laststandonzombieisland

Normally, the pistols I test and evaluate for publications come from so-called “top shelf” or at least “mid-shelf” manufacturers such as Glock, S&W, FN, Kimber, et. al.

In a departure from that, I have been kicking around the Taurus G3C, the company’s third-gen polymer-framed striker-fired pistol for the past four months and have run more than 1K rounds through it, often carrying it as a BUG to get a feel for it.

The verdict? The damn thing works. It isn’t pretty. You aren’t going to want to show it off on your social media feed. However, Taurus has gotten their quality control in order and this gun has very little to complain about.

Plus, it is a 12+1 subcompact that is roughly the same size as a Glock 43, but only costs about $300.

More in my column at Guns.com.

For the past several weeks I have been wrestling a Taurus, the company’s new G3c model subcompact 9mm to be exact. I wanted to hate it as it wasn’t a Glock 19/26 or S&W M&P M2.0 Compact– my typical every day carry– or at least you could say I didn’t have big hopes for it. Now, I will admit that, after 500 rounds and about 120 hours with it on my side, I am beginning to look at the gun with a fresh sense of curiosity.

So far, I’ve have found the Taurus G3c to be a definite upgrade from the company’s previous polymer-framed pistols, the 1st Generation PT111 Millennium and the 2nd Gen G2 line. Without spending Sig money for a P365 or even Springfield money for a Hellcat, it gets you in the neighborhood of a very compact 12+1 9mm that leaves you some extra scratch to invest in brass.

Which is always a good thing.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Over the years, I have had lots of Taurus K-frame revolver clones pass through my hands, and they were decent guns mechanically if not in fit and finish. I even own a Taurus M1911A1 that has proven itself better than some American-made pistolas of the same breed. However, the company hasn’t been able to make a polymer-framed striker-fired gun that excited me, and they have certainly been trying. I’ve shot a few PT-111s and a G2 in the past several years and passed on them all with a shrug. Just not for me.

However, I have been testing one of the company’s new third-gen G3c models, and (puts on flame suit) I may be warming to the idea of carrying one of these.

Weight of the G3c, unloaded, is billed as 22-ounces and we found that the gun, when stuffed with 13 rounds of 147-grain Federal Hydra-Shok JHP bulks up to 27.1-ounces. Height is 5.1-inches over the sights with the standard magazine inserted.

More in my column at Guns.com 

Since the 1980s, I’ve had a few Taurus handguns pass through my hands and, while I had fair success with their S&W-cloned K-framed .38s and similarly-cloned M1911A1 .45ACPs, the same could not be said for their polymer-framed semi-auto 9mm pistols (looking at you, Taurus Millennium).

However, a few years ago they upgraded their semi-autos with the G2 (Generation 2) model which exercised a lot of the demons with the Millennium line. Then last year they coughed up the G3 series, which got a lot closer to being good, especially for the price.

Now, this week, they came out with the G3c, a 12+1 capacity 9mm that takes Glock sights, is about the same size as the Springfield Armory Hellcat, and is set up to run sub-$300 at retailers. Also, as opposed to the Hellcat, it seems to be partially American-made at the Brazilain company’s new plant in Bainbridge, Georgia.

It looks like I am going to have to T&E one of these…

More in my column at Guns.com.