I just made and added to one magazine a grip extension that gives my little finger a home when holding the pistol.

I’ll attempt to describe. Take a small block of wood about 3/4″ square. Only need about 1 1/2″ long. I used an acrylic impregnated maple burl pen blank. Pen blanks are what folks who make pens out of. You can get them at most good quality woodworking supply stores, like Woodcraft Supply.

I took the plastic end piece off the magazine. You do that by depressing the little catch that is in the middle of the plastic end piece. Just be sure and not just rip it off or the magazine spring will launch across the room. Hold a finger over the end of the magazine as you slide the cover off and release the spring gently. Anyone that has cleaned their magazine already knows how to remove the cap.

I drilled two holes through the plastic on each side of the square hole that the catch latches in. I counter sunk the holes. These are for two wood screws. I used #4 X 1/2″ brass flat head screws. The counter sink is so the head of the screw is flush with the surface of the plastic inside the cover. If the screws aren’t flush you can’t slide the cover back on the magazine without altering the magazine it’s self.

I put the cover on the piece of wood and traced the curve that is on the front end of the plastic piece. Look at some photos of other extensions for other magazines and you get the idea of what the shape should be. Shape the block of wood to the shape you want the finger extension.

Put the plastic piece back on the block after you have shaped it and mark one of the hole locations. Drill to fit the screw and attach plastic piece to your new extension. Then mark the second screw hole, drill it out for it’s screw and put the screw in. If you use brass screws be careful, you can twist them off if the hole isn’t the proper size. Have a couple of spare screws in case you bugger up the Philips head slot in one of them.

With the second screw in place mark the center of the square hole for the latch. Take the screws out and drill a hole completely through the new extension so you can get to the little latch. What ever you do, don’t put the plastic end piece back on with the new extension attached or you can’t get to the latch to take it back off. Drill the hole all the way through. Put the two pieces back together with the screws. Look down in that hole from the outside and make sure you have a clear shot for a small screwdriver to get to the latch so you can trip it.

Once you are sure everything is in order, slide the cover back on and there you go.

If anyone has any question, just ask.

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Thanks I guess it was always there. Maybe I was looking for signs of a fix. Either way the Slim fired well with no issues, save the eloped ammo. Heading back to the range this week for some more fun.

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Just a quick comment, I had my Glock 26 and my Walther PPS with me and finshed off the Winchester 115gr FMJ no problems. By nature I am a Glock man mostly 40 cal. but I always willing to try something new. Let see what Taurus sends back, however the Glock 26 and the Walther PPS cost more but they are reliable. If your looking for gun for CCW, I would recommend the Glock 26 or 27, Walther PPS or XD. I have heard good and bad about the new release from Ruger. My new carry is the Glock 27 Gen 4 40 cal. and it is very comfortable to carry with a Super Tuck.

My point is if Taurus is on a upswing they must of been at the very bottom of the barrel. Yes they are cheap about $346.00 compared to Glock 26 Gen 4 at $ 489.00 and the Walther PPS at $ 604.00. What’s your life worth?

Ammo suggestion: Winchester PDX1 9 mm Luger Bonded 124 gr or 147 for advanced shooters, the police are switching to it over the Federal Hydra-Shock JHP.

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On a separate note. When I was cleaning the weapon today I noticed that there was a orange lining around the firing pin and spring. I don’t remember if it was there prior to the repair. Can someone check and see it it was always that way or part of the fix. Thanks Bob

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You started off pretty confident about your positive experiences with your 709, and also ended your thread somewhat confident. The only problem with all this exuding confidence is you put so many if’s in. Such as IF you “have a firm grip, clean the gun well, use the correct ammo”.

My life means a lot more than always second guessing how clean is my gun, will my plus p Corbon ammo work well, or did I hold the gun to hard or soft.

In the midst of having to use this gun for my life I would not risk it. I purchased a Sub xd and have shot over 1200 rounds through it. Never cleaned it before firing it the first time. Shot all different types of ammo, and held the gun firm, loose and upside down, and yes it fired all 1200 rds without any problems.

Sorry to be so direct however if anyone with reason reads these threads will come to the conclusion and not by this Taurus gun. Taurus does make decent firearms, this gun however is not one of them.

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Out of the box it wasn’t even on the paper; I had to adjust the elevation way up, and the windage an inch or so right. Using 124g Winchester NATO rounds, it has no trouble with 3″ groups at 7 yds – with one or two hands. The accuracy surprised a number of range attendants, myself included. Recoil is very manageable, even to someone used to a full-sized steel-framed 9mm like the IMI Desert Eagle. I’ve not had an issue with FTE/stovepipes, but during that first range trip (100 rds) I had an unacceptable number of FTF/lightstrikes that the vaunted “second strike capability” did nothing for (all rounds of which fired no problem from my Baby Eagle, so it wasn’t the ammo). I also noted that the trigger pull started getting progressively heavier near the end of the second box of 50; I would’ve have shot more that trip but started needing two fingers on the trigger, it got that stiff.

