The Dependable ‘Personality’ of the Taurus GX2

Have you ever thought of guns as having a personality? There are the flashy ones, and then there are the quiet ones. Not flashy, not showy, quietly working to get the job done. They don’t need recognition or acclaim. They simply do the job you need them to do consistently and reliably. The new Taurus GX2 fits that description.

Let’s start with the basics – the specifications:

• 9mm
• Overall length: 6.19 inches
• Overall width: 1.18 inches
• Barrel length: 3.38 inches
• Overall height: 4.89 inches
• Overall weight :19.04 ounces unloaded
• Polymer frame
• Alloy steel slide
• Stainless steel barrel
• Manual safety
• Trigger safety
• Fixed white dot, drift adjustable rear sight
• Two 13-round magazines

The Taurus GX2 is not fancy. It has an accessory rail, but that is the “only extra.” It doesn’t have a threaded barrel for a suppressor, and it’s not red-dot ready. While a red dot would be nice, it would add to the cost of the firearm.

As usual, the first thing I did was take it apart to clean and oil it. It is very easy to take apart, thanks to incorporating a take-down lever, clean and reassemble. It takes very little strength, it’s very straightforward and it’s a simple process.

I shot it offhand at seven yards at an indoor range. Sometimes I use my safety glasses with readers to see the sight clearly, but I wanted to try with just my regular glasses on. Doing so made the sights harder to see clearly, but I figured if I was going to need it for self-protection, I certainly wouldn’t have time to ask the bad guy to wait while I changed into shooting glasses with bifocals.

I use four different boxes of ammunition:

• Federal, American Eagle, FMJ, 124 gr. Largest group – 3.9 inches, smallest group 1.2 inches, average 2.12 inches
• PMC Bronze, 115 gr. Largest group – 2.38 inches, smallest group 1.65, average group 1.96 inches
• Sellier & Bellot, FMJ, 124 gr. – largest group 5.33 inches, smallest group 2.25, average group 3.64 inches
• CCI Blaser Brass, FMJ, 124 gr. – largest group 2.5 inches, smallest group 1.80 inches, average 2.23 inches

The GX2 fed all the ammunition flawlessly. I didn’t have a single problem with any of it. As you can see, my groups hovered around the two-inch range, which fits nicely in the area called center of mass, for defensive shooting.

Next, I wanted to have other women try out the Taurus GX2 and see what they thought about it. I’m the Facilitator for the Waco Chapter of A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AGAG), and the members are always happy to check out new guns.

I had each woman shoot a few shots, all on the same target. They shot in the same circumstances as I had shot my test – indoor range, offhand, at seven yards. Some of the women are more experienced, and some are fairly new to shooting. These were their first shots with the GX2; there were no warmup shots.

When they finished, we could see that only two shots went out of the outline. Every other shot was on target, any of which would have slowed down or stopped a threat. So even the newer shooters trying this new gun for the first time were successfully hitting the target.

Again, there were no malfunctions with the gun, which can sometimes happen with a newer shooter who is a little intimidated and might not hold the gun with a strong grip. But the GX2 accommodated everyone’s experience, grip and stance.

All the women liked the feel and shape of the gun and the grip. My son and a male safety officer at the range wanted to take a look at it as well, so they each picked it up to feel it. They both agreed the gun and the grip fit their larger hands well. That makes it easy for people of varying sizes to share this gun if needed.

Comments from the AGAG members included:

• I like it! $309? Really?! That’s crazy.
• It doesn’t have a lot of kick. For a $300 gun, that’s pretty good.
• Rough grips can bother me, but this grip is textured well and not too rough. I like it.
• My daughter needs a gun, and she can’t afford a lot. I’m going to tell her to check out this one, it’s a great option and it’s so affordable!

It can be easy to get caught up in the latest, greatest, best, of anything. But not everyone can afford the top-of-the-line, expensive, cold hard steel, blinged-out gun and honestly, they don’t usually need all that. But everyone should have access to something they can afford and can depend on to protect their life or their loved ones.

Sometimes all we need is that quiet “personality,” something that is dependable, reliable and trustworthy. And that is the Taurus GX2.

MSRP: $309.00.

Nancy Keaton is the facilitator for the Waco Chapter of A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League. She formerly shot in IDPA, ASI and 3 Gun matches, was the president of Centralia Rifle Club in Centralia, Washington, and is a retired college administrator. Her work has appeared in multiple publications and online. Check them out on her website and on Muckrack.