Taurus Armas S.A. (previously known as Forjas Taurus S.A.) is a Brazilian manufacturing conglomerate based in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Founded in 1939 as a tool and die forging plant,[2] the company now consists of Taurus Armas, its firearm division, as well as other divisions focusing on metals manufacturing, plastics, body armor, helmets and civil construction.
In 2021, the U.S. accounted for 79.6% of total sales, a growth of 23.4%. In 2020, 41% of all the revolvers sold in the US were Taurus brand revolvers and, in 2021, it is estimated that this market share has reached 61%. Firearms and accessories accounted for 70.1% of total sales revenue in the U.S.[1]
Taurus .357 Magnum Model 605Taurus Tracker 627 .357 Magnum
Taurus produced its first revolver, the Model 38101SO, in 1941. Beginning in 1968, it exported revolvers to the U.S. market through a series of importers.
In 1971, the Bangor Punta Corporation, then the parent company of Smith & Wesson, purchased 54 percent of Forjas Taurus, allowing the two firearms manufacturers to easily share information regarding design and manufacturing. In 1977, Taurus was purchased from Bangor Punta by its current owners, and its ties to Smith & Wesson were severed.
In 1980, after Italian arms manufacturer Beretta had completed its contracts to produce firearms for Brazil's military, Taurus purchased Beretta's São Paulo manufacturing plant along with the tooling, technical drawings, and work force necessary to produce several different pistol designs.
In order to more effectively tap the U.S. market, the company created a subsidiary, Taurus International Manufacturing Incorporated, also known as Taurus USA, in 1982.[3]
In 1997, Forjas Taurus purchased the rights & equipment to manufacture Rossi brand revolvers. They currently manufacture three .38 Special models and four .357 Magnum models under the Rossi name, manufactured in São Leopoldo, Brazil. In 2012, Heritage Manufacturing was also purchased and its production later moved to Taurus' Miami, Florida plant.[4]
The current product line includes steel-frame pistols, polymer-frame pistols, revolvers, and law enforcement weapons (submachine guns and rifles), the latter intended for the domestic Brazilian market. The company manufactures and sells its firearms for generally less than other manufacturers due to low labor costs, as well as having the facilities available to build virtually every part themselves.[5]
One writer said in 2010 that the "quality of Taurus handguns in the modern era is second to none".[6] In 2015, Taurus settled a lawsuit for $39 million and recalled nearly one million handguns produced between 1997 and 2013 due to "safety defects".[7][8]
Taurus was originally known for manufacturing revolvers similar in design to those offered by Smith & Wesson.[9] The company moved away from this realm by offering larger framed models such as the Raging Bull (.454 Casull) and Raging Hornet (.22 Hornet) revolvers as well as the Judge five-shot revolvers (.410 bore and .45 Colt).[10]
One of Taurus' most successful semiautomatic handguns has been its PT92, a model similar to Beretta's model 92 line, but with the addition of an ambidextrous frame safety, rather than the Beretta's slide-mounted safety.[6]
The most recent addition to the Taurus pistol lineup is a copy of the Colt 1911.45 ACP pistol, the PT1911. This slightly redesigned and updated design offers many features.[11]
A voluntary recall was issued in 2015, for nine of Taurus' more popular models manufactured between 1997 and 2013. This is around one million pistols and includes the following models:[12]
PT-111 Millennium
PT-132 Millennium
PT-138-Millennium
PT-140 Millennium
PT-145 Millennium
PT-745 Millennium
PT-609
PT-640
PT-24/7
A class action settlement was also agreed to, which amounted to almost $39 million, due to the defective models.[13]
^Heard, Brian J. (17 August 2011). Handbook of Firearms and Ballistics: Examining and Interpreting Forensic Evidence. John Wiley & Sons. p. 346. ISBN978-1-119-96477-3.
R$3.44 billion (2021)[1]
