Taurus G3C Review [2022] How Does This Pistol Perform?

The Taurus G3C was a sneaky one. It premiered quickly without much build-up, no big NRA or SHOT Show reveal. Taurus was just like, bam, here it is. The G3C model builds off the preceding G3, a full-sized pistol released a year prior. The C stands for Compact; notably, the G3C is a shrunken variant of the G3. The Taurus G3C seems to want to keep the theme of producing affordable handguns aimed at shooters on a budget. Is it worth the money? Read our Taurus G3C review and decide for yourself.

So, I originally reviewed this gun last year but after spending more time with it and firing 100 rounds, my opinions have changed. Let’s dive into this updated gun review to see my shifted views on the Taurus G3C.

Taurus G3C

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Taurus G3C Specs

• Caliber 9mm Luger
• Capacity 12+1
• Height 5.1″
• Overall Width 1.2″
• Barrel Length 3.2’’
• Overall Length 6.3″
• Front Sight Fixed
• Rear Sight Adjustable
• Weight 22 oz

Taurus G3C Background

Many people like to claim Taurus makes good revolvers but bad automatics. As a former Marine with over a decade of shooting experience, I’d say the opposite is true. Their automatic pistols seem to be much more reliable than their revolvers. The G3C is not a compact handgun variant of the G3 but the successor to the very popular G2C handgun. The G3C features several upgrades over the G2C.

These improvements include front and rear slide serrations, as well as the front and rear sight are steel sights. The trigger is the third generation Taurus trigger and is a flat-faced trigger with a much larger trigger safety.

To me, the most notable improvement for the Taurus G3 handgun seems to be the G3C’s ability to utilize Glock pattern sights and SIG Sauer P226 magazines.

This opens up an existing aftermarket to make upgrades easier.

The Compact design points the gun towards concealed carry. The compact pistol price points appeal to those on a budget. The G3C is far from the smallest gun on the market and does feature a double-stack 12-round magazine (more with extensions). Who doesn’t like more ammunition?

The magazine on this gun features two witness holes on the right-hand side. One shows six rounds, and the other shows 12 rounds. This allows you to easily see if the gun is loaded with either six or twelve rounds.

The Taurus G3C fits into an odd category of concealed carry guns size-wise. It’s smaller than your traditional compact, like a CZ P10C or Glock 19, but larger than subcompacts like the Glock 26. It’s a compromise in both directions, but not necessarily a bad one.

The Taurus G3C retains an effective trigger system that’s been around since the old 24/7. This trigger system is a single action, with restrike capability. It could be described as a DA/SA gun, but that doesn’t adequately describe it.

You cannot manually decock the weapon, and the double-action trigger only comes into play if the single action does not fire the weapon. From a practical perspective, I do like this trigger, and it does offer something different than 99% of the striker-fired guns on the market.

Taurus G3C Features

1 Restrike Capable Trigger

2 Flat Faced Trigger

3 Manual Safety

4 All Metal Sights

5 Front and Rear Serrations

6 Standard Picatinny Rail

Taurus G3C Models

Standard 12-RD

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10-RD State Compliant

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Taurus G3C Review – OUR TAKE

Now, it’s time to dive into this review and let you know what I really think about how the Taurus G3C 9mm performs.

The Blessed, and Cursed Grip

As a dude with XL sized hands, I find most compact guns to be a bit small. I can’t stand a hanging pinky, so the G3C’s larger grip is quite comfortable and does provide me a full-handed grip on the gun. That’s the blessing.

Here’s the curse. With a high grip, I get a nasty slide bite. That slide bite translated into my hand, bleeding within 50 rounds. It made testing the gun rather slow and uncomfortable. The good news is once you lose enough skin, you don’t feel it anymore.

The grip texture is very aggressive and separated into panels that cover the entire grip. This includes a bold front and backstrap. When firing, that textured grip provides an easy to hold, and the gun never tries to work its way out of your hand.

The addition of front serrations is excellent. The front serrations are rather short, but the serrations are deep and easy to grip. It makes racking the gun easy enough.

In front of the takedown lever, there are thumb index pockets positioned above the top of the trigger guard. For folks with medium to larger hands, this spot might feel a bit too far forward for the support hand thumb, but I personally didn’t have any issues using it with my XL hands. When gripping the gun, consider how these thumb index pockets align with your hand size and comfort.

Accuracy

Accuracy is always challenging in a little gun. I found myself developing a flinch, mainly due to the slide bite. I did see acceptable accuracy, though. Even out to 25 yards, I can place rounds consistently into the chest of a bad guy. At 15 yards, I’m making fast and accurate headshots.

The trigger feels average at best. It has too much pre-travel for a single-action trigger, and even the single-action travel is as long as double action. You’ll definitely feel it with your trigger fingeras you work through the pull. The short reset is a plus, but unless you pin the trigger, it doesn’t really make a difference. That longer pull gives more room for errors before the shot breaks.

