Taurus 24/7

Taurus USA distributes the Taurus 24/7 line of semiautomatic pistols by the Brazilian firearm company Taurus in America. Taurus USA was established in Miami, Florida in 1982 and did not make big market waves until a couple of years after its launch. This company's USP is the fact that it makes cost-effective versions of popular firearms. Coming on the heels of Taurus' highly successful 9 mm Millennium pistols, the Taurus 24/7 is a double action-only, striker-fired semiautomatic handgun that comes in various versions chambering 45 ACP, .40 S&W and 9mm rounds.

The Taurus 24/7 is named for the fact that it operates flawlessly every time - literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It weighs approximately 27.2 ounces and can come in two lengths - 7 1/8th inch and 8 1/8th inch. Depending on the version, the flared, bushing-less barrel is either four or five inches long and all versions are no more than 1 1/4th inch thick. The Taurus 24/7 incorporates a detachable magazine than can hold between 10 rounds (with one in the chamber) and 17 (with one in the chamber). Crafted with a polymer frame, it comes in over twenty different formats and is purchasable in a blued or stainless steel finish. Though it has an extremely professional and businesslike look, the Taurus 24/7 is basically not a law enforcement-oriented semiautomatic. It was designed primarily for self-defense and it performs as such like few other semiautomatics can. By combining exciting aesthetics with extremely high and consistent performance, Taurus has come up with a clear winner in the 24/7 line.

Users state that this line of semiautomatic pistols is among the most advanced and innovative designs available today. Developing this advanced semiautomatic handgun reportedly took the Taurus Company four whole years. It does in fact offer some groundbreaking advantages, such as extremely user-friendly ergonomics and extremely high performance. It features a frame mounted manual safety and a rather imaginative combination of finger-indexing memory pads, scientifically designed serrations on the slide and a sunken magazine release. The Taurus security System (or TSS) actually allows the pistol to be locked and unlocked with a key that allows only the owner to unlock the trigger mechanism. This goes a considerable way in preventing unintentional firing and makes the Taurus 24/7 one of the safest handguns on the market today.

It also features an over-molded ribbed grip that gives a comfortably narrow feel because of the integrally ribbed finger grooves. This offers a very positive grasp and helps in overcoming inaccuracy due to recoil while also reducing muzzle flip. This makes the Taurus 24/7 a very accurate and eminently controllable handgun. Additionally, it has extra accoutrements such as a flat wound captive spring and a single-piece guide rod. A small dimple in the frame just above the front part of the trigger guard acts as a reference point for the trigger finger. This very thoughtful feature actually prevents accidental trigger pulling and it is obvious that some advanced research into human reflexes and psychology has gone into developing it.

The Taurus 24/7 line of semiautomatics also features an accessory rail. The handgun's sights are the fixed, non adjustable three-dot kind. The chamber is equipped with an indicator that informs the user when it is loaded, and a tuned ejector is also provided. The trigger action is found to be smooth and flawless by most users, since it stacks just at the right moment and gives sufficient warning of an imminent discharge. Trigger action has been found to be consistent in all models and for any length of use duration.

The Taurus 24/7 sells at a retail price of $578, and the stainless steel version costs $594. Considering the immense popularity of this classic beauty of a semiautomatic, it is possible to wind up with a pretty good imitation.