Taurus 709 SLIM 9mm 7rd Blue Slide

Customer Reviews

Great CCW Gun Review by Eke

I've had this a few months now and have put over 200 rounds. The gun works great, carries nicely and is light weight. The only problem i had was w/the mag. It comes w/one 7 rounds, and when it got down to about 3 left it wouldn't feed correctly. This wasn't all the time, but did happen twice. I called Taurus and they sent me another mag (no charge) and have had no problems since.
I've read a lot of reviews about the Taurus, and many bad ones (seems like the older models and individual experiences though). Anyway, the gun itself works just fine. I ordered the Pearce grip extension for the mag and it feels nice. I like the safety features regardless of what others may say about it.
I'm looking for a a .45 cal handgun now, and the Springfield xdS looks similar to the 709 slim, single stack, sub compact, etc. (Posted on 11/18/12)

Great gun, super price, can pocket carry without pinky extensions Review by kim

Great service and communication from PSA staff. My sights were perfect from the factory - didn't have to touch them. Clean the gun well AND don't skip opening the firing pin housing like I did (thought lots of solvent would be enough - laziness on my part). Clean the mags too! Once cleaned of the factory 'goo' I oiled the gun, loaded the mags and left them overnight - racked the slide a few hundred times to break in / warm up the action and headed to the range the next day. For fun and a good benchmark I shot the 709 against my Kahr CW9 that I've carried for 2+ years AND a Sig P250C 9mm - both tyhese guns have longer barrels. The Kahr is approximately the same size and weight - the Sig is a good bit larger. The Kahr's lines do not make it a pocket pistol (great IWB though) - that's why I was shopping for a summer pocket pistol. At the range the 709 really held its own against two good guns that I was much more familiar with. These posts are on the Taurus Armed forum sight (user name mingaa) if you want a look. I ran a big variety of ammo through the guns all weights of FNJ and JHP - the groupings varied quite a lot. The only one I would not shoot is Fiocchi 124 JHP. Good to learn that early on as that is a preferred SD load for the Kahr and side-by-side the Kahr shot it very well as usual. The 709 did not. At the end of day 1 I had a FTF (with the Fiocchi 124). Later cleaning the trigger was REALLY stiff and would not return under its own spring power. Took it down (like I should have at the beginning) and the factory 'goo' was there AND dirty from shooting 200 rounds. Day 2 with Sig in hand AND a properly cleaned 709 went smooth as silk - the 709 ran like clockwork and, again, held it's own against a good gun with a longer barrel.

All in all I'm very impressed with the 709. It's in my pocket (in a Blackhawk) right now - spare mag in weak side pocket. The gun is loaded with Winchester Ranger 147 JHP - a round that it shot very well - kind of surprised me but it's a good SD round.

This is my only Taurus but probably will not be my last and I'll be doing more with Palmetto as well. Great staff and I also shoot ARs - an area that they specialize in. (Posted on 5/8/12)

A very good small 9!! Review by kim

PSA was a pleasure to deal with. They are now on my go-to list for firearms or suppies. The sale price on the 709 was Great! I'll be back.

I was shopping for a pocket 9 / BUG for the summer. Stock was down generally and prices were up. I was able to handle and check out most that I was considering, frankly the Taurus was not even on my list. I liked it from the moment I picked it up. Reviews were positive with some mixed info on forums - taken with a grain of salt. The PSA sale was the kicker. And I'm very happy with the gun. First- CLEAN the gun. This is not a gun you buy and head to the range. It is coated (lightly) with a protective film that is NOT gun oil / grease. Rack the spring a few hundred racks, load the mags in avvance (clean
them too). I did not open the trigger mechanism. Do it. The gunk is in there and other possible residue from manufacturing. More on this. This is not negative commentary. IMHO all guns should be stripped, inspected and cleaned/lubed to owners (Mfgrs) specs before shooting. It's common sense.

Now to the good stuff. I put 50 ball (115) through the 709 and it ran flawlessly. This gun is slightly smaller than my Kahr CW9 I've carried for 2+ years. They were close enough that a comparison / shoot out was in order. As the range provided free side by side bulls eye targets we were all set. I read a lot of complaints about low left / right shooting from the 709- bad enough that the adjustable sights could not compensate. In that 1st group of 50 as I figured out my grip I did get some low R hits. Proper strong grip corrected that. The sights were spot on from the factory! Cool.

The shoot out was at 7 yds off hand. (after confirming both sights on a rest). The Kahr shot tight groups and was a bit high but very consistant. The 709 actually hit more center target but groups were a bit larger - not unusual for a new gun with a slightly shorter barrel. I'd call it a tie. If these were defensive shots all (even one 709 fly away still on paper) would have done their job admirably.

