Hey guys, I'm kinda unexperienced when it comes to Taurus handguns. I've only shot one in my entire life which was my buddies Millenium Pro .40S&W. My girl and I were shopping around to see what she liked best as a CCW and she has it narrowed down to three options. A ruger SP101 in .357 MAG, a Ruger SR40C, and a Taurus 740 Slim. The 740 slim is what she seems set on so far. I need to know what kind of reliability the 740 provides and if it's a solid built weapon. Afterall if her life is at stake I want to her have something that will perform as expected. So I'd like to hear from anyone who owns one or has shot one as to what they think about it personally.

Bought my wife a 709 and it wouldn't get through a full magazine without a FTF. Even with Taurus' "second strike  capability" you would still have to eject the cartridge then it would fire the next one. Looked like light primer strikes. Called Taurus, they had me send it back. Two weeks later I received it back with a note saying that it was just dirty (only had about 30rds through it). Took it out again and same problem. Sold it and replaced it with a Ruger LCR. The wifes likes it and it's solidly built.

ETA I also have a 24/7 compact in .45 that has worked flawlessly for me so YMMV.

Those pocket pistols in 40 cal. are quite a handfull to shoot and are not much fun I woul stick to 9mm or better yet 380 for a women.

I have a 709.  Taurus pistols have quality issues, IMO.  Some are great from day-1 and some are problem children that may or may not ever be satisfactory.  The good news is that Taurus will "fix" them free, including shipping the first year. After that, it will cost you $50-100 each time you ship it back for repairs (UPS and Fedex rules).  The bad news is that they may not actually fix the problem the first time.  Many folks love their PT709s.  Mine has an inconsistent trigger pull force (anywhere from 3 pounds to 10 pounds) that Taurus did not fix when I sent it to them for that problem.  The trigger (even one that works right) has a very long take-up and the break occurs with the trigger almost touching the frame; this (and maybe other factors) cause many shooters to hit low and left with the 709.  All pistols in this size range are difficult to shoot well because of the light weight, short sight radius, and small gripping surface.  If she is really serious about a gun in this size range, I recommend she also look at several newer models, like the Beretta Nano, Smith and Wesson Shield, and the Ruger LC9.  If you have bigger $$ you might also consider the Kahr CM9, Kimber Solo, and SIG P938.  But all these small guns are hard to shoot well.  If a bigger gun is an option, she might consider a Ruger SR9C.  If she can actually shoot candidate guns, that's best.  But as a minimum she needs to hold any gun she is considering to be sure it fits her hands comfortably.  Regarding caliper, most of these small guns are also available in .40 cal but there are compelling reasons to go with 9mm IMO, like ammo cost and recoil.  No handgun is a death ray; 9mm offers sufficient penetration but good shot placement is critical to stopping an attacker.  Good shot placement is hard if you have conditioned yourself to flinch from the greater recoil of a .40 weapon.

I had a 709 slim. Really nice design... Only if it was well made and Taurus had a good quality control...  Mine broke after less than a 100 rounds of 115 gr fmj factory standard pressure ammo.  Recoil spring guide broke in half bending the recoil spring itself and turning the weapon not operable.

I would not trust my life to it.

I have a 740 slim that I bought used for 300 bucks. Never had a single problem with it. I replaced the front sight with a tru-glo shotgun bead and it worked out well. I also picked up a few spare mags for it, and found that the Pearce mag extensions are excellent for getting a better grip and taming recoil. The only issue I have with it is that the trigger has a very long length of pull before it fires. It's not as nice as my Glock 22 in 40 S&W, but it hides nicely and has not given me any trouble whatsoever. Depending on her level of experience with handguns, I'd be likely to sterr her towards a revolver in 38 special. There's lots of good snubbies out there that will be much easier for her to shoot. And shoot well. I'm 6 foot and 245 pounds, so I can handle a bit of recoil. I wouldn't want my wife to have to rely on the Taurus for protection, though. She's not very adept at clearing stovepipes and is more likely to have issues due to things like limp wristing the pistol. She has a S&W 357 loaded with 38 special +p's.