Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols – SHOT Show 2013

in Authors, Brian Jensen, SHOT Show 2013
Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols  - SHOT Show 2013
Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols  - SHOT Show 2013
The PT111 Millennium G2 is a nice revamp of the original PT111.
Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols  - SHOT Show 2013
PT111 fans will be grateful to see that Taurus retained the little manual safety on the left side of the frame. If you haven’t tried this safety, it is suprisingly usable for its size. And the PT111 is one of the few striker guns on the market to allow a second strike with a second trigger pull. The trigger full cocks and releases the striker.
Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols  - SHOT Show 2013
The PT111 Millenium G2 is extremely thin in the grip, and makes for an easy gun to carry concealed.
Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols  - SHOT Show 2013
The forward portion of the slide along the barrel is scalloped, which I assume, takes some weight off the steel of the slide, provides added purchase and also breaks up the boxy look like ugly Glocks.
Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols  - SHOT Show 2013
The magazines are steel, and carry 12 rounds of 9 mm.
Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols  - SHOT Show 2013
This is the up position for the safety. Taurus has improved the looks and ergonomics of the PT111 in the Gen 2 while retaining all the best features, like second strike, and the key lock safety built into the gun just like their revolvers.

Download the 2013 Taurus Catalog
https://www.taurususa.com/pdf/2013_taurus_catalog.pdf

Taurus has always been renowned for its top-notch warranty. Basically, the gun is guaranteed for life, and the warranty goes with the gun from owner to owner.

This year, instead of heading off in some radical new direction, Taurus refined an old favorite. The PT111 has long been known for its small size and respectable firepower, so Taurus decided to push the envelope by reworking its striker-fired PT111 9 mm into the PT111 Millennium G2, part of its “Carry On” series for the concealed carry (CCW) market. The PT140 was also reworked into a similar PT140 Millennium G2 in .40 S&W. If you take a look at the gun pictures, it is head and shoulders better looking than the original Millennium guns, and we hope to get one in to test in hand. Taurus seems to have a new focus on making fewer different guns better, and this gun could be a pleasant surprise at an affordable price.

This new Millenium is a CCW dream come true. It’s a 12-shot 9 mm in a package about the size of most new micro 9 mms or .380 ACPs. And, it only weighs 22 ounces unloaded. I came back to the little gun several times, and it just felt very nice in the hand. The entire exterior has been reworked into a very good-looking little gun suitable for bragging rights—even if it is from Taurus, a company known for affordability, not prestige. The .40S&W version holds 10 rounds, and note that they are reversed in the catalog. We have not been able to find an MSRP on the guns, but they will probably be along the same lines as the original PT111 and PT140.

The polymer frame’s integral grip now has an attractive and very functional gripping surface. In addition, the blued steel slide is scalloped along the upper edges toward the 3.2-inch barrel and the gun has a loaded-chamber indicator that pops up from the slide. Taurus also kept the single-sided thumb safety along the left-hand side of the gun. Topping it off are adjustable three-dot white sights. There is an accessory rail on the front of the gun, in case you want to mount a light/laser combo and keep the gun in your nightstand.

In hand, the gun felt very comfortable and thin. I tried the trigger pull, and it has a nice, almost crisp break. The thumb safety works easily. It pointed naturally in my case, so the gun’s grip angle seemed about right, although I’d really like to try it at the range since most CCW confrontations are point-and-shoot affairs. I put the gun next to Taurus’ PT709 Slim model, and while the 709 is shorter in the grip, the PT111 Millennium G2 is only marginally thicker.

In my opinion, the .40 S&W version will definitely be a handful. The 9 mm, however, seems just about perfect chambering for this size of handgun, and from what I saw this CCW option looks like it’s a quality product with enough firepower to get you out of most situations. Taurus seems to be thinning the wildly different types of guns they have offered in the past to concentrate on their core best models this year. Affordable guns are the most important part of the gun market and a strong and focused Taurus will be welcomed by American gun buyers on a budget.

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