NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/rec/guns/20388

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-28 | 2.6 KB

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From: [e-mail] (James Foster x2912)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Beretta vs Taurus ?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 27 Jan 93 03:37:10 GMT
Sender: [e-mail]
Lines: 48
Approved: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, you write:
|> If we can take a brief detour from the Sig vs Glock vs Beretta
|> debate for a moment ...
|>
|> What about Beretta vs Taurus?  They look to be the same design.
|> The Taurus looks to be well made (to the extent that can be seen
|> from the outside of the gun...).
|>
|> So how similar are they?  Can you swap parts from a 92 to whatever
|> the Taurus equivalent is (like on real 1911-A1 clones) or are there
|> subtile manufacturing differences that make them quite different?
|>
|> The local gun store asserts that Brazil nationalized a Beretta
|> plant and is basically building Berrettas on Beretta tooling
|> under a different name.  Is this true?  (And did they start
|> cheapening the metals or quality of labor used ... or kept the same?)
|>
|> --
|>
|> E. Michael Smith  [e-mail]
|>
|> 'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has
|>  genius, power and magic in it.'  -  Goethe
|>
|> I am not responsible nor is anyone else.  Everything is disclaimed.


The story is correct as far as I know.  I purchased a few Beretta magazines
for my Taurus based on the supposed similarity of the design.  I was told that
the magazine catch had been changed slightly and that I would have to file
out the slots on the magazines to get them to work.  This was true, but in
addition the top of the Taurus magazines are more rounded.  This allows the
top of them to clear the magazine catch and then push it out as the magazine
is inserted.  The squarer top of the Beretta magazines hit the catch
solidly and required that the mag. release be pushed in to allow the magazine
to be inserted fully.  I tried rounding the edge of one magazine and it
works, but was not worth the work.

The bottom line is that if they have already changed the magazine catch then
other parts probably have had minor changes made.  I would guess that there is
little if any interchangability and would not count on it.

My feeling is that the Taurus is a good lower cost alternative if you like the
Beretta design.  I bought my PT-99 used and have only put about 1000 rounds through
it, but have had no problems with it.

Jim Foster