# Taurus TCP 738



## SeeKer.mm (Nov 24, 2012)

I am probably picking up a Taurus TCP 738 today as my first conceal today.  169.95 for the pistol and a free box of 50 federal american eagle ammo .380 acp, and the Taurus pays for one free year of NRA.    Any thoughts on the deal or the pistol itself?  I will be getting 9mm or a .40 or 45 eventually (not sure which) but I figured a 38 at this price would be a good start.  Plus I have been told by ppl who bough high cals for that I will eventually be in the market for a lower cal soon after, either for price or just shear enjoyment at the range, or both not sure which.


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## CajunTinMan (Nov 24, 2012)

I thought that that was a .380?


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## SeeKer.mm (Nov 25, 2012)

It is .380 acp, what I meant was that eventually in the future after this purchase I will be getting a higher caliber but for now.380 acp is good for a start


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## Txmason (Nov 25, 2012)

@sekkermm

Where did you buy the pistol from for the $169.00 price? My dad and I are interested in buying one. 

Best,
Bro. Jerry


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## SeeKer.mm (Nov 25, 2012)

I am in CT.  Got it at Hoffman's Gun Center in Newington, CT.  Got the firearm, a box of ammo, a cleaning kit, and a nice little conceal carry holster for 217.00 out the door.  Till the end of this year if you go on the Taurus website you can download a form to get a free year of NRA membership so that's another 35 dollar value I got which is worth it to me because I can get a discount on range membership if I am an NRA member...you just send the to Taurus with a copy of your receipt of purchase....

Just fyi, you will see a lot of reviews that dis this gun due to reliability problems, however, those were the A series that were first manufactured, the new B and C series have, from what I have read, corrected these problems making for a really good firearm at an excellent price imo


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## jvarnell (Nov 25, 2012)

Txmason said:


> @sekkermm
> 
> Where did you buy the pistol from for the $169.00 price? My dad and I are interested in buying one.
> 
> ...


If you are in dallas or plano cheperthandirt if still in stock.  I carry a 380 when i am wareing shorts.  My 45 in the winter
;


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## SeeKer.mm (Nov 25, 2012)

jvarnell said:


> If you are in dallas or plano cheperthandirt if still in stock.  I carry a 380 when i am wareing shorts.  My 45 in the winter
> ;




The cheaper than dirt website has the same fire arm listed for 252.85


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## K.S. (Nov 25, 2012)

I carry Glock 30 (and 30sf) small, a little heavy, especially if you swap out guide rod for stainless, but 10 rounds of .45 in a sub-compact? With Winchester PDX1's -All you need.


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## ThanatosTA (Nov 27, 2012)

I know this is a little behind, but I bought a Taurus .45 brand new and I haven't been able to put make it through one mag. without it jamming on me.  I load the mags with 10 rounds and have put about 200 rounds through it so far.  I took it to the gunsmith at the range I belong to and he said that it has a rough bore and can fix it for $40.

I hope yours works out for you.  I have heard very good things about Taurus before I got mine though.  Maybe I'm just lucky....

I also just got a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard Saturday.  That gun is awesome!  I had it in my pocket when I got home after I bought it and forgot it was there until I started getting ready for bed!

-Scott


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## jvarnell (Nov 27, 2012)

SeeKer.mm said:


> The cheaper than dirt website has the same fire arm listed for 252.85



In the case at the Plano store they had it for 179.95 if you were a CHL so they did not have to do the 5 day wait.


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## jvarnell (Nov 27, 2012)

ThanatosTA said:


> I know this is a little behind, but I bought a Taurus .45 brand new and I haven't been able to put make it through one mag. without it jamming on me. I load the mags with 10 rounds and have put about 200 rounds through it so far. I took it to the gunsmith at the range I belong to and he said that it has a rough bore and can fix it for $40.
> 
> I hope yours works out for you. I have heard very good things about Taurus before I got mine though. Maybe I'm just lucky....
> 
> ...


  Taurus will fix it for free and pay the shipping.  The problems I have with most S&W models is the safty moves in the opisite direction than the 1911 and I might go to safe instead of fire when I need it.  I have only one gun that is DA only right now and still find myself rubbing my thumb over where the safty should be every time I draw it.


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## widows son (Nov 28, 2012)

I wish Canada had the same gun laws as you guys. We pay out the arse just to keep the license, and you need like 3 different licenses. Ammo needs to be in a certified box far away from the firearm, and the firearm needs to be locked in a certified locker. Not sure if it's similar to you guys, I do know you guys gotta wait a week or so for your firearm. I think it's the same up here. Anyway I enjoy hunting, I go with my uncle. He hunts Canadian geese and ducks. Last year for Xmas we ate a goose that I bagged.  De-lish.


