SHOT Show 2017

Taurus Spectrum Review (Yeah, I Bought One)

March 14, 2018 By Josh 5 Comments

Taurus Spectrum Review

What follows is my Taurus Spectrum Review. I’ve been following this gun for over a year now, first released back in SHOT Show, 2017, then sort of re-announced a couple months ago at the same show, this year. And then, I got a phone call from my buddy at Xtreme Gun Worx, in Emmaus PA that he just managed to get two of these little pocket 380 guns in, and offered to sell me one.

Here is where you can buy a Taurus Spectrum. They were in stock, last I checked at a much better price than I paid.

I brought it to the range, and fired 300 rounds of three different kinds of ammo through. So far I’ve had two stovepipes, a few light strikes, and a few instances where I do what I call “short-stroke” the trigger.

Positives:

Taurus Spectrum Reliability:

One of the main things I want to get across in my Taurus Spectrum Review, is that it was more reliable than I thought it would be.

I want to say that, those light strikes occurred when I was shooting steel cased TulAmmo, and the stovepipes only occurred after the firearm was nasty with residue from the Tul and Winchester White Box ammo I ran through it.

Also, this pistol is capable of just pulling the trigger again on a lightstrike until it goes bang.

And, the little Taurus Spectrum handled the Federal Ammunition I was using like a dream. I have to admit that I went into the shooting session concerned, at best, but came out of it pleasantly surprised. Because, again, it was more reliable than I thought it would be.

But, this little pocket 380 isn’t perfect. Considering that this is a gun I bought for $250, was I really expecting it to be? No. In fact, I was expecting it to be much, much worse. I thought for sure I’d have more than the two malfunctions I did have. Let’s start with the positives of the .380 Taurus Spectrum

More often than not, it went bang when I wanted it to. I burned up 300 rounds of ammo in quick fashion. I got it hot and sticky, and it was raining and wet outside. The inside of this little pocket gun looked like it ran a tough mudder, and for the most part, it still worked with the better ammo.

I do want to say that, as far as shooting and reliability is concerned, the Taurus Spectrum does prefer being clean, and the stovepipes did not happen until I gunked it up with Tul and White Box Winchester.

Ergonomics:

The gun also, surprisingly because it’s so tiny, feels good in my hands. It doesn’t exactly fit my hands well, but it feels good enough with the extended 7-round mag inserted. Speaking of the magazines, they’re “Made in Italy,” and while it’s too early to speculate what that means, I’m hopeful it means they’ve outsourced to a specific company.

With such large hands the 6-round magazine makes it very difficult to hold onto once the shooting starts, but I suspect Taurus’ primary market with this pistol, which isn’t my big 300 pound burly butt, will take to this gun well.

Takedown:

The Taurus Spectrum takedown and reassembly is very easy via a small screw on the side of the gun. One thing I’m never a fan of, though, is needing a tool to take a gun apart. A flat tipped screwdriver is recommended, but I found that a brass case works just fine. So, in theory, just as long as you’ve got a round of ammo, or some spent casings, you should be able to dis and reassemble this little gun with ease.

To put it back together is literally just lining up the rails on the slide and frame, pulling it back, and it locks automatically taking any guesswork out of it. Of course, I’d recommend doing a function check to see if it still works properly.

Pull the slide all the way to the rear, and it self-locks.

Accuracy:

This is a small, concealed carry pistol that is meant to be hidden on your person. It comes with snag-free, integrated, non-adjustable sights. But, I was able to utterly destroy my 9-inch paper plate out at 7 and 10 yards with rapid and slow fire rates.

Overall, the Taurus Spectrum is as accurate as the shooter is. Would I shoot competitions with it? Not likely, but that’s not what this little pocket pistol is for. It’s for self-defense, which happens at those yardages.

Totally unrelated: Here’s our list of the best 22 pistols out there.

Here’s the little lock. You can stick a flat head screwdriver or an empty 380 case, turn it, and the slide comes off. To reassemble, just line the rails up, and pull the slide all the way to the rear for it to auto-lock back in place.

