 
Had one and sold it

I had one for a few months. I replaced the boot grips with Taurus rubber combat grips - easier to hang on to. It had a pretty snappy kick - almost as much as shooting mild .357 loads in a my similar size Taurus 605. The fired cases stuck in the cylinder - had to tap the ejector rod pretty hard with something to get them "broke loose". It wasn't a matter of the ammo - factory brass case, Blazer aluminum case, brass case light reloads - didn't matter - they all stuck. The "moon clips" are flimsy and a PITA. They are also expensive and Taurus is the only place to get them. They cost $9 + $4.75 shipping for a package of five.

I couldn't shoot the gun well - always low-left hits. I'm pretty sure it was me, rather than the gun, since the 605 gave me the same results.

I dealt with Taurus Customer Service a few times ordering grips and extra moon clips and I was totally unimpressed. I sold both the 905 and the 605 so I wouldn't have to deal with Taurus Customer Service if they ever broke. Too bad - Taurus has some pretty neat guns, but I've heard that quality control is a "hit or miss" proposition.

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that the 9mm is a good semi-auto round and I'll stick to shooting it in semi-autos. I like the 38 special in a snub revolver.

(And, yes, JLaw, you are a weenie.) :neener:
 
Perhaps I am in the minority on this issue, but I own two 905s, have shot both a good bit, and I like them much. In fact, I own close to 40 handguns of every description, most costing many, many times what I paid for my 905, but the snubby in my pocket most of the time is the Taurus.

Neither gun has demonstrated problems with sticking cases nor with problem light hits on the primers. But by the same token, I do not use +p ammo, nor ammo known for having hard primers (like PMC). And recoil is mild, at least from my perspective, but I have been shooting heavy-kicking revolvers for 30 years and that may account for my lack of sensitivity in that regard.

Both of my 905s have trigger pulls lighter and smoother than any Smith I own, and the accuracy of the guns is exceptional.

Are the guns perfect? No. I do not care much for the moon clips available for the guns. They are too flimsy for my tastes and, to my knowledge, there are no aftermarket sources other than the factory. At least in my opinion, if Taurus would deliver a better moon clip for the gun, it would be very close to perfection for the purposes to which I use it...it is my "in the pocket all the time" gun.

I often carry another gun, usually a Kimber 1911 also in 9mm, but I rarely ever go without the 905.

That, gentlemen, is my input on the subject.

Boarhunter
 
I've always been fond of the idea of a 9mm small-frame revolver. I had a 3 inch Smith and Wesson 940 and a Ruger 3 inch SP101 in 9mm. Briefly I had a Taurus. To address two of the points raised: The owner's manual for the Smith 940 also warned of "sticky" extraction, particularly with higher pressure rounds. It recommended changing ammo if that happened. It may not be just a Taurus problem. IMO, the Taurus "stellar" moon clips are anything but stellar. They would hold some brands of 9mm securely, but others would literally fall out of the clips. Both the Smith and Wesson and Ruger clips were far superior. Unfortunately, the Smith and Wesson moon clips won't fit over the Taurus ejector star and the SP101 has a slightly larger cylinder, so neither will work in the Taurus. I thought my little Taurus was pretty well built but didn't keep it long so its long-term durability and reliability are unknown to me. Kind of a nifty idea but in the long run, I think a small-frame .357 that can use either .38 or .357 suits me better. Still, if Ruger every re-issues the SP101 in 9mm, I would pick up another 3 incher. Also, years later, the guy who bought my S&W 940 loves it and wouldn't part with it.
 
Haven't had the Taurus...have a S&W 940 (2") and a Ruger 101 (3"); once had a Ruger SS as well.

Ballistics with 115's are much better than .38special+p+ 110's or 125's ...considerably less than full charge .357 in the same weights. Have to be a true-believer in velocity/JHP's over heavy lead hollow points/SWC's.

Shot a LOT of cheap surpluse ammo in the revolvers...even the horrid Egyptian 9mm surplus worked fine in these two. The factroy S&W mainspring is best left alone, avoid the spring kits and spend your money on getting the action smoothed...smooth counts more.

Is it "better" than a .357?...nope...it's easier to shoot and gives some advanatge over the .38special (normal or +p)..and it loads fast.


Are some less than wonderful moon clips from aftermarket makers...buy a few to torture test before ordering a bunch.

Find a prescription pill bottle just about right to hold two loaded moon clips...and t's a pretty normal looking object that doesn't rasise suspison.
------

On one range session (some years back..we were a bit velocity-happy back then) was testing a 90gr. JHP load using Blue Dot. Got 1403fps from a 2 3/4" Speed Six and 1412fps from a Browning HP. How can that be?

Revovlers only measure the rifled tube....semi-autos measure from crown to breech block. Measured the same way, the revolver launch pad is about the same length as the semi-auto. The cylinder gap is worth something, but barrel diameter, smoothness of bore, etc. evidently is worth more than whatever leaks out of the gap.
 
