Taurus G3 [Review]: Worthy Budget 9mm? – Sniper Country – The Global Tofay

The Taurus G3 is a budget 9mm pistol with some features that may appeal to gun enthusiasts and collectors. Though it’s not perfect, the G3 is worth considering for an affordable 9mm.

So, is this budget 9mm worth your attention? We’ll delve into this Taurus G3 review to find out. The G3 is a striker-fired, polymer-framed firearm that has been available for several years. With many favorable reviews, I decided to evaluate it myself.

Immediately, I was struck by its lightweight and ergonomic design. But does its performance match its comfortable feel? Let’s examine this handgun more closely to uncover what sets it apart.

A Bit of Taurus History

A little history of the company is to understand more fully just how far Taurus has come in its quest to provide top-notch firearms at a reasonable price. I covered it in detail in my review of the Taurus Spectrum .380.

The company had, if the term can be used, gained a reputation for producing lower-quality firearms with less-than-ideal customer service. Unfortunately, this was the reality for some time, but the company began to reinvent itself and improve its standards.

Taurus Improvements

The G2C was part of Taurus’s strategy to refresh its image in the firearms market, which began a few years ago with a leadership change. Having used several Taurus products, I’ve had direct experience with their customer service—or the lack thereof at the time. Guns sent in for minor repairs or restricted parts often took 8 to 12 weeks to return.

Reaching customer service by phone was nearly impossible. Thankfully, improvements are gradually being made. For quicker assistance, use the chat feature on their website. I previously spent an hour on hold, but after finding the chat option, I was connected with a representative in under 5 minutes. It’s a much faster option, at least in my experience.

With the new leadership, both phone wait times and the duration for product returns have seen significant reductions.

The Taurus Spectrum

The .380 Spectrum, featuring a rubberized grip and slide panels along with a truly pocket-sized design, emerged as one of the first Taurus guns manufactured in the U.S. (Miami). This compact firearm comes in a variety of color options and, based on my experience, performs reliably with different types of ammunition.

This model stands out as one of the first Taurus firearms that received widespread acclaim from the shooting press. More crucially, it gained favor among everyday shooters.

Another key to its popularity is its affordability. The Spectrum is typically available for under $200 at many retailers. However, if it didn’t function reliably, its price wouldn’t matter.

Mine has been very reliable once I broke it in. (Make doubly sure the firing pin channel is clean — they fill it with shipping oil from the factory). So Spectrum has helped Taurus with its internal re-boot efforts. Now comes the G3.

The Taurus G3 Review

After producing the G2C, a 12-round pistol, Taurus logically progressed to creating a slightly larger model. Typically, manufacturers introduce a larger pistol first before offering a compact variant, but Taurus took the reverse approach.

The G3 features a four-inch barrel and is available in 10-, 15-, or 17-round capacities in 9mm. The sample I received for testing came with one 15-round and one 17-round magazine, both equipped with finger extensions. Additionally, they offer 10-round magazines for restricted states and list three versions on their website: 10-round, 15-round, and 17-round models.

Let’s delve into the gun’s specifications before we proceed further.

Taurus G3 Review: Specs

Taurus G3 Pros and Cons

Let’s dive into what I found out about the G3 during my test firing. Keep in mind, this is purely my perspective—your observations might differ.

PROS

• Ergonomically very pleasing. The grip is comfortable and fits my hand well, with stippled areas that enhance control when firing. The frame has noticeable indentations for your thumb and forefinger, along with similar “divots” to facilitate easier trigger access.

• Takedown. If you’ve owned a Glock, you can take this pistol apart easily.

• Thumb Safety. For those of you who like thumb safeties, this one works well.

• Rail. You have three slots to work with here, not just one.

• Extended Magazine. With the standard 15- and 17-round magazines plus the one in the chamber, you could have 33 rounds of ammo with you. Buy a couple of extra 17-rounders for more security (check out CCW insurances to round it off).

