In this article, we take a closer look at the Taurus 9mm Pistol offerings under 500.
About Taurus
Taurus is a Brazillian company that started life as a small machine company in 1939. With the manufacture of their first pistol in 1941, they have grown into a major arms manufacturer.
From 1970 to 1977 Smith and Wesson owned a majority share of Taurus. In 1980 Taurus bought Berretta’s plant operations in Beretta’s Sao Paulo. Including technical specifications, tooling, and machinery and acquired the company’s experienced workforce.
Collaborating with these other gun companies has influenced Taurus productions. You can see a direct influence when you look at the pistol models.
Taurus bought Heritage Manufacturing in 2012 and moved production to their plant in Miami, Florida. They sell guns under three names, Taurus, Rossi, and Heritage. In 2019 they started producing the G3 series, in brazil, which is in direct competition with the Glock.
The price point has been a big factor in the production of Taurus pistols, with the company striving to keep their pistols at an accessible price point.
Nine of their more popular models manufactured between 1997 and 2013 have been recalled in 2015. This is around one million guns and includes the following models.
- PT-111 Millennium
- PT-132 Millennium
- PT-138-Millennium
- PT-140 Millennium
- PT-145 Millennium
- PT-745 Millennium
- PT-609
- PT-640
- PT-24/7
The recall is voluntary, and although Taurus has denied any design defects, wrongdoing, or liability, they agreed to the recall of nearly one million pistols. The recall applies to nine different Taurus models listed above.
The lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in Florida, alleged that the pistols contained a safety system defect that caused them to inadvertently fire when they were jarred or dropped. The final settlement of that lawsuit is still pending.
Read more about the history of Taurus here
Taking a look at some Taurus Models
This article is being written during an unprecedented time, 2020-21. Demand for guns and ammo is at an all-time high. I hope that as time goes by and 9mm pistols under 500 become available again, but at the time of writing this, all guns are out of stock. And 9mm ammo is overpriced and hard to find too.
You can still order new guns or buy used, it just takes time and may cost 100’s over market prices. For tips on buying a gun online read our article.
It does not stop you doing your research on which 9mm pistol will suit you best, so read on to see if the Taurus brand has a pistol you are interested in!
Taurus G2S
G2S, the S stands for “Slim” and this 9mm only holds 7 rounds because it is not a double-stack magazine. Both the compact and the slim have a barrel length of 3.2″. The MSRP is $286-$346 but they can be found as low as $199-$269
Taurus G2C
G2C, the C stands for “Compact” and the barrel length on this pistol is 3.2″ Even though it is compact it holds 12 rounds. The MSRP is $271-$330 but you can also find this 9mm pistol at a lower price range of $229-$249
Taurus TH9
The Taurus TH9 model comes in many different barrel lengths from compact to full size. But, they all hold 17 rounds for an MSRP of $376.95-$469.93 and a market price of $249.99-$319.99
Taurus 905
905 Revolver 9mm this 9mm pistol has an MSRP of $384.97from Taurus the market lets them go for $429. For me I would not like the 2″ barrel and the 5 round capacity but if you want a revolver under 500 this 9mm fits the bill.
Taurus G3
The G3 is full size with a 4.00″ barrel and a combination of magazines that hold 10 rounds, 15 or 17, depending on what you order. With an MSRP of $345-$360, the G3 looks like a Glock but with a way lower price tag.
Taurus G3C
The G3 also comes in a compact, the G3C. Again the compact is the barrel length at 3.2″ compared to the four of the G3. They come in a 10 round or 12 round configuration. MSRP of $305.74 with the market at $249.99-$280.99
Taurus PT 92
Model PT 92 has an MSRP of $550-$566 But you can find this model cheaper at around $420-$430. The 92 is a big pistol with a 5″ barrel and 17 round capacity.
The Taurus 9mm G2 Pistols
The G2S and G2C, slim and compact models, are a great 9mm pistol for under 500. The G2C formally called the PT-111 Millennium, is Taurus’s best-selling 9mm. Taurus has modeled the G2 after Glock, but the price tag is a lot lower than a Glock 9mm, comparing a 600 dollar Glock with a 300 dollar Taurus.
The G2C is a 12 round capacity with a double-stack magazine. The G2S is a single stack magazine with a 7 round capacity.
G2C By the Numbers
- Barrel Length: 3.2″
- Overall Length: 6.3″
- Width: 1.2″
- Overall height: 5.10″
- Weight unloaded: 22 Oz
- Capacity: 10 rounds
G2S By the Numbers
- Barrel Length: 3.2″
- Overall Length: 6.3″
- Width: 1.1″
- Overall height: 4.8″
- Weight unloaded: 20 Oz
- Capacity: 7 rounds
Taurus G2c
The Taurus G2C series was engineered specifically for everyday carry-and it delivers
The action is striker fire. In a striker-fired gun, the hammer and mainspring have been eliminated from the frame. Instead, the mainspring has been moved up into the slide and acts on the firing pin directly. Except, now, the firing pin is called a striker. Rather than being hit by a hammer, it does the hitting itself.
