# Pt 738



## barnesjtsl (Dec 9, 2014)

I must admit upfront that I am by no means an expert regarding semiautomatic pistols.

I bought a Taurus PT 738. I am planning on giving it to my 21 year old daughter after she gets her concealed carry permit. I have taken it to the range and put just 200 rounds through it strait out of the box with no problems whatsoever. Every round fired perfectly, absolutely no problems.

My question. This little gun has no safety. As I mentioned in the beginning I am no expert. Are there any safety precautions built into these guns. For example, if she keeps a round chambered are there any safety issues I should be concerned about?

Thanks in advance.

jb


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## PT111Pro (Nov 15, 2014)

I'll think the Taurus PT 700 series are really good guns. Taurus has very much improved the last 10 years and I'll think your daughter will have a lot of fun with that little pistol. The 380 is a great caliber in close combat distances.
Congrats to your purchase.


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## Nano (Feb 18, 2012)

I'll try to answer your question with my experience on a different gun. I have been carrying my Beretta Nano daily, mostly in my pocket, for two years with one in the chamber and cocked. As I understand it both guns have a long trigger pull with 6 - 8 lb pull. I have never had a fear of it going off accidentally. I never fiddle with the trigger while carrying. I also don't want to have to rack it if I need it. So far I have never needed it.

You actually have safeties, the trigger, and that mass between your ears.

I am really wanting a 738. Did you get the plain model or either of the stainless steel ones? What ammo have you been shooting?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

...And, most important, carry the little gun in a pocket holster that covers its trigger completely.
Further, carry nothing else in that pocket. _Nothing._ (Anything that isn't the gun will eventually work its way into the trigger-guard. _BANG!_)

Because the pistol is very small, _it is very difficult to shoot_.
Small pistols are more experts' tools, than suited for the general public.
Because of this, there's a very steep learning curve.

Learning to effectively and accurately shoot a very small pistol requires lots and lots of dry-fire practice and range-time.
Don't just give it to your daughter, but rather add some expert instruction to the gift, _and then make sure that she takes the class_ (or private sessions).

Gift List:
• Pistol,
• Secure pocket holster (or, if she prefers skirts, clip-on waistband holster), and
• Gift certificate for expert shooting instruction.


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## Nano (Feb 18, 2012)

Very good points Steve. I forgot to mention that when I pocket carry most of the time I use a Remora holster.


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## Kynochco (Jan 9, 2015)

I actually purchased a 738 last week for my wife and found that I love it as much as I wanted her to. It's a great little piece, fits snugly inside the purse and it will not discharge if dropped. Manual safety takes patience and practice if confronted.


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## Greybeard (Mar 17, 2013)

When you put one in the chamber and pull the trigger it will fire. There is no way to keep that from happening. The 738 has a long double action trigger pull just like a revolver. Most revolvers by the way don't have any manual safeties either. If you don't deliberately pull the trigger, it will not fire. Most people I know who carry a 738, Kel-tec, Ruger, or similar gun, carry them in their hip pocket with one in the chamber. Their thinking is that a thief will think they are going for their wallets or something. None of them have had any accidental discharges. However, in a purse, a lipstick tube or similar item could easily get lodged in the trigger guard and accidentally set it off.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Greybeard said:


> When you put one in the chamber and pull the trigger it will fire. There is no way to keep that from happening. The 738 has a long double action trigger pull just like a revolver. Most revolvers by the way don't have any manual safeties either. If you don't deliberately pull the trigger, it will not fire. Most people I know who carry a 738, Kel-tec, Ruger, or similar gun, carry them in their hip pocket with one in the chamber. Their thinking is that a thief will think they are going for their wallet or something. None of them have had any accidental discharges.


The purpose of the pocket holster for a pocket gun is not only to prevent unwanted discharges.
It also is the best way to make sure that an errant dust bunny does not enter the pistol, and clog it up when you most need it to work properly.

_You_ have not seen, nor heard of, any unwanted discharges resulting from pocket-carry without a holster.
But I assure you, from long experience, that they have happened.

Another reason for using a pocket holster is that it retains the pistol in exactly the same orientation and position, all of the time.
Naked in a pocket, the pistol will tend to rotate around its center-of-gravity. Often, this results in an upside-down pistol.
The quickest and most effective presentation results from finding the pistol in the same place, in the same orientation, each and every time.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

barnesjtsl said:


> I must admit upfront that I am by no means an expert regarding semiautomatic pistols.
> 
> I bought a Taurus PT 738. I am planning on giving it to my 21 year old daughter after she gets her concealed carry permit. I have taken it to the range and put just 200 rounds through it strait out of the box with no problems whatsoever. Every round fired perfectly, absolutely no problems.
> 
> ...


I have the PT738, and CC guns similar, and I always carry with a round in the chamber...properly holstered. The guns are designed for this type of carry with the long trigger pull, so to set it off, it has to be deliberate. I just make sure it is holstered properly, and I carry it and only it, in the pocket. JMHO.


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## Greybeard (Mar 17, 2013)

Well, the OP's question was about safety and not a holster and I personally would NEVER carry naked in the pocket either. The people I was referring to are gun shop owners and that is just the way they roll.


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## Greybeard (Mar 17, 2013)

I agree, safest way to carry any pistol is in a proper holster.


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