If I have learned nothing else in many years of shooting it is to judge quality. The Taurus RPC 9mm pistol represents a step up in quality manufacture for one of our most popular makers of affordable firearms. There is nothing wrong with affordable firearms they save more lives than custom guns ever will. Ten to one in sales are guns under five hundred dollars. But they should work. The pistol illustrated is right at one thousand dollars. That is a good buy for the type of firearm and performance. This pistol is in the Ruger PC Charger and SIG Scorpion class. It has features all its own, and I find the piece interesting to say the least. Not that Taurus doesn’t have a military and police SMG in the form of the SMT 9, but this new firearm is immensely interesting. While I have been around the block, maybe I built the block-the Taurus RPC surprised me.
The pistol features a roller cam operating mechanism. Most everyone’s ‘big pistols’ use a straight blowback design. These types are best classed as PDW or Personal Defense Weapons. But Taurus didn’t go the easiest route; they went with designing a roller cam delayed action. This system features rollers running on cams on either side of the bolt head. The bolt remains locked until the bullet exits the barrel. The roller cam eliminates the need for a huge bolt and heavy recoil spring. The design is more compact, and some would say it tends to be smoother and more reliable. The pistol cycles quickly. The bolt moves to the rear as the pistol fires, the spent case is ejected, and the bolt flies forward to chamber a new round. It happens very quickly and smoothly. My pistol is the 4.5 inch barrel version. Another model will feature an eight inch barrel. The shorter barrel handles quickly. This is a fast handling pistol in close quarters. The RPC breaks down like an AR 15 rifle. There are pins holding the hinged receiver together. Move the rear pin to the right in order to open the hinged receiver. Routine maintenance is simple enough.
The RPC is well fitted and finished. The RPC uses a proprietary magazine. My pistol features a 32-round magazine; others, including a 20-round magazine, should be available soon. Time will tell when they are readily available. The pistol disassembles easily. The barrel and hand-guard are easily changed. The overall impression is of service-grade handling and manufacture. The action is simple enough- load a magazine, rack the bolt, fire. The RPC features ambidextrous controls. The safety is positive in operation. There is a well-defined SNICK as the safety snaps into place. I despise a mushy safety! The magazine release is ambidextrous, and so is the bolt release. The cocking handle may be changed for left or right-hand operation. The Taurus owner’s manual is clearly written and well illustrated. The cocking handles do not travel with the bolt, so it won’t wrap your hands if you do not take the proper hold. A note- the pistol features a hand stop near the end of the hand-guard. Be careful not to let your hand drift off the hand-guard and into the muzzle area. Some will hold the pistol by the magazine well. I find that the magazine catch isn’t likely to be actuated when firing in this manner, but be certain your grip style doesn’t actuate the magazine release or slide lock when firing. The pistol brace supplied with this model is sturdy enough and folds easily. It seems as good as any and served well during firing tests. A word to the wise- don’t try to mount a combat light in the slots on the hand-guard. Muzzle blast may damage your lens.
The Picatinny rail on top of the receiver is best used for a combat light in the 4.5-inch barrel version. The 8-inch barrel version may be another story. I mounted a combat light in front of the optic. The pistol is supplied with a kind of recoil dampener option that fits in the action; the supplied 85-degree locking piece may be changed out for the installed 110-degree locking piece. My pistol functioned perfectly. The 85-degree unit is for suppressor-type ammo- but the pistol also worked well with the original installed. The firing grip is standard AR 15 and very comfortable. I like the flat-faced trigger. Whether in rapid fire or taking precision shots, the trigger action is controllable. The trigger breaks clean enough at seven pounds, not dissimilar to many AR 15 type trigger actions. There is some take-up as you meet a wall, then the action breaks. The trigger action is ideal for fast-paced shooting or shooting under stress. Management of a pistol like this one is far easier than a carry gun. Of course, the Taurus is larger than a handgun, but that is the point. For home defense or as a truck gun, or for area defense of a property, a PDW is ideal. A firearm such as the RPC provides a homeowner with a firearm, classed as a pistol, that is far easier to use well and quickly than a handgun, in most situations. A carry gun is to be carried concealed and respond to unanticipated threats. The RPC is kept at home ready. It is ideal for the task of home defense, provided the owner gets proper training and keeps in practice.
I mounted a Riton red dot sight and conducted a wide range of firing tests. Included in the test program was firing the pistol well over three hundred rounds without cleaning. There is powder ash and copper wash in the barrel, but no failures to feed the chamber, fire, or eject. The 32-round double-column magazine isn’t difficult to load and seems robust enough for service use. The primary optic used during testing was the Riton 1 Tactix ARD 2. With a red dot inside a circle, the ARD 2 offers both-eyes-open shooting. This sight is very fast on target and offers excellent results in speed shooting or precision shooting. There are eight brightness settings and night vision settings. This is a sight I have used on several firearms with good results.
The RPC is easier to rack and load than firearms without the roller cam action. The test was fun at times because the RPC has very light recoil. I ran the PDW quickly in multiple target drills. The RPC is a severely accurate firearm. Moving from one target to the other, the RPC is easy to get good hits with. There have been no failures to feed, chamber, fire, or eject with a wide range of ammunition. During testing, I fired a half dozen loads from 115 to 150 grains with good results. I also tested the RPC for accuracy. Firing from a bench rest is a little tricky due to the long magazine and short barrel, but I managed with the new Real Avid adjustable range bag. For accuracy testing, I used several loads. Below are the results with a few select loads from the last accuracy testing session.
25 yards, bench rest firing position, five-shot groups
Loading 5 Shot Groups in inches
Black Hills Ammunition 115 grain FMJ 1.5 in.
Black Hills Ammunition 124 grain JHP 1.0 in.
Black Hills Ammunition 124 grain +P 1.2 in.
Fiocchi 147 grain JHP 1.2 in.
Choice Ammunition 124 grain JHP 1.4 in.
Adding a can—I added a Dead Air Mojave 45 sound suppressor for some of the firing tests. (Deadairsilencers.com) The RPC barrel is threaded, and the Mojave 45 simply screwed on. With the Federal 150-grain American Eagle, the RPC ran clean and reliably. Suppressors are addictive. They have the benefit of limiting hearing damage and cutting down on range noise. But they are also great fun and a fine recreational device! For home defense, it only makes sense to limit hearing damage from setting off a round in the home.
The Taurus RPC raises the bar for Taurus firearms. By any standard, the RPC is a world-class firearm with a great future.
Specifications: Taurus RPC
Caliber: 9×19
Barrel Length: 4.5 inches
Operating System: roller delayed blowback
Capacity: 32+1 (2 32-round mags included)
Overall Length: 12.1 inches
Width (max): 1.74 inches
Weight: 3.9 lbs. (without pistol brace)
MSRP: $939 w/o brace, $1,098 with the brace
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