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- All Reviews -
Crimson Trace Laserguard
for Taurus
Front Pocket Gun Holster
for Taurus TCP 738 .380
Taurus 738 TCP .380 Pistol Review
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The Taurus Model 738 TCP .380 Pistol
The Taurus Model 738 TCP .380 Pistol has the advantage over the Ruger LCP and the Kel-Tec P-3AT because it's slide locks back after the last round is fired, has optional extended magazines and a safety lock feature.
If you are looking for a small, light weight pocket pistol in .380 caliber that you can slip into your pocket and forget about you have three main choices. The Kel-Tec P-3AT, the Ruger LCP and the Taurus 738 TCP. Kel-Tec was the first manufacturer to produce this gun. It was soon copied by Ruger and then Taurus with each including slight modifications to the basic design.
 Kel-Tec P-3AT |
 Ruger LCP |
Taurus Model 738 TCP |
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Price: $256 Check Current Price |
Price: $299 Check Current Price |
Price: $282 Check Current Price |
Why Choose A .380 Pocket Pistol?
The answer is simple. It's small size and light weight give you options. If you have ever tried to wear a concealed gun around waist, under your arm or on your leg you will find that it's not the most comfortable thing in the world to wear. You may even have to buy new clothes to wear to hide your gun and you will always wonder if others can tell if your wearing a gun by that bulge sticking out as you bend over or stretch to reach something.
Before you ever buy a handgun for carry purposes you should try one with different holsters and see how if feels before you buy it. You may regret your decision if you don't. I started out buying a 9mm Glock 19 and found that it was too big for me to conceal carry in Florida so I bought a smaller 9mm Glock 26 thinking that I could carry it in my pocket. Well, it turns out that you can carry a Glock 26 in your pocket but it feels like you're carrying a lead weight in your pocket and it's sharp corners "print" through your pants. I eventually purchased a Ruger LCP for pocket carry purposes. That was before I knew about the Taurus 738 TCP.
Why Choose A Taurus 738 TCP Over A Kel-Tec 3PAT Or Ruger LCP?
My friend recently had to make a decision of which gun to buy. They are all the same gun, but with minor differences.
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The Kel-Tec 3PAT was the first and original in this model of gun but had growing pains and rumors or problems with inferior quality and frequent jams with certain types of ammunition. It also had no way of locking the slide back so if you had a jam or had to inspect the chamber or the "insides" of the gun you had to use both hand making it extremely difficult. The slide would not lock back on the last round fired.
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The Ruger LCP has a well recognized brand name behind it, is though to be better quality than the Kel-Tec and has the ability to manually lock back the slide. The Ruger LCP also has a slide that does not lock back after the last round is fired.
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The Taurus Model 738 TCP is the "new guy" in the group and doesn't have as much history behind it as the Kel-Tec and the Ruger. Also, the Taurus name ,over the years, had a reputation for "cheaper guns". The Taurus 738 TCP does have a big advantage over the other two in that it's slide does lock back after the last round is fired and also has a manual slide lock. Additional the Taurus 738 TCP has a safety lock system that the other's don't have. Before you buy one read Taurus 738 TCP Problems & Jams.
MY FRIEND CHOSE THE TAURUS 738 TCP
He ordered it online and to our amazement it was delivered the following day. I was with him when he picked it up at the local gun store and upon pickup inspected it for:
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EQUIPMENT
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INSPECTION
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TESTING
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Everything passed inspection and he accepted delivery of the gun. He decided not to shoot it that day and wanted to wait until he had cleaned and lubricated it and was more familiar with the gun. Smart move. He had also ordered a Crimson Trace Laserguard laser to go along with the gun.
First Day At The Range With The Taurus 738 TCP
My friend brought and shot the following ammunition.
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50 reloads bought from a local ammo supply company.
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100 reloads that he reloaded himself (first time loading .380s)
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50 rounds factory ammo
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A few rounds of hollow point defensive ammo.
He had some jams with the reloads as expected, no jams with the factory round nose ammo and each type of the hollow point defensive ammo would not feed properly. He will do an analysis on the feeding problem for the hollow points and get back to me.
Shooting The Taurus 738 TCP
The Taurus 738 TCP (with factory ammo) shot perfectly. The sights were accurate and it had a great trigger pull. Everything worked as advertised with no problems. THE PROBLEMS CAME LATER.
Using The Crimson Trace Laser With The Taurus 738 TCP
He let me try his Taurus 738 TCP with the Crimson Trace laser. The laser was nice and bright and provided a very defined red dot at 50 feet. The only problem was that the light would go off when I pressed the trigger. My friend had the same problem at first.
The Crimson Trace laser is designed to come on each time you grab the grips of the gun. There is a button that activates the laser on the front of the grips that is depressed when you grab and wrap your hand around the grips of the gun. Unfortunately there is a small plastic guard or formed protrusion near this button that is part of the design of the laser sights. Somehow this guard interferes with the pulling of the trigger while maintaining pressure on the button. It may be due to the small size of the gun, my hand size and the shape and size of the guard but the action of pulling the trigger moves my grip position and lets off of the button causing the laser to go off. Later, my friend took a dremmel to the guard and shaved it off and now reports that this is no longer a problem.
