Taurus is another company that’s reversing directions slightly with its micro-compact offerings where capacity is concerned. The new GX4 XL TORO is a slight refresh on the GX4 with a longer, 3.7-inch barrel that Taurus boasts will offer better terminal ballistics downrange. Another change is the inclusion of a 13-round magazine with an extended base plate that ships with the standard 11-round magazine. This gives the user the flexibility to either have a fuller grip or better concealment.
Aside from that, most everything else is the same as the GX4. The GX4 XL includes a serrated and blacked out rear sight with a white dot up front, and the slide includes a robust nitride finish for long-lasting protection. In addition to irons, the TORO model incorporates a slide cut that offers a direct-mount solution for red-dots with a Shield footprint. This direct mount solution makes suppressor-height sights moot as the standard sights can be co-witnessed with most red-dot units of this type.
For a pistol with an MSRP of just $469, the GX4 XL TORO is very well appointed. Superb texturing wraps around the grip for excellent control during recoil. Front and rear cocking serrations provide good traction for easy slide manipulation. And for the money, the trigger on the GX4 XL is actually very good. Well, point of fact, the trigger is quite good, period. The flat-faced trigger felt a little wide, but in a good way. It provided nice leverage that made the pull feel lighter than it was. In fact, the pull and break seemed better than a standard Glock trigger and more in line with something like a CZ P10 C.
A couple of the guys mentioned how surprised they were by how well the GX4 XL shot and how comfortable it was. Several indicated they thought the GX4 XL was a good value for the price. Reliability was as good as anything else we tried that day and accuracy was on point. From my own bench testing, the GX4 XL routinely shot sub-1-inch groups at seven yards with a best group of just 0.49 inches. You can’t ask for much better than that.
