There have been more than a couple threads on forums started by people over the last month looking to gather their pennies and buy Freedom Group, which is currently up for sale by its corporate overlords. And while those threads were mostly joking, Taurus isn’t. Bloomberg is reporting that the Brazilian company is looking to acquire the juggernaut while it is still being undervalued due to the doom and gloom surrounding the politics of guns right now. If true, it’s a brilliant move . . .
Taurus has been gaining ground recently, battling back from their much maligned reputation and introducing some fairly awesome stuff in recent years that has netted their Brazilian masters some hefty currency in return. Now, with a full war chest and possibly willing to take on some debt, Taurus might be eyeing a longer game in the United States than just manufacturing handguns.
Taurus recently bought another manufacturer (Diamondback, I believe) and Mark Kresser (CEO of Taurus) was hinting at SHOT Show about a possible upcoming merger and/or acquisition that he was excited about.
Mark was unavailable for comment, but hopefully when he sees this he’ll give me a ring.
With Taurus’ recent turnaround in their reputation, maybe this could be a good thing for both them and Freedom Group.
Man I wish I had stock in Taurus!
Will someone please FIX Marlin!
The only way to do that is to open up the plant in CT again, which is not happening.
Factory is still there. Drove by it on the way to Ikea a while back. Depressing – and a symbol of everything that is wrong with CT.
I’m a BIG fan of all things Brazilian. Embraer aircraft, Taurus firearms, and their gorgeous women in tiny T-Back bikinis!!
I heard their wax works pretty good..;)
Just take a look at their firearms legislation though…
Makes everything we’re going through here seem almost pleasant.
There are plenty of Brazilians who would love to fix the situation. They’re living with the daily failure that is gun control and would love to have the ability to defend themselves.
I have never used a Taurus auto loader, but I’ve owned 3 of their revolvers and could find no fault in them. Once Taurus bought Rossi, Rossi appears to have stepped up its game also.
I bought a youth model 20 ga. break action from Rossi. Of the single shots available on the market at the time, Rossi’s was the only one that had a manual safety. I also have a Rossi .38. It’s not as smooth as my Smiths but it works and is half their price.
I would like to see Remington and Marlin in the hands of a gun company and not just a group of profiteers.
Any idea on the reputation of Rossis Circut Judge? Something about a carbine wheel gun, that shoots pistol caliber and 410 just sounds fun.
Memphis, the judge is illegal here in california. I know cause my wife wants one. I’ve never seen the carbine version in any of the lgs’s. Either it ain’t legal here or it sells as soon as it hits the shelves.
I nearly bought one of those 24/7 G2s, but opted for an M&P instead. Next time I might…
a juggernaut being bought by one foreign company, not sure if that is the best we could hope for but I guess better than nothing.
I’d rather see it being bought by a group a independent US and foreign firearm manufactures.
Domestic small arms manufacturing needs to be preserved.
Does it really matter that much, if the manufacturing still happens in the States?
I own a PT809 and absolutely LOVE it. I know it’s big, but it is my carry gun as well. Taurus makes a great product, super easy takedown, easy to clean, and I have never had a FTF or FTE from the 400 or so rounds through it, and I purchased it used! I just hope that someday they bring back the PT822 conversion 🙂
I’m a PT809 owner as well, and enjoy it more than any other gun I’ve shot. Really enjoying the boldness of Taurus to move in at a time like this. Would love to see what they do with an AR!
Unless Taurus gets levered to their eyeballs, they’ll either need a partner to accomplish the purchase, or they’ll buy only a part of Freedom.
Would you please buy Marlin?
Norinco has enough renminbi.
Cerberus won’t allow FG to be sold piecemeal.
Then it won’t get sold at all.
I hear what you’re saying, but just look at it from Cerberus’ perspective: if they allow piecemeal sales of various FG companies, then brands like Remmy, DPMS, Barnes and AAC will get snapped up in a heartbeat, while Cerberus is left holding the bag for Bushmaster and Marlin. I personally would prefer that situation, but I understand Cerberus’ position.
Part of the problem is how the “wizards” on Wall Street did their usual “increase efficiency by reducing redundancy” nonsense. They smooshed Marlin into Remington, effectively. Sell off Remington, you have to sell Marlin with it now – and vice-versa.
This whole episode is yet another example of how the pinheads on Wall Street don’t know jack about actual business. They know quite a lot about how to strip-mine the equity out of a business, but they don’t know jack about how to actually run a business.
I was thinking about buying a PT745 and went to the LGS ( a Taurus dealer) to check it out. No such luck–discontinued and not in stock and could not be ordered from the supplier. That was the LAST .45 pistol Taurus sells here. NONE of their new guns are on the roster, and a perusal of their specs suggests that none qualify any way. Taurus has forsaken California–yeah its a bitch to do business here, but still, there are plenty of us who love guns! And Taurus was always a value leader. Oh well. Its not like they are the only company to do so….
Single Shot Exemption is your friend in situations like this.
Yeah yeah yeah. That adds a c-note to an already expensive transaction.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I buy another Tarus. I bought a 22 Long rifle revolver from them and it is the second biggest POS I’ve ever owned. Even after being sent back to the factory at my expense and reworked.
I turned around and bought a S&W 617.