I do like the sights, especially the rear sight, and appreciate that a budget gun is coming with metal sights. Even Glock doesn’t do that. The only downside is they seem rather small. Also, as I mentioned, the G3C does have aftermarket sights available from Tru-Glo, and these are Glock pattern.

Based on my tests, accuracy is perfectly usable, especially from a practical standpoint. I can make smaller groups with the P365, but from a practical perspective, the gun will put the lead where you want it.

When shooting fast, the trigger isn’t noticeable. I do feel a shorter overall trigger pull would still be better, but a short reset helps. The gun is easy to hang onto, and recoil is far from punishing. Muzzle rise is noticeable, but within ten yards, you can score a 1.5-second failure to stop drills.

Reliability

After many times of going to the range, the G3C ate and ate and ate. After all of that, I had a single issue regarding the magazine failing to feed a round. I had to give the magazine a hearty hit to get the follower to release and the round to rise. I fired 450 rounds with a 150 being Winchester Forged, which is notoriously dry and dirty ammo.

Outside of that one issue with the magazine failing to feed, the gun ran cleanly. Speaking of cleaning, I did not clean the gun and allowed it to get nice and filthy throughout my testing. A mixture of sweat, gunpowder, and a little blood gave it a lovely natural oil to run with!

Far From Fancy

Overall the gun isn’t fancy. It’s not a tuned 1911 where everything just drips and reeks of quality. It’s a plain Jane semi-automatic, striker-fired pistol that goes bang when you need it to. Lots of the parts feel somewhat plasticky, especially the safety. The safety almost feels like an afterthought, like the safety on an imported Tokarev.

I do think the gun offers quite a bit of value for the price. The street price seems to be hovering around $259.99. The G3C comes with three 12-round magazines and metal sights. It’s a simple gun that keeps the Taurus tradition of affordability.

So, as you can see in this Taurus GC3 review, I think this is an excellent pistol for the price. I wouldn’t give it as great of a grade if say it was over $600. Furthermore, you get 3 magazines with that low of a price and all in all I feel like it was well made for a budget gun. Because of the above statement, I did include it in my list of best handguns under the best budget options – however, you might be surprised to see that it isn’t listed as the #1 budget gun. So, if you’re interested in seeing what beat this Taurus G3C review in budget, or if you are looking for a better option or upgrade in the 9mm department, then check out the best 9mm pistol article here: https://gununiversity.com/best-9mm-pistols/

Taurus G3C Pros and Cons

• Affordable
• 3 included magazines
• Restrike capability
• Metal sights

• Painful slide bite
• Long trigger travel
• Not as accurate as competitors

Report Card
Shootability	The gun handles well with little recoil and perfectly suitable close-range accuracy. The aggressive grip texture makes it easy to hold onto with a single hand, and easy to get a firm grip when drawing.	A
Reliability	One failure in 500 rounds is not an immediate cause for concern, but I’d want to see the gun run problem-free for the next 500 rounds to upgrade the score.	C
Ergonomics	I shed some blood from the slide bite, and while I’ve got big hands, it’s still a problem. Aside from that, the gun feels solid in the hand. The controls are easy to reach, and the aggressive grip texturing really locks your hand in place.	C
Accuracy	From a small gun perspective, the Taurus G3C is a natural shooter. The sights are a little small, but solid. If the trigger was just a bit better…	B
Value	The G3C includes three magazines, metal sights, and both Glock and SIG compatibility. The G3C is an excellent value at under 300 bucks brand new.	A+

Taurus G3C

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Our Grade

B

Reviewed by Travis Pike

Reader’s Grade

A

Based on 152 Reviews

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Taurus G3C Gun Deals

• Bereli

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• Palmetto State Armory

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• Guns.com

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Taurus G3C – FAQs

Does the Taurus G3C feature a thumb safety?

Yes, the Taurus G3C comes equipped with a thumb safety, which allows you to engage or disengage the safety mechanism as needed. This feature adds an additional layer of safety and prevents accidental discharges.

How does the slide release function on the Taurus G3C?

The slide release on the Taurus G3C serves to release the slide and chamber a round when loading the firearm or performing a reload. It is typically located on the left side of the frame and you can easily access it by your thumb for efficient manipulation.

Can you adjust the sight picture on the Taurus G3C?

While the Taurus G3C comes with fixed sights, you may find aftermarket options that allow for sight adjustments to tailor the sight picture to your individual preferences. However, for most users, the factory-installed sights offer reliable functionality without the need for adjustments.

Does the Taurus G3C come with any accessories?

When you purchase the Taurus G3C, you’ll typically receive three 12-round magazines, giving you plenty of ammunition capacity right from the start. Additionally, the gun comes equipped with metal sights, which is a noteworthy feature considering its budget-friendly price point.

