Taurus (manufacturer) - Taurus Guns

Forjas Taurus is a manufacturing conglomerate based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Founded as a tool and die manufacturer, the company now consists of divisions focusing on firearms, metals manufacturing, plastics, body armor, helmets, and civil construction.

History

Taurus produced its first revolver, the Model 38101SO, in 1941. Beginning in 1968, it exported revolvers to the U.S. market through a series of importers.

In 1971, the Bangor Punta Corporation, then the parent company of Smith & Wesson, purchased 54 percent of Forjas Taurus, allowing the two firearms manufacturers to easily share information regarding design and manufacturing. In 1977, Taurus was purchased from Bangor Punta by its current owners, and its ties to Smith & Wesson were severed.

In 1980, after Italian arms manufacturer Beretta had completed its contracts to produce firearms for Brazil's military, Taurus purchased Beretta's São Paulo manufacturing plant along with the tooling, technical drawings, and work force necessary to produce several different pistol designs.

In order to more effectively tap the U.S. market, the company created a subsidiary, Taurus International Manufacturing Incorporated, also known as Taurus USA, in 1984.

In 1997 Forjas Taurus purchased the rights & equipment to manufacture Rossi brand revolvers. They currently manufacture three .38 Special models and four .357 Magnum models under the Rossi name, manufactured in São Leopoldo, Brazil.

Products

The current product line includes steel-frame pistols, polymer-frame pistols, revolvers, and law enforcement weapons (submachine guns and rifles), the latter intended for the domestic Brazilian market. The company manufactures and sells its firearms for generally less than other manufacturers due to low labor costs, as well as having the facilities available to build virtually every part themselves.

One writer said in 2010 that the "[q]uality of Taurus handguns in the modern era is second to none". In 2015, Taurus settled a lawsuit for $39 million and recalled nearly one million handguns produced between 1997 and 2013 due to "safety defects".

Firearm model overview

Taurus was originally known for manufacturing revolvers similar in design to those offered by Smith & Wesson. The company moved away from this realm by offering larger framed models such as the Raging Bull (.454 Casull) and Raging Hornet (.22 Hornet) revolvers as well as the The Judge 5-shot revolvers (.410 bore and .45 Colt).

One of Taurus' most successful semiautomatic handguns has been its PT92, a model similar to Beretta's model 92 line, but with the addition of an ambidextrous frame safety, rather than the Beretta's slide-mounted safety.

The most recent addition to the Taurus pistol lineup is a copy of the Colt 1911 .45 ACP pistol, the PT1911. This slightly redesigned and updated design offers many features.

Semi-automatic pistols

• Taurus Millennium series (Models 111, 140, 145, and 745)
• Taurus PT22 .22 Long Rifle
• Taurus PT25 .25 ACP
• PT 24/7
• Taurus TCP 732 .32 ACP
• Taurus TCP 738 .380 ACP
• PT92 (Models 92 and 100)
• PT1911
• Taurus Model 809 / Taurus Model 840 / Taurus Model 845
• Slim Series, 709 (9mm) and 740 (.40 S&W)
• PT-2045
• Taurus PT911 9mm (15 or 10 round)
• Taurus PT 909, PT945
• Taurus PT 51 6.35mm
• Taurus PT 915
• Taurus PT 838

Revolvers

Small frame

• Taurus Model 327 6 shot .327 Federal Magnum
• Taurus Model 405 .40 S&W
• Taurus Model 445 .44 Special
• Taurus Model 605 .357 Magnum
• Taurus Model 606 .357 Magnum
• Taurus CIA (Models 650 and 850) - Carry It Anywhere. A concealed hammer revolver based on the Smith & Wesson Centennial
• Taurus Protector (Models 651 and 851) - Shrouded hammer based on the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard
• Taurus Model 85 (includes Model 856) .38 Special
• Taurus Model 731 .32 H&R Magnum
• Taurus Model 905 9mm Parabellum
• Taurus Model 94 .22 Long Rifle
• Taurus Model 941 .22 WMR

Compact frame

• Taurus Model 617 .357 Magnum 7 shot revolver
• Taurus Model 817 .38 Special 7 shot revolver

Medium frame

• Taurus Model 82 .38 Special
• Taurus Model 65 / Taurus Model 66 .357 Magnum
• Taurus Model 689 .357 Magnum

Large frame

• Taurus Model 608 8-shot .357 Magnum
• Taurus Model 689 6-shot .357 Magnum

Families

• Taurus Judge (Model 4510)
• Taurus Raging Bull
• Taurus Tracker (Models 17, 425, 44, 627, 970, 990, 991, and 992)

Rossi models

• Rossi Model 971 .357 Magnum
• Rossi R46102 .357 Magnum
• Rossi R35102 .38 Special
• Rossi R85104 .38 Special
• Rossi R46202 .357 Magnum
• Rossi R35202 .38 Special
• Rossi R97206 .357 Magnum
• Rossi Circuit Judge .410ga/45lc (carbine)

Submachine guns

• Taurus SRT submachine gun

Rifles

• Taurus ART556 rifle
• Taurus CT G2 carbine