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Crimson Trace Laserguard
for Taurus Tcp
Front Pocket Gun Holster
for Taurus TCP 738 .380
Taurus 738 TCP Problems & Jams
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Does Taurus 738 TCP Jam Or Have problems?
One of the first things you investigate when buying a new gun is whether the gun has a history of jams or other reliability or safety problems. 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 had with his Taurus TCP.
Summary of Taurus 738 TCP Problems
Not a good track record so far. After buying his brand new Taurus 738 TCP, my friend had to polish the ramp to prevent jams, send it back to the factory TWICE to get two new replacement guns in lieu of repairs and replace a broken magazine release.
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New Taurus 738 TCP - First Day Of Shooting
Shot fine with commercial target ammunition. Jammed with reloads and certain defensive hollow-point ammo. Polishing the feed ramp seemed to fix the problem. -
After A Few Months Of Shooting His Taurus 738 TCP
More jams occurred so he sent it back to the factory for inspection and/or repair. Taurus couldn't fix the problem so they sent him a new replacement gun. -
After A Few Months Of Shooting His "NEW" Taurus 738 TCP
When cleaning his gun my friend noticed a crack in the slide rail of the gun. See the below pictures. He sent the gun back to the factory. They sent him a new replacement gun. -
After Shooting A Couple Hundred Rounds The Magazine Release Of His Taurus TCP Broke
Inserting the magazine into the gun caused the plastic magazine release of the Taurus TCP to break. The are sending him a new magazine release. Read more below.
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Taurus 738 TCP Problem Crack in the slide rail |
Taurus 738 TCP Problem Crack in the slide rail |
Ruger LCP Comparison This is how the slide rail is suppose to look |
Discussion of the Taurus 738 TCP Problem
Subject: Another Taurus 738 TCP Failure
Tanner,
I have another TCP failure. This one is a structural frame problem.
Yesterday I was cleaning guns and decided to strip and lube the TCP
after cleaning the ones I use at the range. Upon close examination, I
found one of the frame rails that support the slide is cracked! I called
Taurus this morning and they are sending FedEx to pick it up tomorrow. I
have no idea how long or what kind of an adventure this will be. It
appears that the rail subassembly may be a permanent part of the frame,
if so, it cannot be repaired and the entire gun will have to be
replaced. A few more rounds and the slide might have come off and that
could hurt! It will be interesting to see what the Taurus response is
going to be.
Carl
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Subject: Another Taurus 738 TCP Failure
Carl,
Wow and bummer! Good thing you are observant and maintain your guns
well. Another person might have just kept shooting the gun till failure.
I just looked at the rails on my Ruger LCP and they are also part of the
plastic frame structure. Being all black makes it hard to see. Is the
crack in the frame rail easy to see or do you really have to look
closely? How long is the crack? Which frame rail, left or right? Can you
feel the crack if you run your fingernail over it? Their response is
probably going to be, yes there is a crack in the rail and here is
another gun for you. No further explanation offered. It seems like the
Glock 26 Safety lever might come into use faster than expected. I was
thinking about this before, but it might not be a bad idea to have a
spare back-up pocket gun to have on hand. If I could afford one right
now, I would take another look at the little 9mm pocket gun.
Tanner
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Subject: Another Taurus 738 TCP Failure
Tanner,
The crack is about half the length of the rail on the mag release side
of the gun. The rail moves inward as side force is applied. I am very
leery of these little guns especially of the light weight variety. I
would not think a higher caliber would be a good investment but the
higher forces would make it more prone to a failure of its weakest part.
I will bring my
Walther PPKS 380 next time and see the difference. The
problem with it is that because of its construction, it’s too heavy for
a pocket gun. I do not think the light weight ones are reliable as a
carry gun only as a last effort backup. We must come up with a better
solution.
Carl
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Subject: Another Taurus 738 TCP Failure
Carl,
If I remember correctly, the little 9mm gun was a bit heavier and
resembled the design of a Glock. It seemed more like a “real gun”. I
agree that the lightweight pocket guns are flimsy in comparison and are
more prone to breakage and failure. They seem more like a toy as
compared to a real gun. I don’t think there is a better solution though,
if we want to carry it in our pockets.
Tanner
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Subject: Taurus 738 TCP Failure Photos
Tanner,
Attached are two photos of the rail failure I took for you before FedEx
comes to pick up the TCP. Let me know if you can see the failure OK.
Carl
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Subject: Taurus 738 TCP Failure Photos
Carl,
Thanks for the pics. I tried to brighten the pictures and zoom in, but I
can't really see the crack or identify it as a crack. It’s hard taking
detail pictures of these black plastic parts. It looks like you are
trying to show a bunch of small striations or wear marks on the inside
surface immediately below the left rail (viewed from the right side). I
also see a long horizontal gouge or deformation that runs all the way to
the front edge of the rail. I assume this is the crack. I just compared
your picture with a corresponding view of my
Ruger LCP. The
corresponding surface of my LCP is pristine and looks new. Yours looks
really bad. Is my interpretation of the photos correct? Also, can I use
the photos and the information and correspondence and add it to my
Taurus TCP web page?
