Taurus has for many years now been
building some very good semi-automatic pistols, for
concealed carry and duty use. Their latest is called the
24/7, and is chambered in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP
chamberings. The sample sent to me for testing is chambered
for the .40 S&W, which has become the favored cartridge
for law enforcement in the United States in recent years.
The new 24/7 has a long list of features
that Taurus has incorporated into its design. One of its
most notable features is the very comfortable and
controllable grip. The shape of the grip fits my large hand
perfectly, and also works well for smaller and larger sized
hands, as I have passed the gun around a bit to other
shooters to get their feedback on this. The grip has a soft
textured surface that Taurus calls the "Ribber"
grip. It works and works well for holding onto the weapon,
regardless of weather or humidity conditions. The 24/7
has a barrel that measured 4.065 inches, and locked up
tightly into the slide, which uses no barrel bushing. The
barrel locks up into the ejection port at the chamber, and
is of the short recoil tipping barrel system. The controls
are on the left side, and are perfectly placed for a
right-handed shooter. The slide lock and magazine
release both work well with the trigger finger of a
left-handed shooter. The weapon is striker fired, and the
slide does not need to be reset for a second pull on the
trigger, as does the Glock.
I was surprised when the trigger pull
measured seven and three-quarters pounds, as it feels much
lighter than that, due to the trigger blade width and
excellent ergonomics of the sidearm. The trigger blade is
smooth, rounded, and about three-eighths of an inch wide,
and makes the trigger pull feel more like four pounds.
The Taurus is loaded with safety features.
The thumb safety blocks the trigger and firing pin. The
Taurus Security System key lock on the slide locks the
trigger and slide from movement. There is also a loaded
chamber indicator just above the extractor. The sights
are of the low profile three dot type, and are user
changeable if needed. The 24/7 has no magazine safety,
thankfully.
The 24/7 is available with a blued or
stainless slide, my sample being the latter. The polymer
frame has a hooked trigger guard and a built-in Picatinny
accessory rail under the barrel. My sample had a magazine
capacity of ten rounds, plus one in the chamber for a total
capacity of eleven. All 24/7 .40 caliber pistols are now
being shipped with standard capacity magazines which hold
fifteen cartridges, giving a total capacity of sixteen of
the potent little forty caliber rounds.
The 24/7 is not a small pocket gun, but is
not overly large either. It is just slightly larger than my
Glock 19, measuring just over seven inches long, five and
one-half inches high, and 1.24 inches thick. It is just
about right for a concealed carry gun in a belt holster, and
weighs 27.8 ounces, unloaded.
Firing the 24/7 proved to be a pleasure. The
excellent grip design made the gun very controllable, and
fast repeat shots were easy to keep on target. I tested the
24/7 with five different types of ammunition, all factory
loaded. The chronograph results are listed below:
Ammunition |
Velocity (FPS) |
Cor-Bon 135-grain Hollowpoint |
1253 |
Cor-Bon 150-grain Hollowpoint |
1119 |
Cor-Bon 140-grain DPX Hollowpoint |
1154 |
Cor-Bon 135-grain PowRBall |
1279 |
Black Hills 180-grain Hollowpoint |
915 |
Any of these loads should make for good self
defense ammo. I particularly like the PowRBall and DPX ammo.
There were no failures or jams of any kind
experienced, and while the 24/7 is not a target pistol, it
kept all loads tested within three and one-half inches at
twenty-five yards, which is good combat accuracy at that
range. The PowRBall was the most accurate tested in this
particular weapon, with the Black Hills load a close second.
The better loads grouped right at two and three-quarters
inches at twenty-five yards.
The 24/7 seems to be an excellent choice for
a personal defense or law enforcement duty pistol. It
carries easily, has excellent ergonomics, is very reliable,
and plenty accurate for social work. It comes with one
magazine, a cleaning brush, owner's manual, and two keys for
the security system, all in a hard plastic case.
Check them out online at: www.taurususa.com.
By the way, Taurus has instituted a program
to help increase NRA membership. With the purchase of
any Taurus firearm, Taurus will provide a free one-year NRA
membership. Gunblast.com commends Taurus on this policy.