Taurus PT111 PRO, PT111 PRO Ti, 132PRO, PT138PRO, PT140 PRO Instruction Manual

POLYMER PISTOLS

General Safety,

Operating Instructions

and Limited Warranty

READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USING YOUR FIREARM

Important: Keep this manual with your firearm.

The information contained in this manual is useful, both for beginners and experienced shooters. In addition to important information about functioning, cleaning and care of the gun, the manual contains instructions that may be very helpful in shooting properly.

The most important rule of safe gun handling is always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction!

THIS BOOKLET

The safety warnings in this booklet are important. By understanding the dangers inherent in the use of any firearm, and by taking the precautions described herein, you can enjoy complete safety in the use of your Taurus revolver or pistol. Failure to heed any of these warnings may result in serious injury to you or others, as well as severe damage to the firearm or other property.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.

DANGEROUS WEAPONS

REVOLVERS and PISTOLS are classified as FIREARMS or DANGEROUS WEAPONS and are sold by us with the specific understanding that we are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for thein improper or negligent handling or resale under local laws and regulations.

TAURUS shall not be responsible in any manner whatsoever for malfunctioning of the firearm, or for physical injury or property damage, resulting in whole or in part from (1) criminal or negligent discharge, (2) improper or careless handling, (3) unauthorizad modifications, (4) defective, improper hand-loaded, or reloaded ammunition, (5) neglect, or (6) other influences beyond our direct and immediate control. This limitation applies regardless of whether liability is asserted on the basis of contract, negligence or strict liability (including any failure to warn). Under no circumstance shall Taurus be liable for incidental or consequential damages, such as loss of use of property, commercial loss and loss of earnings or profits.

SAFETY WARNINGS

NOT JUST FOR BEGINNERS

Regardless of your familiarity or experience with firearms, you need to study this manual

The safe handling of firearms requires specialized training, discipline and caution. Firearms, by their nature and intended function, are deadly instruments. Accidental death or serious injury can result if they are handled improperly or carelessly.

Firearms rarely cause accidents. Firearms accidents almost always are caused by a failure to obey the basic rules of gun safety. Unfortunately, experienced shooters seem to violate these rules as frequently as beginners. Thus the basics of safe firearms handling cannot be repeated too often. Read, re-read and practice the basic principles of firearms safety until they become second nature: habits that you don’t forget.

If you have any question about your knowledge or ability to use this or any other firearm with complete safety you should seek supervised instruction. Personalized instruction is often available from firearms dealers, gun clubs, state hunter safety programs or police departments in the United States. If none of these sources is accessible, write to the National Rifle Association, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030. THEY WILL ASSIST YOU.

A person with a firearm in his possession has a full-time responsibility. He must KNOW how to keep and use his firearm safely, and then must always TAKE the precautions necessary -all of them. He cannot guess; he cannot forget. This responsibility is his alone. It cannot be passed off to someone else.

Remember: no firearm can be made accident-proof. A firearm is just a machine, with no judgement of its own. It responds to your actions, whether wise or foolish. The only truly effective safety device is the mind of a cautious shooter who never forgets that a moment’s carelessness can produce permanent tragedy.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.

FIREARMS ARE NOT ALL ALIKE

Many makes and models of firearms might LOOK nearly the same. However, they differ widely in design and operation, and in the location and function of various controls.

Study this manual thoroughly. Educate yourself on the characteristics and operation of your particular firearm before attempting to handle it. Do not permit others to handle it - unless they also have done so.

You should have an instruction manual for every firearm you own. If you do not, write the manufacturer and obtain one. Most manufacturers will gladly send you one free. If for any reason a manual is not available, visit your public library. Many books have been published which contain detailed information on obsolete or discontinued firearms.

Your knowledge can prevent injuries.

Taurus firearms are designed and made to offer maximum safety when correctly used. However, as with any other weapon, it is not foolproof, and may become very dangerous if the following basic recommendations are not RIGIDLY observed:

ATTENTION

NOTICE: Get instruction from a competent firearms instructor before using any firearm.

DANGER: Never, never-ever point any firearm, loaded or unloaded, at anything you do not intend to shoot.

DANGER: Load and unload with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

DANGER: When receiving a firearm always check that it is unloaded (Pistols: Remove magazine and open slide to check if chamber is empty. Revolvers: Open cylinder to check if it is empty), even if you saw it done previously.

DANGER: Never put your hand over the muzzle of a firearm.

DANGER: Check ammunition to be sure it is the right size and caliber, and that it is not dented.

DANGER: WHILE HANDLING ANY FIREARM, NEVER ALLOW IT TO POINT AT ANY PART OF YOUR BODY OR AT ANOTHER PERSON. NO HARM SHOULD RESULT IF YOU OBEY THIS RULE, EVEN IF AN INVOLUNTARY DISCHARGE OCCURS.

