The Curve is curved. Yes, the whole gun. It matches the curve of your hand.

We stopped by Taurus at SHOT Show to get an update on the Curve and see if they had some other new products. We were not disappointed. For those of you who haven’t caught wind of the Curve, keep reading. We’ll include much more about it at the end.

The Curve

Check out our review of The Curve for more detailed information. Taurus did say that they will be shipping next month and are currently looking at the engineering to make a left-handed version in the near future. That will be an added bonus for those who want to shoot two guns at the same time, but still enjoy the unique ergonomic fit The Curve offers. Could akimbo get any more comfortable?

The MSRP is just under $400.

With the hammer spur on, the gun is easier to cock. But without it, it is easier to carry. Your choice.

The 85 Convertible

No, we are not talking about an 85 Chevy Cavalier. We are talking about the 85 Taurus revolvers. Now the 85 has been around a long time, but Taurus has come up with a neat little update. The Convertible allows you take the spur off the hammer with a simple twist. This turns it into a double action only for easier concealed carry. No more worrying about snagging the hammer when drawing from concealment.

The idea is so insanely simple. Why hasn’t it been integrated into more compact revolvers?  And it is super quick and easy to do. Just don’t lose the spur.  Maybe Taurus will start offering replacement hammers for those of us who lose them.

The Wings

Taurus has also come up with a cool idea for some of their sub compact pistols. The slides on these diminutive pistols are usually pretty stiff. Some shooters have a rather hard time racking the slide on there. Taurus has a solution with these small wings that fold out to make it easier to grip. Check out the photos for a better idea. These are in prototype right now, but should go into production on the TCP soon.

The Wings also look like horns. As in the horns on a bull. A Taurus bull. Take the bull by the horns.

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Don’t drop the slide on this dude with the wings extended, unless you know your hand is clear. The wings are steel, and would eat you up.

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The 85 Convertible.

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Here you can see the subtle curve of The Curve.

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The Curve

The Taurus Curve is unlike any firearm in the market. It is made to fit your body, not just your hand.

Taurus USA
https://www.taurususa.com/

When you think about it, we wear our guns a lot more than we shoot them, yet they are designed primarily for shooting. The new Taurus Curve fixes that. The grip on the gun is curved, so that when you wear it on your hip or carry it in your pocket, the gun hugs the contour of your body. The Curve is a 6+1 .380 ACP semi-automatic pistol with a consistent trigger pull for each shot. The MSRP for the introductory model is $392, and it will come with an integral LaserLyte light and laser combo built in. The Curve also comes with a Kydex pull-off trigger guard holster, and screwed onto the side of the gun is a steel clip for inside the waistband or inside a purse pocket carry. Overall the gun is 5.2″ long, and it ways 10.2 ounces empty.

I was one of about a dozen industry writers who were invited to shoot the Taurus Curve at the Miami Taurus plant a couple weeks before the gun’s launch. The Curve will be built in Miami and will carry a Made in U.S.A. moniker on its side. Right now there are only a couple hundred production sample guns built, and the gun should be ready for market and for sale at your local dealer by late Spring of 2015. Orders have already come in from all of the major gun distributors and the Curve should be one of the hot guns for next year. We will have a complete review before the gun comes to market.

First impression? After about 100 rounds shot at both stationary and moving targets, the Curve is going to be reliable and consistent. We shot at 7 yards using a new video screen target technology, and I felt that Curve was quick shooting and accurate enough to be a serious self defense weapon. The trigger pull is somewhat heavy, but most people want a heavier pull in a pocket, purse or belt gun that doesn’t have an external safety lever.

The sights on the Curve are a bit odd. It doesn’t actually have a traditional sight. Instead, there are lines painted on the back of the gun that form crosshairs like in a scope reticle. The center of the crosshairs is the rear of the barrel, the bore axis. So when you line up the crosshairs, you are basically lining up your bore with the target. I personally couldn’t hit much with the bore axis method, but the laser worked great! A human sized target at bedroom distances doesn’t require anything but a gun that you point, shoot and hit with. The Curve can hit at that distance without the laser, but you’ll find it a bit odd, if you are already an avid shooter and you are used to regular sights.

Which brings me to what I think is the most important thing that I read out of my initial impression of the Taurus Curve. If you read this GunsAmerica Digest, you are probably already a fan of firearms, and perhaps something of an expert in your circle of friends and family. We all get asked a lot the question of what gun to buy, as a basic self defense weapon. My answer for women and even many men is a small .380 or a .38 Special revolver. When I see they want a semi-auto, I will usually sway them towards a Kel-Tec, Ruger LCP or S&W Bodyguard. But then you have to deal with the questions of should I get a laser, what should I carry it in, etc.

This is the rear of the gun in hand.

Now, based on the performance of the guns I shot, I will most likely tell them to try the Curve. It fits your hand a little odd, because of the curve in the frame of the gun, but I found it not unpleasant to shoot, and because it is an actual hammer gun, not striker fired, I think it will have a good track record of long term reliability. I will be eager to test the production guns when they come out, but I think the Curve is going to be a good gun. I am a long time fan of Taurus because they give you a lot of gun for the money, and now that they have cured their quality control and customer service issues, I don’t think I will have any problem with recommending the Curve as an out of the box “all you need” kind of carry gun as a first choice for a .380. It even comes with the Taurus key locking feature for those who are afraid to have a gun in the house.

For now the Curve is only going to come in this configuration, with a hard case and two magazines, as well as the trigger guard holster. Later next year Taurus plans to release an even less expensive version with no light/laser on it. There also will be a left hand model at some point.

As you can see, the frame of the gun on the Curve is substantial, and that made it a soft shooter, despite it’s weight of only 10.2 ounces.

So what do you think? Is this gun going to be a home run for Taurus? It does take some getting used to shooting the Curve because your thumb is looking for a place to sit due to the inward curve of the grip. But I shot it both one and two handed and could consistently break 12″ video plates at 7 yards, even fast firing. The Curve certainly is a new concept, and I’m sure that Taurus would love to her your comments below as much as would we.