Taurus G3c Pistol — First Look

Taurus has had great success with its well-designed G3 9mm semiauto, and now it’s available in a compact format: the G3c. The G3c is a polymer-frame, striker-fired pistol with a 10+1 or 12+1 capacity, and it has the front and rear cocking serrations on the slide that debuted with the G3. The slide is treated to a Tenifer finish.

It features a stainless steel 3.2-inch barrel. Overall length is 6.3 inches , height is 5.1 inches, and width is 1.2 inches. Weight is 22 ounces.

The grip has aggressively stippled panels that really keep the gun locked in your hand, and with the G3c Taurus has added a scallop to the extension on the 12-round magazines—providing a place for your fingers to dig in if you have to rip out a magazine that’s being stubborn due to dirt or grit.

There are dished-out areas behind the trigger and toward the front of the frame that help you locate your firing hand thumb and support-hand thumb respectively. Lefties will be happy to know these are located on both sides of the frame. The frame features a single-slot accessory rail for a light or laser.

The serrated steel rear sight is set in a dovetail and is drift adjustable. The steel front sight is pinned and features a white dot. I really liked this setup, as the relationship between the front post and the notch allows for excellent sight acquisition.

Accuracy is further aided by a flat-faced trigger, which I and others find is a big help in pressing the trigger straight back without disturbing the sight picture. And as is common on a lot of Taurus semiautos, the trigger gives you a restrike capability to give you another go at a difficult primer.

The G3c has a nicely sized and nicely tensioned manual safety, and the tab on the slide-lock lever is serrated and easy to operate as a slide release if that’s your technique. All the controls are Teflon-coated.

Three magazines come with the gun, either 10s or 12s depending on where you live. These have yellow followers, a feature I like, and there are numbered witness holes at, in the case of the 12-rounders, 6 and 12.

Taurus sent me a sample in advance of the product launch, and I put close to 200 rounds through it. The G3c proved to be completely reliable and demonstrated good accuracy. Where it really shined was in practical drills. Between the stippling on the grip and the 22-ounce weight, the gun was really controllable, and I was impressed by how fast the pistol came back on target. I found it really easy to hit with.

Suggested retail on the gun is $306, so you know you’re going to find it in the mid to high $200 range if you hunt around a little. Based on my experience with it, I’d have to say it’s a heck of a deal. Look for the full review in the October/November issue of Handguns magazine.