Taurus Spectrum Negatives:

Now let’s move on to the negatives. This is an under $300 gun, and it feels like it. Other guns in this price range don’t always have a cheap feel, but the Taurus Spectrum does, at least it does to me. Maybe you’d disagree.

Trigger:

The main negative I’d want you to take away from my Taurus Spectrum Review is that the trigger leaves a lot to be desired. The first thing I noticed, as well as the guy at the gunshop, is that the trigger (feels) gritty (but actually isn’t). This is one of those things that cannot be easily explained, but needs to be felt. The trigger also stacks upon itself which I’m not a fan of. It’s not excessive, but it’s felt.

In true DAO (double action only) fashion, it’s got a very long, safe pull to the rear, and a very long reset. I have no issues with a long pull and a long reset, by itself, and most people won’t have an issue. But, my problem here with such big hands, is that I kept doing what I call short-stroking the trigger.

I don’t want to say that this is the gun’s fault as much as it is my genetic makeup. After some troubleshooting, I figured out that my larger than average trigger finger would hit the smaller than average trigger guard before it resets fully. I would make the mistake of pulling the trigger to the rear again on follow up shots, but hadn’t allowed the trigger to reset.

Me trying to show how small the trigger guard is. I’ll be uploading a video soon, to show this problem off a bit more.

After consciously pushing my finger to the front as far as it would go, I don’t have this issue any longer.

Slide-stop:

The ergonomics and controls of the gun are fine, for the most part, but I do have a few issues here as well. The main one being that the slide-stop is nearly non-existent. I know why it’s like this, when you take into consideration that the gun is rounded and designed for a snag-free draw, that’s the point. There is no slide-stop lever to snag.

Therefore, I can see some folks with less than calloused hands getting cut thumbs attempting to disengage it, even when the slide is pulled to the rear to release the tension.

Furthermore, while I’m not the biggest fan of hitting the slide-stop as a release to send a gun into battery, I believe it’s always beneficial to have that option should your support hand become damaged in a fight.

And, while the rounded edges and integrated, non-adjustable sights are great for a snag free draw, you can’t hook them onto anything to open the gun’s action if needed, in a one-handed battle. I know it’s a stretch, but I still feel like it’s important enough to point out.

Slide Serrations and Overmolding:

Finally, at the end of this review, we talk about the soft-touch slide serrations and grip overmolding. For the most part, it serves its purpose okay. The grip with the panels suited me fine and was a decent, comfortable slip-free surface. However, it was raining out when I tested this gun, and at one point, my hands got wet and the slide panels got a bit slippery.

I personally don’t have a hard time manipulating the action on any gun I’ve ever handled (with the exception of a .44 Auto Mag until I learned how to do it properly), but it was slippery. I can imagine some folks having a difficult time if their hands get slippery. It may not seem like a big deal, but in a fight for your life, with bloody or sweaty hands, is that a chance I’d take? Probably not.

In fact, I’m a firm believer of stacking as many pluses on my side as I possibly can. That way, I can go home to my family at night.

Also, on the topic of the rubber serration type things on the slide, it looks like one of them is loose. It’s not coming out yet, but it moves when I push on it, and I’m thinking that’s not supposed to be happening. We’ll see if it falls out with continued use, because my next go around when I update this Taurus Spectrum review, will show it using some common self-defense hollow points, and a few other brands of ammo.

This one moves a small bit, in and out. I hope it doesn’t fall out.

Conclusion:

Shooting +P ammo and the like with higher pressures is not recommended by Taurus for the Spectrum, so I will not be testing them out the next go round when I give another update on this little pocket .380 ACP gun. There will be a video to follow this written Taurus Spectrum review in the very near future. I just need to finalize some things.

Would I recommend the Taurus Spectrum as a primary self-defense weapon? Maybe, but I’m not going to, yet. I need to test it some more, with a few different types of ammo. So far, though, it goes bang nearly every time which says something about the engineering, even if it isn’t perfect. Would I carry the Taurus Spectrum as a backup gun? Yeah, I think so.

