First Look: Taurus Curve

I'm just not sure if I like this or not. It looks "gimmicky", but reading the article, I can see where it would be handy in summer with light clothing. Concealable is the name of the game and this is designed to look like a cell phone in your pocket or waistband. Not a huge fan of the .380, because of it's lack of power, but in a pinch at close range, it's better than not having one at all.

www.gunsandammo.com...

Rather than develop another pistol that requires people to conform around the dimensions of a gun, the new Taurus Curve conforms around the contours of the human body

The omission of an external safety, a slide release lever and iron sights also results in snag-free carry. Aiming the hammer-fired, double-action only (DAO) pistol can happen one of three ways. Some will want to simply point-shoot this pistol at close-range targets. Others will use the crosshairs etched on the rear of the slide. However, G&A anticipates that most will activate the on-board red laser and LED light module produced for the Curve by LaserLyte. Why no iron sights on the slide, you might ask? One theory is that self-defense with a .380 fired from a sub 3-inch barrel resembles more of a point-and-shoot task than a bullseye competition. With a bit of practice, getting hits on torso targets positioned across an average-sized room (15 ft.) was no problem during G&A’s initial testing this summer.

a reply to: DAVID64

I have a lot of concerns on a weapon like this.

1. How is the curvature going to affect how recoil acts on the hand. With my experience in subcompact .380 pistols, recoil is almost uncontrollable with the weapon coming up out of the supporting hand. Will a curved grip make it impossible to control with the actual gripping hand?

2. How is targeting going to be affected by a weapon like this? It has no built in sights so your only point of aim is going to be a laser. Again, in my experience, unless the laser is seriously shock tolerant it will not hold zero. The batteries will be shaken inside the battery compartment as the weapon is fired turning the laser off. The aperture could also be shaken entirely loose.

3. The trigger guard is fully enclosed around a large trigger. In winter, how is this going to affect a gloved hand?

4. The typical .380 caliber pistol is incredibly hard to manipulate. The slide is usually a seriously heavy pull. Cold hands are going to be weaker. My wife doesn't have the same hand strength that I do and she found the slide on her old .380 to be near impossible to manipulate. For me, it was a serious pain as well. How is a gun with essentially zero serrations on the slide going to be positively charged quickly?

There are far too many unanswered questions. Magazines like G & A are essentially paid to write garbage articles on weapons they've "reviewed". G & A did the initial "Review" on the Remington R51. One of the worst pistols to ever hit the market. Not one reliable R51 was ever produced and they received so much flak for it that Remington STOPPED MAKING THEM. G & A stuck to their guns on the review, despite the obvious pay to play nature of the review.

Taurus isn't exactly known for reliable semi-auto handguns. Let alone easy to manipulate and use subcompact firearms.

Again, too many unanswered questions to place money or my life in the hands of an obviously gimmicky gun.

a reply to: DAVID64

With a bit of practice, getting hits on torso targets positioned across an average-sized room (15 ft.) was no problem during G&A’s initial testing this summer.

Like you said, gimmicky.

Keep it simple… carry your primary side arm. Leave the gimmicks at home. Gimmicks may not work when you most need them.

a reply to: projectvxn

not sure about the laser, the battery, or the grip....though i would imagine the curved grip might make it somewhat easier to hold...

but it seems this weapon is pretty much a seasonal carry weapon...designed to be easily concealable during months when it's hot, and you're not wearing a lot. i would imagine during colder months, a more robust weapon could be carried. if i cared, that's what i'd do. as it stands, if i'm carrying, i don't necessarily care if anyone notices....

a reply to: Daedalus

but it seems this weapon is pretty much a seasonal carry weapon...designed to be easily concealable during months when it's hot, and you're not wearing a lot.

Yes. Definitely not to be worn after September, about the same time that it's time to stop wearing white. So not cool.


Seasonal weaponry?

a reply to: Phage

Some weapons are seasonal.

Small weapons are typically more suited to the warmer months due to less concealment available for the clothing appropriate to the environment.

The winter months allow for the carry of larger, more power weapons due to more clothing being worn. Easier to hide a gun under a jacket than under a tank top or tshirt.

a reply to: Daedalus

though i would imagine the curved grip might make it somewhat easier to hold...

The .380 round is a really snappy round out of sub compact weapons. I can't imagine that tiny little grip providing a secure hold on the weapon if it were straight, let alone curved.

I remain unconvinced of the legitimacy of this weapon. It is brand new. As with all brand new weapons I tend to sit back and watch the market test them for me for a few years before I bother with them.

a reply to: projectvxn
Ok.
So you have to carry an inadequate weapon when it's hot?
Why do you have to hide it?

a reply to: Phage

Small does not necessarily equal inadequate.

Carrying concealed has many advantages over open carrying.