• Sights. The G3 comes with three-dot, semi-fixed Novak-style sights, which are an improvement over the plastic, adjustable rear sight on the G2C. Night sights are available aftermarket if preferred.

• Forward slide serrations. OK, I’m reaching a bit here, but a lot of shooters like them for quick press-checks. If you don’t like them, you don’t have to use them.

CONS

• Trigger. The trigger on my sample had a long take-up, and then once the free movement stopped, you had about a 6-7 pound pull to drop the striker. It was a bit gritty, with discernable creep. It made me wonder if my groups would be tighter if it had been better. On a positive note, I appreciate Taurus’s new trigger safety blade. It’s wider, reducing the chance of pinching your finger, and the trigger itself is somewhat straighter than previous models.

This was the only drawback I encountered with the gun, and it could be easily remedied by installing an aftermarket trigger.

Taurus G3 Review: Up Close & Personal

This gun is built to compete with Glock 19-sized compact models, and I think it will perform well in the market. Before diving into more detailed aspects of the gun, I want to highlight one of my favorite features: the restrike capability.

This feature is relatively common among Taurus pistols, including most of their models. My G2C has two distinct sears, one of which is for the restrike feature. The G3 has one sear but is still capable of firing a recalcitrant cartridge with a second or third pull of the trigger, much like a double-action revolver.

Taurus G3 Safeties

There is the usual firing pin drop safety, as well as the bladed trigger.

This trigger blade differs from previous Taurus models, including the one on my G2C. It appears to be slightly straighter and a bit wider, yet it occupies less space in the trigger guard compared to the G2C’s blade.

The pull weight of the trigger is about 6 pounds and seems smoother than previous Taurus triggers. This gun also has a traditional thumb safety, which you can use or choose not to. I think that, on a striker-fired gun, a thumb safety is sort of redundant, but many like the option. You can use it or not. So, you should be good to go in terms of having a safe firearm.

Taurus G3 Other Features

Here are some photos I took of the gun that I was sent to review.

If you’ve ever disassembled a Glock, this will be familiar, including the necessary trigger pull.

Also fairly new to Taurus pistols is a three-slot rail. Most of the older guns had one or two at best.

Taurus G3 Grip

The grip features molded-in stippling, which helps secure the gun in your hand. As someone who prefers polymer grips to feel like 100-grit sandpaper, I find this grip quite refreshing compared to the stair-step traction tape I use on some of my other guns.

Taurus G3 Sights

The G3 features the standard Taurus pistol sight setup: a white dot fixed front sight and a steel, drift-adjustable two-dot rear. The sight picture is clear, though I would add bright red or orange nail polish to the front dot if it were my gun. The sights are practical and effective.

Interestingly, Taurus replaced the fully adjustable rear sight of the G2C with a drift-adjustable one on the G3. As someone who appreciates adjustable rear sights from my revolver background, I understand the benefits of a drift-adjustable rear sight for a self-defense weapon. Adjustable sights allow for fine-tuning to match different loads, though factory loads typically align well with fixed sights.

It’s worth noting that while adjustable sights can accommodate various loads, fixed sights generally work well with common factory ammunition. Some factory loads might still be off, but most 115-grain, 124-grain, and 147-grain ammo will be close to the sight’s point of aim. This is relevant for those who ask about sight regulation—screw adjustments make this easy, while fixed or difficult-to-drift sights may require experimenting with different factory loads. Overall, the G3’s sights are functional and durable, offering an upgrade over the plastic sight on my G2C.

Taurus G3 Optics Angle

Taurus’s latest innovation for the G3 pistol is the optics-ready model, which supports various brands of red dot sights. This new model was introduced in March 2021.

The gun is the same, except for a cutout on the top rear of the slide and its cover plate. Here are some photos.

Four adapter plates with the original cover plate, included Allen wrench and screws.

I mounted a Tru Glo red dot sight on the G3 without any issues. The installation went smoothly, and the adapter plate (labeled 02) fit perfectly. While the existing three-dot sights aren’t designed to co-witness with the red dot, this isn’t a problem. I’m looking forward to testing this setup at my backyard range.