These guys have some in stock for under $240.

The rest of this page covers my first impresses of the Taurus Spectrum, and some of the issues that I think it had getting to where it’s at right now. What follows is not a part of the Taurus Spectrum Review, but may be worth your while to read —

The New Taurus Spectrum, First Impression

[Old Update]: I was able to get in front of a representative from Taurus at the NRA’s Annual Meetings on April 27th 2017, and they confirmed a ship date of mid to late June for the Taurus Spectrum.

Update Number 2: While I had to wait for a good amount of time to talk to a representative from Taurus, on the Spectrum, I had someone confirm a few things: First, I’m told that the Spectrum will be having a hard release this May. This person also told me that they are taking orders for the pistols, and some have started shipping.

When I asked him what was taking so long from its release last year to the time where they’re actually being shipped, all he said was ” we wanted to be happy with it.” In all honesty, while it is frustrating to have to wait for so very long, I do believe that it is better for everyone that they waited until everything was how they wanted it.

Whatever the problems were, though he didn’t confirm nor deny that there were any problems, hopefully they have everything worked out. I did find it strange, however, that they weren’t at the range this year for Industry Day at SHOT Show. I talk more about range day/industry day and why I thought they weren’t there last year even thought they announced this pistol that week, more in the original article which follows below.

In summary of this update, they’re apparently taking orders and will be shipping in May.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about Taurus’ new pocket pistol, just yet because I haven’t shot it. I’ll get to more on this in a minute.

Taurus never disappoints on ingenuity, but will it be a quality firearm? Only time will tell at this point, but I do have my red flag raised, thus far.

Why?

Well, for starters, this colorful new addition was released at SHOT Show 2017. However, Taurus did not have the Spectrum at the range for members of the media to test out. This can only mean one of two things. The first one, is that it tells me that there may be issues with it from the onset.

Or, they could just be ramping up excitement for their new, .380 pocket pistol.

Personally speaking, a gamble like that may not pay off for the struggling gun maker, with clear quality control issues on some guns. I’d wait to release a new gun until it runs flawlessly. That way, it doesn’t seem in the least bit fishy that you’re doing a soft-release on a gun during the same time when everyone else does hard releases on their own guns.

Another time of year for new gun releases is the NRAAM, which is right around the corner, at the end of next month and is also very heavily covered by the media. It may have been beneficial to just wait until the annual meeting for release.

What I can say, positive, about the Taurus Spectrum so far, is that it did fit in my hand well enough that I feel like it could get the job done if I had to carry one (I have ginormous hands). Also, it looks to conceal well with a snag-free design.

And, from first glance, I did like the feel of the soft-touch panels, during the short time I saw it at the Great American Outdoor Show, in Harrisburg.

Having said all of that, more mixed emotions come about when I start to think about all the colors the Spectrum is available in. While some of the colors on this DAO, striker-fired .380 pistol are pleasing on the eye, I feel that most gun makers miss the mark when they produce such glamorific guns.

When it’s all said and done, most shooters (though certainly not all), both men and women, would prefer basic colors to the eye-popping ones that draw the attention of people who should not have guns. For those gun owners who don’t teach their children properly, a gun that looks like a toy could be an issue.

And, some of these color schemes do make it look like something a child would play with.

The price tag is nice, and, depending upon the options you choose, you can expect to pay just over (or under) the $300 mark. That’s a good price, set to compete with some other guns with a much more proven platform, like Ruger’s LCP II.

I can honestly say that I hope it does well. I hope it works, is reliable, and is fairly accurate at the close ranges it’s designed for. I’m one of those guys who would rather see every gun be reliable than poke fun at those that aren’t.

Because at some point, someone will depend on this gun to save their life, and the goal is to have a firearm that does the job. Therefore, I hope the Taurus Spectrum does well.

What do you think about this colorful little pocket pistol?

Have you seen my top 20 best 9mm pistol picks yet? If not, give it a read to see if you concealed carry gun made the cut.

What did you think about my Taurus Spectrum review? Let us know in the comments below.