DANGER: Don’t try to change your firearm’s trigger pull, because alteration of trigger pull usually affects sear engagement and may cause accidental discharge.

DANGER: Never engage a gun lock on a loaded firearm.

DANGER: This product is not intended for use by criminals, for use in the commission of crimes or for any other wrongful purpose. Such uses constitute a misuse of the product and have a high likelihood of serious bodily injury or death for the criminal, the wrongdoer, law enforcement officers and/or innocent bystanders.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.

WARNING: Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded.

WARNING: Keep your finger off the trigger until you are actually aiming at the target ready to shoot.

WARNING: Be certain the firearm is unloaded before cleaning.

WARNING: To properly apply the manual safety lever, the trigger must be in its forward-most position, otherwise the lever can be moved upwards, but will not be fully engaged. (See page 19)

WARNING: Always empty firearms before entering a place where there

are people.

WARNING: Don’t test the safety by pulling the trigger while the safety is on unless you are absolutely sure the firearm is empty and you are pointing away from everyone.

WARNING: Firearms and alcohol or drugs don’t mix. Do not shoot or handle firearms after consuming beer, wine, other alcoholic beverages or any medications or other drugs that may affect your ability.

WARNING: Never pull a firearm towards you by the muzzle. Don’t climb a tree or cross a fence with a loaded firearm.

WARNING: Old or reloaded ammunition may be dangerous. We recommend against using it.

WARNING: Never carry any handgun in your pocket, purse or waistband. Use a pistol case or proper holster with safety flap or strap.

WARNING: The gun can fire with magazine removed.

CAUTION: If there is any reason to suspect that a bullet is obstructing the barrel, immediately unload the firearm and look through the bore. It is not sufficient to merely look in the chamber.

SAFETY FIRST: The safety is only a mechanical device, not a substitute for common sense.

SAFETY FIRST: Never leave a loaded firearm unattended.

SAFETY FIRST: Store firearms and ammunition separately beyond the

reach of children.

SAFETY FIRST: Be sure of your target and backstop before you shoot.

SAFETY FIRST: If a firearm fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, keep it pointed at the target for at least 30 seconds. Sometimes slow primer ignition will cause a “hang” fire and the cartridge will go off after a short pause.

SAFETY FIRST: Never shoot at hard flat surfaces or water.., bullet may

ricochet.

SAFETY FIRST: Use a proper holster and draw only if you intend to

shoot.

SAFETY FIRST: Dry firing is bad for this firearm, whether the hammer block is engaged or not.

SAFETY FIRST: Treat this firearm as a precision instrument.

SAFETY FIRST: Write to us concerning any items or circumstances which might relate to your safety and the operation of our products.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.

WARNING

Taurus pistols were manufactured to perform properly with the original parts as designed. It is your duty to make sure any parts you buy are installed correctly and that neither replacentents nor originals are altered or changed. Your firearm is a simple tool but it has many parts that must relate correctly to other parts. Putting a firearm together wrong or with modified parts can resulr in a damaged firearm, danger and injury or death to you and others through malfunction.

Always have a qualified gunsmith work on your firearm.

DANGER: PROTECT YOUR EYES AND EARS

Always wear adequate shooting glasses and ear plugs or “ear muff” type protectors whenever you are shooting. Always make certain that persons close to you are similarly protected. Unprotected eyes may be injured by powder, gas, carbon residue, lubricant, matallic particles or similar debris which may emanate occasionally from any firearm in normal use. Without ear protection, repeated exposure to shooting noise may lead to cumulative, permanent hearing loss.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.

DANGER

This pistol will fire with the magazine removed. Injury or death may result. Never point a loaded pistol at anyone or anything you do not intend to shoot.

WARNING

To prevent injury or death, it is imperative that you must keep your firearm unloaded, uncocked and securely locked, with ammunition in a separate location. In addition, tske any other reasonable steps to limit the possibility of theft, crime, accident or suicide.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.

1. Use only high quality, original, factory-manufactured ammunition. Do not use cartridges that are dirty, wet, corroded, bent or damaged. Do not oil cartridges. Do not spray aerosol-type lubricants, preservatives, or cleaners directly onto cartridges or where excess spray may flow into contact with cartridges. Lubricant or other foreign matter on cartridges can cause potentially dangerous ammunition malfunctions. Use only ammunition of the caliber for which your firearm is chambered. The proper caliber is permanently engraved on your firearm; never attempt to use ammunition of any other caliber.

2.The use of reloaded, “remanufactured”, hand-loaded, or other nonstandard ammunition voids all warranties. Improperly loaded ammunition voids all warranties. Improperly loaded ammunition can be extremely dangerous. Severe damage to the firearm and serious injury to the shooter or to others may result. Always use ammunition that complies with the industry performance standards established by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, Inc., of the United States, (SAAMI) or the equivalent from other countries.