I’ve noticed that adding a red dot to my S&W Victor pistol improved my shooting accuracy, so I expect similar results with the G3. The 3 MOA dot should facilitate quick target acquisition. However, a friend of mine, a former deputy, mentioned that trainers often discouraged using red dots on duty guns.

They argued that it takes an extra second to acquire the dot compared to traditional three-dot night sights. The choice between these options is personal; I find a red dot useful for activities like woods walking and squirrel hunting.

The G3 Optics Ready (TORO) is a nice 9mm and shows the commitment to the G3 platform Taurus made by investing in a model specifically designed to take a red dot sight. Most of the major red dot sights are covered in terms of plates included.

I don’t have a listing of those compatible sights available, but by the time this review comes out, the information should be there for you. If you are looking for a compact-sized 9mm that can mount a red dot sight, give the G3 a look.

Taurus G3 Magazines

The gun ships with one each 15-round and 17-round magazine.

I think the mags are made by Mec-Gar in Italy but would have to do some further checking to make sure. At any rate, they’re good mags. The yellow follower makes it easy to see when you’re empty, and the witness holes are ALL marked. This is a feature that some other makers might want to emulate. No guessing here.

The finger extension with the 17-round magazine is unobtrusive and fills the void very well. Some extenders do not meet up with the frame and stick out, while others don’t match the frame’s width. These magazines are very well made, and both were reliable.

It’s interesting to remember that Taurus was among the first pistol manufacturers to use a brightly colored follower. Now, it’s fairly common. It only makes sense — you can see how soon you’re going to run dry with just a glance at that bright yellow hunk of plastic.

Uplula Not Needed

In terms of loading the magazines, I had little trouble inserting the cartridges by hand, without having to use my trusty Uplula magazine loader.

If you’ve ever had trouble putting rounds in a magazine that was using a car suspension spring inside (or what seemed to be), then you will appreciate the relative ease with which cartridges can be inserted in the magazines.

If you do encounter a difficult magazine in the future, I highly recommend investing in an Uplula loader. It’s well worth the approximately $29. Fortunately, I didn’t need to use mine for this particular magazine.

Taurus G3 Review: Shooting Performance

This gun was fun to shoot. (I wanted to say “hoot to shoot,” but I thought that might be a bit over-the-top). From its decent trigger (some take-up, some creep but not a lot of either) to the ergonomic palm-swell-enhanced grip, the gun was a natural shooter.

It points easily and holds on target when you do the “eyes closed-point pistol” test. The sights line up as if they had a homing device, and the gun is controllable in recoil.

Shooting Results

I’ll include a couple of targets along with some ballistic data. Shooting the G3 was enjoyable—it felt like shooting a larger G2C, but with a slightly wider trigger safety blade and a longer grip. My goal wasn’t to set a bullseye record but to assess the accuracy of the sights.

Wrap Up: Is the Taurus G3 a Good Gun?

The Taurus G3 is poised to be a hit. It offers a light, ergonomic pistol with good sights and a solid trigger, all for a price likely under $300. This is an exceptional deal, especially considering the strides Taurus has made in improving its customer service and reputation.

This is a phenomenal bargain, especially so if you consider the lengths Taurus has gone to in order to upgrade its customer service and reputation.

The new Taurus guns that are coming out are earning very well-deserved high marks from reviewers and everyday shooters alike. There will always be a cadre of naysayers that will continue to make less-than-kind remarks about Taurus products.

But, with guns like the Spectrum, G2C, G3 and the just-announced Raging Hunter .357 revolver (American Hunter’s 2019 Hunting Handgun of the Year), Taurus seems to be working hard to rebuild its less-than-stellar previous reputation.

The G3 is one gun that will certainly help them in that quest. This gun is solid, decently accurate, and well-built. I can see it giving other similar guns a run for their money. Add in the warranty, extra 17-round magazine, and improved customer service, and you have a winner.

Check it out at your local shop and share your thoughts below. Stay safe and keep shooting!

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