Giveaway: SHOT Show Swag

February 14, 2017 By Josh 5 Comments

Every year at SHOT Show an enormous amount of SWAG is given away.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term SWAG, it’s basically the free stuff that is given away to attendees. Sometimes, the goal is to have those people on the receiving end do some advertising for the company giving out the goods.

It doesn’t really matter why they give it, all that matters is that they do give it, and I always walk away with way more SWAG than I can ever keep.

This is where you come in …

All you need to do to help me out, is enter my contest to win all the stuff you see in the pictures.

It works out to four hats, two shirts, a number of industry magazines and journals, three SHOT Daily magazines (which you cannot get anywhere but SHOT Show), and other goodies like key chains, patches, lanyards, hot sauce, playing cards, etc.

Even if you’ve already signed up for the last competition with your email address, you’ll be entered to win. And, there are more chances to win this time around, as well.

When you’re done there, I’d appreciate you giving this article a quick read. I wrote it back in December, before the official launch of the website. Therefore, you may have missed it. It deals with being safe in your home.

Colt’s New Snake Gun: 6-Shot Cobra .38 Revolver

February 10, 2017 By Josh 2 Comments

I had the chance to catch up with Paul, one of the VPs of Colt, who agreed to go on camera and talk about their new double action revolver, the Colt Cobra.

I first saw this .38 Special +P, 6-shot revolver at SHOT Show. Sadly, I didn’t have time to shoot it at the range, but I wish I had. At first glance, while walking around their booth in Vegas, I thought that it was just another .38 revolver as if the world didn’t have enough of them already.

I had some misgivings about it, like why isn’t it polished up for its demanded price tag? Where is the .357 Magnum revolver at? Why not give us what we really want, which is another .357 Magnum Snake Gun? (think Python, Anaconda, etc., not those guns designed to kill slithering serpents)

I do have to admit, though, that my thoughts changed after talking to Paul about it and really getting my hands on it. This isn’t just another .38 revolver …

First, let’s get the price out of the way. $699 is a decent chunk of change, especially when there are plenty of others on the market for a lot less than that. Then again, this is a small-framed 6-shot .38 revolver capable of handling the extra pressure the +P cartridges provide.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe any of the other major gun makers currently offer .38 revolvers in a 6-shot platform in a gun of this size. This, by itself, is a huge benefit of the Colt Cobra that seems to fill a gap in the market.

After all, if given the choice between five or six cartridges in my self-defense gun, I know I’d pick six all day long.

Revolver VS Pistol, which is better?

Let’s move on.

One thing that drives me absolutely nuts about most revolvers, and why I don’t own as many of them as I’d like, is the overall small size of the trigger guard. Most of the revolvers out there right now offer a very narrow gap between the trigger and the steel that protects it.

I have huge hands with sausages for fingers so you can imagine why this would be a problem.

In fact, I can barely get my finger inside those small guards, and the size of the gun doesn’t really seem to matter because even the bigger revolvers tend to have a very narrow guard.

Extended shooting periods, especially where rapid fire is involved, tend to chew my trigger finger up on the only revolver I have right now, a Charter Arms Off Duty.

Compare the guard of the below picture, with the Colt Cobra above, and you’ll see what I mean:

Charter Arms Off Duty snub in .38 Special

The Cobra is a bit bigger than many of the other revolvers in this category. It’s got a snubby 2” barrel, but Colt extended the grip out a bit more, increasing the overall length enough that you wouldn’t want to stick the Cobra in your pocket holster.

Overall length is 7.2 inches with a height of 4.9 inches, and it weighs in at a hefty 25 ounces (empty). I say “hefty” because the average snub nose revolver is in the 14-17 ounce range.

While the Colt Cobra seems heavy, remember that you’ve got a cylinder that’s a bit bigger, with all steel construction. Most others are an alloy.

Here’s another offering from Colt, while at SHOT Show 2017:

Plus, when it’s all said and done, that extra weight will only help the operator manage the recoil of the higher pressure +P self-defense cartridges.

