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Taurus G3c Review

The Taurus G3 had some improvements over the older G2c. Those improvements were implemented and we’re covering them in our Taurus G3c Review.

The Taurus G3c is sized more similarly or almost identically to the Taurus G2c being much smaller than its G3 brother.

The Taurus G3c is an extension of the Taurus Millennium line of handguns.

Taurus has been selling the Taurus G2c, its predecessor for quite a while, and recently released the Taurus G3 series which is a more compact/full-size platform that is sized between a Glock 17 and a Glock 19.

We’re going to cover every detail in our Taurus G3c Review.

Like G3 and the Taurus G2c, the Taurus G3c is designed to appeal to a budget market.

Despite being a budget gun, the Taurus G3c does come in with some features that are slightly nicer than the previous G2c series. And it has one unique upgrade over the Taurus G3.

We will get into those differences later.

Role

Most would consider the Taurus G3c to be a concealed carry or self-defense firearm. It works well for AIWB and strongside carry.

Taurus G3c Holster AIWB 09

Its thicker profile makes it easier to conceal at the AIWB position but it can work well for strong too.

Features

The Taurus G3C is a 12-round handgun that is sized somewhere between a Glock 26 and a Glock 19.

Even though dimensionally it is similar in width, it feels like it is slightly slimmer than those guns.

It is sized so it feels perfect for carry for most people.

It is big enough that you can get control of the gun and feel like you have a good grip while being small enough to conceal. It’s almost the exact size of the CZ P10S.

Taurus G3c


Taurus G3c’s In Stock

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This gun also fills the niche of home defense and glove box gun for many users. The 12-round mags are the same mags used in the Taurus G2 series.

They have a yellow follower which makes it easy to identify the Taurus G3c magazines.

The magazines themselves have two witness holes on the right-hand side of the magazine. One indicating six rounds and one indicating 12. So, you can only tell if the gun is loaded to either six or twelve rounds.

You cannot tell any other capacity through witness windows.

There is an extended pinky rest base pad on the magazine that lengthens the grip around half an inch.

Unfortunately, this extension does not add any extra capacity to the gun.

If you want to add extra capacity to the gun, you can use the Taurus G3 magazines that come in both 15- and 17-round links.

ProMag also makes extended magazines for the Taurus G2c, G3c, and the Taurus G3, but ProMag does not have the best reputation for making a quality product.

Buyer beware.

Now, as far as the insertion of the magazine goes, it is similar to pretty much any other gun out there.

Magwell

There is no real bevel in the mag well.

Although there is just the slightest amount of bevel, it is not enough to consider and won’t help you in reloading the gun compared to something like a Glock 19 Gen-5 MOS, which has a huge mag well.

If you have really large meaty hands, you could potentially have problems reloading the mag well based on where your hand sits between the bottom of the grip and where the mag will load into the gun.

Basically, the base plate will pinch your hand between the base plate and the gun itself.

Taurus G3c


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There are indentations on each side that is split in half between the grip itself and the base plate.

This will allow you to use your fingers to rip the mag out in case you have a malfunction that requires you to do so.

Taurus G3c Review Grip/Ergonomics

Texturing

The Taurus G3c is almost identical to the Taurus G2c in grip and ergonomics.

There is texturing all around the grip of the gun, mainly on the front strap and backstrap. It’s quite aggressive, giving you a good sandpaper-like feel that allows to have a good grip on what is otherwise a very slick gun.

The same texturing also extends to the bottom half of the grip on the sides.

So, you can get a good purchase with the tips of your fingers providing you need some grip in that location.

There is no texture on the top half of the grip. If you are expecting a place to press your palm of your support hand against, then there really is not much besides a slick surface in that area.

The tang/beavertail area of the gun is comfortable, well-rounded and will work with hand sizes from large to small. It allows you to get a good high grip on the Taurus G3c.

Overall, the ergonomics of the gun are pretty much identical to the Taurus G2c.

Although I will say the polymer used in the Taurus G3c feels like it is higher quality than the polymer used on the Taurus G2c.

There are index pockets for your thumb in front of the takedown lever that sits right above the top of the trigger guard, For most people with medium to larger size hands, the position on that will be too far forward to fit the thumb of your support hand.

Now, it works as a place for your trigger finger when it is resting on the frame.

Sights Taurus G3c Review

The Taurus G3c comes with metal sights, which is a nice feature in a gun of this category.

