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Taurus 709 Slim Gun Review

The compact and subcompact firearms market is a very competitive one these days. So, there’s an incredible amount of choices that need to be made when picking the right one for your particular needs.

If you’re looking for a slimline, modern polymer and concealed carry pistol, the Taurus 709 Slim could be a very safe bet!

The Taurus is a double-action 9mm pistol, that’s probably not quite small enough to be a pocket carried firearm. Yet, this pistol is super-slim and therefore is most likely to conceal well.

Let’s Take a Look Further into What This Slimline Taurus Model Can Offer You…

On arrival, the Taurus comes in a cardboard box rather than a solid case. This is frankly a little disappointing, but then how many gun owners really carry or store their gun in the original box anyway?

You open up the box to find a small manual, which does contain some useful and straight forward info to digest about your new firearm. The manual is very visual in explaining the features of your new Taurus. The highlight is that it explains how you can use and adjust your sights.

Taurus 709 Slim Gun

Moving on to the actual gun now…

The Taurus 709 Slim is basically a single-stack 9mm that comes with a 7 plus 1 magazine. As you start to look at the gun properly, you notice just how slim this thing is! Arguably, this gun could be too slim for some of you out there. It surely does make up for being so slimline with its concealment capabilities though!

Slimline and double-action…

Once you clear the barrel, you can pull the trigger to find out that this is a double-action pistol. A nice feature Taurus has added is that there is a second-strike capability with this firearm.

Having a second-strike capability just means that if the primer doesn’t go off after you’ve pulled the trigger, there is an allowance for an extra opportunity to get a cartridge fired. This type of feature is exclusive to proper double-action guns.

Safety on…

Taurus has built-in an external safety, which is nice for a firearm of this size. Although the safety is not ambidextrous. You will, however, find out later on how the trigger is pretty heavy! So is having an external safety needed? We’ll leave that question for you to answer. In the end, the safety does its job well and does lock the trigger as it should.

Taurus 709 Slim Gun review
Photo by Fobus International

Since we were just talking about locking and safety, it’s worth mentioning that this Taurus does have an overall locking feature incorporated into its design. Basically, you can disable the gun using a little tool that accompanies the gun in its box. For any gun owners out there with kids around, we know this kind of feature can give you a little more peace of mind.

Another very small, but very nice safety feature is that a pin will pop up above the chamber to let you know that there is a round in there. Just little additions like this are making us really start to warm to this compact pistol design.


How Do You Take It Apart?

Well, this Taurus pulls apart like many other smaller polymer pistols such as Glocks or Sig Sauers. You just have to pull back the slide a little while pulling the trigger, then hold down the slide-release. The gun comes apart easily with little fuss! The slide-release is ambidextrous.

How Does The Taurus 709 Slim Measure-up Internally?

The first thing we notice when opening the gun up is that the guide rod is of high quality, made from steel. Having a steel guide rod makes for better strength within your firearm, and probably helps with better accuracy as well. This also is an improved feature for Taurus, with earlier models not displaying this kind of quality in this particular feature.

The barrel on this pistol is also quite impressive. The barrel has a chrome finish, which again is showing us good quality components within this firearm. One piece of advice is to go easy with the greasing of this barrel, as it has been known not to take too well to overly treating it.

taurus 709
Photo by Rezz Guns (AZ GUNS-R-US)

More on safety…

If you look into the frame once the barrel is taken out, you’ll notice a standard safety plunger-type button, which is linked to the external use of this mechanism. This element is in place so that you don’t have to worry so much about pitching occurring.

Overall, we can say that this modern-day polymer is put together very simply, and pretty well! It all works as it should, and there are no fiddly complications to deal with which we all like!

Shooting The Taurus 709 Slim…

Now we’ve inspected how the works, let’s take a look at its functionality and feel.

The Taurus 709 Slim does have a very hard trigger! Out of all the features on this gun, this could be a make or break for many of you thinking of purchasing this gun. You’re going to have to pull on this trigger quite hard to fire it. Plus, you may even get slight impressions on your finger with extended use.

The only real benefit of a harder trigger is that it can be an added safety feature if you left the safety switch off. Additionally, some people actually prefer a harder trigger – maybe because that’s what they’re used to or because they don’t want to be able to slip a finger and fire so easily. In the end, it all comes down to personal preference!

Can it actually be too slim?

Another issue people with larger hands may have, is that the gun might not be so comfortable to shoot due to it being so slim!

We did notice when gripping the gun that it has a very subtle indent on the frame for resting your index finger, which does add a little comfort.

It should also be remembered that this type of gun really isn’t one you’d be wanting to fire on a regular basis. If anything, this gun is primarily intended for personal safety and concealment. So ultimately, you’ll be sacrificing some comfort for this guns intended application.

Who Could it Really Benefit From The Taurus 709 Slim?

Given all that we’ve said so far if you’re a female with smaller hands looking at this review – this really could be a good choice in terms of grip and feel. Yes, the trigger is hard, and that’s something you would have to get used too. But the gun is low-profile and much slimmer than your average compact. We also like the texture on the grip.

The Price!

So apart from the slimline aspect, the price has to be another major selling point for this pistol. Considering as well that Taurus has improved the quality of the internal components on this gun, you’re getting a very favorable deal! With other competitors offering a similar package to this Taurus at way higher prices, things start to look a lot more attractive with this particular firearm. It’s just getting over that hard trigger!

So now let’s summarize the Pros and Cons of the 709 Slim before we conclude with our overall thoughts…


Taurus 709 Slim Gun Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Incredibly affordable!
  • Made as a modern polymer design.
  • It’s a double-action pistol with a second-strike capability.
  • Built to be super-slim for concealed carry!
  • Includes an external safety.
  • There’s a gun disabling feature.
  • It has a quality steel guide rod.
  • The barrel is chrome finished.
  • It’s a low profile design.
  • The textured grip is decent.

Taurus 709 review

Cons

  • It has a very hard trigger.
  • It’s questionable whether an external safety is needed.
  • Won’t be so comfortable for larger hands.

Taurus 709 Slim Gun Review Conclusion

To conclude, we have noticed Taurus has stepped up their game in terms of the quality of the internal components of this pistol. Plus, they’ve added some nice little extra features such as the pin indicator for a loaded chamber.

That being said, the big downside to this compact polymer is that the trigger is pretty hard! As well, the slimline selling point of this gun can pose problems of comfort for shooters with larger hands. All-in-all though, we all have to consider the purpose of this gun! What was it designed for? The obvious answer is for concealed carry and personal protection.

We think the Taurus 709 Slim will be able to be tucked away easily with multiple carry options. Plus, due to its slimline design, it is less likely to show on your body than other bulkier options on the market today. We could even call this a “last resort gun” so to speak! If you’re in trouble, this hidden firearm could be a savior!

A final thought…

One final thing we have to mention again with the Taurus is that it is so cheap! For what you get in terms of an improved Taurus design quality, this thing is an absolute bargain! Usually, at current market prices, you’re looking at around the 300 dollar price range, or under to buy this gun!

Thanks very much for checking out our review, stay safe as always, and good luck in choosing the right weapon for your needs.


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