Mine worked well ...

but I sold it due to the snappy recoil. Pachmayr grips were a lot better than the stock grips. I had no problems with stuck cases (but did not shoot any high pressure rounds). No light strikes or other function problems. The stellar clips did not appear to grip the cartridges firmly enough to retain the cartridges if dropped or handled roughly, but I did not test that.

It was a nice looking revolver. I think that with practice the recoil would be manageable. I sort of miss the gun, actually.

Tom
 
I bought a Taurus 905 IB not long ago. It was unreliable. The cylinder would bind and seize up. It would function fine for a while, but you could sporadically feel the cylinder dragging. I've previously had Taurus revolvers with too tight of a gap between the barrel and the forcing cone, but this did not seem to be the problem with the 905. 4 out of 6 Taurus firearms that I've owned have had to be returned to the factory for a variety of repairs. I'm not a big Taurus fan after my 905 purchase. That said, I've purchased to Smith and Wesson 642's in the last year. Although both have functioned okay, both were pretty lousy in the fit and finish department.
 
I have a friend that owns a 905. I've shot it, and it seems OK, but I think a small .38 or .357 is a better system overall.

He has had some light strikes, which seem to be related to bent moon clips holding the rounds too far out of the chamber. When the hammer falls and the pin strikes the primer is simply pushes the round into the chamber rather than setting off the primer. He has also had sticky extraction problems with reloads, but not with factory ammo.

All in all, I'd skip it.
 
The moon clips are a PITA, but I haven't felt the same recoil issues that were talked about here. I had a harder time with the same sized .38 special revolvers than I did with my 9mm Taurus. Maybe it was just because I'm less of a recoil pansy now.

I like mine and enjoy the novelty of having a revolver in the cheap 9mm round. The primary reason I never owned a revolver before was because I don't want to pay the high prices for the revolver calibers.
 
I am waiting for Taurus to produce a 905 with a shrouded hammer (like the 651). When they bring a shrouded hammer 905 out, I will buy it.

I currently own 5 or 6 Tauruses. Everything from a 454 Raging Bull, to a Total Titanium M85, plus a steel 617, and two steel M85s. Also a semi auto PT145.

No problems with any of them.
 
I just purchased a 905 blued hammerless. No sticky extraction issues, but then again I was firing standard velocity Winchester (white box) 115 grain FMJ.

After 201 rounds of the stuff, I found that the cylinder occasionally binded, but after opening the cylinder and slapping the rear of cartridge cases/moon clips hard, the binding generally went away.

The gun was accurate for the most part (I had a hard time picking up the front sight in the darkish range lane I was in) and the recoil was heavier than I expected. I tried some weak-hand only drills....I could only do ten rounds of that before I had to stop. The gun was slamming into the web of my hand in recoil a bit too much for comfort.

I think my Kahr PM9 or P45 (with 230 grain +P) feels more comfortable to shoot than this gun. But I'm ok with my purchase.
 
I was jonesing the 9mm revo as a BUG for the longest time, till I actually hefted it. It struck me as a small, dense and heavy lump of steel, or possibly depleted uranium. Then again, I've been spoiled by carrying S&W unobtanium guns. ;)
 
Perhaps one day Smith will come out with its DAO version of the 9 mm revolver BUG in Scandium and with decent moon clips. And then you will see a fine pocket gun.... But until then, the Taurus 905 will stay in my pocket.

Boarhunter
 
Took my "new to me" 905 to the range for the first time today. I had 1 Failure to fire per cylinder-full for the first 25 rounds. I then switched ammo and did a little better, with only 5 FTF out of the next 75 rounds. The cylinder wanted to bind up on me several times also. I blame that problem on the moon clips. The "springiness"of the moon clips tended to hold one or two rounds out away from the cylinder face. To overcome this, I had to firmly seat each round after dropping in the full moon clip. ( sort of takes away the anticipated thrill of a fast reload ). The dang little thing, when it went off, was accurate tho'...soo... very disappointing...
 
Glockensig,

I had some failures to fire with PMC (which apparently has very hard primers), but none after switching ammo. Are your moonclips well-used? You may consider getting some new clips from the company and try it again with a variety of ammo. Good luck. Get the gun reliable and you will have a nice shooter and concealed-carry weapon.

Boarhunter
 
I've got an SP-101 and can't bragg enough about it. It's been nothing but reliable and the clips are very well designed. I wish they'd make it again so I could have a three incher. The Taurus never made it to California and I've personally never seen a Smith, the Ruger took several years to find and then it was a very involved transaction with a THR member. I've had no extraction problems of any kind and the rounds literally fall out with all ammo I've used and I've had some high pressure stuff through it. The prize I'm looking for now is a 9mm Speed Six if anybody in California wants to get rid of one just let me know.
 
Are your moonclips well-used?
Click to expand...

I'd say the gun and moon clips are virtually new. I Think the previous owner probably encountered the same problems and just dumped the gun.
The ammo I used has been totally reliable in all my semi-autos.
I really don't want to have to work too hard to get this gun reliable. I have a Taurus 851 that has been great ( and two 669's - so I'm not a Taurus basher ).
I don't want to use it for a "range only" gun but... I don't want to sell it & stick someone else with a dud. Oh well
CrapHappensSign.bmp
 
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