Both the G2c and the Taurus G3 come with plastic sights, so the metal sights are quite an upgrade. The sights themselves are a white-painted front sight with a blacked-out rear that has horizontal serrations.

Overall, the sight picture is surprisingly good for a gun at this price point.

Frankly, the sights are better than most stock pistols offered, even in higher price points.

The most important feature about the sights is the cuts are standard Glock cuts. This means you can add sights from pretty much any Glock onto this gun and they will work.

This opens you up to a wide variety of existing after-market options for sights. So, you have tons of tritium night sight options as well as fiber optics and painted sights.

You can even get blacked-out target sights if you want.

Taurus G3c TORO (Taurus Optics Ready Option)

Taurus now offers the Taurus G3c TORO or Taurus Optics ready option.

This allows you to mount a mini red do to the back of your slide just like a Glock MOS. A great option if you want to try out red dot handguns without breaking the bank.

One smart move on Taurus’s part is shipping the G3c TORO with multiple optics mounting plates and compatible screws for compatible optics.

Taurus G3c


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Anyone that’s messed with the Glock MOS system knows that finding screws the right length often requires sourcing and purchasing online.

So it’s nice to have everything you need come in the box.

Shoot Better With Mini Red Dots

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Compatible optics are Trijicon RMR, Buris Fastfire, C-MORE STS2, Holosun 407C, Holosun 507, Docter Noblex, Leupold Delta Point Pro, Vortex Venom, and Sightmark Mini.

Controls

Safeties

There is an external safety on the Taurus G3c, which is identical to the Taurus G2c and the Taurus G3.

One of those safeties is a thumb safety they designed for right-hand shooters and sits on the rear left-hand side of the gun.

So, a right-hand shooter can access it with their thumb much like they would a 1911 safety.

That thumb safety is well placed and is easy to access.

You can easily ride your thumb on top of that safety when firing. The Taurus G3c also has a trigger safety making the gun drop safe. In theory, you could carry the gun with the thumb safety disengaged due to this feature.

If you are going to do that, I would definitely advise still training to sweep off the thumb safety every time you draw the gun.

Taurus G3c


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I would not consider this gun for self-defense if I were a left-handed shooter due to that thumb safety.

It is impossible to access without compromising your grip in a major way. The thumb safety itself is fairly low profile, so it won’t snag.

But the downside of that is it can easily be missed if you don’t practice religiously on how to take off the safety.

This is going to be one of the biggest downsides in our Taurus G3c Review.

Taurus G3c Review Magazine Release

The mag release on the Taurus G3c sits in a good position and anyone with average size hands will be able to access it without having to break their grip.

If you have smaller hands, you might have to break your grip slightly, but it won’t be hard to access it.

When you press the magazine release, the magazine practically flies out of the gun. It does have a sharp edge on the front top corner that you need to be wary of if you plan on using this gun in high round counts or a class where you will be really loading the gun a lot.

But for a gun at this price point, that is really all you can expect.

Slide Stop

The slide stop or slide release on the Taurus G3c is located right in front of the thumb safety on the right-hand side.

If you are a left-handed shooter, there is no way that you will be accessing that using your trigger finger as you might be able to on some guns. It just sits too far back.

As a right-handed shooter, it is very easy to reach even with the low-profile thumb safety sitting in front of it.

It does take a little bit of force to drop the slide but not much.

Even newer shooters should be able to accomplish that as long as they don’t have the pressure of the mag follower that they are fighting.

Taurus G3c Review Overall Ergonomics

Overall, the ergonomics of the Taurus G3c are quite good. It feels good in the hand. And for most shooters, the size will allow them a good grip while being small enough to conceal.

Basically, they won’t feel like they are holding too much gun.

Taurus G3c


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The slide itself is fairly easy to manipulate.

The recoil spring does not feel too heavy and there are good serrations on the rear of the gun. There are serrations on both the front and the rear, but there are only three lines on the front.

It really does not give you much to grab onto.

It is good for press checks, but I would not count on using the front of the slide to load or unload the gun.

The rear slide serrations are deep and aggressive enough to give you a good grip, but they are not so aggressive that they will tear up your hands.

Trigger

In this Taurus G3c Review we wanted to make sure we spent plenty of time on the trigger.

