During 2017, Brazil’s Forjas Taurus (Taurus Arms) was undergoing expansive changes in both its corporate structure and production facilities, in order to demonstrate to customers a renewed dedication to product quality. The company’s handgun line was in the process of receiving an overhaul as well. Among the new offerings that year were the T-series polymer-frame pistols, including full-size and compact Taurus Hammer (TH) semi-automatics chambered in 9 mm Luger and .40 S&W.
Once established, it took a few more years before the TH family would be expanded to include models with a frame resized to accommodate larger cartridges. The TH45, chambered in .45 ACP, arrived in 2023 followed by the 10 mm Auto TH10 in 2024. This evaluation takes a closer look at the .45 ACP version.
Drawing its design cues from the PT809, the TH45 is a polymer-frame, hammer-fired, semi-automatic pistol. According to Taurus, the company did not simply take the existing TH frame and make it larger. Instead, the gun was re-designed with key points and components strengthened in order to manage the increased wear and tear that comes with using larger pistol cartridges.
Manufactured in Brazil, the pistol’s matte-black, carbon-steel slide features beveled edges for easier re-holstering, with rear cocking serrations. The factory-installed metallic sighting system consists of a pinned white-dot front unit paired with a serrated, drift-adjustable, square-notch rear. The ejection port is beveled for improved function and the oversize extraction claw also serves as a visible and tactile loaded-chamber indicator. As of this writing, the TH models are not available with optics-ready slides.
Removing the slide from the frame reveals a dual-spring recoil assembly, much like those used in some Glock pistols, supporting the 4.25"-long, flush-fit, stainless-steel barrel. The barrel’s bore is cut with traditional land-and-groove rifling at a 1:16" twist rate. This makes it suitable for use with jacketed, polymer-coated or lead bullets.
Although the TH45’s frame has been resized for .45 ACP, it incorporates the same features of previous duty-size models. The dustcover features a 1.75", two-slot accessory rail designed to accommodate a broad selection of weapon-mounted light and laser modules. Located behind this rail are frame dimples placed to serve as touch points for the tip of the trigger finger.
The integral trigger guard is curved along its front edge to serve as a finger rest. Its opening is sized to accommodate larger hands and gloved fingers. Where the guard meets the grip’s frontstrap it has been undercut and beveled for improved shooting hand comfort.
This pistol’s takedown lever emulates the Glock design. The remaining external controls, including the slide stop, thumb safety lever and the checkered round-button magazine release, are all metallic and bilateral. The thumb safety also serves as a hammer decocker. Although this model is assembled with an internal firing-pin-block safety, it does not have a magazine safety; the pistol will fire even when the magazine has been removed from the grip.
As a double-action/single-action, hammer-fired pistol, the qualities of the smooth-faced polymer trigger’s pull change depending on the position of the hammer. In double-action mode, the trigger has a longer, heavier pull, as it is first cocking and then dropping the hammer to fire the pistol. In this case, the DA break was smooth but heavy at 10 lbs., 10 ozs., of pull. Cocking the hammer sets the trigger to single-action mode, giving the trigger a light take-up with a firm stop just before breaking cleanly at 5 lbs., 11 ozs., of pressure.
This DA/SA configuration, with its external hammer and safety levers, allows the pistol to be carried “cocked-and-locked,” much like an M1911 pistol. In this condition there is a round in the chamber, the hammer is cocked and the safety is engaged. Once the thumb safety is swept down, this provides a single-action break for the first and subsequent shots.
At the top of the grip, recesses for the thumb and trigger finger are located just above the magazine release. An integral beavertail extension protects the web of the thumb from hammer bite. All four sides of the grip, including the finger-grooved frontstrap and curved backstrap, feature aggressive molded-in texturing that provides plenty of purchase. This model arrives with three interchangeable backstraps and two 13-round blued-steel magazines. These magazines are made by Mec-Gar, in Italy, which provides top-quality pistol magazines for a wide variety of makes and models.
At the range, the TH45 proved to be utterly reliable, without any mechanical, magazine- or ammunition-related issues. The controls were smooth in their operations, although the magazine release was fairly stiff and required an authoritative degree of pressure to operate. Weighing in at 27.2 ozs. with an empty magazine, this pistol is relatively lightweight compared to many other .45 ACP pistols. Nevertheless, felt recoil was more of a shove than a kick to the hand, with the grip shape and texturing contributing to a comfortable and controllable shooting experience.
The hammer-fired Taurus TH45 offers a useful set of features commonly preferred by modern polymer-frame pistol fans while being chambered in the venerable .45 ACP cartridge. It’s a platform and ammunition combination that works well together and does so at a fair price. This pistol is currently listed with a suggested retail price of $530, which translates to store prices closer to $450, making it one of the more affordable options in its class.