So you won’t buy Taurus because of a lemon but you’ll buy a gun from a company that sucks Bill harder than Monica?
What’s wrong with S&W??? I have had many of their guns over the years and love he all, plus any time I have had a problem customer service was outstanding !!!!
sh#*t man. Smith and Wesson are BETTER weapons than taurus will ever be. i own 2 sigmas an mp shield and both their ar’s in .22 and in .223 and i have never got a problem with them. Maybe you need to buy any S&W and shut yo’ mouth sucka
I believe kvjavs is referring to the way S&W sold us out to please the Clinton administration, not their firearms.
I picked up on what he was referring to as well, but S&W has said their mea culpas, moved in a different direction, and the people who made that decision are no longer in charge.
It’s the same deal as Bill “no one needs more than 10 rounds” Ruger. He was a supporter of the ban too, but after he passed away Ruger moved away from those positions and you can now buy Ruger&Co-made 25 round magazines for their 10/22s.
I bought a Taurus 24/7 pro in .40cal 2008. My whole family has put a couple thousand rounds through it and it goes bang every time. I wish it had a better trigger feel but it was $300 well spent for an autoloader that does what it’s supposed to.
I have owned several Taurus guns, the M44ss6 was flawless as is My Taurus 1911, however the 24/7 40 cal I owned was the biggest piece of junk I ever bought followed it up with there new 327 federal mag revolver again nothing but trouble dealer bought it back after 2 returns from Taurus with same problem. Personally I wont buy another Taurus product, It’s Ruger for reliability for me.
I do derive some personal satisfaction the the california/NY/IL pensions, in a rush to rid their funds of evil gun manufacturers, probably will incur a loss at the same time as their states grant larger and undeserved benefits to their retirees while their states face larger pension/earnings shortfalls and their state budgets run larger deficits that cannot be sustained. Just like Ronald bankrupted the Ruskies, I sit on the bank of the river and await the carnage that will float by soon enough.
Good points. It is amusing.
I used to be one of those folks who used to tell first time gun buyers to avoid Taurus, especially after the initial problems I had with my PT709 Slim (which all got worked out eventually). Then, I bought an S&W M&P Shield, and when compared side-by-side to the PT709, had overall poorer quality. Turned out that the PT709 was/is a much better value.
I love my PT709, and my 24/7 G2. Great guns. Great features: Trigger safeties, manual safeties, double strike capability, easy to field strip in seconds with no tools, and lifetime warranties even if you buy them used. What’s not to like?
My uncle is one of the top 8 on the senior executive leadership team at Cerberus. I keep telling him they should hold onto FG. Or sell it to me….
Can you provide any insight on why they acted with such haste? I understand if you are not comfortable doing so.
I was really shocked at how quickly Cerberus decided to state they had chosen to get rid of Freedom Group after the major changes they had made. I felt like it validated the people who want to blame the inanimate object allegedly used at Sandy Hook instead of the alleged shooter’s irresponsible mother.
If this rumor is true you should contact your uncle and urge him to persuade Cerberus to sell at least part of Freedom Group to Taurus immediately. Maybe they could make Bushmaster worth buying!
My wife and I had Taurus 85 snubbies as our first concealed carry guns. No complaints except the Mrs. concern about the weight.
Have used a 709 Slim for a year&1/2 as backup/ or primary when teaching. Only gripes: manual leaves out vital disassembly step and the sight adjustment tool is made of such soft metal that one session bends it(fortunately they supply two). Wrote them right after purchase about this and never heard back.
Still, I’m intersted in their new 9mm revolver for my kid(3 inch bbl,guys?), and I think them buying Freedom Group is a good idea.
First gun I ever fired was my father’s Taurus .44 special. It was a fantastic gun and I always thought it was unfortunate that Taurus developed such an unfortunate rep for their semis over the years. They were not afraid to innovate, but innovation comes with a price. It has been good to see them fighting to change their image and I hope this story is true, because I cannot imagine a better buyer or a company more supportive of American shooters.
You all should review their new model 809 and DT Hybrid pistols when they are available. Now that I think about it, I might end up with a Taurus for my next purchase just so I can find plenty of mags if things keep up like they have been.
Taurus buying FG: yes, please do that. ASAP. Then let me know when I can buy Marlin 336’s in .357 and .30-30 that have been made to Taurus standards for materials and quality control.
What standards? None according to the POS revolver I bought. Still a POS after a return to them for work.
hi, I live in Brazil, and here the police state is absurd because they want to kill anyone who owns guns, and you can only get garbage! or .38 caliber pistol or 380 and just get the license and possession if it is being ameçado death, ie, when the shit has already almost done …)
Not sure its a good thing since Taurus is another foreign company with a very mixed quality record. id be careful!
Not to sound xenophobic, but I don’t really want legendary (even if they recently suck) manufacturers being owned by foreign companies.
Ruger should buy Marlin.
Taurus would be a good suitor. That said, they are not the only one. An aggressive Middle eastern group and a European ammunition manufacturer have both made inquiries from what I know. And, from what I hear, there is no certainty about Cerberus selling no matter what they may say.
I would love to see Freedom Group become a grass-roots coop. Something like a credit union, owned by its membership. Where do I sign!
Dear Taurus,
Do it!
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