Taurus 738 TCP Reviews
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Taurus TCP Extended Magazine Taurus TCP 738 Grip Extensions? Since you can't buy extended magazines or grip extensions for the Taurus TCP 738 you have to make them for yourself. Here are the instructions for making your own Taurus Grip Extensions. |
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Taurus 738 TCP Problems & Jams If you search the internet you will probably find many comments that the Taurus 738 TCP has frequent jams and may be finicky with certain ammunition. This review describes the problems that my friend hand with his Taurus TCP. See also Taurus TCP Problem Crack In Frame Taurus TCP 738 Pictures |
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Ruger LCP .380 ACP Pistol Review Ruger LCP .380 pistol is a great concealed carry pocket gun. See also: Ruger LCP Magazines Ruger LCP Holsters. Ruger LCP Exploded View & Parts. Ruger LCP Field Strip & Cleaning Can .380 +P Ammunition Be Used In Ruger LCP, Taurus 738 and |
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Kel-Tec P3AT |
Ruger LCP |
Taurus 738 |
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Weight |
8.3 Oz |
9.42 Oz |
9.9 Oz |
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Frame Width |
0.798" |
0.790" |
0.775” |
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Barrel Length |
2.745" |
2.796" |
2.830” |
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Slide Width |
0.748" |
0.741" |
0.778" |
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Overall Length |
5.14" |
5.172" |
5.195” |
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Overall Height |
3.576" |
3.612" |
3.625” |
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Cartridge Capacity |
6+1 |
6+1 |
6+1 |
Taurus TCP 738 Feedback & Comments
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Dissatisfied Taurus 738 Owner
April 28, 2012
I have a tarus pt 45 no problems there revolvers function just fine but
the tcp738 380 is pure junk don't buy it. I BOUGHT MINE NEW AT XX. FIRST
TIME TRIED TO LOAD IT IT JAMMED. ROUND STUCK BELOW BARREL. I took it
back to XX, who not exchange it or refund your money They send it to
tarus in Miami, fl takes 8 weeks to get it back so they say. I won't
ever use this weapon again it is not reliable tarus knows it how have
they made that they know are defective. Their site says all weapons are
test fired, then why did my jam every time i tried to put a round in the
chamber. Oh and by the way the place where I bought it will tell you it
is federal law that they can't exchange it, well this is a lie you can
take any gun to shooters or pawn shops or gun shows and they buy or swap
it. So my advice is forget the tarus tcp 738 380 do yourself a favor buy
a five shot Rossi they don't jam.
John
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Problems With Taurus 738 TCP Pistol
March 14, 2012
Have similar problems as marv with Tarus 738. Results from first time at
range: Slide locks with full magazine. Sometimes locks after one or two
rounds. Sometimes fails to chamber next round. Store I bought it from
gave me a box of different ammo. Will head to range tomorrow to test. A
little disappointed at this point.
John
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Taurus TCP 738 Ammo
March 9, 2012
I bought my .380 TCP about two wks. ago. Fired 1/2 box of .95 gr. fmj
Winchester.1/2 box fed..95 gr. fmj. No problems. I found the Win to be
more accurate for me. I just bought a 50rd.box 95gr.fmj Remington. I
will fire a few rds. and find out if just as accurate as the Winc. ammo.
its raining so I'm on hold for now. Frank
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March 9, 2012
Purchased a Taurus 380 tcp and had issues. Misfirings, jamming, would
not chamber bullets. Slide would go back and jam. Sent it back to Taurus
and when i got it back i still had issues with bullets not chambering.
This particular gun is not reliable. Marv
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Recommend Taurus TCP 738
February 15, 2012
My mother and I both like the Taurus 738. It is easy to hold for people
with smaller hands. Also we find that it is easy to fire for older
people with arthritis. We both highly recommend this gun to anyone
looking for the perfect concealed weapon. It fits easily into a purse.
Charlie
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Happy With Taurus TCP 738
July 28, 2011
Bought a
taurus 738 2 weeks ago. Have put 200 rds through without a hitch. I
am surprised at the accuracy of such a small gun. Bought a
desantis superfly pocket holster and am good to go for carry. I have 2
taurus pistols and like them both.
Bob
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Taurus TCP 738 FTE Issues
June 23, 2011
Hello, I'm debating between the KelTek P3AT and the Taurus 738. I've
read several complaints on the Taurus having FTE issues. However, most
of the complaints I read end with dates around 10/2010. Do you know if
Taurus has addressed any design issues with the TCP 738? I've new to the
handgun realm and need all the guidance I can get. Thanks! Lyn
Response - Lyn,
My friend has a Taurus TCP 738 (I went with a Ruger LCP). During the
first few months that he owned it he too had a couple of FTE problems
and eventually sent it back to the factory for inspection and/or repair.
After waiting over a month for his TCP to be returned he decided to call
and find out the status of his gun. If my memory serves me right, they
told him that the gun was in their research/design department and that
they couldn't find anything wrong with his it and that they were
“making” him a new gun. Why they just did not replace his gun with one
from stock, we don't know. My friend sees to think that maybe (or
hopefully) they were incorporating a design change to fix the problem.
A few weeks later he received his new gun. He has shot over 500 rounds
through it with no problems at all. He is now happy with his gun.
The only way to get the real answer to your question would be to contact
Taurus yourself.
Another thing to consider when buying your gun is how it fits in your
hand and whether you will be using magazine extensions to get a better
grip on the gun. Both my friend and I agree that these small pocket guns
need them. Be aware that you cannot buy magazine extensions for the
Taurus (you will have to make your own). Ref:
http://www.reviewsofthings.com/guns/taurus-tcp-extended-magazine.html.
Good luck in your decision.
Tanner
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Taurus 738 TCP .380 Pistol
April 29, 2011
I bought the tcp with the CT laserguard. A little
tricky to adjust the laser. the pistol fired fmj and hp ammo with very
few problems. had a feed problem only once in 100+ rounds. Easy to
field
strip and clean. Definetly a good dependable pocket gun.
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