DoubleStar, known for their AR-15 products, has announced a new handgun: the DoubleStar 1911.
The DoubleStar 1911 uses a forged steel frame, and has a beveled magazine well, Novak sights and a National Match stainless steel 5″ barrel. The finish is parkerized. Customizations are available, including a variety of grips, and a choice in trigger guards.
MSRP is listed as “less than $1,200.”
At the 2009 SHOT Show, Glock introduced a new texture called “RTF2.” Claiming to be the “the new standard for operators working in the harshest conditions imaginable,” the RTF2 features a new style of texturing on the grip frame, and a new serration pattern on the rear of the slide.
The new RTF2 texturing on the Glock 22 is described in the Glock literature as “thousands of polymer spikes.” I couldn’t agree more. The RTF2 texture was not comfortable to hold. In fact, it was downright unpleasant. Yes, the RTF2 texture does seem to increase the bond between hand and gun, but at what cost to the hand? I would not want to shoot one of these, but I suspect I will have to in the near future.
There was a lot of talk before the SHOT Show about some of the new guns Taurus would be introducing. Well, here is what I found:
Taurus previously announced the “Slim,” or 709-series, pistol. However, they are now offering it with a titanium slide. Let me tell you this thing is light! The Slim pistol is a single stack 9mm handgun that weighs only 19 ounces (unloaded). With the titanium slide, you can shave a few more ounces off of that number. The blued and stainless models feel good in my hand, but the titanium model is a real winner. Taurus lists the steel slide versions at $439, and says the titanium version will go for about $100 more.
All three models – blued, stainless, and titanium,  have a 3.2″ barrel and come with a 7-round, flush magazine and a 9-round extended magazine. The pistols have the Taurus SA/DA trigger system, meaning once you chamber a round, the trigger pull is a “short, crisp” SA pull. Should the gun fail to fire, the next trigger pull (second shot capability) is a longer double-action shot. Assuming the gun fires each time, the trigger pulls will all be single action.
Sights are a low profile, but very usable, three-dot system.
Taurus announced the 709 series of single stack 9mm pistols last year, but never shipped them. During the past year, the Taurus SLIM has undergone several changes. There are several cosmetic changes, such as the grips:
and recess around the takedown:
The most significant design change has been the addition of a trigger safety. The original 709 did not have a trigger safety, but the shipping models of the Taurus SLIM will have one.
I had the chance to handle the blued and titanium models at SHOT. The SA trigger pull was light and felt pretty good for a polymer gun. The DA pull was much longer but relatively smooth.
These guns fit in my medium-sized hand pretty well, but someone with large hands may not like the size as much. These guns should conceal easily in an IWB or belt scabbard. While not as concealable as a Taurus TCP or Ruger LCP, they do offer the added benefit of a more serious caliber, better sights, more grip surface, and up to 10 rounds on tap before a reload.
I hope Taurus gets these to the dealers soon. The single stack 9mm is a good choice for concealed carry and if they work well on the range, Taurus may sell a bunch of these.
Update: Taurus expanded the SLIM line to include the 740 in .40 S&W and the 708 in .380 ACP. We reviewed the 709 here and the 740 here. Unfortunately, neither gun was without problems.
Also known as the 22PLY and 25PLY, these tip-up barreled guns now sport a polymer frame and lighter weight. Unfortunately, the only samples they had on the floor (one of each) were in a back room for a private meeting with some big buck distributor when I was there. These will start at about $220 and go up depending on what options you get. The rep couldn’t tell me what options you may get.
The TCP, or Taurus Compact Pistol, is the latest .380 ACP pocket gun to hit the market. Kel Tec had this market cornered until Ruger launched the LCP last year. Now everyone is looking to get in on it.
The TCP is a very small, very thin, very light polymer pocket gun. The sights are almost non-existent, but I guess this was meant as a last ditch “get off me” kind of gun. The TCP does have a slide lock.
I’ve got photos and more information on the Taurus TCP here.
The Taurus rep said all of the 24/7 pistols were re-designed so the curve on the backstrap was slightly altered and now each of the pistols could hold one additional round as compared to the originals. That seemed a little strange, so I asked him to repeat himself, and he confirmed the information. As to why they changed the curve/grip he merely said “ergonomics.”
Taurus did indeed introduce a double stack 1911. For my hand, it is way too thick. The magazine well is huge, and the gun balances nicely. Fit and finish seemed top-notch on the floor sample (it better, right?).
Taurus also introduced a 1911 chambered for the .38 Super.
(Ed. note: As of October 2014, Taurus is only offering 1911 pistols in .45 ACP and 9mm. Also, the company is only offering guns in single stack models. There are no double stack 1911 pistols available from Taurus in the United States at this time.)
