Taurus Firearms: The Ones We Can’t Get

Taurus, with its extensive range of firearms, is a go-to for shooters in the United States. Yet, a handful of Taurus firearms remain elusively beyond our reach. Some Taurus firearms are out of production, some are exclusively designed for military and police use, and others have yet to be imported, possibly due to a lack of American demand.

Taurus is an international company that crafts a variety of guns that are popular beyond the United States. Today, we will dive into the world of Taurus firearms that are unavailable in the US. Some might even surprise you.

ART556

The ART556 is a select-fire assault rifle that chambers the 5.56 cartridge. A semi-auto-only variant, the CT556, also exists. Taurus initially crafted this rifle in 2011 for the Brazilian military rifle trials. Although they ultimately lost to the IMBEL, Taurus made the rifle available to international buyers. This rifle emerged when guns like the SCAR and ACR were causing a stir, drawing significant inspiration from both designs.

The gun uses a short-stroke gas piston system. Which is the direction in which most new rifles are moving. It comes in a 10- or 16-inch barrel and features a monolithic upper receiver with tons of “rail estate.” The stock folds and collapses, much like the SCAR and ACR. The magwell is absurdly large, has a grip built into it, and uses standard STANAG magazines.

The ART556 series features an ambidextrous safety, bolt release, and magazine release. The charging handle sits above the barrel and can be swapped for left or right-handed shooters. By all merits, it’s a reasonably modern platform. Depending on what Taurus could sell them for, I could see some level of success in the United States.

T9

Taurus recently teamed up with Jindal Defense in India to help produce modern firearms for the Indian military and police. The Indian Army’s efforts in producing firearms have been less than stellar. If you have ever heard of the plight of the INSAS rifle, you understand why India might want some help designing firearms.

One offering that’s popped up since the team-up is the Taurus T9, which is an AR-type submachine gun that uses a 9mm cartridge and feeds from what appears to be Glock magazines. This is an ultra-small gun with a 5.5-inch barrel. Other than that, it’s all AR, with an M-LOK rail, a six-position stock, a flat-top upper receiver, etc. It’s a direct blowback design, which isn’t surprising or impressive. Blowback designs work and are reliable but tend to create excessive recoil. However, this lack of refinement likely creates a weapon that’s easier to produce and is, therefore, cheaper. The T9 looks like most AR9s on R/AR9, but that’s not necessarily bad. It’s not creative, but it’s effective.

ST12

The ST12 is Taurus’s take on a pump-action shotgun. It’s a clone of the MagTech 586, which is also a clone of the Remington 870. Yeah, this model isn’t creative, but it’s a system that’s proven to work. The ST12 is tactical to the max for a pump-action shotgun. It boasts a 7+1 capacity with standard 12 gauge ammunition and features an 18-, 20-, or 22-inch barrel.

The gun has a heat shield, a breacher barrel, ghost-ring sights, and an optics rail. It is topped off with a six-position, AR-style stock and pistol grip. As far as pump shotguns go, it’s fairly peak 2010s. I’d be curious how compatible the gun would be with Remington 870 parts. That would be a huge plus if compatible due to the 870’s overwhelming aftermarket support.

I’m not sure why this gun isn’t imported. Due to import laws, you’d have to chop the magazine tube to five rounds, but that’s it. Maybe the market is too shotgun-saturated, or the ST12 would cost as much as a Remington 870, making it a tough sell over the American-made 870. If they could produce it affordably, I have no doubt Taurus fans would grab one up.

PT57C

The Taurus PT57C is one of those guns Taurus could likely import but won’t due to low demand. It would face low demand mainly because it chambers .32 ACP. I love the little .32 ACP cartridge personally, but I might be one of the few who do. The PT57 SC is a compact pistol that’s not much smaller than something like the Glock 19. It’s also all metal, so it’s fairly heavy for a .32 ACP.

Pocket pistols in .32 ACP are tough enough to sell. Selling a larger gun chambered in the mild .32 ACP round is even more challenging. The barrel extends to four inches, giving you great velocity for the little cartridge. You can even use hollow points at this speed and achieve good expansion. The gun even holds 12 rounds, which is a lot for a .32 ACP. I love the fact they went with a DA/SA Beretta-style design.

It has everything I love in a firearm, and I plan to annoy Taurus marketing until they finally import this awesome but unavailable firearm to the United States. The gun would have hardly any recoil and would handle quite nicely. It might not appeal to many American shooters, but if you want an ultra-low-recoiling centerfire pistol, the PT57C might just be for you. Guns like this are often designed and sold to countries that restrict civilian ownership of firearms to certain calibers or energy levels.

GX4 in .38 TPC

I cheated a bit with this one. The GX4 is widely available in the United States and is a fairly popular micro-compact pistol. Some countries have interesting rules around what calibers can be sold. Sometimes, it’s as simple as banning any caliber used by the military. This is why .38 Super was so popular in Mexico. These weird rules are why Taurus designed the .38 TPC. TPC stands for Taurus Pistol Caliber. The .38 TPC was created in response to a ban on anything above 9x19mm.

The .38 TPC remains legal but ballistically outperforms calibers like .380 ACP and .32 ACP. It’s almost identical to 9x19mm rounds but skirts the ban effectively. The .38 TPC houses a 9mm 124-grain projectile in an 18mm case. I wouldn’t be surprised if the GX4 used the same magazines between calibers.

Taurus builds the GX4 in the States, meaning Taurus USA exports these guns to Brazil. Typically, Taurus imports guns from Brazil to the United States; this might be the first time the roles have been reversed. I don’t see much of a market for the .38 TPC here, but it’s an interesting piece of Taurus history.

Give Us All the Taurus

I don’t think many people understand how big Taurus is and how many weapons they produce. I left off the 40mm grenade launchers because those aren’t your traditional firearms. Taurus has become more creative and interesting lately, but they still seem to shy away from long guns. I would love to see how they compete in the modern long gun market. More than that, I really want a PT57C. What about you folks? If you could pick one, what would it be?