Working the Taurus PT92

I am aware of literally dozens of Taurus PT92 handguns in service with citizens as personal defense and competition pieces. Quite a few police officers of my acquaintance fancy this Taurus as well. Among a very few nations with a handgun heritage approximating our own, the Philippines have recently adopted the PT92 as a service handgun for police. The low bid was not their consideration as the pistol performs well. The Taurus is best known as a clone gun of the Beretta 92 but there are differences.

The Beretta 92 was in use as a military service pistol in Brazil and the machinery used to build the Beretta was purchased by Taurus. The original Beretta 92 used a frame mounted safety and a non-Browningstyle push-button magazine release. Beretta would later put a Browningstyle magazine release and a Walther P38-type safety and decocker into the design. The Taurus features a Browning magazine release but continues to use the frame mounted safety of the original Beretta.

The PT92 is properly termed a selective double action pistol. While the trigger action allows a first shot double action press, the pistol also may be carried cocked and locked, hammer to the rear and safety on and the safety may be placed on during tactical movement without the need to decock the hammer. This SDA (Single-Double Action) is also represented by the CZ75, the Daewoo DH51 and a few special editions from Beretta and SIG, among others.

The Beretta 92 and the Taurus PT92 share engineering that is readily identifiable as descended from original German designs as the oscillating wedge lockup was first used in the Mauser 1896 pistol. This lockup was later adopted by the Walther P38 pistol. The long drawbar used to cock and release the hammer is nearly identical to the Walther P38, as is the safety/decocker of the Beretta. This family resemblance is important.

During US Army trials several Beretta pistols suffered slide fractures much like the Walther P38 originally did. It is notable that when the P1 Walther — an aluminum

Caution should be used as safety function may be inhibited. Beretta grips fit the Taurus OK but when modification is undertaken to make room for the Taurus safety levers the function of the safety may be impeded. The main difference is the slide mounted safety/decocker. The Beretta 92 features a slide mounted decocker. Otherwise, the pistols are quite similar. frame variant of the P38 — was introduced the only changes apparent in the slide are slight variations to increase the strength of it to prevent fracturing.

Internally and externally the P1 is appears nearly identical to the P38. Remarkably, despite long and hard use by Brazilian police and military and our own pistol competitors, the PT92 has not suffered such problems, at least to the best of my knowledge. Improving the PT92 The reliability of the PT92 is at least comparable to any other 9mm pistol, however, like any handgun, the PT92 may have an occasional problem. Early PT92s were not completely feed reliable with all bullet styles.

My impression is that the pistol was reliable with 115 grain bullets such as the Winchester Silvertip and Federal 9B but sometimes did not feed well with the Hornady 124 grain XTP and the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain JHP. The longer nose bullets sometimes hung on the chamber. The cure is to lightly polish the feed ramp and chamber. Often a very light touch with the Dremel is sufficient.

The design features a nearly straight-into-chamber feed but the longer bullets sometimes hang up and a bit of a polish on the top of the chamber usually remedies this. The PT92 is a relatively inexpensive handgun and maintenance is often ignored. I have seen quite a few high round count handguns badly in need to new recoil springs. When the original has lost an inch of free length it is long overdue for replacement. The 13-pound spring of the original is sometimes replaced with a 16 pound spring from Wolf.

While this does slow battering, however, the original recoil spring is quite reliable even when firing with the weak hand, one handed. This is a positive sign of reliability. If the original spring is replaced with heavier spring reliability should be tested. Sights Sights are problematical. If possible, the best bet is simply to purchase a PT99, the adjustable sight version. Drilling out the sights and enamel ing them in contrasting red and green is among the few choices.

The handy little Nightsighter dots I have used on several handguns are an aid with the Taurus as well. These little dots require careful handling but area nice addition. To apply, clean the original sights with the supplied alcohol rub and let the sights dry. Use a very thin knife to pluck the Nightsighter dot from its packet and position the dot with a toothpick to press it into place. Allow a day or so for the dot to dry in place. A warning concerning aftermarket sights.

There are aftermarket adjustable sights available for the Taurus that fit into the existing dovetail, however, the front sight is not replaced and the aftermarket sights must extend past the frame of the pistol to allow the same relationship as the original sights. As a result, the aftermarket sights protrude from the rear of the slide. While they seem to work OK they are prone to snagging and cannot recommend them for service use.

There is little else to be done with the Taurus sights other than simply painting them. Tightening Up the Taurus There are several types of Beretta and Taurus loading blocks. The newer the better as the newer types have remedied the difficulty with older types in cracking. It was once considered standard operating procedure to replace the loading block at 3,000 rounds. Interestingly, some years ago I did a survey among armorers and gunsmiths who worked with

The chamber and feed ramp have been lightly polished to improve feed reliability. Often, the Taurus does not feed lead bullets well and a polish will help feed them better. Occasionally they bind and become bent and must be replaced. the Beretta. One was a giant Midwest concern. The results were contrary to my own prediction as they each told me that the hardest ammunition on the Beretta locking wedge was the 147 grain load.