I shot 3 head-to-head groups. 115 ball Win. , 115 balk Magtech and 124 jhp Fiocchi. In the final shoot out I had 2 FTFs. Oh no- my new toy was not perfect. Took it home and stripped it. The trigger was gritty and did not return on its own spring. I immediately tore it down cleaned and lubed it with great results. I SHOULD have checked it on initial run through. Range report on that early next week but I'm sure it's resolved!

Images of the shoot out will be on Taurus Forums Monday 4/23/12.

Thanks PSA. No one believes the price. I'm pointing them your way.

(Posted on 4/22/12)

Excellent Concealment Gun Review by John

I have been packing guns officially for 30 years. When the need arose for a low budget "truck" gun I decided on something in a single stack 9mm which could also be stuck in an IWB holster to carry into a store, etc. Considering the price of the 709 how could I pass it up? I took the 709 to the range with my co-worker who wanted to shoot his new LC9. The Taurus performed flawless with several different JHP rounds and 115 gr. FMJ. My friend's LC9 had some FTF and FTE issues, not many, but costing $100 more than the 709 any malfunction was too many. Accuracy is acceptable from 15 yards and in on a normal qualification target. 10 yards and in all rounds are face shoots.

Yes, this is NOT a pistol to take several boxes of ammo with to the range. Just shoot it enough to be comfortable and confident with it and then use it for its intended purpose. Another great gun by Taurus. (Posted on 4/18/12)

Remember what you are buying this for. Review by J.Paul

I picked up this gun from my local dealer about a month ago. I wanted a 9mm sub-compact, primarily for summer carry when I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt. In the winter I carry a glock 36 IWB. I have no interest in .380acp.

I researched a large number of the newer sub-compact 9mm's. Kel Tec PF 9, Beretta Nano, Ruger LC9, Kahr, Kimber, and this one. I started with "professional", ie paid, reviewers from various gun magazines and websites. It was tough to find anything negative about any of the guns from those sources. Let's face it, they survive on advertising $$. I then moved on to various online forums and actual user reviews. The story changes there.

Price, function, and reliability were my basic criteria. I only buy guns that I can take home from the store, give a quick field strip and clean, and then take right to the range and put 100 rounds through it. General feel, and trigger pull/break point were next. My budget allowed for a maximum, with tax, of $400.00. That eliminated a few right there. Having to "fluff and buff" before shooting one of the others got that eliminated.

This Taurus met all my criteria.

The pros. Under $400.00. Breaks down exactly my Glocks. I had it apart, cleaned, and back together in under 15 minutes. Has adjustable sights. Small, and light weight. Conceals well in a inside the waistband holster. Comfortable. Also conceals very well in a inside the front pocket holster. I have a Desantis Nemesis. I've worn it with cargo shorts, and jeans. No print with the shorts. With the jeans, it looks more like you have your wallet in your front pocket. You can tell there is something in the pocket, but not what.

The cons. The adjustable sights. They don't adjust far enough. If you read other user reviews you will find a common complaint is that the gun shoots very low and extremely left or right, depending on what hand shooter you are. You'll also find that is mostly operator error because the gun is so small, inexperienced shooters tend to pull the shots. I had no problems with windage the first time at the range. From a bench rest at 15 yards it was right on, windage wise, out of the box. It was also over 12 inches low. Raising the elevation to maximum it was still 6 inches low. The consensus amongst other users is that the front sight is just too high, I've slowly been filing it down, and this has raised my point of impact. The second time I went to the range, I had to adjust the windage slightly, and I noticed the elevation was out of adjustment as well. Not the best adjustment system.

Actual shooting. I've put 200 rounds through it so far. Blazer aluminum, Federal Champion, American Eagle, and even some remanufactured stuff I got from Cabela's years ago. All 115gr FMJ, except for 7 Winchester JHP 147gr subsonic, 14 American Eagle 147gr JFN, and 2 PMC Starfire's. With the exception of the Starfires, nothing expensive.

From a rest, I get consistant 2 inch groups at 15 yards. Off hand I can hit a 8 inch pie plate at 20. Nothing to brag about, but it does the job.

After the 1st 100 rounds, I had 2 failure to feed issues. I had been loading 5 rounds into the magazines. After the 4th, 2 times in a row with different magazines, the slide locked back like it was empty. Hit the slide release, and it chambered the round. I then started loading 7 into the magazines, and had no further issues. At this point the gun was dirty. I cleaned and lubed it and had no further issues with the next 100 rounds.

After 100 rounds I noticed some chaffing on the knuckles of my middle and ring fingers. Didn't break the skin, but it was uncomfortable. I bought a Hogue slip on rubber grip which I've installed, but I haven't shot the gun since. It feels more comfortable.

All in all, I give this gun high marks. It's not a target shooter. I get much better groups with my S&W 5906 and my Glocks. It is however, very concealable, lightweight, reliable, and affordable.
(Posted on 3/27/12)