King of affordable firearms, Taurus has a new optics-ready and very affordably priced compact pistol for the budget-minded with the GX2 TORO.

Short for Taurus Optic Ready Option, the TORO variant sports an RMSc footprint, 13+1 capacity, and loads of enhanced features. We got our hands on an early model and promptly put 270 rounds through it for testing. Here’s how it performed.

Quick Summary: The Taurus GX2 TORO is very reliable, ergonomic, and one of the most affordable optics-ready pistols on the market. Loaded with features, it’s a great budget concealed carry option, though the trigger was a tad stiff at first.

Table of Contents

Features
Specifications
Reliability & Accuracy
Pros & Cons
Final Thoughts

Features

The semi-auto 9mm Taurus GX2 family was created to provide budget-friendly and concealable options for folks looking to get into a more modernized self-defense handgun on a dime. To that end, Taurus decked out this pistol with enhanced features.

There are aggressive, angled front and rear slide serrations, and the front of the slide is dehorned (angled) to make it easier to reholster without snagging. The GX2 TORO is a compact-sized platform – perhaps even closer to a subcompact size – but it allows you to get a full grip while still keeping the gun small and concealable overall.
 

There are few options that allow you to get into an optics-ready concealed carry firearm for the low, low price of the GX2 TORO. It sports an RMSc optics footprint, which I topped with a Vortex Defender-CCW red dot. Paired together, this would be a solid concealed carry option that I would be perfectly comfortable carrying every day.

Ergonomics define this gun, and it offers a relatively narrow grip with a single finger groove. The entire grip is covered in aggressive but not uncomfortable stipple-like texturing that extends into the top of the frame. I really like how it feels in the hand, and it is controllable with either a two-hand or one-hand grip.
 

The iron sights are basic, with a front white dot and a blacked-out rear notch. There’s also a minimalist thumb safety on the left side that’s easy to use and slim enough to avoid accidental bumps. 

While the gun hosts a flat-faced trigger that is all the rage right now, it breaks at 6.73 pounds on my scale and was fairly stiff, at least at first. There’s a nice springy take-up to get to the wall, and very little creep before the somewhat stiff break. It’s not bad, but it takes some getting used to if you are accustomed to triggers with a light or two-stage trigger break.
 

Taurus also kept the triangular magazine release on the left side small. Even so, it’s easy to reach and use. The same is true of the minimalist slide release/lock. I actually like that because it prevents my larger hands from hitting the release and preventing lockback while shooting this rather small firearm.
 

Takedown is done with the small disassembly lever on the left side of the frame. While simple, it does take a fair amount of finger pressure to shift the lever. Thus, disassembly isn’t a super-fast process, but does it even need to be?
 

Specifications

Here’s a quick breakdown of the basic specs for the Taurus GX2 TORO.

Reliability & Accuracy

I have put 270 rounds through this little compact so far, and I have had zero malfunctions along the way. That includes 250 rounds of very budget 115-grain BPS FMJ and 20 rounds of 124-grain Federal Punch hollow-point self-defense ammo.
 

Recoil is very manageable, in part because of the full grip length. I can easily wrap all my fingers around it, and the well-textured, ergonomic shape feels solid and natural. 

While I’m not a fan of thumb safeties in general, the one on the GX2 TORO is exactly the type I prefer if I must use one. It’s slim but easy to activate. At the same time, it is hard to accidentally bump and does not protrude enough to cause any discomfort while carrying or drawing the firearm.
 

Overall, the entire thing is well-designed for snag-free performance, which is not something I can say about many far more expensive options.

As for accuracy, the gun is more than capable of offering tight groups at self-defense distances. However, the stiff break on the flat-faced trigger takes some practice. Here’s my first target shot at 7 yards.
 

I zeroed my Vortex Defender-CCW red dot on a rest, so I know it was centered. I would normally blame my low and left grouping on my grip, but I could feel the gun shifting as I tried to break the trigger.

It’s not a terrible trigger, and it seems to have smoothed out over the first 100 rounds, but the stiff break took some acclimation early on. Here’s how I did after some practice.
 

Overall, the GX2 TORO passed its reliability testing with flying colors, and the accuracy potential is certainly there if you just put in a little range time to practice. At the price these guns are selling for – under three bills right now – it is hard to beat the GX2 line.
 

Pros & Cons

Final Thoughts

This compact gun fits into a nice Goldilocks zone for me. The size allows for a full grip, but the gun itself is small and easy to conceal. It also has a lot of great features, like nice texturing, solid ergonomics, good slide serrations, and an optics-ready slide.

While not a high-end pistol by any means, the GX2 TORO is a solid workaday firearm you can carry, train with, and put through its paces without any worries. That is the kind of gun I like to have in my collection.