Striker-fired pistols are easy-to-use for the shooter; you simply load the gun, rack the slide, and shoot. Pulling the trigger too is simple because the trigger pull-weight is lighter than the trigger pull-weight on a double-action pistol.
For safety, the G2C has a tabbed trigger safety. Much like other striker guns, and it also comes with a manual safety switch on the left side of its polymer frame.
Taurus TH9 Pistols
The Taurus TH9 and TH9C, compact, are hammer-fired pistols, with single and double action. The TH9 holds 17 + 1, 9mm Luger rounds, overall length is 7.72″, with a 4.27″ barrel. The compact has a 3.54 barrel length with the same capacity. Comes with a 17 and 13 round magazine with purchase.
They come in a variety of colors with a hard plastic polymer frame with strong side texture and the backstrap can be changed out.
Out of the box the TH9 has Novak adjustable sights and a lower rail for mounting lasers or lights. It has a manual ambidextrous safety on both sides, that doubles as a de-cocker. This handgun has many great reviews and one point that keeps coming up is the pistol’s ability to fire a variety of shell, brass, steel, and aluminum.
Taurus 905
This is a revolver, with a 5 shot capacity in the 9mm round. Double/Single action with a hammer. The sights are fixed on this little pistol with a soft rubber grip in a black or silver finish.
If you are looking to cross carry, an automatic and a revolver with the same ammo, then this 9mm fits the bill. Because of its compact size and the fact that it is a revolver makes this pistol an everyday concealed carry choice.
905 By the numbers,
- Frame size: small
- Barrel Length: 2″
- Overall Length: 6.5″
- Width: 1.4″
- Overall Height: 4.4″
- Weight unloaded: 21 Oz
- Capacity: 5 rounds
Taurus G3 Series
Like the G2, the G3 is a polymer-framed, striker-fired double-stack pistol for 9mm Luger rounds, but the G3 is larger with a longer slide and barrel and greater capacity. Taurus offers the pistol in three different magazine capacities. The standard is a flush magazine with a 15+1 capacity, also available in 17 and 10 round mags.
Taurus is offering a T.O.R.O option on the G3’s. Toro stands for Taurus Optics Ready Option. Where you can fit a
There are a lot of G3’s to choose from.
G3 By the Numbers
- Barrel Length: 4″
- Overall Length: 7.30″
- Width: 1.25″
- Overall height: 5.20″
- Weight unloaded: 25 Oz
- Capacity: 10, 15 or 17 rounds
A few notable changes between the G2 and G3 are the Barrel length, the G2 = 3.2″ G3 = 4″, and capacity 7-10 Vs 10-17.
The new Taurus G3c builds on the proven foundation that has made the compact G-series among the most popular personal defense/EDC handguns ever while advancing function, reliability, and durability to the next level.
G3c By the Numbers
- Barrel Length: 3.2″
- Overall Length: 6.30″
- Width: 1.20″
- Overall height: 5.10″
- Weight unloaded: 22 Oz
- Capacity: 12
Taurus PT 92
The Taurus PT 92 has a 5″ barrel and pushes us to the edge of the 500 price tag, or over these days!
The 92 is a hammer-fired gun with a full-size metal frame if you don’t want a polymer-framed 9mm pistol. The Taurus PT 92 is modeled after the Beretta 92 but has some feel of a 1911 pistol because of the three-position saftey. Again Taurus has made an economy pistol if you like the Beretta, but not the price.
Available in fixed sight model 92 you'll be able to face any situation without compromise.
As a modern touch, the PT 92 has a rail at the front to mount lights or laser sights. It might be a good thing to have the rail because the front sight is not adjustable and it built-in. And because you can easily replace the side grips, you can customize the pistol to your liking.
PT 92 By the Numbers
- Barrel Length: 5″
- Overall Length: 8.5″
- Width: 1.6″
- Overall height: 5.5″
- Weight unloaded: 34 Oz
- Capacity: 17 rounds
Conclusions on Taurus 9mm Pistols under 500
If you are on a budget, the Taurus 9mm pistols might surprise you for how much gun you get for the money. You can fill all sorts of pistol needs, home defense, range fun, concealed carry, Taurus will have a 9mm pistol for under 500 that you can feel good about buying. Even with stock numbers as they are, you can still snap up one of these 9mm pistols when they come up.