This conclusion was reached after examining pistols from agencies using this load and am certain it is due to momentum. In contrast, agencies using 115 grain +P+ law enforcement load suffered less problems. It would still be wise to order anew locking block and pin for a high round count PT92. To strip the pistol for a routine tightening and replacement of the wedge, first remove the slide from the pistol.

You need only remove the magazine, clear the chamber by locking the slide to the rear, and rotate the takedown lever. The slide lock is released and the slide runs forward under hand control. Turn the slide upside down and push the actuator pin in the bottom rear of the wedge. The wedge will pop up and you may remove the barrel from the slide. The barrel is removed out the bottom of the slide. To remove the wedge a retainer pin is driven out. As you examine the wedge, look for even wear patterns.

Evenly rounded surfaces are common but eccentric wear is different and the sides of the There is a slot in the bottom of the drawbar that accepts this spring. Another end goes into a small hole in the frame. The portion on top will ride under the drawbar in a slot. wedge may not match. Even wear is simply removal of finish, producing bright spots and loss of a tight factory fit. Simply installing anew locking wedge will tighten the piece up and increase accuracy.

Often enough anew locking wedge may be installed with little or no fitting. A word on accuracy and the wedge. I am often surprised at how

accurate this basic design is despite the fact that there is little or no support of the forward part of the barrel. A tighter wedge does seem to add to accuracy. To insert the wedge, it is placed in the barrel and the retainer pin driven in. There are usually no issues in fitting to the barrel, only fitting to the slide. For most wedges a bit of break in with good lubrication and a full power 9mm load such as Winchester’s 124 grain USA works just fine.

A rule of thumb is ammunition hot enough to function the original German Luger make good break-in loads. Some commercial ammunition isn’t loaded this hot and may not function a tight gun. Since the Beretta 92 and the Taurus have evolved over several generations some fitting of the wedge is often required.

I am not a history professor and am not completely conversant with the generations of locking wedges, but there are at least three Beretta types and all will fit the oldest or the most modern pistol with a bit of fitting. My experience shows that when the wedge binds it tends to bind on only one side. Smoke marking or etching the part will let you know exactly where the bind is. Once you have discovered the wear marks and learned where to polish, fitting is elementary. Never file the slide!

You may fit several wedges over the years and you should file the wedges, not the slide. Polish the "wings" (lugs) towards the front (muzzle end) to adjust the piece for a good lockup. Usually the new wedge will be slightly oversize. The rear parts of the wedges are the lugs that actually are responsible for lockup and the rear part is the most important. You can polish the front until they just fit and the rear will retain a tight lock. Once the slide is rolling it will overcome resistance.

Again, use plenty of lubricant and full power loads for break in. Barrel Fit I have used aftermarket barrels including the Bar-Sto and Jarvis with excellent results. I have to admit I have not fitted a custom barrel to the Taurus PT92 but I have fitted several to the Beretta. The difference should be conversational at best. When fitting anew barrel I use the old locking block and pins in order to avoid confusion in fitting.

Following this procedure, if you have a problem you are certain it is actually the barrel rather than the locking block. Going with anew barrel and new wedge at the same time may confuse the issue. Once While a hoary design at the least, it usually works well enough. The P38 is the brightly polished unit. The locking wedges work well enough but should be inspected from time to time for eccentric wear. The polished wedge of a Walther P1, bottom, is sharper and shows less wear than the high round count PT92, above.

The locking wedge must be examined from time to time for eccentric wear. Replacement is straightforward. barrel fit is confirmed you may wish to fit anew wedge. The barrel moves in the frame by contact with the locking block. A drop-in from Bar-Sto actually was a drop-in fit and performed well in the Beretta and let a gun capable of four-inch, five-shot, 25-yard groups become a two incher. However, in a tighter barrel some fitting will be needed.

If the wedges are properly fitted and the barrel binds against the breech face there is a need for polishing the rear of the barrel. Carefully mark the areas and judge the degree of filing and go just a little at a time. The pistol is very easy to break down and reassemble to check fit and the slow-but-sure method is best. The only filing I have had to do is a slight amount on the rear of a barrel in fitting. Results vary on accuracy improvement. As I mentioned, one pistol gave a significant improvement.

Some factory pistols from Taurus are plenty accurate for the price and need little help. With a loading program identifying the best and most accurate loads, many

will group five shots into two-and-ahalf to three inches at 25 yards. My experience with the Beretta shows that some of the Italian Berettas, particularly the stainless steel versions, are slightly more accurate, but with custom barrels improvement is often significant. One Beretta fitted with a Bar-Sto barrel would group five rounds of Cor Bon Performance Match into two inches at twenty five yards on demand and occasionally a little less.

