Guest Writer: Kenzie Fitzpatrick

The Taurus GX4 Carry pistol is one of the latest releases from the Taurus brand. This semi-automatic pistol was designed for everyday carry, and the final product directly results from customer feedback. This 9mm handgun features the Taurus Optics Ready Option (T.O.R.O.) for mounting optics (Holosun K-series footprint and similar). It has an accessory rail for mounting lights, and still holds 15 rounds of ammunition.

Founded in 1982, Taurus Holdings, Inc. is a Georgia-based holding company that owns the Taurus, Rossi, and Heritage brands. Taurus International (TIMI) manufactures some models of Taurus firearms in the US and imports the remainder from Taurus Armas. Braztech services and imports Rossi-branded firearms, which Taurus Armas makes in Brazil. All Heritage-branded guns are made and serviced in the US at their facilities in Bainbridge, Georgia.

Features: Taurus GX4 Carry Pistol

Optics-Ready

Most factory handguns now come with optics cuts, so customers can run iron sights or mount their favorite red dot optics. There are many versions of the GX4 and GX4 carry pistols, but the biggest upgrade is the T.O.R.O. system. The Taurus Optics Ready Option allows you to mount any red dot optic that uses the Holosun K-series footprint or similar to directly mount a red dot on the gun. Depending on the height of the red dot optic, the rear sight remains on the pistol and will co-witness with the red dot optic.

15-Rounds Capacity

Even with a 15-round capacity, the Taurus GX4 Carry pistol is a slim handgun that easily conceals. This gun can be directly compared to the Smith & Wesson Equalizer, Sig P365XL, and other higher-capacity handguns designed for everyday carry.

Picatinny Rail

An upgrade to the GX4 Carry pistol is a Picatinny rail to easily mount accessories to the gun. With three mounting slots, you can attach almost any popular flashlight to the end of this pistol. A limitation with attaching accessories is finding a compatible holster. You will have to find a holster manufacturer that designs a holster for your gun and light combination. Or, look for one that manufactures holsters designed for specific lights to hold retention on rather than gun models.

Specifications

• Caliber: 9mm 
• Capacity: 15 Rounds
• Magazines Included: 2
• Front Sight: Fixed
• Rear Sight: Drift Adjustable
• Action Type: Single-Action Only
• Barrel Length: 3.70 inches 
• Overall Length: 6.56 inches 
• Overall Height: 5.16 inches 
• Overall Width: 1.08 inches
• Overall Weight: 21.50 ounces (unloaded)
• Twist Rate: 1:10-inch RH twist
• MSRP: $515.99

Compatibility of the Taurus GX4 Carry

My biggest complaint about new products coming to the market is the lack of aftermarket support for brands. This includes holsters, magazine pouches, magazine extensions, sights, internal parts, and other accessories. With the Picatinny rail, compatible lights include Surefire, Olight, Streamlight, and any other Picatinny-mounted weapon lights. The red dot optic must have the Holosun K-series footprint to direct mount to the pistol. A few brands, such as XS Night Sights, Tru-Glo, and Night Fision, manufacture compatible aftermarket sights for the Taurus GX4 Carry pistol.

The only compatibility issue I’ve found so far is for a holster designed specifically for the GX4 Carry model pistol. The older GX4 pistols have a slightly different frame design than the new Picatinny railed GX4 carry. I’m not sure if the holsters are compatible with the new model pistol. 

One compatible holster manufacturer that I have used before is PHLSTER Holsters. The Floodlight2 has an adjustable universal fit and indexes on your choice of TLR-1/TLR1-HL or X300U/X300T weapon-mounted lights. This is still a limited compatibility in terms of aftermarket support, but at least this option allows you to carry this gun daily.

Pros & Cons: Taurus GX4 Carry

Pros

Price

You can rarely beat the price of a Taurus handgun. They are some of the most affordable handguns on the market today. The GX4 Carry is priced as an entry-level handgun for most new gun owners. It’s just $515.99 for an optics-ready 9mm pistol with a 15-round capacity and two magazines.

Easy Disassembly

The Taurus GX4 Carry pistol is by far the easiest disassembly I’ve ever seen on a striker-fired handgun. The take-down pin is built into the side of the pistol’s frame. Make sure the gun is empty and clear of ammunition, and go ahead and pull the trigger on an empty gun. Then, use a flathead screwdriver or brass casing to rotate the take-down pin 90 degrees. Now, the slide should easily come off the frame of the pistol. That was the whole process of getting to the barrel and recoil spring assembly.

Cons

Aftermarket Holsters for the Taurus GX4 Carry

The hardest part of owning this pistol so far has been finding a compatible holster that fits just this specific firearm without a laser or light attachment. I don’t know if holsters for the GX4XL or original GX4 are compatible with the new pistol model.

Ammunition Testing 

I’ve found striker-fired handguns picky about what ammunition they like to run. I think this is due to the firearms manufacturers setting heavy recoil springs into handguns to be compatible with most 115-grain and lighter-grained 9mm ammunition. 

However, when you add a red dot optic to the slide of a handgun and shoot heavier-grained bullets that move slower, this can change the dynamics of the pistol and might require a lighter recoil spring to function properly. This was the case with the GX4 Carry pistol once I mounted a red dot optic and tried to shoot Federal Syntech Action Pistol 150 grain 9mm. This pistol preferred faster-moving rounds to force the slide all the way back and forward with the added weight on top.