While I wasn’t impressed at first, I’m currently pleased that Colt decided to offer this small snake gun up. The next step for me, is to actually get my hands on one to solidify my argument for it. What do you think? Is this a home run for Colt? Or, should they have gone in a different direction? Let us know in the comments below.

Then, make sure you have subscribed to our YouTube channel because we’ve got some great video content coming your way.

They also just released their newest snake gun, the King Cobra in 357 Magnum. Check it out.

SHOT Show 2017: Day 3 Videos

January 19, 2017 By Josh Leave a Comment

By this time, SHOT Show 2017 is already beginning to draw to an end. My cameraman, Teddy, has flown home, and these are his last videos. The rest will be done by me, and, are much less professional looking even though I’m using “higher end” equipment.

Here is Cobalt Kinetics showing off one of their new products, the B.A.M.F Edge:

Coonan Inc. is known for their .357 Magnum 1911s. This time around, they’ve brought their .45 ACP 1911, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one:

Jesse James’ Firearms was there with their new state compliant Nomad-15:

One thing I’m looking forward to getting my hands on is a new belt from NexBelt. This thing looks great and is innovative:

Finally, last on today’s list, are these bi-pods from Spartan Precision:

Make sure you stay tuned, because even though SHOT Show 2017 is nearly done, we aren’t quite there yet. To stay up to date, and to see all 70+ videos, subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

SHOT Show 2017 Videos: Day 2

January 19, 2017 By Josh Leave a Comment

Here are some more of the videos we’ve filmed at yesterday’s coverage of SHOT Show 2017. Enjoy, and if there is anything that you want to see covered, please feel free to ask us in the comments, and we’ll do our best to get it for you.

Here are the latest offerings from Kel-Tec:

Anytime you can stick a gun inside a belt-buckle, it’s a good day:

HI VIZ Luminious Light Pipe Sights—also known as glowing fiber optic sights:

Colt CRP:

KWA USA:

If you’d like to see the rest of our videos, and there is a lot of them, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you can get the latest as it happens at SHOT Show 2017.

SHOT Show 2017: New Products From MFT

January 18, 2017 By Josh Leave a Comment

Mission First Tactical came out strong at SHOT Show 2017 with several new AR-15 and AK-47 accessories.

One of the products that helped boost MFT to where they’re at today, is their Minimalist Butt Stock, for the AR-15 platform. To help make it more versatile for a wider range of people, they developed a cheek riser to help enhance the weld between your face and the stock of your weapon.

MFT new products — MFT Cheek Riser on a minimalist stock

They also came out with some of their new drop in hand guards for rifles with a fixed front sight post, one with a rail, and one without depending upon what you’re looking to achieve with your rifle.

Also, if you’re in the market for a new AR-10 or AK-47 magazine, but are looking for something other than what everyone else at the range may have, MFT brought some of their prototypes to SHOT Show 2017, as well. These are soon to be released.

As a side note, the price mentioned in the video at the bottom is not accurate:

If you know someone who lives in one of the less than gun-friendly states, like California, they’ve decided to help those poor saps better be able to run their ARs with state compliant products.

What they brought with them, were limited capacity magazines (that look like full-capacity mags), as well as a product to help eliminate the pistol grip on your AR style rifle.

Finally, they brought several of their newer holsters to show off. Here is just one of them:

Here is the video we filmed at SHOT Show 2017, showing off many of the new products:

I’ll have some reviews coming your way, soon, on some of the products Mission First Tactical has. Make sure you stay tuned for that. Do you own any MFT products? Let me know in the comments section below.

Also, to stay as up to date as possible on our SHOT Show coverage, subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Alien Gear Shape Shift Reveal, 11 New Holsters

January 17, 2017 By Josh Leave a Comment

I was fortunate enough to attend an event with Alien Gear Holsters, where a total of 11 new methods of carrying were released. Their new holster starter kit will contain enough gear to carry a gun in multiple different ways.

This crazy looking dude was there to welcome everyone who would attend. Thankfully, I ate a huge lunch and gained enough weight that I was too heavy to be taken to his spaceship.

