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  4. Taurus Adds New Handguns in .327, .357, 22LR and 9mm

Taurus came to SHOT Show in Las Vegas last week with a whole countertop of new handgun designs for 2022. 

These included the G3X hybrid 9mm pistol, the new Taurus 605 Defender revolver in .357 Magnum, the Taurus 856 snub in .327 Federal Magnum, and the TX 22 Competition Steel Challenge Ready pistol. 
 

G3X


Announced at the show was the new G3X, a hybrid of the full-sized Taurus G3 and the more compact – and crowd-pleasing – G3C, the G3X gives the user a 15+1 magazine capacity that is compatible with the company's 17-round mags. This gives the new G3X a full-sized grip but a shorter overall length, akin to the same thing that Glock did a few years ago with its "crossover" G19X and follow-on G45, which blend the full-sized G17 frame with the top half of the shorter G19. 
 

Taurus G3X
The MSRP on the new Taurus G3X is $342.98. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Taurus G3X
Compared to the G3C, shown on the right, the new G3X is taller but gives you a 15+1 flush-fit magazine capacity, picking up three extra rounds compared to the smaller gun. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)


Taurus 605 Defender 


The new Taurus 605 Defender is a 3-inch hammer-fired DA/SA version of the company's 2-inch five-round snub. Chambered in .357 Magnum/.38 Special, it is meant as a carry and personal protection piece with a smooth, clean barrel and frame profile to allow a smooth draw and re-holstering from in-waistband positions. It comes standard with a factory-installed tritium front night sight with an orange outline.
 

The new Taurus 605 Defender in .357 (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The new Taurus 605 Defender in .357 (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The new Taurus 605 Defender in .357 (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The 605 Defender comes in four models with different grip (Altamont wood, Hogue rubber, VZ black/gray) and finishes (matte black, matte stainless, two-tone) offerings for a retail price that runs from $472 to $540. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

 

Taurus 856, now in .327 


Chambered in the somewhat neglected .327 Federal, the newest variant of the Taurus 856 six-shot DA/SA revolver is also capable of accepting .32 H&R Magnum and .32 S&W Long cartridges. The .327 is frequently seen as a “dark horse” in the personal defense world. Based on a lengthened .32 H&R Mag case, the .327 exceeds the performance of its parent cartridge with velocity pushing almost to the .357 Magnum range without the heavy recoil "thump." This makes the .327 popular in small/medium-framed EDC revolvers as a more manageable alternative to the .357. 
 

Taurus 856 in 327 Federal
The Taurus 856 in .327 will be offered in both matte black and stainless, and in 2- and 3-inch barrel lengths. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Taurus 856 in 327 Federal
The asking price runs $371 to $389, with stainless trending higher. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

 

Taurus TX 22 Competition SCR


The new Steel Challenge Ready from Taurus adds a Tandemkross Game Changer Pro Squared compensator to the match-grade bull barrel of the company's TX 22 Competition to counter muzzle rise and recoil for quicker follow-up shots. Other new features include a Tandemkross Eagle Talon extractor to provide extra "grab" in dirty/high-use range sessions to alleviate failure-to-eject malfunctions. 
 

TX 22 Competition Steel Challenge Ready pistol. 
MSRP of the Taurus TX 22 Competition SCR is $589.32. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

 

Be sure to check out the rest of our SHOT Show coverage!

 

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