Taurus is making a strong bid to get into in credibly popular and increasingly competitive higher capacity micro-nine EDC gun game. Today they announced the new GX4 11+1 pistol, joining the likes of the SIG P365, Springfield Hellcat, Ruger MAX-9 and Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus (see our head-to-head-to-head-to-head comparison here). While the GX4’s specs are competitive with the Big Four, its MSRP is over $100 less than the least expensive of the four.
Here’s Taurus’s press release . . .
Taurus, manufacturer of premium handguns for defense, hunting, and sport shooting, is excited to announce the all-new Taurus GX4, designed to deliver maximum concealment without sacrificing ergonomics, performance, or capacity. In short, the Taurus GX4 offers everything you would expect from a full-frame defensive handgun (and more!) but at a fraction of the size and weight. The new Taurus GX4 redefines the micro pistol segment to deliver the concealability of a .380 but with the power, capacity, and function of a full-size 9mm handgun.
The Taurus GX4 is built on a stainless frame with a polymer grip that earns high marks in shooter comfort and strength. This thin, one-inch-wide frame provides negligible printing when worn inside the waistband and features a grip dimension sized to fit any hand. To ensure structural rigidity and reliable cycling in such a scaled-down foundation, the polymer receiver bolsters an integral stainless-steel framework that eliminates flex or deformation when firing.
Intelligent channeling beneath the slide rail allows for recessed placement of the slide stop lever and takedown pin. This permits easy manipulation of these controls while maintaining a flush, no-snag profile for a smooth draw from deep concealment. Likewise, the magazine release button is flush to the grip to eliminate snag potential without hindering quick manipulation during mag changes.
The stippling pattern along the grip offers the perfect balance of aggressive texture across the front of the grip, the side panels, and the full length of the backstrap for a concealed carry application. Stippling is also found forward of the trigger at the indexing and recoil management pad locations. These pads, working in conjunction with the high-texture grip, help the shooter maintain proper hand positioning and assist in managing 9mm recoil while promoting fast target reacquisition in a small handgun platform.
The Taurus GX4 comes with two backstrap options. Installed at the factory is the standard backstrap profile with its slight palm swell to accommodate the preferred grip for most shooters. Those who favor a higher wrist position for natural point-of-aim via a more pronounced palm swell can install the included high-swell backstrap.
Shooters will enjoy the accuracy and predictability of the Taurus GX4 trigger courtesy of its crisp, precise sear break and the pleasingly short and tactile reset that is fundamental to quick, on-target follow-up shots. Adding to the control quotient are serrations along the trigger safety blade. These serrations help prevent finger slip and promote a straighter, more consistent trigger pull.
Located at the front and back of the slide, the serrations not only provide a positive grip for charging and cartridge extraction, they also allow for push or pull manipulation from either end of the slide to accommodate the shooter’s preferred operation style.
Topping the slide is a fixed-position steel front sight and square-notch steel rear sight. The rear sight features serrations across the back to minimize glare, and the cross-cut dovetail slot allows for drift-adjustment of the sight’s windage. The front sight includes a white alignment dot for improved visibility in reduced light conditions. Understanding that many personal defense practitioners desire a tritium or fiber-optic sight system for extreme low-light performance, the Taurus GX4’s dovetail slot is sized to be compatible with common aftermarket tritium and fiber-optic sights. The front sight also uses the conventional screw attachment system, so upgrading the Taurus GX4™ to aftermarket night sights is a simple matter for a gunsmith or anyone with a pistol sight installation tool.
As with all Taurus polymer frame pistols, the Taurus GX4 slide includes a visual loaded chamber indicator. This allows the shooter to quickly see if a cartridge is loaded in the chamber and eliminates the need for the traditional “press check.” To separate the slide assembly from the frame for cleaning, the Taurus GX4 utilizes an easy take-down pin system.
The Taurus GX4’s 3.06-inch stainless-steel barrel, for example, features a satin black DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) treatment for reduced friction and greater wear and corrosion resistance. For the slide finish, Taurus engineers opted for a gas nitride coating to maximize slide surface hardness. This treatment is ideal for a gun intended for daily carry and for deep concealment due to its wear resistance properties.
The Taurus GX4 comes with two backstrap options. Installed at the factory is the standard backstrap profile with its slight palm swell to accommodate the preferred grip for most shooters. Those who favor a higher wrist position for natural point-of-aim via a more pronounced palm swell can install the included high-swell backstrap.