The trigger on the Taurus G3c is a unique design. Same as the Taurus G2 and the G3, this is a striker fire trigger that is double action single action. The gun does not have a de-cock or a way to manually de-cock the weapon though.

So, for most people, the gun will only be shot in a single action, but the double action feature does give you restrike capability.

If you have a round with a bad primer that will not fire, in theory, you can pull the trigger again in double action and it might reignite that primer.

I would not count on this as my personal malfunctions on the range with centerfire ammo like 9mm have usually meant that the primer is so bad it will not fire again if it does not fire again on the first pull of the trigger.

Trigger Pull

As for the pull of the trigger itself in single-action, the Taurus G3c has a light take up with a fairly light pull and a plasticky break at the end.

It is a feeling you would expect from a cheap staple gun, only lighter.

On the reset, the trigger resets slightly before the wall and then you have just the slightest bit of creep that is barely noticeable before you hit the wall again and have that plasticky light break.

Taurus G3c


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One thing to note is the trigger breaks exceptionally far to the rear.

It is a little bit different from most other guns in this size class, so that is something to be aware of if you have larger hands.

Now we are going to go over the double-action trigger just because we can.

In double-action, you feel a heavy springy continual take up before the trigger gets to a semi wall which you are not sure is the wall until you feel the trigger break. The best thing about this double-action trigger pull is it can be used for dry fire.

So, you do not have to rack the slide each time you want to pull the trigger.

It is also a good tool to break you of the habit of resetting the trigger instead of letting the trigger go all the way and then coming back as quickly as possible.

Aftermarket-wise, there are not a ton of options for the Taurus G3c, but due to the Glock sight cuts, there are lots of aftermarket sights all listed below.

Maintenance

The Taurus G3c takes down just like a Glock, which means that it is extremely simple to field strip the gun and clean it.

To field strip the Taurus G3c, all you have to do is check for an empty chamber, then drop the striker by pulling the trigger.

From there, you can pull down the takedown lever, which you must pull from both sides of the frame using your support hand thumb and index finger.

Pull the slide back slightly and it will release forward assuming you have the mag out of the gun.

Aesthetics

Overall, the Taurus G3c is not the best-looking gun in the world. It is a budget gun, and it looks like it.

The finish on the slide does not look that great, but it still seems to protect the metal. It is not going to win any finishes. And just the oil from your fingers is going to make the slide look like it has been well worn.

Overall, it cleans up nice if you apply a lubricant of oil and rub it really hard with a cleaning rag.

For a gun at this price point, I consider that completely acceptable.

I will say the Taurus G3c looks much better than its predecessor when you compare some of the details like the profile of the slide.

The frames look near identical minus the better quality polymer on the Taurus G3c.

Shooting

Shooting the Taurus G3c is what you probably expect.

The gun has quite a bit of recoil as it is a smaller firearm chambered in the semi-powerful 9mm cartridge. The gun is heavy and a lot of that weight is in the slide.

You definitely feel the recoil, but it’s nothing most people can’t handle if they have a good grip on the gun.

Just don’t expect this to be an extremely soft shooter given the price point.

I hope you enjoyed our Taurus G3c Review let us know your thoughts below.

Taurus G3c


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This is an opinion piece, but I always aim to eliminate bias. Look, we’ve all read them before. Gun reviews that claim to be helpful, but they’re really thinly veiled hit pieces trying to get you to buy something before you’ve even started your research. Or, even worse, a review put together by a content writer who has never even held a gun. 

I’ve trained with some of the best in the business to learn various shooting styles and ideologies to better serve our customers. I’ve purchased guns of all price points, calibers, and action types to build the best products for the market. I want you to walk away knowing you have the information you need to make a sound purchasing decision.

30 Replies to “Taurus G3c Review”

  1. Mike Savino says:

    I purchased this firearm and took it to the range and the very first round jammed and would not eject. Had to use a small screwdriver to slide the round back to get it out. I tried 3 different brands including hollow point and the same thing happened. Winchester nato finally got me through half a magazine before it jammed. I returned it to Taurus for repair twice and they would only test it with Winchester Ammo and then claim it works within “factory spects “ what does that mean? They wouldn’t say it doesn’t jam or say it worked with other brand ammo.

    1. Harrison says:

      What ammo are you using? Winchester White Box is usually pretty crappy ammo so if it’ll run with that it should run with most ammo.

