My start into shooting....

While we're on the subject of guns, why don't I tell you about how I got started into shooting and about the very first gun I bought. My interest was piqued about ten years ago by a number of colleagues at work who routinely practice indoor target shooting. There were even some who regularly compete in practical pistol shooting meets. Deciding that pistol shooting may be desirable skill to have, not only for sport, but potentially for personal defense, I bit the bullet (pun intended) and bought my first handgun in 1998 after a rather thorough selection process. The handgun I chose was a Taurus PT-915B 9 mm pistol which I purchased from Trust Trade Philippines. I still own that gun to this day. Unfortunately, it hasn't seen much use as a target shooting weapon ever since they significantly raised the cost of carry permits, but I plan on rekindling this hobby of mine in the future, whenever my time and finances would allow.

Technically speaking, the Taurus PT-915B is a blued finish, DA/SA (double action/single action), medium-sized, 15+1 9 mm pistol with a aluminum frame, a steel slide, and a 4" barrel. Superficially it somewhat resembles a Sig Sauer, though I doubt it if anyone familiar with guns would have any difficulty telling them apart. The PT-915 was originally not offered for sale in the United States because of the ban on civilian handguns holding more than ten rounds. The ten round version is the PT-911. After the ban lapsed, Taurus USA introduced the fifteen round version there (basically the model I own) as the PT-911-15.

Taurus PT-915B.

Taurus as a manufacturer is based in Brazil, and first became known in the shooting world with their excellent clone of the Beretta 92, the PT-92 which got rave reviews because of its accuracy, durability, reliability, and most of all, its low price. The Philippine National Police (PNP) is one of several institutions which issue the PT-92 for law enforcement use.

The reason why Taurus makes very good clones of Beretta pistols is the fact that their main factory in Brazil was originally owned by Beretta which supplied firearms to the Brazilian army in the 70s. After the contract ran out, Beretta ended up selling the entire factory to Taurus, including the machinery, designs, tooling, and the whole workforce. Since that time Taurus has made a name for itself beyond Beretta 92 clones, and manufactures a full range of high quality pistols, revolvers, and long guns. Combined with relatively low prices and an unqualified lifetime repair policy, Taurus has emerged as a value leader when it comes to firearms with excellent reviews and record sales to boot.

So, how does the Taurus shoot? Pretty well in fact. It's quite simple really. Just slide in a loaded magazine until it clicks into place. Hold the slide by the serrations with your fingers and pull firmly to the rear. The sliding action strips a round from the top of the magazine and loads it in the chamber, as well as cocks the hammer into firing position. At this point, if you're not ready to fire, you can use your thumb to flip the ambidextrous frame mounted safety switch up, in which case it would be safe, or flip it down to decock the hammer. You can fire the gun either via a long stroke double action pull, or when cocked, via a light single action trigger pull. If you're ready to fire, just line up the target using the three-dot sights (fixed), using the proper stance, hold your breath, and without blinking your eye gently squeeze the trigger. Don't pull the trigger suddenly or that will disrupt your aim. Being relatively light because of its alloy frame, it has a fair amount of recoil, but is easily controllable. Feeding is reliable as long as you don't limp-wrist the weapon. Keep firing at the target until the last round is expended. When empty, the pistol will then lock the slide in the open position. If you look at your target by now you will see that good groupings are pretty easy to make. At this point you can slip in a fresh magazine, thumb the slide release button, and do it all over again.

That's pretty much all there is to write about how I started with this hobby, about Taurus as a company, and how it is to fire a Taurus handgun. If you're looking towards getting your own gun for target shooting and/or personal defense, you can do a lot worse than choose a Taurus. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better value, for all the reliability and durability you get with it. Of course, there are better guns out there, but definitely not at this price range.

Whether you're just starting out with this hobby, or already a long-time gun owner, remember, be responsible and be safe.

Guns don't kill people. People do.