The modern Taurus 58 will make you question why you would ever carry a smaller .380.
Launched at NRA 2025, it was built as a semi-auto .380 AUTO pistol, but it doesn’t really feel like one.
In hand, the Taurus 58’s full-sized grip translates into very manageable recoil and not much muzzle flip. The pistol features good sights, single and double action firing, a nice trigger and a European look.
Taurus fans will recall the original Model 58 named the PT-58, introduced in 1988. That gun inspired the new Taurus 58, which features updated materials, a 4-inch barrel, and a 15-round capacity.
In my opinion, as Hook & Barrel’s firearms editor, the new Taurus 58 is the perfect pistol for someone who wants a reliable EDC and home defense handgun chambered in .380 AUTO, and is not a fan of the dinky, hard-to-shoot .380-chambered mouse guns that are so common.
How the Taurus 58 .380 ACP Handles
Weighing just a bit under 30 ounces unloaded, the Taurus 58 sports an overall length of 7 inches. The open-style slide (to me, the handgun’s signature European look) is steel and covers a 4-inch stainless steel barrel. An aluminum frame and poly grips round out the package.
The grip texturing really secured my palms and fingers. Taurus also cut vertical grooves into the front strap and backstrap metal to further create a very solid hold.
The triggerguard featured an undercut for a higher hold and the web of my shooting hand slid right into and under the deep beavertail.
All these elements solidly anchored the pistol in my hand while shooting.
The hammer-fired pistol operated on the simple blowback recoil system, using the rearward energy generated by the cartridge firing off to push back the slide, eject the spent brass and then strip a new round off the magazine and into the chamber.
Taurus 58 Trigger, Safety and Loading Impressions
Flat-faced triggers are popular today, but a nicely curved trigger like the Taurus 58’s still works fine. The trigger molded nicely to my index finger—or my finger molded to the trigger. Either way, the wide trigger was a winner.
The pistol’s trigger pull in single action averaged a fairly crisp 3 pounds, 9 ounces. In double action, trigger pull came in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces and did so with consistent pressure throughout the cycle.
READ MORE: 6 New Guns You Need From Taurus, KelTec, CZ-USA, PSA
The pistol featured an ambidextrous manual safety, and depressing both levers of the safety engaged the handgun’s de-cocking mechanism.
The Taurus 58 sells with two 15-round metal magazines. I used both inter-changeably and had zero magazine issues during my shooting. The mags fit into the magwell effortlessly and the magazine release popped them out very positively. I easily inserted rounds by hand, all the way to Number 15.
My Taurus 58 with its Black finish holds a $648.99 suggested retail, while the Taurus 58 Stainless Steel model comes in at $664.99.
Taurus 58 Ammunition and Test Results
At my outdoor range, and during multiple shooting sessions, I ran the Taurus 58 for 200 rounds. I did so with the pistol right out of the box, the only lubrication a thin coat of factory-applied gun oil along the bottom of the slide.
I used seven different brands of .380 AUTO ammunition, including a self-defense load, and had zero problems—all rounds fed perfectly, and spent brass ejected without a hitch.
After the brass ejected, the pistol’s slide propelled itself forward and back into place (AKA, in battery) every single time.
For a self-defense option, I shot the Federal Premium HST .380 AUTO round loaded with a 99-grain HST jacketed hollow point.
I did all of my shooting offhand from 5, 8, and 10 yards. Accuracy was fairly impressive.
At 10 yards, the Taurus 58 and the ammos produced 2-inch and better groups.
At the 8-yard mark, my best five-shots groups included the Federal HST at .80 inches and the American Eagle at 1.25 inches. The average group size for all ammo brands at this distance was 1.5 inches.
And at 5 yards, Remington UMC scored the win with a 1-inch group of five.
Taurus 58 Vs. The Mouse Gun
The Taurus 58’s sights came up easily to my eyes and muzzle flip was minimal.
Credit the latter for the excellent tactile surfaces on the grips and frame, plus the reduced recoil of the .380 AUTO rounds compared to 9mm or .45 ACP.
Here’s another potential advantage the fuller-sized Taurus 58 presents: the use of higher-velocity .380 AUTO ammunition compared to the smaller mouse gun .380s.
For example, I own a Remington RM380 that I’ve had for a decade. At 13 ounces unloaded and a barrel just under 3 inches, it’s the definition of the “mouse gun.” On the plus side, the little pistol is eminently concealable, and I do carry it at times.
But it’s not all that easy to shoot. Yes, it will hit the bullseye at 10 yards. But the shooter needs substantial practice first.
I have used zippier rounds like the two Polycase options in my RM380. The rounds and the smaller gun produced significant muzzle flip; the way the gun twisted in my hand made follow-up shots tough, too. That hand twist is inevitable given the short grips on the RM380.
There’s zero hand-twist with the Taurus 58 because of its longer barrel, greater weight and full-sized grips. The later means all three fingers of the shooting hand firmly contact the grips versus just two fingers on my RM380.
The two Polycase rounds I fired with the Taurus worked fine and did not materially increase the muzzle flip or felt recoil.
Here’s why this is an issue at all: Gun platform articles routinely appear arguing that the .380 AUTO really isn’t a suitable self-defense round. Just not powerful enough, goes the general argument, not enough zip or bullet weight to stop the threat versus the popular 9mm.
Certainly, the 9mm boasts superior ballistics. But many people still prefer the lesser-recoiling .380 and, let’s tell the truth, the .380 AUTO has stopped many a threat.
Choosing The Right .380 Ammo for Your Taurus 58
In the Taurus 58’s pistol manual, Taurus noted that it designed its pistol to the standard loads for those given cartridges. For the .380 AUTO, that load is a 95-grain FMJ bullet leaving the barrel at 1,000 feet per second (fps):
“Other cartridges of various types or bullet weights may or may not function acceptably; such ammunition should be thoroughly tested by the user before relying on it. Because of the widely differing specifications of such other ammunition, Taurus cannot be responsible for malfunctions resulting from its use.”
While the manual goes on to strongly suggest you do not use the higher velocity +P options, the manual does not define what equals +P ballistics for this round.
Also, the Manual only “approves,” as it were, of FMJ bullets which are not recommended for self-defense.
So, here’s the larger problem. SAAMI, the organization that sets the industry standards for ammunition and firearms safety, lists standard velocities and internal pressures for the .380 AUTO.
However, it does not give a listing for the cartridge in +P loads, but it does so for the popular 9mm.
Both the Polycase rounds I used are above the manual standard. The Inceptor round is rated at 1,150 fps at the muzzle, the Sport Utility at 1,230 fps.
Both worked fine in the Taurus 58 and at those velocities should produce more energy and bullet expansion than the standard loads.
If I wanted a .380 AUTO for daily carry and home defense, the Taurus 58 would top my list of pistols. And I’d load it with higher velocity .380 rounds producing additional energy compared to the standard rounds, after making sure the rounds and the pistol functioned fine together.