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## ThanatosTA (Nov 28, 2012)

There's no waiting period in Texas.  That blew me away when I got a gun here the first time.  I asked how long the wait period was and was laughed at, then the sales guy said, "This is Texas son, we ain't gotta wait for a gun here."  I just laughed...


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## crono782 (Nov 28, 2012)

There is no waiting period in texas to buy a firearm. The only restriction of note is no open carry. Also, if you're going to carry in your vehicle, then it has to be concealed.


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## SeeKer.mm (Nov 28, 2012)

If u have your permit there is no waiting period here in ct....no permit or hunting license equals 14 day wait for rifles and shotguns and jail time for handguns


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## ThanatosTA (Nov 28, 2012)

So did you get the Taurus yet?  If so, how do you like it??


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## CajunTinMan (Nov 28, 2012)

In Louisiana you can open carry a hand gun on your person as long as it visible. Concealed carry with a permit. And anywhere in you car.


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## SeeKer.mm (Nov 28, 2012)

ThanatosTA said:


> So did you get the Taurus yet?  If so, how do you like it??



I did get it.  So far I like it a lot but I haven't gotten any range time yet, just bought it this past Saturday and we have a MM degree coming up this Friday so any free time has been at rehearsal.  I like the feel of the weapon and all the features, I plan on breaking her in this weekend, I will let you all know it goes!


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## jvarnell (Nov 28, 2012)

crono782 said:


> There is no waiting period in texas to buy a firearm. The only restriction of note is no open carry. Also, if you're going to carry in your vehicle, then it has to be concealed.



if you don't have a CHL or the place not have instacheck you do have to wait.


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## jvarnell (Nov 28, 2012)

SeeKer.mm said:


> I did get it.  So far I like it a lot but I haven't gotten any range time yet, just bought it this past Saturday and we have a MM degree coming up this Friday so any free time has been at rehearsal.  I like the feel of the weapon and all the features, I plan on breaking her in this weekend, I will let you all know it goes!


  Tell us when you shoot it what the triger pull is like.  I really would like one but I don't need another triger pull like my Kal-tec of 8lb,  my 1911 has a 1.5,  my glock has a 4.5 so I am all over the map. DA onlys seam to have a heaver pull.


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## robert leachman (Nov 29, 2012)

What type of malfunctions are you having with the pistol?
A "rough bore" makes no sense to a function problem unless the chamber did not get cut deep enough.  The bore is the part of the barrel the bullet travels down once the cartridge is fired.  The chamber is the part of the barrel the cartridge sits in. Since you are able to load and fire the pistol, I don't think you have a short chamber.
You could have a magazine problem, a ammunition problem (some semi-autos will not reliably work until you have shot at least 300 rounds through them), you could have a dirty pistol problem ( did you strip it down and clean it before shooting the first time?  I would recommend Frog Lube- wonderful stuff, use it on all my firearms, including my duty guns)
Tell us what type if malfunction(s) you are having.


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## CajunTinMan (Nov 29, 2012)

If your using this for self protection I would practice drawing and point and shoot. In a stress fire situation muscle memory is what kicks in. Aiming is nice but its not as important as the other two. If your going to practice in the mirror please please make sure you check the weapon several times to make sure it's not loaded first. I know a lot of people are concerned with trigger pull but you will probably be on you second magazine before you realize that you've even pulled the trigger.


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## jvarnell (Nov 29, 2012)

robert leachman said:


> What type of malfunctions are you having with the pistol?
> A "rough bore" makes no sense to a function problem unless the chamber did not get cut deep enough. The bore is the part of the barrel the bullet travels down once the cartridge is fired. The chamber is the part of the barrel the cartridge sits in. Since you are able to load and fire the pistol, I don't think you have a short chamber.
> You could have a magazine problem, a ammunition problem (some semi-autos will not reliably work until you have shot at least 300 rounds through them), you could have a dirty pistol problem ( did you strip it down and clean it before shooting the first time? I would recommend Frog Lube- wonderful stuff, use it on all my firearms, including my duty guns)
> Tell us what type if malfunction(s) you are having.



When I read that I took it as to be a rough ramp or where the bore and ramp meet. In that place you just need to polish of any ridges.  On some 1911's I have even had to get out the old drumal to fix a ramping problem.


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## K.S. (Dec 1, 2012)

I had a Springfield mil-spec g.i that shot flawlessly with brass cartridge ammo. The moment I loaded some wolf steel casings in it, it failed to eject every single round.
   So, you might want to try some different manufacturers of ammo, and give her a solid cleaning, just in case.