Shooters will enjoy the accuracy and predictability of the Taurus GX4 trigger courtesy of its crisp, precise sear break and the pleasingly short and tactile reset that is fundamental to quick, on-target follow-up shots. Adding to the control quotient are serrations along the trigger safety blade. These serrations help prevent finger slip and promote a straighter, more consistent trigger pull.
Located at the front and back of the slide, the serrations not only provide a positive grip for charging and cartridge extraction, they also allow for push or pull manipulation from either end of the slide to accommodate the shooter’s preferred operation style.
Topping the slide is a fixed-position steel front sight and square-notch steel rear sight. The rear sight features serrations across the back to minimize glare, and the cross-cut dovetail slot allows for drift-adjustment of the sight’s windage. The front sight includes a white alignment dot for improved visibility in reduced light conditions. Understanding that many personal defense practitioners desire a tritium or fiber-optic sight system for extreme low-light performance, the Taurus GX4’s dovetail slot is sized to be compatible with common aftermarket tritium and fiber-optic sights. The front sight also uses the conventional screw attachment system, so upgrading the Taurus GX4™ to aftermarket night sights is a simple matter for a gunsmith or anyone with a pistol sight installation tool.
As with all Taurus polymer frame pistols, the Taurus GX4 slide includes a visual loaded chamber indicator. This allows the shooter to quickly see if a cartridge is loaded in the chamber and eliminates the need for the traditional “press check.” To separate the slide assembly from the frame for cleaning, the Taurus GX4 utilizes an easy take-down pin system.
The Taurus GX4’s 3.06-inch stainless-steel barrel, for example, features a satin black DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) treatment for reduced friction and greater wear and corrosion resistance. For the slide finish, Taurus engineers opted for a gas nitride coating to maximize slide surface hardness. This treatment is ideal for a gun intended for daily carry and for deep concealment due to its wear resistance properties.
Elsewhere, operational control parts receive a Teflon™ coating. The inherent lubricity of Teflon allows components such as the reversible mag release to operate with maximum smoothness while also resisting wear and corrosion. The steel slide stop has polymer overmolding for maximum durability. Inside the Taurus GX4, metal internal parts are nickel plated to further resist rust and corrosion.
While the Taurus GX4 proves that neither ergonomics nor reliable performance need be sacrificed to create a full-feature micro pistol, it also proves that firepower or cartridge capacity need not be compromised, either. Chambered for 9mm Luger, the Taurus GX4 delivers several double-stack magazine options.
The Taurus GX4 comes from the factory with two flush 11-round magazines. There is the standard magazine with a floor plate that is flush with the bottom of the grip and an optional 11-round magazine with a finger extension for those who prefer a larger grip surface. If more capacity is desired, Taurus offers an optional 13-round extended magazine. The Taurus GX4 comes in a 10-round magazine version for those consumers in capacity restricted states.
In keeping with the Taurus philosophy of producing handguns with the industry’s best performance-to-cost ratio, the new Taurus GX4 delivers. With an MSRP of $392.42, Taurus GX4 buyers can enjoy all the feature benefits and ergonomics typically associated with larger polymer frame striker-fired pistols at a price point that fits any budget.
Taurus GX4 Specifications (1-GX4M931)
- Caliber: 9mm Luger
- Capacity: 11 RDS
- Magazines: 2×11
- Firing System: Striker
- Action Type: Single Action Only
- Front Sights: Fixed White Dot Steel
- Rear Sights: Serrated Drift Adjustable
- Safety: Striker Block, Trigger Safety, Visual Loaded Chamber Indicator
- Frame Size: Micro-Compact
- Grip Material: Polymer
- Slide Material: Alloy Steel
- Barrel Finish: Satin Black DLC Coated
- Slide Finish: Gas Nitride Treatment
- Barrel Length: 3.06 in.
- Overall Length: 6.05 in.
- Overall Width: 1.08 in.
- Overall Height: 4.4 in.
- Weight: 18.5 oz. (unloaded)
- Packaging Weight: 39.80 oz
- Packaging Size: 8 in x 9.75 in x 3 in
- MSRP: $392.42
For more information on the Taurus GX4, go to TaurusUSA.com.
A 9mm out of a 3″ barrel. I’m underwhelmed.
Yeah, bounces right off those BLM guys’ chests. 🤡
Looks good.
Just watched several videos of this tiny 9. I was quite favorably impressed. They tossed the manual safety too. And it’s assembled in Georgia. My question is Sig gonna sue Taurus,S&W and Ruger for patent infringement like they did for the Croatians sensation gat??? As if they didn’t steal it from Keltec…😏
I think Sig will sue claiming that they have a handgun that occasionally fires projectiles.
