After spending the majority of my morning shooting some very expensive custom 1911s for accuracy and velocity, the last pistol I pulled out of my SUV was the Taurus TH45. It felt like a brick in my hand. When I went to fire the first round I had to check and see if I hadn’t accidentally engaged the manual safety. So, I was surprised when I witnessed the results with my own eyes.
The Taurus TH45 Semi-Automatic Pistol
Even in single-action mode, the trigger pull was long and creepy. So, the last thing I expected to see was a one-hole group when I walked downrange. The gun I was expecting to hate placed five rounds of Remington 230-grain Golden Sabers into a single hole measuring just .86-inch!
Had to be a fluke, right? This gun couldn’t possibly do it again? But it did do it again—over and over again. In fact, with the four different loads I tried, the average group size was just .90-inch at 15 yards. The smallest 5-shot group measured just .72-inch! Now, the TH45 had my attention.
The TH family of hammer-fired, polymer-framed, semi-autos was originally introduced in 2018 with the original offering in 9mm. Just recently, Taurus added .45 ACP to their line-up. I received a sample of their TH45 with a 4.2-inch barrel.
This is a polymer-framed, hammer-fired semi-auto pistol. It can be carried with the hammer down for a double-action first shot followed by single-action shots or cocked and locked like a 1911. The frame-mounted safety acts as a de-cocker when pushed all the way down.
One of the things that make the TH45 a smart buy for those on a budget is that it is a completely southpaw-friendly gun. All of the controls are bilateral, from the safety/decocker to the slide releases to the magazine releases.
The ergonomics of the TH45 are actually pretty good. Taurus undercuts the frame at the junction of the trigger guard and frontstrap. This allows shooters to get a high-hold grip to minimize muzzle flip. Taurus engineers also incorporated an extended tang to prevent the shooter from hammer bite.
The frame’s frontstrap, side panels, and backstraps all incorporate texturing for a secure firing grip—even with wet hands.
The TH45 In Hand
I spend a lot of time at Gunsite Academy, and one of the things they drill into our heads is that when you are not actively shooting, the trigger finger should be alongside the frame. This allows the instructors to easily observe that you’re not on the trigger.
A bad habit I unwittingly developed over the years was to stage my trigger finger on the front of the trigger guard. The good folks at Gunsite broke me of this habit.
Taurus incorporates indexing dimples on both sides of the frame. Thus giving the shooter a place to put their trigger finger when not actively shooting. It’s little details like this that add up to make a very credible defense pistol.
Taurus uses the same dovetail as Glock for the rear sight, and the front sight attaches in the same manner as Glock front sights. If the shooter wants to upgrade to florescent sights or Tritium night sights, they’ll have plenty of options.
I found my test sample to shoot to point of aim at 15-yards without correction. There’s also a Picatinny rail on the polymer frame’s dust cover for the use of a tactical light and/or laser.
Running the TH45
Taurus machines its supported barrels from stainless steel for corrosion resistance. The integral feedramp is polished nicely, and my test sample fed everything I loaded in the magazine. This includes everything from light, lead handloads to military ball to hot defense hollow points.
Taurus engineers designed a dual recoil spring system for the TH45. It gives the gun all of the spring mass needed to easily handle hot loads, yet I can easily manually rack the slide. It is a neat system, and I’m sure it’s the reason the TH45 shoots so softly. Both springs are captured on a full-length guide rod, and this makes disassembly and reassembly a snap.
A pivoting trigger is used on the TH45. My Lyman Electronic trigger pull gauge measured the double action pull at 7.25 pounds, while the single action pull broke at a squishy 3.35 pounds.
Sure, there is some pre-travel, or creep, and overtravel, too. However, I had to remind myself that this is not a high-end 1911 costing several thousands of dollars. This is a blue-collar, working-class pistol that, with the right person behind the trigger, will handily take care of business.
One TH45 feature that makes it ideal for defense use is that it has a magazine capacity of 13 rounds. Taurus ships the gun with two of these magazines, giving the shooter 27 rounds for concealed carry. That’s a lot of rounds!
Testing the TH45 for Accuracy
To test the Taurus TH45 for accuracy I set my target frame out at 15-yards. Using a DOA Tactical portable shooting bench, I fired all groups from a seated rest with the TH45’s dust cover resting on my Millett BenchMaster.
Three, 5-shot groups were fired with each ammunition. The very best groups are listed in the accuracy chart (below). For the sake of consistency, I fired all groups in the single-action mode.
Black Hills 230-grain FMJ recorded the best group, placing five rounds into a ragged hole measuring just .72-inch. I was amazed by the TH45’s level of accuracy. Remington’s 230-grain Golden Saber hollowpoints and Colt National Match 230-grain round nose match ammo produced nearly identical sub-1-inch groups.
Hornady’s Critical Duty +P 220-grain FlexLock rounds generated a whopping 431-foot pounds of energy. This round is generally a handful to shoot in a single stack 1911 yet, oddly enough, it was quite comfortable to shoot in the TH45.
Ringing Steel
I brought along a couple of steel targets on this outing and found that I could get my hits on the first shot double action when I concentrated on the front sight and used a deliberate trigger press. In single-action mode, it was easy to make hits on my targets set out at 15 yards.
From the low ready, I fired a couple of magazines through the gun from the cocked and locked, condition one. That is to say, the hammer was cocked with the manual safety engaged. This eliminated the need to fire the first-round double action.
My first shot hits were much faster. However, I found the thumb safety disengages a little too easily for my taste. My worry would be that the offside safety might accidentally get knocked down when carried in a holster, leaving the gun cocked and unlocked. My preference would be to carry the gun with the hammer down for a double-action first shot.
Final Thoughts
Owning a Ferrari and a Rolex gives you a certain amount of pride in ownership and status to those who admire those things. But a Volkswagen will get you from point A to point B, and a Timex will provide the correct time.
I love my custom, high-dollar 1911s, but this Taurus TH45 will protect me just as efficiently. If you work hard for your money and couldn’t care less about status signaling, the Taurus TH45 might be the ideal pick for your personal protection.
For more information, please visit TaurusUSA.com.
Taurus TH45 Pistol Specs
| Caliber/Capacity | .45 ACP/ 13 + 1 |
| Operation | DA/SA Semi-Auto |
| Overall Length | 7.8” |
| Height | 5.8” |
| Weight | 28.5 Ounces |
| Width | 1.43” |
| Barrel | 4.25” Stainless Steel |
| Frame | Black Polymer |
| Slide | Steel with Matte Black Finish |
| Sights | Drift Adjustable Rear Sight, Fixed Front |
| Safeties | Ambi Manual Safety/Decocker, Firing Pin Block, Loaded Chamber Indicator |
| Accessories | Polymer Hard Case, Cable Lock, Two 13-Round Magazines |
| Warranty | Limited Lifetime Warranty |
| MSRP | $529.99 |
Performance
| Black Hills 230-grain FMJ | |
| Velocity | 815 |
| Energy | 339 |
| Group | .72” |
| Colt National Match 230-grain RN Match | |
| Velocity | 787 |
| Energy | 316 |
| Group | .85” |
| Hornady Critical Duty +P 220-grain FlexLock | |
| Velocity | 940 |
| Energy | 431 |
| Group | 1.14” |
| Remington Golden Saber 230-grain JHP | |
| Velocity | 834 |
| Energy | 355 |
| Group | .86” |
| Average Group Size | .90” |