1. Concealed carry is considered neighborly. To mean that you aren't alarming people by carrying a weapon.

2. I don't think i have to discuss the tactical advantage of aggressors not knowing whether you are or are not carrying a firearm.

3. Some states and localities don't allow open carry as an option and only allow concealed carry of firearms.

a reply to: projectvxn

Small does not necessarily equal inadequate.

Then why carry a heavier weapon if a lighter one is adequate?

1. Concealed carry is considered neighborly. To mean that you aren't alarming people by carrying a weapon.

Why carry a heavier weapon just because you are wearing more clothing?

2. I don't think i have to discuss the tactical advantage of aggressors not knowing whether you are or are not carrying a firearm.

Deterrence has no value?

3. Some states and localities don't allow open carry as an option and only allow concealed carry of firearms.

Why carry a heavier weapon if a lighter one is adequate?

a reply to: Phage

Then why carry a heavier weapon if a lighter one is adequate?

I break it down to preference. There are many firearms out there. Personally I prefer semi-auto pistols with a 4 inch barrel, chambered in 9mm Parabellum, a 1.5 to 2 degree angled full sized grip and at least a 15 round double stack capacity magazine. There are only a few companies that make pistols with these kinds of ergonomics. Walther, Canik55, and Steyr Arms.

Others prefer a more concealable weapon with a smaller grip better suited to the size of their hand. Some prefer revolvers even though they don't have the same capacity and speed of reload as a semiauto.

Why carry a heavier weapon just because you are wearing more clothing?

Again this comes down to preference. But a larger weapon usually allows more room in the trigger guard. Better for gloved fingers. Serrations on the slide are also usually more aggressive and large, and allow for those gloved hands to manipulate the slide more easily.

Deterrence has no value?

Deterrence has plenty of value. I often carry openly. But some places don't allow it, and there are times when it is simply not appropriate to open carry a firearm.

a reply to: projectvxn

I break it down to preference. There are many firearms out there. Personally I prefer semi-auto pistols with a 4 inch barrel, chambered in 9mm Parabellum, a 1.5 to 2 degree angled full sized grip and at least a 15 round double stack capacity magazine. There are only a few companies that make pistols with these kinds of ergonomics. Walther, Canik55, and Steyr Arms.

I understand preferences. It's the idea of seasonal weaponry and the obvious comparisons to fashion than I find a bit amusing. "The Taurus, it's what everyone will be packing this winter." Speaking of Walther, did Bond carry something different in winter?

a reply to: projectvxn

well, the WAY it's curved, looks to me like it might conform to the hand a bit better....unless you're a lefty...

in any event, yes, by all means, lets see if this thing takes off, or blows up on the pad..

a reply to: Phage

It's the idea of seasonal weaponry and the obvious comparisons to fashion than I find a bit amusing.

I carry one weapon year around. But many people do tailor their carry options to seasonal changes. I know a few women who have Cerakoted their various firearms to match their most favored outfits.

It is an amusing idea. But, like anything else, if a market can be made for it, it will be.

a reply to: projectvxn

I know a few women who have Cerakoted their various firearms to match their most favored outfits.

With matching underwear?
Never mind, going off topic now.

a reply to: Phage

while that's funny, it's nothing to do with fashion...a gun is not a friggin fashion accessory...

it's all about maintaining concealment.

lemme put it to you another way.....you wouldn't take a ferarri off-roading....just like you wouldn't take a lifted jeep to the track....it's all about what's most appropriate for the situation and circumstances...

a reply to: Daedalus

well, the WAY it's curved, looks to me like it might conform to the hand a bit better....unless you're a lefty...

Lefties tend to get the short end of the stick in the firearms market for sure. My concern is how the recoil will act on a curved grip as opposed to a straight grip. That aspect of its physical characteristics is simply unknown. It seems that the entire purpose of the curvature was to create concealability for hip hugger jeans(trying to catch more female gun owners). The physics seems to be an afterthought.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: projectvxn

I know a few women who have Cerakoted their various firearms to match their most favored outfits.

With matching underwear?
Never mind, going off topic now.

Wouldn't surprise me.

a reply to: Daedalus

while that's funny, it's nothing to do with fashion...a gun is not a friggin fashion accessory...

Not always the case.

Fashion is an aspect of firearms that has always been there. It used to be engravings on the metal surfaces. Then it became form. These days its the more futuristic straight cuts and whatever looks cool. There's an entire industry out there dedicated to making guns look cool, or fancy, or beautiful. You can't say there isn't a fashion aspect to it.

a reply to: Daedalus

it's all about what's most appropriate for the situation and circumstances...

What sort of situation and circumstances? There could be a situation or circumstance where an automatic rifle would be most appropriate. Ending up in the middle of an armed bank robbery for example.

It would seem that a weapon that I am comfortable with in any situation that I would have a reasonable expectation of encountering in daily life would be the most appropriate one to carry. I don't see how the season would have much influence on that criterion.