It will get tossed because the Taurus has a higher percentage of firing projectiles.
First to file and all that……
Having owned Taurus pistols, I just can’t get too excited about them. This gun looks better than other Taurus plastics but still.
I don’t own any Taurus pistols, but I’ve heard tell that “Friends Don’t let friends buy Taurus”… just sayin, FWIW… I think at this point I’ll stick with S&W M&P.
Markets getting crowded
competition is good for the consumer.
I get it, we all catch the gun bug at some time or another. But after accumulating various pistols and rifles in various calibers and configurations and even some novelty type guns there isn’t much that excites me much more. What I have is good and it will take something special to peak my interest.
Now if it is about price point and that matters to some people maybe these new offerings have something for them. For me at the moment the only thing on my list is a long range precision rifle. The Barret 50 cal would be great but the price means I have to save a bit.
With how expensive getting a pistol license (concealed or just to own/use) can be in some states I can see this doing quite well at the price point so long as it functions reliably.
I like Taurus, but man that death toggle is atrocious.
No cut out for a red dot ? That was a mistake.
Wait a month.
Will the firing pin still break in the first thousand rounds?
Wasn’t that the much touted and MUCH more expensive SIG P365?
The P365 in a nutshell: MIM strikers breaking, SIG Lite night sights breaking off, bad trigger springs, failure to go into battery, and light primer strikes.
I love it when a company uses the first 100,000 customers as beta testers.
Like the P320, “I had it holstered and it blew off one of my nuts”.
Send it in. “My nut”? No, the gun. SIG still has a problem to this day:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/02/19/sig-sauer-faces-10-million-lawsuit-over-p320-pistol-after-alleged-accidental-discharge-wounds.html
I’ll take the Taurus for the win Alex.
Honestly have no idea if SIG has the issue (I carry an M&P), I just know MrGunsNGear had a Tarus’s firing pin break on camera and it wasn’t an isolated case.
I honestly cannot find that video but most handguns have MIM strikers and can find many P365s where the actual firing pin breaks off from the striker on YouTube. Even your M&P has a MIM striker but they are not known to break easily.
I guess my point is while there are many people who are Taurus haters, there are many as myself that absolutely cannot stand SIGS. You get burned once on the P320 spending a lot of money on an unsafe gun. You don’t trust that gun, sell it after it gets fixed just to get talked into a P365 at the LGS.
Then that gun has to go back to SIG because half of the time it wont go into battery and when you get back the letter states that the striker has been replaced with a new improved one that isn’t prone to breakage. WTF?
SIG should just send you return postage with purchase. That way when they break under their crap warranty you at least can get it back in a timely fashion. Your M&P has a lifetime warranty, I have sent S&Ws on their dime 20 years later and they were fixed no questions asked.
I have never had to send a Taurus back because I haven’t had one break and I used to be a Taurus hater just like in some of the comments.
While possum is funny, most Glocks have as much if not more of a death toggle then any Taurus I own. I had a G19 that rattled so bad it was almost like a kids toy.
Anyway the M&P is a solid choice, during “normal” times I picked up a new 4″ 2.0 compact for $349 online.
Love your retort, Bravo!!! that is why they are ALL sold out already!!! Mine is on its way, , and How about all those glocks with cracked frames , But it doesn t hurt the functionalty of the Gun? Really? over use of +P+ , yea every Gun Maker has had a bad run , everyone of them , no exceptions !!!
Haters gonna hate.
Thanks Taurus, I trust and believe in your products.
We need firearms for all budgets, particularly now with the crazy prices. I don’t think Taurus makes junk although my only experience with the company was with a revolver. Take a look at it if that’s your budget, check reviews and videos, ask questions…and if you buy it practice with it, again and again, before carrying it. Not everyone is willing to put $700 in a Glock or a Sig right now. The Taurus wouldn’t be my top choice, but for some folks it might be one of the few choices.
The idea that you need 10 or more rounds for EDC is utterly insane for practical EDC. That said the Taurus at their price point is a much better buy the A Sig 365. Much better features, like the take down, second shot capability, recessed slide lock and a trigger that you do not need a safety. Most likely not a snappy as the Sig. The Sig is grossly over rated and no way would I spend $650 for a gun that does not shoot as well as many single stacks and for just a few more rounds. Lol, if round count is the reason why people are buying these, they obviously the Taurus wins over the Sig.
You do what you want to do.
