Self-defense is an important topic. Everyone is looking for a way to keep themselves safe but not destroy themselves financially in the process.
This means there are a lot of affordable pistol options out there to choose from. But there is a trade off between affordability and quality when we go lower on price in the firearms world.
Not everyone can spend $500+ on a self-defense pistol. This makes options like the Taurus G2c very appealing to those on a budget. But what are some of the issues we encounter with the G2c? Are they bad enough to disqualify it from our options?
Taurus G2c Problems
The Taurus G2c has three main problems: the trigger, the manual safety, and the feeding of ammunition. Additional problems include trouble with the slide stop and shallower than standard sights.
Breaking Down the Problems
Every firearm is going to experience a malfunction at some point especially if it is not properly cared for and put through very high round counts. In some designs that malfunction is a sign that the gun needs to be cleaned.
But sometimes these malfunctions occur when the gun would otherwise be running normally. This happens a lot with Taurus brand pistols, which has earned a number of their pistols a bad name.
Now not all malfunctions are going to be life threatening. And there are some that are going to significantly impact our faith in the reliability of the gun. Unfortunately, the G2c has a mixture of these malfunctions and a few other concerns.
Let’s get into them
1. Trigger Issues
The primary problem with the Taurus G2c is related to the trigger. Since the G2c is a striker fired pistol it does not have an amazing trigger. But even then the trigger is very lack-luster when we compare it to other trigger designs.
The trigger tends to be a bit gritty and can be hard to pull but this is not really an issue. Does it indicate that the trigger is poorly designed? Yes.
However there is a significant problem with the trigger’s performance. Sometimes the trigger does not work.
On some G2c’s pulling the trigger with the safety off results in a dead trigger and pulling it again will cause the gun to fire.
This is a huge reliability issue because there is no indicator of when this dead trigger will occur. In a defensive situation this is not what we want. If we have to defend ourselves we want the gun to fire when we need it to fire.
We do not want a gun that “might” fire when we need it. This alone moves it out of the category of viable options even within the sphere of Taurus pistols.
2. Manual Safety Issues
The next issue we have with the G2c is related to the manual safety. The safety will still work but the issue related to it is more about handling the gun.
When putting the gun on safe, there is a small margin of error where the safety moves and looks like it is engaged but the safety has not been engaged.
This means that pulling the trigger will still cause the gun to go off. This is unlikely to happen if the shooter is practicing proper firearms safety measures, but it does create a potential hazard.
This hazard is related to the gun going off in the holster. An issue that we’ll deal with later is that there are few quality holster options for the G2c. If the G2c is in a low quality holster that does not fully protect the trigger and the safety is not fully engaged the risk of an accidental discharge increases.
It would be better if the safety was easier to engage without an area where it looks engaged. This comes down to training with the pistol and learning how the safety works to ensure you’re engaging it each time you use it.
3. Feeding Issues
Feeding issues are not uncommon with semi-automatic handguns and usually are related to magazine design. However the Taurus G2c has feeding issues even with working magazines.
This is because the barrel does not tip far enough to accept the next round sometimes. This can be due to the ammunition type used, specifically when using hollow-point ammunition.
There are also failures to eject the spent shell casing or failures to feed due to the magazine not being properly seated. The magazine can also come slightly out of its proper seated position, inducing a malfunction.
4. Slide Stop Issues
Another minor issue is related to the slide stop on the G2c. New models tend to have very stiff slide stop latches.
This means that the slide stop can engage the slide when we don’t want it to. Make sure to fully depress the slight stop when you are not using it, that way it will engage when it is supposed to.
It will loosen up in time and then work properly.
5. Sights and Aftermarket
The final issues with the G2c are related to the sights and the aftermarket available for the pistol.
The sights on the G2c are very shallow when they are compared with other modern pistol sights. This can impact your ability to aim the gun effectively.
While the sights can be swapped out for others the options available are very limited. Which brings us to another drawback of the G2c: lack of aftermarket support.
There are a handful of providers who offer anything related to the G2c. Very few options to upgrade the trigger (which only makes the trigger smoother) and no real means of upgrading or tuning the gun.
Additionally there are issues with getting a holster for the G2c, while there are numerous providers that offer holsters for the G2c not all of them offer the same level of durability and resilience. Some are more expensive which makes them less likely to be chosen because we’re dealing with a budget option.
The performance you get out of the box is really the only performance you are going to get with the G2c. This limits you as a shooter from growing with the gun and expanding its capabilities to suit your skill level.
Conclusion
The G2c is a subpar option for self-defense. Most of the issues it experiences are not deal breakers when it comes to an affordable pistol in the G2c’s price range.
However the presence of the dead trigger malfunction makes this pistol a significant liability in a self-defense scenario.
That malfunction alone is the major reason it is not recommended to use the G2c in a serious capacity. It can make a good range gun but it will not make a good concealed-carry gun. There is too high a chance for the trigger to not work and no indication of how to make it more reliable other than pulling the trigger again until it works.
This eats up precious seconds in a defensive scenario. There are better options available to the G2c even within the Taurus brand itself.
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