Tag Archives: taurus usa

Rolling Out Hits with the Taurus RPC 9mm

September 23, 2026Product review, Shooting hardwarepistol caliber carbine, RPC, Taurus, taurus usacoldboremiracle

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.

taurus, taurus usa, RPC, pistol caliber carbine, 9mm, ammunition, strike industries, pistol brace, box, unboxing,

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 .

taurus, taurus usa, RPC, pistol caliber carbine, 9mm, trigger, sear, lower receiver, — here you can see the details of the trigger and sear components

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

taurus, taurus usa, RPC, pistol caliber carbine, 9mm, ammunition, strike industries, pistol brace, anechoic suppressor, anechoic, fibonacci suppressor, — the RPC is a blast to shoot with the **Anechoic Fibonacci suppressor**

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.

-CBM

Check out other PCC’s here

Modular Duty with the Taurus TX9 9mm pistol

June 12, 2026pistols, Product review9mm, duty pistol, Taurus, taurus usa, TX9coldboremiracle

Introduction

The market for modular 9mm duty pistols continues to diversify, and today I am here to bring you another. Our topic today is the new Taurus TX9 9mm pistol. We will test and review the pistol to see how it stands up to other duty pistols.

taurus, taurus usa, tx9, tx22, 9mm, 22lr, pistol, — the TX9 (top) next to one of my **TX22 pistols**, you can see some similarities between them. The obvious difference of the interchangeable backstrap on the TX9 stands out.

I have been a big fan of the Taurus TX22 since it first came out years ago. So when I heard that Taurus had brought the TX design to a full-size 9mm service pistol design, I was curious for sure.

TX9 Specifications

Taurus USA TX9
Caliber	9MM Luger
Capacity	17 Rounds
Barrel Length	4.5 Inches
Frame Size	Full Size
Height	5.2 Inches
Width	1.28 Inches
Length	7.75 Inches
Weight	25 Ounces (empty)
Barrel Twist	1:16.5
Safety	Firing pin block, trigger safety
Optics Mounting	With Taurus T.O.R.O. system (mounting plates)
Action	Single Action Only striker fired
Frame material	Stainless Steel
Available Additional Sizes	Compact 4.0in, Sub Compact 3.4in
Sights	Drift adjustable rear, White dot front
Magazines	2 Included (Mec-Gar)

TX9 Background

Taurus has a rich history in firearms manufacturing dating back to pre-war times. Making parts and firearms for various countries over the last century. The company has changed ownership various times during that period, which is not uncommon in the firearm world. Ownership and partnerships over the years have resulted in popular products closely mimicking guns from Smith & Wesson and Beretta.

Like most new firearms, the TX9 is a combination of other designs merged into a new one. The Taurus TX22 has long been praised as a great rimfire pistol, with good ergonomics and other features. Some of these features were fused with other designs from the company’s popular GX pistols to create the TX9. In our review today, I hope to see if the best features from these two pistol families have been distilled into one.

Taurus, tx9, 9mm, pistol, duty pistol, taurus usa, box, case, pistol sitting in the plastic case with accessories and ammunition,

While the TX9 ships out of the Taurus USA Bainbridge Georgia factory, I expect at least some of its component parts are manufactured in their Brazilian factory. You can certainly feel better knowing that American hands are part of both production and quality control.

While Taurus has produced service pistols for various agencies worldwide for many years, it seems that the TX9 is their most modern attempt. By incorporating their modular frame system and features very similar to the popular Sig Sauer P320, it seems they are onto something good.

TX9 Features

Modular Frame – Removable trigger/sear pack allows user frame customization
Ambidextrous Controls – Can be configured for both right and left-handed shooters
Interchangeable Backstraps – Easily changed to enhance grip
Optics Ready – Red dot sights can be added using the T.O.R.O. system
17+1 Capacity – Two included magazines provide 17+1 capacity
Trigger and Firing pin block – For safe operation
Picatinny Accessory rail – To add weapon light
Loaded chamber port- to confirm round in the chamber

Taurus TX9 Models

The TX9 is available in various sizes besides the full-size 4.5-inch model we are testing today. There is also a Compact model that features a 4-inch barrel, as well as a sub compact model with a 3.4-inch barrel. There are also 10-round models for states that misunderstand the second amendment. All these models are available in any color as long as it’s black. Though it looks as though an FDE model is coming soon.

