Designed 1983-Present Length 216 mm (8.5 in) | Weight 960 g (34 oz) Barrel length | |
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The Taurus PT92 is a double action/single action, 9×19mm Parabellum, double-stack magazine, semi-automatic, short recoil action pistol manufactured by Taurus in the former Beretta factory in São Paulo, Brazil.
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Creation
A large contract for the Beretta 92 was with the Brazilian army, for which Beretta set up a factory in Brazil. This factory was later sold to the Brazilian gunmaker Taurus (Forjas Taurus S/A ). Taurus makes these pistols (called the PT92) without the need for a license from Beretta since their design is based on the original Beretta 92, whose patents have since expired.
Like the Beretta, the Taurus PT92 utilizes the open-slide design where the upper portion of the slide is cut away exposing much of the barrel itself. The original PT92 was exactly like the original Beretta 92, though it was also unusual for the time in that it featured a squared trigger guard for supporting the index finger of the opposite hand while firing, a feature which was subsequently introduced to the Beretta 92 with the 92SB-F (92F) model in 1985. The Taurus PT92 is less expensive than the Beretta 92 in most cases.
Other versions of the PT92 include the PT99, which has an adjustable rear sight and a taller front sight, the compact PT92C version, and the PT100 and PT101, which are .40 S&W versions of the PT92 and PT99, respectively.
The Taurus PT92 has undergone many revisions in design since it was originally produced in the mid-1980s. Early PT92s and PT99s did not feature the third safety position decocker that is now standard; this feature was added to the second-generation models in the early-1990s, which also included the three-dot sights found on the Beretta 92F. A third revision in the late-90s changed the grip and slide design (which now has wider cocking serrations than PT92s manufactured before 1997).
More recently (as of 2005), Taurus has begun manufacturing the PT92 with built-in accessory rails on the frame, a feature found on the newer Beretta M9A1, a military upgrade of the Beretta 92F from which the PT92 is derived. While 15-round magazines were standard for the PT92 for many years, Taurus now manufactures 17-round magazines for the gun in order to give it comparable firepower to the Glock 17, and aftermarket 30-round magazines are also available.