Trigger Work The Beretta’s main fault compared to other pistols is the long double action trigger press and unfortunately this is maintained in the Taurus clone. Achieving a super smooth let off isn’t in the cards but some improvement is possible. Lets look at the procedure. First, depress the upper arm of the trigger bar spring from the draw bar. This will allow the trigger bar to be removed from its notch. The slide lock is then pulled out, removing both the magazine latch and the magazine lock spring.

The trigger pin is drifted to the left, allowing the trigger and trigger spring to be removed. The hammer spring cap spring may then be drifted out. Remove the roll pin at the bottom of the solid non-removable mainspring housing. The cap then comes out the bottom of the grip. Most 92s have a lanyard ring that offers good control of the cap. The hammer pin also holds the safety on the PT92 and it is tapped out to release the hammer and hammer strut. The sear pin is then drifted out, releasing the sear.

This sear is a robust part of good proportions. The sear and its spring will release into the magazine well. You may go further for a detail strip but this is all that is required for action work. I highly recommend The Official NRA Guide to Firearms and Firearms Assembly, Pistols and Revolvers. Unfortunately Stoeger Publishing is currently out of business and we only hope the book will be picked up by another publisher. There are several approaches to the Taurus trigger.

One that has much merit is simply to clean the parts and thoroughly lubricate them with a quality product such as Tetra Lube. This simple action makes for a smoother double action trigger press and the single action press may feel smoother as well, but the typical single action press of the Taurus is heavy.

As an example, a quick canvas of my SIG P-series double action pistols shows that all have a crisp four-and-one-quarter-pound trigger press and my Armalite AR24 breaks at a clean five pounds, although it does have the modest backlash typical of the CZ75 types. The Taurus PT99 illustrated broke at nearly seven pounds according to my RCBS gauge. This is heavy and the inherent positioning of the trigger finger with a double action pistol makes it too heavy for good work.

The only means we have to reducing the trigger is to stone the sear. First, I recommend using a Sharpie or the large and handy "Sharkie" marker to coat the sear with black color. Get the surface evenly coated. Stabilize the sear in a padded vise or fixture and carefully stone the sear. The marking should be gone, all evenly, if you expect improvement. This careful polish should leave the sear much smoother and result in a crisper let off.

The PT92 sear is often rougher in appearance than the Beretta but may be made smooth for an improved action. Warning On One Procedure An old trick is replacing the factory mainspring with one for a 1911 type handgun. I admit this procedure often results in a lighter action, usually dropping the trigger compression a noticeable amount. While this is fine for a competition handgun, some thought should be given this expedient.

As an example, a decade ago at my police department I discovered a previous administration had purchased a considerable quantity of Egyptian surplus 9mm Luger ammunition on the cheap. There were two problems First, the ammunition was corrosive, something the folks who had purchased this ammunition did not know. A couple of SIG P226 pistols actually picked up some corrosion and it was my job to clean, lubricate and scrub the handguns. Second, the ammunition suffered about a 25% misfire rate.

The author was given the better part of 1,800 rounds of ammunition to for training, keeping it out of circulation with our expensive SIG pistols. After all, the new chief reasoned, I liked cleaning guns! While such a windfall is nice but misfires are madding. I was involved in training a neighboring agency that issued the Beretta 92 and invited my friends in on the practice sessions.

The Beretta 92 ended up suffering a much lower misfire rate, perhaps 10%, as the hammer fall is heavier and primer impact correspondingly more reliable. That is exactly the reason so many military 9mm pistols have such heavy mainsprings. I have modified the Beretta with the Colt 1911 mainspring with good results, and they seem to crack off prodigious amounts of practice ammunition. But the original pistol is designed to ignite primers anywhere in the world and we must keep that in mind.

Other Cautions A common complaint is that the trigger will fail to reset. What has occurred most of the time is that the trigger spring has become un wrapped during reassembly and disassembly is required to set this correct. I have actually seen Beretta pistols in which this spring is loose in the gun but the trigger still resets. The trigger pin will press out when this occurs, an early sign of trouble. It is surprisingly common to see Beretta grip panels modified to fit the Taurus.

The Taurus features frame mounted safety levers as opposed to the slide mounted safety of the Beretta and I cannot recom

mend this practice because there is a chance that safety function will be impeded by modified grips. The major makers offer grips for the Taurus as well as the Beretta and they are not particularly expensive. My impression of the Taurus is much the same as that I have of the Beretta. The pistols will give good service but they are not as rugged as the Browning High Power or Colt 1911 in long hard use.

There are steps that may be taken to make the pistols both smoother and more accurate, but as long as shooters are using this pistol normal wear on the locking blocks and fitting custom barrels will provide you with business. AG