    2. Mike says:

      I too bought same gun a year ago , maybe lucky if I have 400 rounds through it as I don’t get to the range often . But I’ll b dam since day 1 the gun jams all the time I cannot get through a full clip without a jam , I also tried different ammo , I have not returned to the company as I am dumping this POS

      1. Dan says:

        Your use of clip instead of magazine tells me all I need to know

  2. Dwight Cimino says:

    I bought one as suggested by an avid shooter friend . . . I wanted a higher capacity 9mm as my final backup gun in case I have to get in some kind of shooting engagement with my long gun. It will be the last ditch when I run out of long gun ammo . . . or have a non operating long gun and I need a firearm. I am relatively happy with it . . . although I think the checkering on it is a tad too aggressive . . . glad I will be wearing gloves should I ever have to use it in a live fire situation. Accuracy is good enough for a gun to be used at the 20 or 30 foot line . . .
    Overall . . . I’d give it 4 star rating out of 5.

    1. DAVID G SAUCIER says:

      you could put a hogue grip on it i have one it works well.

  3. James Scroggins says:

    I love my G3C great gun 500 rounds not one jam wolf win just eats it up

    1. Ted says:

      Same here. Great budget gun

  4. Robert Phillips says:

    Have the millennium G2 and all it needed the make it unstoppable was a lake line metal guide rod and captured recoil spring. At least 1000 rounds down range without a hiccup. Just ordered the G3c. The finish on the guns are crap but they shoot. Period..

  5. Charles Ray says:

    Kudos to “harrysholsters” for letting an intellectually disabled person write a gun review.

    1. Frank Lee says:

      I totally agree! The reviewer is a complete NIMROD!! I’ve owned the G2C for 2 years and it’s perfect in all aspects and the so called improved G3C is a complete piece of CRAP in comparison!! The polymer frame in both guns is EXACTLY SAME FRAME AND QUALITY, you dimwit! The rear sight on the G2C is 10x BETTER than the crappy GLOCK CROCK cheap sight! Glock has by far the cheapest crappiest sights bar none! The G3 sight is a thin piece of garbage with no dots and no adjustments at all! The G2C rear sight is Heavy guage ramped military sight with dual white dots on either side of notch and adjustable for windage! The Block glock crap sight is typical cheapo Glock! I’m left handed and have no problem with safety SIMPLY crossing my thumb over the slide and pressing down. But I never use it anyhow,, what’s the big deal Mr. Genius? In mist if us G2 owners we find the overall appearance if the G2C a LOT cleaner and better looking than the “nice try, but no cigar” faulty attempt by taurus to improve on a gun that needed NO IMPROVEMENT!! The G2C has gotten MORE 5 STAR, 2 THUMBS UP by gun fans of every maker out there and rave reviews in every catagory to the point of countless BLOCK GLOCK, S&W, Ruger and even SIG owners putting away their glocks and using the G2C as their primary ccw! Next time do your research with your eyes opened!

      1. Sterling Mack says:

        Frank, you are a wise man and teacher. Harry Holsters needs to hire you asap. That reviewer does not know 💩 about Taurus guns and is quite biased. Taurus has stepped up their game in the gun industry. I’m a HK guy, and I’ll always prefer HK guns over Taurus, BUT Taurus guns r very much in collection and the G2C is my EDC. I trust my G2C with my life and my woman’s life. I’m down with Taurus and will continue to buy Taurus guns. My girl just got the GX4 and loves it. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

      2. Harrison says:

        I think you’ll find this review interesting.

        https://harrysholsters.com/taurus-gx4-review/

      3. Harrison says:

        I know you’re being sarcastic but there are newer gun owners doing their research so they need to get the best info possible.

        The human eye is only able to focus on one plane at a time. Adding white dots to the rear sight confuses the eyes making it harder to acquire a front sight or target focus. So a blacked our sight is preferable.

        The G2c sight is cheap plastic crap(not military in any way except being made by the lowest bidder) vs a metal sight on the G3C.

      4. Vernon Lewis says:

        Ad hominem posts accrue you nothing, Frank. Please get over yourself…

      5. Danny Trastano says:

        Taurus …no parts available after your striker wears out.Taurus…..no resale or trade value.Taurus……still and will always be a crappy company.The G2/3c is the only decent pistol they have and will ever make.I am really sorry your education went up to the 3rd grade.No,not now especially since crime is up only real quality guns will be carried.No more news headlines of,” If only he carried a name brand gun he would have still been with us.”Or,”Her Taurus blew out the extractor jamming the slide and then that’s when she was stabbed multiple times.” Only time until we see the news report about you.If you like I can send you a dictionary so you can spell correctly AND see what the words mean….

