In 1984, Taurus created a major subsidiary in the United States -- Taurus USA.
The move proved to be fortuitous and profitable as Taurus was well-positioned to take advantage of the burgeoning concealed carry market that started in the 90’s and has evolved into the compact, mini, and micro guns that dominate pistol sales today.
One of the first of these smaller, lighter handguns was the Kel-Tec P-3AT, which weighed only 8.3 ounces, but with its rather significant recoil, it was a handful to shoot. At the other end of the compact market, there was the 9.6 ounce Ruger LCP .380. This gun had accuracy issues, primarily due to the inordinately small sights, but Taurus has found the happy medium between these two guns with its PT738 Micro .380.
The PT738 is ergonomically designed with a rugged polymer frame and various ambidextrous controls. The black low relief sights are built in, but still have a higher profile than those on the Kel-Tec or Ruger. The gun is double-action only, which results in a long, but smooth, trigger pull. One six-round magazine is included with the PT738 and a total capacity of 7 rounds.
During range testing, two types of SIG ammo were used -- 100 grain FMJ flat nose and V-Crown 90-grain JHP defensive rounds. As author Scott W. Wagner points out in his article “Taurus PT738: Top of the Line Micro .380” at USConcealedCarry.com, the PT738 held up fine under rigorous testing:
“We began testing at 20 feet using the 100-grain FMJ ammo with the gun taken straight from the box. From the very first shot to the very last, the PT738 ran flawlessly. No break-in time or pre-shooting lubrication was needed. “(Read more at USConcealedCarry.com)
The PT738’s performance was equally unblemished with the V-Crown 90-grain bullets. At 20 feet, a 1.5 inch grouping was easily achieved with a seven-shot magazine emptying barrage. The 10.2 ounce weight of the pistol helped dull the recoil, resulting in an overall smooth, accurate action. At 50 yards, the Taurus PT738 still managed to hit the silhouette 30 percent of the time in diminished light.
In addition to its durable construction and concealability, the PT738 has another advantage. The MSRP is only about $180. This Taurus pistol is a great starter gun or a nice backup weapon for any personal defense system.