The design of this new product line features a tool-less system, where you can carry your gun however you want, based on what you’re doing that day.

In other words, let’s say you’re carrying inside the waistband, but need to change into a sportcoat and your preferred method of carry is by using a shoulder holster.

You can literally pull the gun and shell off the holster, and stick it on the next one, seamlessly, without having to use any tools. Pretty smart.

We were told that by the close of 2017, there will be a total of 11 methods of carrying a holster, to include paddle, IWB, Slide, Forearm (yes, you read that right), appendix, ankle, pocket, and others.

This info was just released and as of this writing, nothing is available on the internet about it, just yet.

The interesting thing about this new system is that it is interchangeable. So, you can buy this starter kit, and it’ll work with all of what you get in it.

Plus, as newer updates and ways to carry are introduced, you’ll have the option of purchasing those, as well, and it will work within the same system.

Alien Gear Shape Shift start kit — Here is the starter kit, which will be made available first, at some point this summer.

There is no set MSRP on this just yet, but the CEO of the company promised that they were working on it.

If I know Alien Gear, it will be competitive. But, how do you price something like this that’s never been done before? Only time will tell at this point. One thing is for certain, when it comes out, I’ll make sure I get one to test and evaluate, and let you know if this is the next big thing, or just a gimmick.

As of right now, it seems promising. What do you think about the Alien Gear Shape Shift? Let us know in the comments below. Check out Travis’ top holster list, here.

SHOT Show Range Day 2017

January 17, 2017 By Josh Leave a Comment

SHOT Show Range Day 2017 is over and has been a blur of faces, guns, and good times. I saw some old friends, met some new ones, and shot lots of guns. Last year my favorite gun was a revolver in .357 Magnum, and this year is no different.

The Ruger Redhawk in .357 Magnum is an eight-shot revolver capable of shooting the aforementioned mag cartridge, as well as .38 Special. Don’t tell my wife, but I may have one of these in my future, if I can muster up the cash to afford one. Time will tell.

Here’s the handgun in action:

One of the talks of the day was newcomer Hudson’s brand new H9. They have just entered the market with their gun which is likely to change the firearm market, check out the video because the owner can explain it better than I can:

HK was at the range today with their offerings:

I always enjoy running into companies I never even knew existed. These guys gave me a small, kydex business card holder, and I’m already putting it to good use. In fact, I think I see it being used in my EDC, just in case I need to hand a card to someone:

Here is IWI with a Galil ACE:

Honor Defense was out at the range today with their lineup, and Gary here, decided to show off a bit when he challenged us to a dual. I now owe him a beer because he proved that he can disassemble and put it back together again in under a minute. Actually, it was more like 45 seconds. Good job, Gary!

This is only the first batch of guns, and we have more coming your way. If you have not already, make sure you subscribe to Down Range Daily’s YouTube Channel because we’ll be spitting videos at your like lightning the rest of the week.

SHOT Show 2017, A Small Preview

January 11, 2017 By Josh Leave a Comment

Everyone’s favorite time of year, SHOT Show, is literally right around the corner.

In just five days I’ll be in sunny Las Vegas, leaving the frigid Pennsylvania winter behind with my wife and children. Every year, I do a teaser list of the product reveals I’m most excited to see at the Show, and shoot at the range.

I can say, however, that there are so many being released this year that I’m not even sure where to start. Most of the major gun companies are releasing new products this year and I get to play with all (okay, most) of them at Media Day At The Range.

I’m not going to list any specific products this year, because I’m branching out on my own. But, our coverage of SHOT Show 2017 is going to be starting bright and early on Monday morning at the range.

The way we push our videos out is unique to us, unless others have caught on from last year. I’m not going into detail so we don’t give away our secret, but what I can say is that we push videos faster than everyone else does.

You’ll be getting me, unedited and raw. Each stupid mistake I say, you’ll see. Each time I do something dumb as hell because I’m a jet-lagged mofo you’ll witness it almost as it happens.

Need a good example? Check out this video from my last job where I unintentionally sent a bolt home on the IWI Tavor X95: