Step One, Have Guns That Work

Via Uncle, I find The Truth About Guns featuring an interview with new Taurus CEO Mark Kresser:

Throughout our entire organization, we are focused on continuous improvement… regardless of what process, regardless of what position or what department we have within our organization.

I'm glad to hear of Taurus' renewed commitment to customer service and quality control. And you know, the first step on that path might be making sure that your display guns at the NRA Annual Meeting, actually, you know… work.

While browsing the Taurus display at the meeting, Jay G., DaddyBear and I encountered a Taurus polymer .357 magnum revolver that absolutely would not fire single action. The gun cycled fine with a DA pull, which actually wasn't half bad, as DA triggers go – but it refused any and all efforts to cock the hammer for a single action pull. Even DaddyBear couldn't cock it, and that guy has hands that are almost as big as Matt G.'s. That hammer had to have a burr on it the size of a pine cone.

I had video of us straining mightily to cock that bobbed hammer, but unfortunately it looks like I deleted it from my iPhone.

I have two Taurus polymer semiautos – a P709 Slim and a PT140 Milennium Pro – and I like 'em both. Once you get past that weird Taurus trigger that has four furlongs of takeup before it engages the sear, they're pretty easy to shoot, too. Mine have been rock solid reliable, with multiple thousands of rounds shot out of each.

But all it takes is one bad one to dent your reputation, especially if the bad one is on display at a convention where thousands of gun nuts will be coon-fingering your defective product over the weekend.