Shooting the Taurus TX9

With some excitement I headed to my shooting spot to get the TX9 on the firing line. I brought along a few accessories, and a broad selection of ammunition to see how finicky the TX9 might be. As always I brought a couple extra shooters and comparable pistols to evaluate differences.

taurus, taurus TX9, 9mm, duty pistol, shooting, us optics, red dot, flying brass, — the TX9 is seen here with the **Nightstick TW-30 Weapon Light**

Shootability

Almost immediately I found something about this pistol that caught me off guard. While the trigger breaks much like you’d expect a duty pistol to feel, the reset was very muted. So much so that I had to double check. When compared to other striker pistols, the reset on the TX9 is barely noticeable. There is a click, but you can only feel it if you focus on it. And maybe if you turn up your ear pro you might hear it. This may be a concern for some, but I simply got used to it during shooting.

The TX9 points extremely well, I love that everytime I present the pistol the sights are almost perfectly lined up. This makes aiming the gun very quick and natural. After very little time I hardly even needed to look at the sights because they lined up with my natural point of aim.

Taurus, tx9, 9mm, pistol, duty pistol, taurus usa, reload,

There isn’t a large flare on the magwell, but because the mouths of the Mec-Gar magazines are narrowed it doesn’t need much. Blindly seating magazines during reloads became second nature in no time.

Reliability

As expected the TX9 functioned flawlessly for the most part. We had a single hiccup that manifested as a failure to go into battery. This happened in the first couple magazines, and I’m not even convinced it wasn’t induced by the shooter. It was a singular event that never recurred, so I think it may have been a fluke.

taurus, taurus TX9, 9mm, duty pistol, loading, magazine, mec-gar magazine,

Other than that, the TX9 ran like a typewriter for hundreds of rounds. As a new design I would probably hold my final judgement on its overall durability until I’ve surpassed a thousand or two additional rounds to get a better perspective.

Ergonomics

As an early adopter of the TX22, I was very pleased with its feel in my hand. And I was glad to see that this design feature made its way into the TX9 as well. It feels good in the hand, filling the palm nicely while also allowing your fingers to close tightly around it.

Taurus, tx9, 9mm, pistol, duty pistol, taurus usa, — the Surefire X300 Weapon light family also fits perfectly on the TX9 accessory rail

The interchangeable backstrap of the grip area was icing on the cake. I swapped between a couple of the options until it felt just right. No special tools are required, just something narrow you can reach the anchor pin and push it through. It is retained by a spring under the backstrap that engages a groove in the pin.

taurus, taurus TX9, 9mm, duty pistol, backstarp, disassembly, grip frame, adjustable,

There is a small shelf above either side of the trigger guard for you to rest your thumbs against. The textured surface gives additional purchase to help control the pistol. In general the TX9 had a general feel very similar to a Sig P320, actually more like a cross between the P365 and P320.

Accuracy

I mentioned the TX9 points very well, and because of that it came as no surprise that I could hit what I was aiming at. The sights, while not particularly large, were perfectly serviceable and worked well. But I much prefer using red dots, so I installed the Gideon Optics Omega as soon as the T.O.R.O. system mounting plate arrived.

I found the accuracy to be perfectly acceptable for a duty pistol, with 7 yard groups averaging around 1.5-inches. And at 20-yards, even under rapid firing strings I could keep groups under 12-inches.