By now, everyone has seen the Judge: Taurus’ .45 Colt/.410 shotshell combo revolver. Well, Taurus just announced the Public Defender. This revolver is also chambered in .45/.410 (2 1/2″), but on the smaller 85-series frame.
The frame was lengthened to accommodate the longer cylinder, but it is a lot smaller than the full-sized Judge. Yes, it still holds five cartridges.
The hammer spur was trimmed and rounded to make it less likely to snag on clothing, but it is still large enough to cock for a single action shot (precision with a .410 shot shell?)Â A fiber optic front sight and the ribbed Taurus grips are standard.
The Public Defender in stainless will set you back around $500, while a titanium model will go for about $600. More information on the Public Defender is here.
Taurus has introduced a tactical version of the Judge, complete with a ported barrel and Picatinny rail.
Playing off the success of earlier Judge revolvers, Taurus introduced the tactical Judge at the 2009 SHOT Show. The Taurus 4510TKR-SSR and -BR offer a 3″ ported barrel Judge with a Picatinny rail for lasers and lights.
The new Judge chambers five .45 Colt cartridges or .410 (2.5″) shotshells. Standard on both the blued and stainless models are the red fiber optic front sight, fixed rear notch, and the Taurus Ribber grips.
Taurus reps said “around $500” for the retail price on this new Judge.
The Taurus Judge SSR Ported has a yoke detent and the famous Ribber Grip that is supposed to absorb more recoil than other kinds of polymer stocks. Â The ported barrel is supposed to reduce felt recoil when shooting this gun.
While the SHOT Show was interesting at the Taurus booth, I did not see the oddball 4.6x30mm revolver that Michael Bane talked about in his podcast. Â The Taurus rep I spoke with looked at me as if I was a complete idiot when I inquired about such a beast. Â Well, I guess it is one gun that did not make the trip from Brazil. Â Maybe we will see it introduced later in the year. Â Only time will tell. Â I have a difficult time thinking it will be a huge seller, but I could be very wrong about that.
On all of the guns, the rep was a little loose with shipping dates and pricing. So, stay tuned. When they start shipping, and when we have firm prices, I will let you know.
Before the show started, I posted the following information:
Michael Bane teased to a wide selection of new firearms to be introduced by Taurus at the 2009 SHOT Show in his January 7 podcast. Calling them the “strangest eclectic collection,” Bane described:
Wow.
I give Taurus a lot of credit for their willingness to step outside of the box and offer different things. I really like them for that.  The Judge has been a huge hit, and it was never a gun I would have expected to survive its first year. Maybe the 4.6×30 will be the same…
Regardless, I look forward to the SHOT show and getting my hands on some of these. I’ll have lots of photos and more information for you, so stay tuned!
The SIG P238 pistol is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .380 ACP cartridge. The pistol is considered to be very similar to the workings of a 1911 pistol and is said to have borrowed heavily from the design of the Colt Mustang pistol. Most likely, SIG SAUER purchased the rights to manufacture the Mustang from Colt, though under their own label: the P238.
The P238 was introduced by SIG SAUER at the 2009 SHOT Show in Orlando, Florida. At that time, there were few quality .380 ACP pistols on the market, but the 2008 introduction of the Ruger LCP proved there was an untapped market demand for them. Unlike other manufacturers who were mostly bringing DAO polymer guns to the .308 ACP pocket gun market, SIG SAUER went with a high-quality gun on a metal frame.
The SIG P238 has an anodized aluminum frame and a stainless steel barrel and slide. The pistols are single action guns that have a frame mounted safety. P238 handguns also have a trigger bar disconnect safety, an automatic firing pin block and a hammer safety intercept notch to enhance the pistol’s overall safety.
In the first year of production, SIG only offered two variations of the P238: a standard black finish and a two-tone finish. The basic model was called the “Nitron,” which is the name of the special corrosion-resistant finish that gave the gun it’s black appearance. The Nitron was available with standard SIG “contrast” sights or night sights.
The two-tone model had a black frame with a stainless slide, slide stop, hammer and safety. The P238 grips were a stainless steel (silver) color. Both the original Nitron and the two tone models are still available from SIG SAUER.
The SIG P238 saw exceptional sales in it’s initial year, and sales of the gun have continued to be very positive. Since being introduced, SIG SAUER added numerous variations to the P238 line including various finishes, different grips and a variety of custom etchings.
Smith and Wesson has brought a new subcompact 1911 in .45 ACP to the market in their SW1911 line. The SW1911 Sub Compact Pro Series is a tiny 1911 with an obvious eye on the concealed carry market.
The SW1911 features a Scandium frame, carbon steel slide, and stainless steel barrel, which all weighs in at only 24 ounces unloaded. The gun is offered in matte black.