Earlier this year Taurus introduced its newest 9mm pistol, the G3c, which brings an affordable 12+1 capacity subcompact to the carry market. Turns out, it works on the range as well.
Announced in June, the G3c (c = compact) is a scaled-down version of the striker-fired Taurus G3 and uses a 3.2-inch barrel to achieve an overall 6.3-inch length. This is about an inch shorter than the company’s already popular third-generation of polymer-framed handguns, following in the wake of the G2 and PT111 Millennium Pro.
Related: The Taurus G3c compared to the most common carry pistols in the country
The no-nonsense G3c has three safeties including a Glock-style trigger insert, an internal striker/firing pin block, and a frame-mounted manual safety.
Ergonomics
The G3c has a grip module that combines a series of texture pads for your palm and memory points for your thumbs-- which double as a tactile indexing point.
While small polymer-framed 9mm pistols tend to have a lot of flex and a fairly snappy muzzle flip, we found the G3c easy to maintain on target in both strong-hand and off-hand-only shooting in addition to traditional two-handed forms.
Accuracy
The G3c is striker-fired with a trigger that has a flatter face and shorter reset than on the company’s previous pin guns. Further, it has a second-strike capability without having to cycle the slide, a useful feature in the hopefully rare event of a misfire or light primer strike. Over testing we found our pistol to have a long trigger pull but a short reset and break at right around 5-pounds. When it comes to second-strikes, it ran 6.5-pounds.
The metal Glock-pattern sights include a blacked-out rear and single front that are adequate and allow an easy upgrade if you want something else.
Reliability
We tested the Taurus G3C with a range of factory 9mm ammunition, firing a total of just over 500 rounds right out of the box in the course of a couple of range visits. The ammo included at least five different loadings from two manufacturers. In the end, we suffered no failures, jams, or issues that we can report.
The gun ran.
The mags locked open the slide each time and dropped free when empty. They appear to be Teflon-coated in a way similar to Sig's old P-series mags. The surface controls worked as advertised.
The safety, while not a demanded feature for some, locked the slide and trigger when properly engaged. With that being said, be sure to never rely on a mechanical safety alone as the consistent use of proper muzzle and trigger discipline is always your number one gun safety.
How does it carry?
Over the past couple of months, we have carried the new Taurus in a variety of Kydex and leather in both IWB and OWB modes, with the gun almost disappearing in the former and proving well capable of concealment with a cover garment in the latter. In all, we have about 120 hours of holster time with the gun and found it comfortable.
"Carry weight," complete with the DeSantis leather, inserted factory magazine, and 13 rounds of Federal 147-grain JHP came in at a comfortable 30.3-ounces. It accompanied the author into the field on a dove hunt in hog country in just such a fashion.
So far, we 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.
Watch this space as we keep up the evaluation.
