I don't think I would put Taurus in the same class with Colt or Sig or even Ruger or S&W. I'm not saying these other companies don't on occasion put out a lemon but as a whole I would say the dependability of these companies in their tried and true models is second to none, as is most accounts of their customer service repairing the problem in a timely fashion. Taurus, while having some decent guns seems to still have some growing pains. That is not to say that everything they put out is crap but you cannot argue with reviews from first person accounts who have had problems either with quality or customer service. Bottom line is you get what you pay for, while some have good luck with the Taurus 709, like my friend I referenced earlier, there are plenty who have had problems as well. The way I see it is if I buy the Taurus for $279 dollars and it works out, good I got a good gun, but if it has problems I am not going to complain as I believe you get what you pay for and I took that chance in buying a more affordable gun, I could have bought a Ruger or a Shield and most likely not had a problem.