If you are a fan of the Taurus 92/Beretta 92/U.S. military M9 series of pistols, you may really appreciate the Model 58. It is essentially a Taurus 92 chambered in .380 ACP instead of 9mm with about 1 inch less barrel. I found the pistol well made, reliable and accurate with the three types of self-defense ammunition I tested (Hornady Critical Defense 90 grain, FTX JHP, Black Hills Ammunition 60 grain Honey Badger, and Winchester Silvertip 85 grain JHP). Firing single action from the bench at 25 yards, average groups from the three loads ranged from 3.24 to 3.63 inches which is quite decent.
 In every respect this is an old school, all metal, pistol with all the virtues and detriments of the parent model. It’s going to be too big for a lot of small handed people. I have average size hands and still have to break my grip to reach the magazine release. There’s no concealment advantage here either and you can forget about IWB holsters. It’s too fat. However, unlike most .380 ACP pistols, there’s plenty of grip to hang onto and it shoots and handles like a full-sized handgun because that’s what it is.
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 It has no provision for mounting a red dot and no accessory rail on the dust cover to mount a targeting laser so you’ll just have to man-up and learn to shoot with iron sights or master point-shooting. It’s got a 15 round magazine, ambidextrous manual safety/de-cocking lever, and a SA/DA trigger that gives you the option to carry cocked and locked or hammer down and safety off over a loaded chamber. Â
Some, perhaps most, will look at this great big .380 ACP and scratch their heads in bemused wonder; but among those who love the platform that’s served two generations of American military personnel, the Model 58 will be the pistol they’ve been waiting for. MSRP is $648 but online retail prices appear to be around $506. For more information on the Model 58 and other Taurus firearms, visit www.TaurusUSA.com.
