Introduction
Taurus USA continues to charge horns first into additional firearms markets in an interesting way. I have been impressed with several of their recent additions, and am certainly interested with the growing variety of their offerings. Taurus has long been a pistol manufacturer, but in the last few years they have brought everything from a hunting rifle to their very own cartridge (the .38 TPC). So I shouldn’t have been surprised when they brought out the new Taurus RPC 9mm, a roller-delayed pistol caliber carbine (PCC). It’s sold as a pistol, but we all know that these “pistols” are meant as a way to negotiate around the NFA SBR baloney.
The RPC incorporates a great variety of features and with that classic Taurus price tag it can be quite appealing to those who enjoy the cheap plinking of a 9mm PCC. There are few guns that don’t interest me, so I am excited to bring you my presentation of the Taurus RPC today.
The Taurus RPC PCC
The RPC came to me after I had already seen it in your typical firearms media. My first impression was; how about that, a Taurus PCC. That was before i had picked it up of course, and before I found out it uses a tried an true roller-delay operating system. I actually seek out new products because I enjoy forming my own opinion without anyone else’s input.
Besides its rollers, the RPC also incorporates an AR15 style pistol grip. Which is handy should you wish to change it. A full-length picatinny rail runs the length of the receiver crest, and a small M-Lok compatible handguard extends around the small portion of barrel beyond the trunnion. The barrel itself can be swapped out using a locking cam.
Ambidextrous controls including a last-round bolt-catch and safety are handy for the left-handed. And the charging handle can be swapped from one side to the other. Perhaps somewhat controversially, the RPC uses its own 32-round polymer magazines. Many other PCC’s are designed around existing magazine designs, but there are pros and cons to each. A folding Strike Industries pistol brace comes installed on the back, which I found to be quite suitable for a stock .
I was excited to see how this little “handgun” worked and performed. So it didn’t take me long to get it to the range after receiving it.
Specifications
| Caliber | 9mm Luger |
| Action | Roller-delayed blowback |
| Capacity | 32 rounds |
| Barrel Length | 4.5″ |
| Barrel Thread | 1/2×28 |
| Barrel System | Quick-change |
| Receiver | Aluminum |
| Fire-Control Housing | Polymer |
| Controls | Fully ambidextrous |
| Safety | Ambidextrous |
| Charging Handle | Forward-mounted, non-reciprocating, reversible |
| Trigger | Single-stage, flat-faced |
| Grip | AR-15-compatible, soft rubber overmold |
| Handguard | M-LOK-compatible |
| Top Rail | Full-length M1913 Picatinny |
| Rear Rail | Picatinny rail section |
| Sling Attachment | Three QD sling points |
| Standard Magazine | 32-round proprietary magazine |
| Other Magazine Options | 20- and 10-round |
| Brace | Folding Strike Industries FSA stabilizing brace available |
| Weight, Without Brace | 72.3 oz. |
| Weight, With Brace | 78.7 oz. |
| Length, Without Brace | 12.2″ |
| Length, With Brace Extended | 21″ |
Unboxing and Setup
Taurus packages the RPC in a cardboard box, that comes with the typical literature, action lock, and extra magazine. i pulled the gun from the box, and was immediately surprised by both the weight and size of the RPC. It was significantly lighter than I expected, and smaller too. Many blowback PCC’s are quite heavy due to their massive bolts required for the operation. The RPC clearly doesn’t need that with its roller system.
Initial thoughts went like this; The rubberized grip felt fantastic, giving excellent purchase on the gun. The magazines slip in nicely and lock-up tight, and all the controls felt perfectly serviceable. The one thing I did not like was how stiff the charging handle was. Without shouldering the brace it was borderline uncomfortable to pull the charging handle back.
The short barrel was threaded 1/2-28, and included a petite thread protector complete with a built-in O-ring to keep it secure when tight. I was eager to remove it, and get a suppressor and other accessories onto the RPC.
I installed a Vector Optics Paragon 1x prism on the top rail, it gives a nice clear view of targets and has both red and green illumination when needed. Up front I would install the brand new Anechoic Fibonacci 9mm suppressor, and extremely light and simple suppressor. Its meager 3 ounces would be barely noticeable on the already lightweight Taurus RPC.
On the Range with the Taurus RPC
Shooting the RPC was at the top of my list, but before I’d even made it to the range, I found something I could improve. Upon disassembling the RPC out of curiosity regarding its operation, I found that part of the reason it was so hard to charge was because it needed some lube. The charging block that pushes the bolt carrier back is a short piece, that is torqued in its raceway when pulled on. Adding some light gun grease greatly improved the feel.
Once on the range, I ran a few shots through the gun, just to see how everything felt. No issues at all, so I proceeded to zero the Paragon prism to better my hit ratio. After which I ran several magazines through the RPC’s 32-round magazines. It locks back nicely after the last round is fired, and closes neatly with the bolt-catch just like an AR15 would.
Reliability
In my testing so far, I have only had one malfunction. It was a stovepipe kind of jam that was easily cleared by pulling the magazine and running the charging handle. Other than that the RPC has been flawless in its consumption of ammunition. I don’t know if the malfunction was ammo related or not, but its worth mentioning.
The roller delay operating system of the RPC is refreshing. I am used to various blowback designs like the CZ Scorpion, which while reliable and fun but also heavier and more jolting in its operation. The roller delay doesn’t require such a heavy bolt carrier, which also results in less inertia as parts oscillate within the receiver.
Accuracy
Accuracy isn’t usually a huge factor with PCC’s. But still, I was quite happy with the accuracy from the RPC. A hundred yards is really pushing the utility of such a firearm, but I was surprised just how useful the RPC was even at that range. Hitting soda-can sized targets at 100 yards is certainly doable, and great fun when using the RPC.
Ergonomics
Aside from the initial stiff charging handle issue, the rest of the controls were fantastic. The bolt-catch was flawless and easy to use. I really liked that you can reach the right side bolt-catch with your trigger finger, allowing you to lock the action open before the magazine goes dry. The dual safety levers, allow a typical thumb-off and index finger-on function.
Gripping the small RPC was easy with the rubberized grip, and the small handguard was enough room to comfortably control the pistol. There is barely enough room to add a downgrip if you wanted to go that way. I found that due to the light weight of the RPC I didn’t need any more grip.
Shootability
I mentioned how the Taurus RPC was easy to hit targets with, and that is in part because it is designed well and feels good in the hands. The trigger feels great, and the gun points fantastic, due in part to its small size and short barrel.
Value
Despite being higher price than I had initially expected, the Taurus RPC is still cheaper than many other 9mm PCC options. The closest competitors I would say are the Stribog SPA9A3 and the Springfield Armory Kuna. Both of which cost more than the RPC by hundreds, but they also have established durability records as well.
I think the RPC is a great place to start you PCC journey, and its price point reflects that. And even without comparing it to others, the features that the RPC offers are a good value.
Pros and Cons
| Light weight | Excessive charging resistance issue |
| Great Shooting characteristics | |
| Compact size | |
| Roller delayed action | |
| Suppressor ready | |
| Ambidextrous controls | |
| Good magazines | |
| Lots of sight mounting room | |
| M-Lok handguard | |
| A blast to shoot |
Should you Buy the Taurus RPC
If you are in the market for a pistol caliber carbine, there are many options on the market now. The Taurus RPC brings a great balance of advanced features like ambi controls and roller-delay operating system without going ham on the price. I have found it to be a very fun little firearm, and one that young and new shooters can learn the basics of handling a gun properly very well. As always, I would recommend trying one before you buy it if you can. But I think the RPC is a great option, and another step in the right direction for Taurus TSA.