GUNS Magazine Taurus G3 T.O.R.O.

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The G3 T.O.R.O. with TRUGLO TRU TEC installed with the 15-round
magazine inserted and 17-round below.

These are indeed great days for shooters! Guns are more accurate, many are less expensive, and we have a plethora of aftermarket sights from which to choose. The micro red dot sight is among the most popular with shooters today. It only makes sense for manufacturers to offer guns ready, willing and able to mount these red dot wonders.

Taurus has done just that, announcing the release of the G3 T.O.R.O. — Taurus Optic Ready Option. The G3 optic ready shooter has a slot cut in the slide allowing low mounting of most micro red dot sights. What was once an expensive custom option is now standard factory production. The G3 T.O.R.O. comes complete with four base plates, compatible with the majority of micro sights on the market.

The T.O.R.O. ships with a cover plate installed, as well as steel sights, in case you’re not quite ready for a red dot sight but have a hunch you may want one later on. The G3 T.O.R.O. is very versatile, indeed!

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The G3 breaks down like standard poly framed striker fired
pistols for cleaning and maintenance.

The thumb-safety, safety trigger, slide lock, magazine release and
take-down buttons are shown as well as the 17-round magazine.

Preliminary Primping

After unboxing the T.O.R.O., I cleaned all heavy packing grease Taurus ships their guns with, and oiled it. Handling the gun feels great. The stippling and slight palm swell mated perfectly to my hand. Bringing my support hand up, forming my grip, I notice the scalloped indentations on either side of the frame, forming perfect reference points.

After visually and tactilely checking the gun, while pointed in a safe direction, I dry fire it. The first half of the pull is met with little resistance, then starts picking up weight, until breaking cleanly. The trigger is really nice, breaking at 4 lbs., 10oz.

The G3 is a single-action, striker-fired pistol. If the chambered round fails to fire, you have re-strike capability. The trigger resets forward, allowing you to pull the trigger again, in double-action mode, without having to rack the slide. This makes it perfect for dry-fire practice, especially with the newer training aids attaching to the auxiliary rail and communicating with your Smartphone.

The frame has an integral auxiliary Picatinny rail for mounting of light/laser. The operational controls are Teflon coated, making them very smooth. The slide is easier to rack than my other 9mms and sports generous serrations fore and aft, providing positive gripping for manipulation and press check. It has a tough Tenifer coating, like more expensive guns. The G3 grip-frame is the same size as a GLOCK 17, but has a 0.49″ shorter barrel.

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A good view of the “memory pads” and auxiliary rail on the gripe-frame.
The G3 TORO is a good-looking pistol.

Full wrap-around stippling on the grip-frame provides a wonderful grip.

The recessed slot in the slide allows for low mounting and strength for the micro sight.

The Sight

I chose a TRU-GLO TRU TEC micro sight for testing. Installation was fast and easy. Removal of the cover plate requires taking out the plate screws. Now pick the plate matching your red dot sight. In my case, it was plate #2. Align the plate placement pins with the bottom of your sight and set in the slide recess. Align screw holes and install screws.

Sighting-in the TRUGLO TRU TEC was a breeze. The sight tracked perfectly, making adjustments fast and easy.

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Here’s the G3 TORO with cover plate installed and four
mounting plates for your micro sight.

Here’s the factory ammo used for testing, along with Tank’s handloads.

Shooting

My daughter Samantha was home for Christmas break, so it was a perfect time to get some daddy/daughter trigger time together. Besides packing our usual shooters, I brought the G3 T.O.R.O. along so Samantha could shoot it and we could compare notes afterward. With an Artic blast providing plenty of wind to chill the already cold 20 degrees, we settled into our shooting stations.

Setting our target stands at 50 feet, we used 2" orange squares as targets. I brought several types of factory ammo, as well as my favorite handloads, to test the T.O.R.O. Shooting was done resting my forearms on a carpeted 6X6" block of wood for stability, to see what the T.O.R.O. could do.

Shooting groups of five rounds, Sig Sauer 124-grain FMJ ammo averaged 2". Black Hills 100-grain Honey-badger ammo averaged 2.5" while their 115-grain JHP EXP shot under 2" groups. Handloads consisting of MP Molds 140-grain radiused flat-nosed powder coated slugs, over 4.5 grains of 231 consistently shot 2" groups.

The Taurus G3 is very accurate, shooting more accurately than most of my other 9mm’s. For a budget priced gun, the G3 TORO shoots as well as many high-dollar shooters. And who wouldn’t appreciate that? Either way, I was impressed with the G3 TORO/red dot sight combo. No malfunctions occurred.

Here’s Samantha shooting the G3 TORO.

Samantha put 10 rounds into just over 2" at 50 feet. Typical for the G3 and her.

No Confusion Conclusion

Taurus’ G3 T.O.R.O. is an affordably priced gun proving you don’t have to spend big bucks to have an accurate, high-capacity, poly-framed, striker-fired pistol. The G3 ships with both 15 and 17-round steel magazines. The G3 has trigger, striker block and thumb-safeties, as well as loaded chamber indicator.

I’m so impressed with it, I’m buying it. It will be perfect for testing ammunition. Samantha likes it too, shooting it just as well! She’s hinted she wouldn’t mind having one for Veterinarian school next fall. With an MSRP of $408.79, it’s affordable enough to make that happen. For more details, visit TaurusUSA.com

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