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## ThanatosTA (Dec 1, 2012)

When I brought it home, I broke it down and cleaned it pretty good.  When I got to the range, I put 10 rounds in each mag.  I have made it through one mag without it jamming at least once.  The casing does not eject and the second round can't feed.  After I drop the mag so I can clear the firearm, I have to tap the back of the firearm on the table to get the casing out.  When I broke it down once to clean it, I looked through the barrel with a flashlight and could see "something" on the smooth part of the barrel where the round sits before firing.  I brought it to the gunsmith at the range I belong to and let him shoot it.  He saw some markings on the casing and said that the firearm had a "Rough Bore".  When I look at the barrel with a flashlight, I "think" I can see a small ding, but I'm not sure.  I think I have put about 200 or so rounds through it, but for now, it's just sitting in my lock box in the house.  I have used different mags, but I haven't tried different ammo yet.  All of the ammo has just been "flat point" target ammo so far.  That's the next step, but I want to use my .40 for my CHL test first, so I'm going to get re-acquainted with it for a while.


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## SeeKer.mm (Dec 1, 2012)

jvarnell said:


> Tell us when you shoot it what the triger pull is like.  I really would like one but I don't need another triger pull like my Kal-tec of 8lb,  my 1911 has a 1.5,  my glock has a 4.5 so I am all over the map. DA onlys seam to have a heaver pull.



No problem, Brother, I will let you know. I am supposed to be going to the range with my Brother in Law/Brother in Masonry, in about an hour.  From what I have read, the Taurus 738 purposely has a long trigger pull to act as a safety measure since there is no manual safety.  Not sure if this will hinder my experience or not, but we will see.  I'll report back.


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## SeeKer.mm (Dec 2, 2012)

Ok so I finally got to take my new little pistol to the range.  For anyone catching up on the thread, I was able to pick up a Taurus TCP 738 which is a .380 acp (9mm kurz) "pocket" pistol for 169.95.  Wasn't my first choice of dream gun, but I couldn't beat the price for a first pistol.    Overall I am very pleased with its performance thus far.  Off the range, concealment is VERY easy.  Can be put in a pocket holster, under the pants holster (my preference) or basically any method of your choice very easily and conceals to the point of invisible, really.  Very slim weapon, low profile sights so no snagging, at first wearing anything under the pants while seated is a bit annoying but after about 15 minutes I forgot the thing was there.   At the range the pistol proved very reliable so far.  She is still in her break in period as I only put 100 rounds through her so far, 50 Winchester, and 50 Federal.  Break in period is a recommended 200 rounds.  I had no Failure to fire, I had no failure to eject.  Accuracy at first was a little low to my sight picture, but after about 25 rounds it seemed to adjust...not sure if this was the gun adjusting or me subconsciously adjusting to the pistol *shrug*. I found that my groupings were a lot closer together when I shot with one hand, rather than two...not sure what science is involved there...  Regarding the trigger pull, yes, it is a rather long trigger pull, but it is not a heavy or burdensome trigger pull and is very easy to get used to it, as a matter of fact, I like it because it allows me certainty in my firing decision....(although I wouldn't pull it out on the street unless i was certain, but you know what I mean)  it sort of acts as a safety net, but the pull itself is VERY smooth and once you know where it breaks, like I said it is very easy to get used to.   I can't wait to put another 100 or so rounds through this little spit fire.  I know there are caliber wars going on everywhere, especially regarding .380.  In my opinion, yes, I want something with a little more umph for my primary...I really want the XDS45 as my main carry, however, for now I have to say that I will feel safe with .380 as my conceal, and it eventually will become a sort of backup weapon, or perhaps be inherited by a family member or something like that.  For anyone that might may say that .380 isn't enough gun to defend myself....let's do a quick little experiment and see :33::41::33::41:


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## robert leachman (Dec 2, 2012)

Sounds like the chamber did not get properly made/finished.  First I'd make sure a piece of metal did not find its way into your chamber.  If you can't get it out, I believe I would contact Taurus and tell them they are going to fix it.  You should not have to pay to get a chamber smoothed on a brand new pistol!


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## ThanatosTA (Dec 2, 2012)

SeeKer, glad to hear that you like it!  I have a S&W .380 that I got within the past 2 weeks or so and it has a very, very long trigger pull also.  But like you said, it acts as a "are you really sure you NEED to do this" safety in a way, and it's not that hard to adjust to it.

Robert, I still have yet to contact Taurus about the .45.  I'm trying to decide if it's worth the aggravation dealing with them, worth the time that I won't have it, or worth shelling out $40 to have it worked on.  I agree that I shouldn't have to pay to have a brand new gun fixed, but the $40 might be a trade off for not playing the run around game with customer service.  I still haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, but I'm leaning towards shelling out the cash and having the range guys fix it.


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