Tanner
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Subject: Taurus 738 TCP Failure Photos
Tanner,
Yes use the photos on your website. I do not know why you are having
difficulty seeing the crack. They are very high resolution and are
crystal clear when I view them. Also the surface with the crack that is
visible is not a wear surface.
Carl
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Subject: Taurus 738 TCP Failure Photos
Carl,
For some reason I received your pictures and they were very dark. I
don’t know why. I tried to brighten them up the best I could and they
came out fine. Here is a picture of my Ruger that I will include on the
web page for comparison purposes. I agree that it is not a wear surface
but it sure looks messed up. It almost looks as if someone took a rough
file or rasp to it. You been filing on your gun?
Tanner
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Subject: Taurus 738 TCP Failure Photos
Tanner,
Our computers may be set to different color reproduction standards
because your picture is very light and washed out. The rough mark you
see is the result of poor machining by the Brazilians. The slide support
rail on the failed side was not properly machined and resulted in a very
thin wall between the groove on the outer side and the side you see in
the photo. That condition combined with a very sharp 90º corner at the
base of the groove causes a high stress concentration thus resulting in
failure. The FedEx guy just left with the TCP and said it will be there
in the morning.
Carl
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Subject: Taurus 738 TCP Failure Photos
Carl,
Thanks for the explanation.
Tanner
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Taurus TCP 738 Magazine Release Broke
My friend brought his Taurus TCP 738 to the range for some target shooting. He loaded the magazine, inserted it into the gun, aimed and fired. After firing one round the magazine popped out by itself. Along with the magazine came a little piece of plastic. He reinserted the magazine into the pistol but the magazine wouldn't lock into place. The plastic piece turned out to be a broken piece of the magazine release. No more shooting his TCP that day.
Why the Taurus TCP 738 Magazine Release Broke
When he inserted his magazine into the Taurus TCP, my friend didn't depress the magazine release button. He just pushed it into the gun. The action of inserting the magazine into the magazine well caused the plastic magazine release to break.
Page 18 of the Taurus TCP Owner's Manual states
"2. Hold the MAGAZINE with one of your hands and with the other one
insert the cartridges one at a time, pressing them down and to the rear.
Insert the MAGAZINE into the pistol until it is held by the MAGAZINE
CATCH. If the MAGAZINE is not correctly inserted into the pistol, it can
be dropped when you intend to shoot." It does NOT mention having to
depress the magazine release button while inserting the magazine into
the well. Research on the internet shows that some owner's of the Taurus
TCP, Ruger LCP and the Keltec P-3AT recommend depressing the magazine
release button each time you insert the magazine because it is a plastic
part that is susceptible to breaking.
Later that day my friend called the Taurus company
and told them the problem with the magazine release.
"I called Taurus regarding the magazine release and they said I could
send them the TCP or they would send me the part. I asked for the part
and I will install it. There is no charge. I will probably not have it
by next week."
Taurus TCP 738 Manual
The owner's manual for the TCP 738 can be found on
the Taurus website at the following link.
http://www.taurususa.com/pdf/manual_TCP_50062247.pdf
Guns That Are Similar To The Taurus 738 TCP
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Kel-Tec P-3AT .380 ACP 6+1 |
Ruger LCP .380 ACP 6+1 |
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Taurus 738 TCP Pistol Problems - Feedback
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New Taurus Gun Jams
March 7, 2012
I have a new torus gun it jams after 5 shots what do i need to do to get
it fixed.
Richard
Response - Richard,
Guns jam for many reasons. You didn't say how it jams or what type of
jam. The first thing I would do is to clean, lubricate and inspect it.
Then I would try different types of ammunition, preferably round nose,
full metal jacket ammo. Then I would try polishing the slide. You could
always take it to a gunsmith or send it back to Taurus for repair.
Tanner
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Taurus 738 Not Designed For Plus Ps Or Hollowpoint
August 19, 2011
The Taurus 738 TCP pistol is designed to shoot round ball ammo and not
Hollow points, and 95 gr 1000 fps. I have shot a dozen boxes of shells
through mine and have not had one single jam. If you buy a handgun,
shoot the right ammo and their probably won't be a problem. The Taurus
380 TCP 738 is a great handgun. If you want to shoot Plus Ps then or
hotter ammo then what's recommended then buy a heaver frame gun.
Teddy
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Taurus TCP 738 Problems
July 15, 2011
My Tcp 380 seemed really nice. I have not fired it
thru winter. I took it to the range, and it would not fire. Pull
trigger/no click// Dead. So i took it apart, and there is some debate on
when you put latch pin back in during assembly if it should be framed
back, as it was when it was dis-assembled, or put pin in as when it
looks lined up ? So either way worked, and still no fire. Is spring pin
in correct. Yes. At Gun shop we compared it to a display gun. Sent it
back to Taurus today thru gun shop. If i had known this trouble would
brew. I would of steered clear. My Big Taurus .480 with the warranty
enticed me to buy this mini....
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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