Price VS Value

The Taurus GX4 Carry Pistol has the best price for the highest capacity of similar compact pistols. The Equalizer has a slightly shorter barrel than Taurus’ 3.7-inch barrel, while the 365XL is the same length as the GX4 Carry. The Masada Slim has a 3.4-inch barrel and slightly more felt recoil than the other pistols but is priced lower than the Taurus handgun. 

These handguns are similarly priced, are optic cut from the factory, and have options to get the longer extended magazines or to use base pads to increase capacity. With this quick comparison, the Taurus is a great option in terms of price and value offered in a compact, concealable, high-capacity carry gun.

• Taurus GX4 Carry Pistol: $515.99 (Capacity 15, Optics Ready)
• Smith & Wesson Equalizer: $599 (Capacity 10/13/15, Optics Ready)
• Sig P365XL: $599 (Capacity 12, Optics Ready)
• IWI Masada Slim: $450 (Capacity 10/13, Optics Ready)

Review Of The Taurus GX4 Carry Pistol

My initial thoughts about this pistol were positive. The grip angle and texture of this pistol are very attractive and comfortable. It’s one of the most comfortable grips, and the gun comes with three backstraps to custom-fit the handgun to your hand size. The grip itself was designed by shooters for shooters and features a wrap-around texture from the front and back straps to the side panels of the grip, maximizing the surface contact area in a compact pistol. 

Capacity 

I’m a big fan of the 15-round capacity, and now I won’t even carry a handgun if it doesn’t have a capacity of at least 12 rounds minimum. The micro pistols that hold 6-8 rounds aren’t enough, are challenging to grip, and are miserable to shoot in terms of felt recoil.

Comfort

The Taurus GX4 Carry Pistol is surprisingly comfortable and pleasurable to shoot. The felt recoil with the snappier 115-grain ammunition is still present, but with a 3.7-inch barrel, it’s ten times better than the short micro handguns available on the market today. 

Trigger

My favorite feature of this pistol is its flat trigger design, which has a clean break and an easy-to-feel reset. Taurus included a striker block safety and trigger safety, so they didn’t include an external thumb safety. I don’t recommend any handguns with external thumb safeties for people who don’t train regularly and often with these styles of guns. A carry gun should be simple to operate but still safe to wear on your body.

Sights

The front sight on the GX4 Carry pistol is fixed, and the rear sight is only adjustable for windage. These stock sights are also challenging to see and not easy to align. If you like iron sights, I recommend getting glow-in-the-dark night sights or a fiber optic front sight that is easier to pick up than the stock front sight. It’s important to sight the gun into your line of sight, even if you are using iron sights, so having an adjustable rear sight or a sight pusher tool will be essential to sight the gun in.

A red dot optic is a must-have for me, but it might not be a deal breaker for others. The T.O.R.O. option is something I recommend, so you have the option of switching to a red dot optic later if you want to upgrade from using iron sights. The Holosun 407k and 507k red dots are durable and easy to use, and they are also some of the most budget-friendly red dot optics on the market today. The Taurus GX4 Carry pistol creates a low profile with the addition of a red dot optic that is discrete and good for concealed carry.

Best Ammo Choices for the Taurus GX4 Carry

The range test confirmed what I mentioned earlier about my ammunition testing. I had to try several different types of ammunition before figuring out what worked best in the GX4 Carry pistol. Oversprung factory firearms need high-velocity ammunition to work the slide, especially when topped off with a red dot optic that adds weight.

Faster-moving, light projectile factory ammunition, such as Blazer 115, performed best. Speer Gold Dot personal protection ammunition was the best-performing hollow point. Always test-fire your concealed carry gun with the defensive ammo you plan to use to ensure it cycles reliably.

Reviewer Experience

I’ve carried a gun every day of my life since I was legally able to and had my carry permit to do so (before constitutional carry). I changed my carry handguns a few times and even have a rotation of guns I carry depending on the weather, time of year, and clothing I choose to wear. 

As a professional competitive shooter, I train often and regularly. I’ve taught hundreds of people how to shoot firearms. Also, I have taught both the Tennessee and Florida concealed carry permit classes, and continue to host private handgun classes. 

Since I enjoy testing handguns, I have shot hundreds of firearms and take an interest in every single one I pick up. This is especially so I know what to recommend to newer gun owners or people looking at buying their first carry gun. I like learning about how guns are manufactured, how to disassemble them, their flaws, at what point they may fail, and how compatible they are with other products. 

What About Bias?

Yes, I have some biases and often judge new products based on previous products. Still, I try to have an open mind each time I pick up something new. Two handguns in 2023 surprised me for the better: the Ruger Security 380 and the Taurus GX4 Carry. I now am the proud owner of both of these pistols. 

While those online who have their own thoughts about Ruger and Taurus might judge me, I’ve offered to let a few friends try both these guns on the range and evaluate for themselves. So far, just by demoing these guns, I’ve yet to be wrong about my recommendations for these two pistols. Sometimes it takes sending a few rounds downrange to see what online reviewers are talking about.

Conclusion: Should You Buy the Taurus GX4 Carry?

Taurus has made significant improvements in its semi-automatic handgun pistols. They’ve listened more to the market than other brands have in the past. That includes innovating, adding the necessary features that gun owners requested, and improving their product lines. The Taurus GX4 Carry is a great concealed carry gun and self-protection firearm for a budget.