Modularity

With various TX9 models already available on the market, its nice to know that a guy can swap things around. I have a Ruger RXM that I frequently switch back and forth between a compact and full-size frame depending on the day’s activities. As soon as I find some different frames to buy, I look forward to someday doing the same with the TX9.

taurus, taurus TX9, 9mm, duty pistol, disassembly,

It is apparent that the TX9 is much easier and quicker to pull the trigger pack out. I have done both P320’s and RXM’s many times, and the TX9 is much quicker. Almost as fast as field stripping the pistol. To be completely honest, I’m unsure if thats a good thing, as I like how tight and snug the others fit into their grip frame. Adding to that concern is this one, the TX9 trigger pack has pins that are held in only by interference when inside the grip frame. So you have to be careful while the trigger pack is outside the grip frame to avoid knocking the pins out and losing them.

Taurus, tx9, 9mm, pistol, duty pistol, taurus usa, backstrap, grip, modular grip, disassembly, interchangeable grip, — here you can see how the backstrap is dovetailed into the grip frame, secured by a cross-pin, the cross-pin itself has a spring detent seen in the grip

The interchangeable backstrap of the grip on the TX9 is solid gold, perfectly executed, and barely noticeable if you aren’t looking for it. The whole grip frame feels like one solid piece.

I love that the TX9 is optics ready, but slightly annoyed that I had to get one of their T.O.R.O. optics plates to mount it. I get it though, they already had the system for their other pistols, so it made sense to make them all use the same system.

taurus, taurus TX9, 9mm, duty pistol, optics, optics mount, t.o.r.o. optics system, red dot, mounting plate, mounting a red dot on the TX9 using the plate system,

Value

Street prices for the TX9 hover just under and above the four-hundred dollar mark. Which seems pretty affordable compared to popular duty pistols like the Glock and Smith & Wesson. Some of the lower priced P320 pistols are still only a little bit higher priced than the TX9. Of course demand for them has gone down recently.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Lightweight	Soft trigger reset
Modular grip frame system	Requires optics adaptor plate
Optics ready
Ambidextrous
Modular grip backstrap

Report Card

Shootability (B+) Excellent grip angle and controls, trigger could be better

Reliability (A- ) The only malfunction was insignificant and possibly shooter

Ergonomics (A- ) Great modular frame, feels good and controls to match

Accuracy (B+ ) Duty gun accuracy, no problem hitting where I aimed

Value (A) Very affordable compared to some other duty pistols

Ammunition Preference

I shot several hundred rounds of both Winchester and Remington branded 9mm, provided by Ammotogo.com. Both were the 115 grain variety, and worked flawlessly. I’m not sure if one of them was particularly more accurate than the other, but both of them were brass cased and cleaner than others I shot. I also shot a bunch of zinc plated ammo from Magtech, which also worked well.

Taurus, tx9, 9mm, pistol, duty pistol, taurus usa, ammunition,

Must have Upgrades and Accessories

I was surprised how peppy this gun felt at first. Adding a red dot and weapon light definitely seemed to calm it down a little bit. I like the Surefire X300 for this purpose, but I’d say a duty pistol could use any good light.

Taurus, tx9, 9mm, pistol, duty pistol, taurus usa, modular frame, gideon optics, Omega red dot, surefiire x300,

The T.O.R.O. system optics mounting plates are about $20 a piece, and are available for most popular red dot footprints. I went with an RMR plate so I could mount my Gideon Omega red dot. And that worked out to be a great option for me, the big window allowed rapid target acquisition and a fine aiming point.

My Verdict on the Taurus TX9

Before picking this gun up, I didn’t even know that it was meant to have a modular frame. Which only adds to value for me with this pistol, as I can change out frames and slide to whatever combination I choose. All this without ever filling out another form 4473.

taurus, taurus TX9, 9mm, duty pistol, us optics, red dot, nightstick weapon light, — I also used my **US Optics red dot** sight during testing

My initial impressions of the Taurus TX9 are pretty positive, I love how the gun handles and it shoots great. As I mentioned, with any new design it may take a few more range trips before I am completely convinced of the durability of this design. But that is something I fully welcome and look forward to. Follow me if you’d like to see how that plays out.