Taurus GX2: A Full-Featured 9mm Semi-Auto Handgun

I tested the Taurus GX2, a 13-round, striker-fired, polymer-framed, 9mm semi-auto handgun. I have tested a lot of guns in my career. I liked most of them. I have been indifferent about others. This is the first full-featured one I have ever tested with an MSRP of $332.99. Most retailers I know sell it for less. The GX2 has the build quality and features of an expensive gun, at a bargain price.  

Ever since Taurus Holdings Inc. opened their headquarters in Bainbridge, Georgia, in 2018, something clicked. They may be working on quality firearms on precision equipment in a modernized facility, but they are doing it the old-fashioned way: They are listening to their customers and responding.

Taurus kicked it off when they produced the G3 line, the third generation of the Taurus striker-fired polymer pistols. Taurus G3 guns incorporated palm swells, strategic stippling, and an unusual action for a striker gun. It has a second-strike capability, a feature unprecedented in a striker gun.

The GX2 is the 4th generation iteration.  It was designed with all of the desirable features that we seek in more expensive guns, like dovetail sights and MIL-STD-1913 rails. Although the GX2 doesn’t have an optic cut, Taurus had a good plan for sighting choices: It takes Glock sights. One can stake similar sights in the front. This opens them up to a huge variety of options.

I have heard of the GX2 being compared to the Glock 19 in size and design. It is much smaller than my G19. The GX2 has a 6.19” OAL, compared to a G19’s 7.28”. In fact, the GX2 is similar to my S&W Shield. The barrel is 3.38”. It holds 13 rounds.

My testing days began with lots of rounds. I had a few boxes of Winchester White Box 115 grain 9mm, and hundreds of my own loads from my Dillon XL750 Reloader. The first thing I wanted to know was whether my GX2 can digest a wide variety of rounds in great volumes. I put about 30 rounds down range. The bullets were consistently striking left. I had a complete armorer’s kit with me, and I drifted the rear sight. I put another 30 shots into the sinus cavity of my target, exactly where I set the sights.

I put another 100 rounds into a torso target before I took a break. The GX2’s barrel has a target-style crown, and a short tilt-barrel lockup. By this time, I had put more than 200 uninterrupted rounds down range.

This gun was perfect for failure drills from the holster. In a solo failure drill, the officer draws and fires two shots to center mass, then one to the sinus cavity. I use a shot timer for this. This drill is best done with a shooter/coach, where the coach gives the command to fire, then shoots the torso until the “failure” command is given. The failure command means the shooter addresses the sinus cavity.

The GX2 uses a captive two stage recoil spring and a short recoil locking system. The alloy slide has aggressive front and rear serrations, and an external extractor. The mechanism is simple, and the recoil dampening is effective. Coupled with a wide beavertail and some of the best molded factory stippling on a stock gun, the GX2 provides comfortable shooting sessions.

After several hundred rounds, I had determined that the GX2 is a pretty good choice for the beginning user. The controls, including the manual safety and magazine catch, are easy to access for a variety of hand sizes.  Some guns deliver discomforts like “slide bite” and skinned thumb tips. The frame of the GX2 cradles the moving parts well, and the points of human interaction had rounded edges and comfortable contours. I liked the indexing pad stippling in front of the take down lever.

I do not like trigger guards that are squared off in the front. I do appreciate the fact that this one is thin and somewhat blended into the frame.

The only aggressive parts of this gun are the front and rear serrations in the slide. They make the gun easy to manipulate, whether the users’ hands are wet or gloved. There are many shooters who send their guns to a gunsmith to have custom slide cuts like these. Taurus included them as part of the package, and they work very, very, well.

The gun fit me well. It fit everyone else well too. Still, if I were to add anything, it would be swappable backstraps.

This is a right-handed gun. The manual safety is only on the left side of the frame. The magazine release uses a tension bar, and not a captive coil spring. This design allows for switching to left-hand operation. I did not try this, but it looks like it was designed for it.

In the past couple of years, there has been a trend of users gravitating toward having a manual safety on striker guns. I could go either way with this, as I firmly believe the safety between one’s ears is the most effective. The GX2 safety is unobtrusive and easily accessed, so it is an appropriate design.

The trigger has a central pivoting part, known as a “trigger safety”, typically found on striker-fired guns. The trigger is slightly fatter and heavier than similar models and feels a bit chunky against my finger.

I field stripped my GX2 and inspected the inner parts. I started by looking at the frame rails. It was then I realized that the GX2 is designed around a fire control component that appears to be one piece. Using a fire control design opens up all kinds of possibilities, like being able to swap grips, as the fire control is the serialized part. This type of design allows for easy maintenance and inspection.

The GX2 uses a rotating catch on the side of the frame for field stripping. One can do most maintenance tasks, and most armorers tasks without any specialized tools.

I didn’t add anything like a light or accessories for my test. If I had to guess, most people who would purchase this gun wouldn’t either. Most would carry it like a basic CCW gun in an IWB holster.

The magazines were easy to field strip, but I didn’t do any other testing of the magazines. The GX2 comes with Taurus manufactured magazines, which aren’t bad. If one orders aftermarket magazines like I did, they come with the Mec-Gar stamp. That’s right, aftermarket magazines are made by one of the best magazine manufacturers in the world. If you purchase the GX2, buy the Mec-Gar magazines.

Taurus even has a sub-caliber trainer for the GX2: The TX22 Compact. This is similar in profile, but in 22LR. This gun can be used for plinking or serious training.

After several hundred rounds, I’m pretty sure the GX2 will go head-to-head with some of the better EDC guns on the market today. It certainly has the quality and features.

The GX2 is available in multiple color options. Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I didn’t get a purple one.