3.Firearms may be severely damaged and serious injury to the shooter or to others may result from any condition causing excessive pressure inside the chamber or barrel during firing. Excessive pressure can be caused by obstructions in the barrel, propellant powder overloads, or by the use of incorrect cartridges or defectively assembled cartridges. In addition, the use of a dirty, corroded, or damaged cartridge can lead to a burst cartridge case and consequent damage to the firearm and personal injury from the sudden escape of high-pressure propellant gas within the firearm’s mechanism.

4.Immediately stop shooting, wait 30 seconds with the barrel pointed

in a safe direction and check the barrel for a possible obstructio whenever:

*You have difficulty in, or feel unusual resistance in, chambering a cartridge, or

*A cartridge misfires (does not go off), or

*The mechanism fails to extract a fired cartridge case, or

*Unburned grains of propellant powder are discovered spilled in mechanism, or

*A shot sounds weak or abnormal.

In such cases it is possible that a bullet is lodged part way down the barrel. Firing a subsequent bullet into the obstructed barrel can wreck the firearm and cause serious injury to the shooter or to bystanders.

5.Bullets can become lodged in the barrel.

*If the cartridge has been improperly loaded without propellant powder, or if the powder fails to ignite (Ignition of the cartridge primer alone will push the bullet out the cartridge case, but usually does not generate sufficient energy to expel the bullet completely from the barrel).

*If the bullet is not properly seated tightly in the cartridge case.

When such a cartridge is extracted from the chamber without being fired, the bullet may be left behind in the bore at the point where the rifling begins. Subsequent chambering of another cartridge may push the first bullet further into the bore.

6. If there is any reason to suspect that a bullet is obstructing the barrel, immediately unload the firearm and look through the bore. It is not sufficient to merely look in the chamber. A bollet may be lodged some distance down the barrel where it can not easily be seen.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.

IF A BULLET IS IN THE BORE, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SHOOT IT OUT BY USING ANOTHER CARTRIDGE, OR BY BLOWING IT OUT WITH A BLANK OR ONE FROM WHICH THE BULLET HAS BEEN REMOVED. SUCH TECHNIQUES CAN GENERATE EXCESSIVE PRESSURE, WRECK THE FIREARM AND CAUSE SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY.

If the bullet can be removed with a cleaning rod, clean any unburned powder grains from the bore, chamber, and mechanism before resuming shooting. If the bullet cannot be dislodged by tapping it with a cleaning rod, take the firearm to a gunsmith.

7.Dirt, corrosion, or other foreign matter on a cartridge can impede complete chambering and may cause the cartridge case to burst upon firing. The same is true of cartridges which are damaged or deformed.

8.Do not oil cartridges, and be sure to wipe the chamber clean of any oil or preservative before commencing to shoot. Oil interferes with the friction between cartridge case and chamber wall that is necessary for safe functioning, and subjects the firearm to stress similar to that imposed by excessive pressure.

9.Use lubricants sparingly on the moving parts of your firearm. Avoid excessive spraying of any aerosol firearm care product, especially where it may get on ammunition. All lubricants and aerosol spray lubricants in particular, can penetrate cartridge primers and cause misfires. Some highly penetrative lubricants can also migrate inside cartridge cases and cause deterioration of the propellant powder; on firing, the powder may not ignite. If only the primer ignites, there is danger that the bullet may become lodged in the barrel.

Taurus pistols were designed to use cartridges loaded to the limits shown below. Other cartridges of various types or bullet weights may or may not function acceptably; such ammunition should be thoroughly tested by the user before relying on it. Because of the widely differing specifications of such other ammunition, Taurus cannot be responsibie for malfunctions resulting from its use.

mm

230

835

“Plus-P’, “Plus-P-Plus” or other ultra or high velocity ammunition generates pressures significantly in excess of the pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such pressures may affect the useful life of the firearm or exceed the margin of safety built into many pistols and could therefore be DANGEROUS.

Discharging firearms in poorly ventilated areas, cleaning firearms, or handling ammunition may result in exposure to lead and other substances known to cause birth defects, reproductive harm, and other serious physical injury. Have adequate ventilation at all times. Wash hands thoroughly after exposure.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.

Align the rear and front sights carefully. The top of the front sight must be leveled with the top of the rear sight and set in the middle of the rear sight notch. The bullseye should rest on the top of the sights.

Squeeze the trigger very carefully with index-finger, keeping sight aligned with the target. If the trigger is jerked, the target will possibly be missed due to the movement of the firearm. The pressure should be applied between the tip and the first joint of the finger. Press slowly and carefully. More speed will be gained with practice.

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

AND FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.