While it’s true that 9mm is the current front-runner among defensive calibers, 10mm is on the rise. Compared to many handgun calibers, 10mm is still young, but it’s also versatile, effective, and deserving of use.
Thanks to the increase in the popularity of this bigger bore, a greater number of manufacturers are coming out with 10mm handguns, and Taurus is among them.
The Taurus TH10 is the company’s initial foray into 10mm. Here’s the lowdown on the details and performance of the TH10 and why you might consider getting one.
The Taurus TH10
The Taurus TH10 is the newest addition to the firearms manufacturer’s TH series of handguns. The TH family of guns is comprised of hammer-fired pistols the manufacturer states are the “modern reinvention” of the original double-action/single-action (DA/SA) hammer-fired style. TH handguns are designed with a nod to the classic while simultaneously benefiting from advances in modern technology and materials. Shared features include polymer frames and interchangeable backstraps on the full-size models.
As for the TH10 itself, it’s a full-sized handgun chambered in 10mm. It’s the first 10mm Taurus has manufactured, which makes it unique. The TH10 was officially launched at SHOT Show 2024 but had been in the works for some time prior.
Specs and Features
Right off, the first thing you need to know is that the Taurus TH10 has a 15 +1 capacity. That’s far better than other full-sized 10mms that only hold 7 or 8 rounds. Yes, that means it’s a bit heavier when it’s loaded, but that’s a small price to pay for greater capacity in dire situations.
The TH10 has a full-size polymer frame with molded finger grooves. Those finger grooves aren’t sharp or excessive, either, they’re more of a gentle wave down the front strap of the grip.
As for the grip itself, it has aggressively stippled sections — as does the backstrap — to facilitate a sure hold during live fire. This means even wet or sweaty hands can keep ahold of the gun, which is a more important detail than you might first realize.
Alloy steel is used for the slide. Angled serrations are located at the rear of the slide to make racking it simpler. A white dot front sight and blacked-out rear sight come standard from the factory. The rear sight is drift adjustable.
Other features of the Taurus TH10 include an accessory rail in front of the trigger guard for lights and lasers, a loaded chamber indicator, and an external thumb safety that doubles as a decocker. All controls are ridged and/or textured to help shooters operate them smoothly.
How does the Taurus TH10 shoot?
As a shooter with large hands and long fingers, I find the TH10 frame size a great fit. The extended beavertail encourages a high grip and trigger reach distance is good. It isn’t excessively large or small but manages to hit the sweet spot for size. It does ship with three sizes of backstraps, so if you find the fit isn’t quite right, you can swap the backstrap out to improve things.
Feeding the TH10
For testing and review, I ran a few types of ammo through the TH10 including Hornady Critical Duty 10mm 175 grain FlexLock JHP, Remington 10mm 180 grain UMC, and Federal Premium Punch 10mm 200 grain JHP.
I also fed it some Sinterfire Special Duty 10mm 125 grain HP Frangible to see how it would handle lighter weight loads. While it definitely prefers the heavier ammo, it cycled the frangibles reliably, too. In fact, it didn’t have any failures of any kind during testing.
Trigger
If you’re used to striker-fired guns or even 1911s, the DA/SA trigger on the TH10 might take some getting used to. I do think it’s a good idea for gun owners to be capable of running more than just their favorite guns and triggers, and mastering DA/SA is one way to get that done.
On the TH10 the first trigger pull on a loaded gun is double-action with all subsequent shots being single-action. Now, if you’re going to dry fire and prefer not to rack the slide every time or otherwise manipulate the hammer, every shot is going to be double-action. (Again, that is not a bad thing — it’s a wise plan to hone your double-action skills.)
There’s some stacking ahead of the break on the trigger, but it isn’t overwhelming or impossible to handle. The double-action pull measured 11 pounds, 12 ounces using my Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge, and the single-action pull measured 5 pounds, 8 ounces. There’s an audible and tactile click as the trigger moves from double- to single-action. When firing single-action, there’s some take-up in the pull, but the break itself is clean.
Thanks to the weight of the steel slide on the polymer frame, felt recoil and muzzle rise aren’t an issue. Yes, you’re going to feel it a bit more than you would with something like a 9mm, but it’s entirely manageable. If you really want to cut down on felt recoil, try out a frangible like the Sinterfire self-defense loads — they do make a difference.
Accuracy
This is a relatively accurate gun. It has a 4.25-inch barrel which grants you solid ballistics out of 10mm, and thanks to the weight of the slide it’s a decently flat shooter. Shooting offhand from 10 yards, a five-shot group of Hornady Critical Duty averaged 2.3 inches using a measured, steady pace. It’s possible to tighten groups to around 1.80 inches at 10 yards if you shoot from a rest, slow it down, and take your time.
Rapid fire broadens the group to about 3.5 inches at 10 yards. Shooting offhand at 25 yards, things spread out significantly with the best five-shot group coming from Hornady, once again, at 4.6 inches.
This is an accurate gun, but it isn’t precise — that said, it performs well for its price point and should not be expected to deliver mind-blowing precision. Also, it’s meant for defensive use, and its accuracy is more than enough for that.
Controls
Sidenote, the combo safety/decocker is ambidextrous, and that’s a big win for lefties or shooters who like to spend time shooting mirror.
The magazine release is also ambidextrous, and it’s a part that requires a comment due to some reports that it doesn’t smoothly drop mags. This mag release is a bit stiff, however, I can also use my trigger finger to drop it (it doesn’t have to have the more powerful force of your thumb). It does need more force than is desirable, but every single magazine has dropped without hesitation — no sticking, catching, or other issues. That’s been the case whether mags are empty or loaded.
When running this gun take care to ensure it isn’t your grip blocking the magazine release from activating properly. Also, it’s worth noting that all controls can be manipulated without me having to adjust my grip, too, which is a big plus.
Learn more about the Taurus TH10 on the Cadre Dispatch blog.
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