As someone who has shot people before; there is no such thing as too much ammo.
The movie “one shot stop” doesn’t exist. You generally need to dump 3+ into someone center mass (or a couple in the dome) and even then it takes about 8-9 seconds for the brain to lose oxygen unless you hit the CNS.
If you’re faced with 2-3 aggressors, 10 rounds is barely sufficient.
Which is why I also carry a reload.
If you feel comfortable with less ammo, carry less ammo.
Also – in real life, while you’re moving and your target is moving, you can miss.
^that guy^
Because nobody and I mean absolutely nobody who was in a gunfight ever said they wished they’d had less ammo.
PS – the blm and antifa filth are now showing up armed.
We should welcome any and all new entries into the concealable carry market. Today there’s a viable and concealable handgun available at nearly any price point and no one should be overburdened financially to find a piece for their own personal protection as they wander around the marketplace or go about everyday lives. As far as reliability goes, most of these little guns won’t see more than a hundred rounds or so in their service lives so if they manage to chamber a few factory rounds and go bang on a regular basis they should be fine for non-professional use. It’s not like the typical DGU involves a protracted fire-fight with additional magazine reloads.
What I see as more important in the entire issue of owning a firearm for protection and liberty in general is getting people who are legally qualified (meaning not crazy or otherwise disqualified via actual felony/domestic abuse conviction) to put the gun on their body every day and carry it with them. With 40-some states enacting “shall issue” laws and now 20-some with permitless (Constitutional Carry) laws I find it mind-boggling that we still have a problem with some cretin being able to walk into a supermarket, restaurant or other public place and shoot things up without encountering a “good guy/gal with a gun”. So there’s a sign at the store preventing you from packing inside? In many states you must be asked to leave first and you must refuse before any legal issues are raised. And if concealed- how would the store authorities know you were packing unless you drew your firearm to end a tragedy in the making?
Oh no Taurus… Fool me once, shame on you, fool me six times, shame on me. I’ve just had such rotten luck with both Taurus semi autos and revolvers I can’t see myself buying another. I’ve tried, but been bitten too many times.
I would still go for the P365 or P365XL or maybe Shield Plus. Yeah they had some early problems with P365 but now seems a solid choice. I wonder how many Taurus owners will spend the money for 4-5 boxes of ammo to test out the all new wonder Taurus? My bet is very very few.
Here is a gun store reporting that their SIG P365 rental has an estimated 100,000 rounds fired through it with 2 minor problems at time of their report.
Not bad for a micro 9. Good job SIG.
https://www.maxonshooters.com/blog/sig-sauer-p365-gun-review-100000-round-torture-test
Here’s a video about a itty bitty Taurus rental.
NO problems. I trust the source, he seems familiar.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC57qKn0-MADqOmsGwEtMgpw
BTW: I do really like the Shield Plus.
If you were lucky you could grab a GX4 for $280 Monday. (They are $390 as I write this)
The 365 is twice that but isn’t twice the gun.
They are all sold out , what does that tell you?
It tells me Taurus makes a good product regardless of haters.
Here’s the link I meant to post from Jeremy S.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/gun-review-taurus-738-tcp/
I have one in a front pocket sticky holster when I’m out in shorts.
Running, taking the dog for a walk, shopping.
No printing at all and another magazine with 6 rounds just in case.
I have two in black SS loaded with Underwood +P XTPs.
I have run plenty of the same power range ammo through them.
This stuff: https://www.waltherforums.com/threads/santa-barbara-spanish-south-american-law-enforcement-ammo.23769/
This is what they are loaded with in MecGar magazines.
https://www.underwoodammo.com/380-acp-p-90-grain-xtp-jacketed-hollow-point.html
I bought the second one for $190 new because Taurus was coming out with the Spectrum. That one came with two magazines made by MecGar so I called and Taurus sent me two more for my other TCP. The cost? $0
I was willing to buy them and 3 days later they showed up gratis.
Take that haters who complain about Tauruses CS.
I didn’t upgrade the recoil springs. No need, these guns have at least 1000 rounds through each and some of it was some pretty hot European .380.
American .380 isn’t loaded as hot. The 9mm case is 1.85 mm longer, Wow!
These are great guns when you cant wear your big boy pants and are wearing thin shorts. Like today, it was almost 90° out with stupid humidity.
Whatever the black finish is over the SS, it’s pretty tough.
For whats it’s worth both are E series so the bugs were worked out.
I’m thinking I’ll buy a GX4 when things return to normal for less then $300.
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