Having read the comments on this thread, I gave it a thorough cleaning when I got home – paying particular attention to the firing pin housing. My second trip to the range restored much faith in the Taurus as my ccw piece. The trigger pull didn’t stack up at all in 250 rds, I didn’t get a single FTE (by contrast I got a number of stovepipes on my Baby Eagle that trip…possibly because I was getting used to the Taurus which apparently doesn’t require as strong a grip), and I only started to get FTF’s after the first 100 rds. If I’m carrying a clean gun, I feel I can depend on it for the first 100 rds at least…and anyway if I need more than 14 rds, I’m carrying the wrong gun!

The only other issue I’ve had is with the sights. After my first range trip, the white dot on the front sight became so occluded with powder residue that I thought the paint had fallen out! The white dot was restored with the first blast of nitro however, and for whatever reason the second range trip didn’t occlude the dot, even though more rounds were fired. The rear sight has me currently disappointed, because I just noticed that the rear sight screw part #1.02 (that affixes the sights to the slide) has fallen out and is lost! I just got off the phone with Taurus customer service and they’ve promised me a replacement in about 10 days, so we’ll see. I hate to be without it even that long, but it’s better than 4 weeks!

Because I felt I needed a holster with a retention strap that I couldn’t find commercially (I spend a lot of time on a motorcycle where an accidental ejection is more than an annoyance), I had a custom holster made that rides OWB inverted at the small of my back; the 709 Slim is an excellent carry piece in this position.

Not a pocket pistol by any means, but neither does it feel like a toy. It’s a good fit for my size 8 mitts, but like everyone else I would buy a couple extended magazines with a pinky rest if they were available – hell even pinky rest accessories for the stock mag. I don’t have the strongest draw with two fingers, and feel a pinky rest would really help proper grip acquisition. Apparently Taurus listened: http://www.taurususa.com/2011newcatalog/?catalog_page=8. Not a pinky rest per se, but I’ll take it!

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1- Many have issues with WWB ammo
2- Most people that are bitching and moaning about FTE and FTF find that with a firmer grip the gun fires fine AS LONG AS IT HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY CLEANED!!! Taurus packs their guns with all kinds of crap from the factory and it’s very important to give your gun a THOROUGH cleaning. If you don’t you can expect issues. Once it’s properly cleaned most if not all of these issues go away.
3- Doesn’t look like there are any extended mags in the forseeable future. If you are thinking you’re going to find the extended 9-round magazine you will be disappointed!!!
4- Seems like most come with the sights NOT ADJUSTED and shoot low left, and some will not adjust far enough to correct this issue. However… many have said that part of this problem is caused by not being used to the trigger, which is a bit different than most. I’ve also found a few folks that have replaced the front sight with a glock front sight that’s a bit shorter to help to raise the POI, and that with a little filing a glock front sight can be used to replace the factory one.

I thought I’d also mention a cleaning trick that a friend of mine let me in on. Lighter fluid can be used as a very effective cleaning agent, and since it is petroleum based is also a fine lubricant. I disassembled mine and soaked it in a pan half-full of lighter fluid for about 20 minutes. I basically just took off the slide, barrel, and action so I could soak them separately. Then I brushed them down with the brush that came with the gun and wiped it down. GUNK GONE!!! repeat it a couple of times (I also soaked the frame without breaking it down any further and brushed it down). all that grease and crap breaks down pretty easily in the lighter fluid. Also do same with magazines. I’d like to know if anybody else recommends or disagrees with this cleaning method. My friend is a fanatic about keeping his guns cleaned and swears by it.

Finally, I thought I would mention that I bought a couple of grip extentions. I have heard that the Pearce one for the Keltec P11 fits nicely with some modification, but I found one for Kahrs single-stack 9mm guns gives a nice extension that gives me an extra like 1/2″ for my pinky. It doesn’t fit perfectly, but will function fine (a bit of a gap at the rear of the magazine, and it doesn’t fit as flushly as the factory mag floor plate). BUT this allows you to have a firm grip on the gun which I am hoping will provide better control.

I won’t get to the range until Tuesday, but will try to come back and let you know what I think. So far I REALLY like this gun and am confident that with it cleaned well and with decent ammo and a firm grip I’ll have no issues. Wish me luck.

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