      6. Michael says:

        Hi Frank-
        I hope you check in o this post of yours. I just bought a used GC3 as I gave my other carry to my wife. I do own another Taurus Tracker .357 and can hit anything with it without issues over the past 10 years. No issues. I was not planning on purchasing a carry weapon from Taurus but after some range time, I found that this tool can hit a 10 inch group consistently at 30 to 40 yards. No malfunctions. No issues other than running out of range ammo. I am no expert but have been a shooter since I was a kid and I think you might be a tad too into being a know it all and cynic. If it clicks, bangs and hits without issue, it is a good tool for it’s intent. You might be a bit of a snob as stated before.

    2. .MICHAEL says:

      SOUNDS LIKE A SPOILED TEEN WROTE THIS ARTICLE.

  6. Leonard Piskac Sr. says:

    Frank Lee Nailed It…I own Both and agree with Frank!!

  7. Larry says:

    The bias against Taurus is part of snobbery. There are watch snobs, gun snobs, car snobs and others. I have resisted the polymer striker fired pistol for decades. I plan on getting the G3c for Concealed Carry.

    BTW. I own a Taurus 44 Magnum for ten years and it has been excellent. No problems ever. Glock hater here.

    1. Dan Santomen says:

      Can send you the money for one if you like.Then you can be happy you got a real gun and not one broke wanna be drug dealers carry…..

      1. Joe says:

        You mentioned snobbery, Larry. Perfect example right here…..

  8. Greg Walker says:

    I recently purchased this model and am well pleased across the board.

    Having spent a career professionally carrying and using a handgun I have owned the best over the years, and spent big money doing so.

    My G3 was previously owned and came with 4 factory mags, steel sights, and laser. Pretty nice package for under $300.

    Tear down, cleaning, and oiling took place then out to the range.

    BLUF- tack driver and zero malfunctions. Very controllable and magazine changes were effortless. I like the manual safety and it functions nicely. Overall, a tidy little compact that carries well and meets my expectations for an EDC.

    1. Dwight Williams says:

      I have RA and wonder about racking. Sometimes during flare ups I find racking difficult. How is this far as racking?

      1. Harrison says:

        Unfortunately, that’s really hard to quantify. That said it’s as hard or harder than most 9mm semi-autos.

        Most of the easier-to-rack options are really going to up the price point and size of the gun. The Shield EZs are probably the closest guns.

  9. Tom says:

    Shot the first 9mm rounds of my life through my recently purchased GC3. It jammed on the first shot. Shooting hollow point personal defense rounds. But……….. a minor adjustment to open the magazine feed lips at the front end allowed the rounds to come up far enough to engaged the feed ramp above the lower edge where they were sticking. Post adjustment it worked reliably and with no further troubles. For the price point a comfortable gun to fire. I did not find recoil to be offensive in any way. Maybe the crybabies should cease opining and whining.

  10. Vance Barnes says:

    My new G3c digested the first 50 rounds with no problems. I do not worry about the fit and finish as it is a tool that functions without hitches. I am hopping somebody will come out with a decent 3 lb. trigger or springs that will help it. It really sucks like it is. If you are used to a single action Colt Gold cup you will know what I talking about.

  11. Richard Blandy says:

    This is the most reliable hand gun I’ve ever owned. More than 5000 rounds through it and not one jam ever! Wow it’s so reliable, much better than my Glock 19 which was a jam-o-mattic. Those Glocks and Smith and Wesson hand guns really all suck in comparison in my opinion. Great job Taurus! Good quality at a reasonable price point.

    1. Jeff says:

      I have the g3c as my carry piece, and have had no issues except for one brand of ammo that didn’t want to feed (Fiocchi). I guess it happens. Feeds all other brands and is accurate. Had to get a talon grip to carry but otherwise happy.

  12. East Texas Ed says:

    The Taurus G3c is a shooter. More accurate than a lot of more expensive hand guns and is dependable. Why do you think alot of law officers back-ups are these. Don’t listen to the cry babies. Try one out for yourself.

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