Taurus has just released what may very well be the most economical sub-compact 9mm pistol on the market so far. The Taurus GX4 is the company’s answer to similar pistols like the SIG P365, Springfield Hellcat, and Ruger MAX-9. I was sent a Taurus GX4 pistol a little over a month in advance of its official unveiling online and I got to put the pistol through its paces, carry it and really see how much value Taurus has put into this brand new pistol. So today I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the new carry piece and hopefully give you a good idea if this would be a viable option to add to your concealed carry rotation.

Taurus Handgun Reviews @ TFB:

• TFB Review: The Optics Ready Taurus G3C TORO
• The Sexy Six Shooter That’s Superior to a Snub: Taurus 856 Defender Review
• Wheelgun Wednesday: Taurus Raging Hunter 44 Magnum Review
• The Rimfire Report: Taurus TX 22 Competition Pistol Review

TFB Review: The New Taurus GX4 Sub-Compact 9mm Pistol

Specifications:

• Caliber: 9mm
• Capacity: 11 RDS
• Magazines: 2×11
• Firing System: Striker
• Action: Single Action Only
• Front Sights: Fixed White Dot Steel
• Rear Sights: Serrated Drift Adjustable
• Safety: Striker Block, Trigger Safety, and Loaded Chamber Indicator
• Grip: Polymer with Steel Frame Insert
• Barrel: 3.06 in Satin Black DLC Coating
• Slide: Alloy Steel with Gas Nitride Treatment
• Weight: 18.5 oz (unloaded
• Overall Length: 6.05 in.
• Overall Width: 1.08 in.
• Overall Height: 4.4 in
• MSRP: 392.42

First Impressions: Taurus GX4

From what I can tell, Taurus is attempting to distance itself from some of its old practices which include shipping its pistols in a cardboard box. While I don’t tend to store my pistols in their original cases, some people like to have them around for keeping things organized and transporting their firearms to and from the range. The GX4 comes in one such plastic case along with its two 11-round magazines, a larger alternative grip insert, and the GX4 manual.

Right off the bat, I noticed that the GX4 was a whole new animal when compared to their previous carry pistols like the G2C and G3C. The design of the pistol is completely distinct compared to past models of Taurus pistols and even includes a whole new trigger and lacks a manual safety which is something I’m glad Taurus had the guts to do. Like most modern pistols, the GX4 comes with forward slide serrations, and a skateboard tape-like grip texture. The pistol also features textured memory pads on either side of the frame.

One characteristic that carries over from the G3C pistol to the GX4 is the beveled front end of the pistol. This beveling makes returning the pistol to your holster much smoother. The included sights consist of a steel white dot front sight and blacked-out serrated rear sight. I would have preferred that Taurus took this opportunity to either had 3-dot white sights or even tritium night sights as an option but they did say that the GX4 would be compatible with aftermarket night sights.

Range Time: Taurus Gx4

After fiddling with the pistol for a few days before making it to the range, I couldn’t wait to get some rounds out of it. During my dry fire experience, I noticed that the new trigger Taurus developed for the GX4 is absolutely phenomenal. It is by no means a race trigger but it is by far one of the best triggers on a subcompact pistol I have come across. Whatever Taurus did with the GX4 trigger, they need to do it with their future semi-auto striker-fired pistols.

The takeup is very minimal at about a quarter of an inch and then there is just a tiny bit of barely noticeable creep before the trigger makes a clean break with zero perceivable overtravel. After the bullet makes its way downrange, the reset of the trigger is just a hair over an eighth of an inch till it hits a good tactical reset. In my testing at home, I found the trigger pull weight to be right around 4lbs.

I found the grip texture to be right about where I’d want it. It wasn’t overly aggressive but it wasn’t non-existent. Carrying it in my standard belly band setup didn’t yield any signs of chafing or scratching the skin, and the Gas Nitride Treated slide held up well to sweat and daily holstering/unholstering with both the belly band and a LAG Tactical holster.

I fed the GX4 a mixed diet of remanufactured ammunition, as well as a grab bag of ammunition from my “mystery box.” The mystery box is usually my leftovers from boxes of factory ammunition as well as some of my own reloads that didn’t turn into regulars for me. The pistol functioned very well with all of the ammunition and even after firing a couple magazines of leftover +P ammunition, everything was still functioning as it should. I have had magazines in the past that will not fit Federal HST 147gr ammunition in a full magazine but they fit just fine in the Mec-Gar produced 11-round GX4 magazines.

Taurus is offering some 13-round magazines that will launch with the GX4 and I would have really liked to try those out with the pistol at the range. My hands aren’t huge but I did find that my pinky only sort of made it onto the grip when holding the pistol. I am assuming the 13-round magazines feature some sort of pinky extension which I think would have made for better accuracy with follow-up shots.

Final Thoughts

I am very impressed with the Taurus GX4. Taurus is proving right here that just because a pistol is inexpensive that it doesn’t need to be cheap. Everything from the new magazines to the massively improved new trigger is a big plus in my book when it comes to this specific type of pistol. A couple of things I would have liked to see offered that weren’t, were the option for night sights from the factory, an optics cut (which I assume is going to come along in a couple of months following the initial release), and the inclusion of an accessory rail.

Not everyone makes use of these items but many of us do and I know a good amount of people who put lights, and optics on all of their carry pistols. Overall, I think the Taurus GX4 is a great addition to the sub-compact 9mm market and it is by far the most affordable pistol on the list if you’re not looking for the extra features I mentioned above. Overall, the Taurus GX4 should make a great concealed carry pistol for anyone out there looking to have a concealable and capable pistol with a healthy reserve of ammunition without breaking the bank.

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