Taurus G3C Ammo

Range Rounds

MagTech 9mm 115 GR FMJ Ammo

Marketplace	Cost Per Round
Natchez Shooter’s Supply	$0.24
Brownells	$0.23
Palmetto State Armory	$0.34

Best Defense Rounds

Hornady Critical Defense 115 GR

Marketplace	Cost Per Round
Cabela’s	$1.24
Midway USA	$1.24

Taurus G3C Starter Pack

So what’s next? Well, if you decide to get the Taurus G3C, you’re going to need to pick up some must-have basics. Here’s our recommendation for what you need to get started.

• Gun Cleaning Kit: Otis All Caliber Elite Range Box on Amazon or build your own personalized cleaning kit with premium components.
• Shooting Glasses: All it takes is one piece of rogue hot brass, and you’ll learn the importance of shooting glasses. But not all glasses are built the same. See our recommendations for the Best Shooting Glasses.
• Hearing Protection: Firing a gun without wearing proper ear protection can be very dangerous and detrimental to your hearing. Find out the best hearing protection for you in our full length review.
• Storage: Check out our article on the Best Biometric Gun Safes
• Targets – If you’re want a great resource for shooting practice or zeroing your optics on your optics rifle or pistol, download our FREE Sighting in Targets below.

With the basics outta the way, let’s jump into some cool accessories you might want to consider when purchasing your Taurus G3C

Taurus G3C Upgrades and Accessories

There are a bunch of different options available to accessorize the Taurus G3C. However, if we had to choose only a few options… Here are our picks.

Taurus G3C Accessories

1. Streamlight TLR-7 Weapon Light		White LED produces 500 lumens IPX7 Waterproof Low Profile	Check Amazon
2. Pineworld Biometric Gun Safe		Reliable Biometric Scanner Sturdy and Well Built Cheaper Than Most Biometrics	Check Amazon
3. Decibullz Custom Molded Earplugs		Great In-Ear option Custom molded – super easy and comfortable NRR: 31	Check Amazon
4. Taurus G3C 9mm Magazine		17 Round Capacity Steel construction High-tensile steel wire spring	Check Price

Other Compact Pistols of its Class to Check Out

The Taurus is a relatively decent option for those on a budget. If you’re looking for something cheap that goes bang, you’ll be ok. But if you’re looking for just a bit more and have some wiggle room in your budget, you might want to consider one of these:

#1 Mossberg MC1SC

Mossberg MC1SC

When Mossberg made their way back into the pistol market, they hit a home run with the MC1sc. It’s got a bunch of super neat features with great reliability. And it’s an amazing value buy. Easily one of Gun University’s favorite budget guns.

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• Shootability A
• Reliability A+
• Ergonomics B+
• Accuracy A-
• Value A+

Our Grade

A

Reader’s Grade

B+

Based on 17 Reviews

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#2 Springfield Hellcat – 9MM

Springfield Hellcat – 9MM

Another good choice is the Springfield Hellcat. Granted you are going to pay a bit more for this pistol, but it has the ability to rank right up there with some other favorites like the Sig P365. Plus…it’s optics ready. What more could you want?

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• Shootability B
• Reliability A+
• Ergonomics A
• Accuracy A
• Value A-

Our Grade

A-

Reader’s Grade

A

Based on 175 Reviews

Your Grade

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Loose Rounds

The Taurus G3c compared with the classic Walther PPK/s, the go-to Glock 19, the new FN 503, and a popular $250~ surplus 9mm– the Star BM.

The Taurus G3c, when stacked against one of the most common carry pistols in the country, the 15+1 shot Glock 19, is about an inch shorter and 4-ounces lighter.

…

While it should be noted that the Glock 26 is closer in size to the new Brazilian budget contender, it can be pointed out that the aforementioned “Baby Glock” runs a smaller 10-round mag as standard. The 3Gc is more akin in size to the new FN 503 or the legacy Walther PPK and Star BM, although it should be pointed out that all three of those are single-stacks.

The elephant in the room…is how the G3c stands when facing off against the new…micro-compact 9mm pistols. On paper, the 18.3-ounce unloaded Springfield Armory Hellcat is slightly smaller… The 17.8-ounce 10+1 Sig Sauer P365 is even more diminutive, with a 5.8-inch overall length. In short, the new Taurus is very close to that…is priced at an MSRP of $305…while the P365 and Hellcat both run at least a couple hundo more. via Guns.com

How to Care for Your Taurus G3C

Still on the fence about the Taurus G3C? Take a look at this video by Sootch00. He hits the range with his G3C to show you just how well it performs and then demonstrates how to field strip your Taurus for cleaning and maintenance.

Other Important Resources for Your Taurus G3C

If you’re interested in picking up a Taurus G3C, be sure to check out these resources to make the most of your experience.

• Taurus G3C from Taurus
• Taurus G3C User’s Manual

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