Just bought a Taurus G3c in .40 S&W

[cporfe]

Sold some stuff lately that I had no use for and bought a new Taurus in .40 S&W. Academy had a sale and it came with 3 mags so I'm set for the time being. I know there are haters out there and I'm not going to carry this. But, I have a healthy respect for 40 short and weak since my brother carried this caliber for the last part of his LEO career. He swore by it and wouldn't carry a 9mm after his training. I really wanted a G27, which my brother's issue gun was (he was an investigator in a southwest state) but they were expensive. Academy had it on sale for $279. Time will tell if this is money well spent or just another safe queen to dispose of later.

If you have had actual experience with this gun in this caliber, I'd appreciate some feedback/empirical anecdotes.

Chris

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Too many .40 cal haters here for positive feedback.



A G23 is my EDC.

 

[skfullgun]

I’ve remained quiet because the only experience I’ve had with one was in 9mm.
Mine was reliable and ergonomic. It ran 100%.

I traded up for a Ruger EC9 that proved unreliable….

I have other handguns in .40 and have no issue with the round itsef.

 

[glenbo]

I would bet that all the haters of the .40 S&W won't let themselves get shot with one to show how weak it is.

 

[V-Tach]

Weak? That shit is so dangerous I won't let in the house....................

 

[Sasquatch]

Sold some stuff lately that I had no use for and bought a new Taurus in .40 S&W. Academy had a sale and it came with 3 mags so I'm set for the time being. I know there are haters out there and I'm not going to carry this. But, I have a healthy respect for 40 short and weak since my brother carried this caliber for the last part of his LEO career. He swore by it and wouldn't carry a 9mm after his training. I really wanted a G27, which my brother's issue gun was (he was an investigator in a southwest state) but they were expensive. Academy had it on sale for $279. Time will tell if this is money well spent or just another safe queen to dispose of later.

If you have had actual experience with this gun in this caliber, I'd appreciate some feedback/empirical anecdotes.

Chris

My .40 experience isn't in the Taurus, and I haven't shot a G3c yet - I've owned a handful of .40's and a good friend of mine has and carries (or did, until he became a cop) a G2C.

The .40 is not my preferred round for a couple reasons, but its not terrible. Some guns it just is not pleasant to shoot in, while others its much more tolerable.

As for the Taurus in general - my experience with them upto shooting my friend's G2 was dismal at best. The earlier generations - the PT111 / 111Pro were dogshit. When my grand dad decided he wanted to upgrade to a semi-auto from his 5 shot S&W, he bought one. We went shooting. His first PT111 had a broken ejector right out of the box. The shop we got it from swapped it out for a new one. The second gun would not hit the broad side of a barn from inside it. Sent back to Taurus, got it back 4 weeks later, it was better, but then the trigger shoe cracked while shooting it. His third and final Millennium Pro version suffered the same trigger shoe cracking, along with FTE's and FTF's. He sold it and got a Glock 26. I was with him for ever round he shot through the gun, and shot probably half the rounds that those Taurii had through them.

My friend's G2C on the other hand - turned out to be a very reliable, much better built gun than earlier Taurus products. We shot together on a couple outings, and I was impressed by the better polymer blend used, the much better trigger, better sights, and how pleasant the G2C was to shoot compared to earlier editions. He owned better guns - Smith & Wesson M&P's - but chose to carry the G2 most of the time. Can't blame him, because we never had any issues when we shot together, and he said he never had any issues with it when he shot on his own. He's now headed into week three as a deputy sheriff, so he's carrying his issued gun on and off duty, which is a Glock 17. Says he'd rather the issued gun wind up in evidence if he gets into a shooting, because they'll give him another one.

I did own a .40 caliber version of the gun that the Taurus PT guns (and thus its successor the G3 and G2 versions) was based on - the KelTec P40. Honestly - the KelTec P40 was the .40 caliber that I've owned and shot that I liked the most. It wasn't the softest shooting, but it wasn't bad. I bought it from a friend with meatier hands for $50 because he hated how the gun slapped his hand and the slide bit him. I used it as a beater gun and carried it as a backup, or as a woods gun for a while. I cannot think why a gun that essentially copied the KelTec design would be any worse to shoot in the same caliber.

Another plus for the .40 - during the Rona lockdowns and panic buying - you could find .40 a lot more regularly than 9, 45, 38, or 357. Not a lot of guys running .40's these days compared to 9mm. Ammo might be more expensive, but it can be easier to find too.

If you like the round and you like the gun, rock on. Hopefully you enjoy the combo. I would certainly pick up a G27 when funds allow - the baby glock double stacks are great little guns.

 

[glenbo]

My first Glock was a 23, of course in .40 S&W. A cop friend and I often went to the range together. He was a fair shot for a cop with his Sig P226. We would walk cans or bottles up the berm at the range, 2 or 3 feet at a time, which is about 30 yards, with ease. I could put all 13 rounds into the bottom of a beer can at the same distance. That was about 30 years ago and I certainly wouldn't be able to do that now, but the .40 is strong, accurate, and deadly. Detractors can call it whatever they want, but it surely is not slow or weak.

 

[cporfe]

Great comments all. I own several fuller size guns in .40 but have never gotten around to shooting them. They're in long term storage so not immediately available. I agree during the ammo scare .40 S&W was a lot more available. I stocked up on 9mm when the scare lifted so I'm good to go for that in the near term. I might get some more 40, but it'll be HPs rather than FMJ for the simple reason that i want to find the round that will work best in this gun and then have what I need for future use. This gun won't be a range gun. I'll dig one out of storage if I get the need for a range gun.

I did own a G2C in 9mm once. I liked every thing about it except the magazine bite when I slapped a reload in. My stepson liked it so he has it now. Gotta keep things in the family.

Thanks all,
Chris