I'm no firearm expert, far from it. I dabble, at best. I basically reload .40SW, .44mag, .45ACP, .308, and .303 British. That's about all I do. I have a Remington 870 that I use for aerating the lawn. I've never been to a competition in my life and I don't hunt anything but pests. I basically have weapons and a stash of ammunition for the day when the government is run by a bunch of granola eaters and make it impossible for the average person to get firearms and ammo.
Everything I buy in life is "dollar vs value". So, I'd like to know what can be had in the sub-$600 "Gander Mountain" range for a pistol that you actually get your money's worth. You're not going to get a SigSauer, Kimber, or a Para Ordnance for that. I kind of like the M&P and the XD series but they both feel cheap like a Glock. The XD is only a butterfly's fart away from a Sigma.
Taurus' firearms are hit and miss. There is no way in hell I'd buy a Millennium but the Millennium Pro is a decent firearm, especially for $300. It's got like a 15lb trigger pull (my gauge only goes to 15lbs) but it's as reliable as can be. I can run 5 clips through it as fast as I want and it doesn't perform any different from first to last.