A bit of an enigma for the past several SHOT Shows, the Taurus CTG29 carbine is now shipping according to the company’s website. The carbine is based on the the SMT 9 and SMT 40 submachine guns the company produces in Brazil.
As one might expect, the new Taurus carbines are pretty neutered when compared to the parent SMG. The carbines have a fixed stock and non-threaded barrel. The only caliber shipping is 9mm, though .40 S&W and .45 ACP versions of the gun have been shown in the past.
These Taurus carbines were shown at every SHOT Show since 2011, yet there has been very little information ever offered by the company on them. In fact, when I saw them (yet) again at the 2013 SHOT Show, the multiple Taurus reps I spoke with had no information on the guns.
Magazine capacity is limited to 10 rounds. In 2011, Taurus stated the 9mm carbine would ship with 34 round magazines. It is not clear why Taurus would ship carbines with only 10 round mags, but I suspect it is a legal question more than a marketing one.
Although it is not stated on the company’s site or sales literature, I was told at the 2011 SHOT Show that the carbines would accept Taurus 24/7 magazines. Hopefully this remains true. It would think it would be a good idea for the company to roll out some 20+ round magazines if they expect this to sell well.
The system is blowback operated and fires from a closed bolt. The top of the gun has a full-length Picatinny rail for mounting a variety of optics. From the factory, the carbine ships with a set of iron sights. The front sight has a full hood and the rear sight is adjustable.
The charging handle is side mounted and can be reversed for left-handed shooters.
Taurus states the handguard can accommodate three “additional Picatinny rails in the 3-6- and 9 O’clock positions for the addition of accessories.” It is not known if these rails ship with the carbine, or if the shooter has to purchase these separately.
Taurus CTG29 Carbine Specs
| Caliber | 9mm |
| Magazine Capacity | 10 rounds |
| Barrel Length | 16" |
| Overall Length | 36" |
| Receiver Material | aluminum |
| Weight (no magazine) | 6.6 pounds |
| MSRP | $898.00 |
MSRP is listed as $898. While street prices will likely be less than that, I don’t know how well a pistol caliber carbine with 10 round magazines will sell. If the gun was a little more enticing, say with a folding stock, 30-round magazines and a threaded barrel, I could see the draw. But with a price at low-end AR-15 carbines and above many AK-47 rifles, I think Taurus may have an uphill fight with this one.
Comparing the Taurus CTG29 carbine to other pistol caliber carbines, it is only $17 cheaper than the Beretta CX4 Storm, more than double the price of the Kel-Tec SUB-2000 and more than triple the price of the Hi-Point 995 carbine. While I would not rely on the Hi-Point, I have run a SUB-2000 in the past and they can accept 33 round Glock magazines.
September 2013 Update
Taurus announced the company is now shipping the .40 S&W version of the carbine. Other than the caliber, all of the other specifications are said to be the same, including the low capacity magazines.
The Taurus website does not yet show the CT40 carbine.
January 2014 Update
A new .45 ACP carbine called the Taurus CT45 and a tan version of the CT40 carbine are now appearing in multiple online catalogs. The new guns appear to be much the same as the existing CT9 and CT40 carbines: 10 round magazines, 16 barrel and an MSRP of nearly $900.
These carbines are based on the SMT series of submachine guns the company sells on the international market. The CT carbines were first shown at the SHOT Show several years ago (2011?), and finally started shipping in 2013. The 9mm and .40 S&W (both all black) were the first versions to ship.
From what I have seen online, feedback has been positive on the functioning, accuracy and reliability of the guns. If the guns were about $200-300 cheaper and they came with 20 or 30 round magazines, I think they would sell faster than they could make them. For the price, I can get a good AK or AR and not be constrained by the inferior ballistics of a handgun cartridge.
What I would really like to see is Taurus offer these in .30 Carbine. Taurus used to offer this on the international market, but I can no longer find it in its export catalog. If memory serves me, it was a select fire gun with an 8″ barrel. One of these semi-auto carbines in that caliber would be an attention-getter.
Prior Article from January 2013
The Taurus carbine remains a bit of a mystery for US buyers. It has been shown at the SHOT Show for the past two years, yet there are no obvious efforts to import it from Brazil.
I spoke with two different Taurus representatives today, and both of them advised they didn’t know anything about the carbine. Nor could they direct me to anyone who did.
From information I have garnered at prior SHOT Shows, the Taurus carbines are chambered in pistol calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. They are supposed to take, or will be designed to take, Taurus pistol magazines. Which Taurus magazines, remains to be seen.
The guns on the show floor are shown in black and a tan or flat dark earth color.
I will try again later in the week to get more information.
WOW! After 2.5 years Taurus has finally made it to the market with the carbine. I was beginning to think that it was just SHOT Show eye candy, especially when the reps had no idea about the gun or its availability. I know one rep hinted that the company was struggling to get by BATFE regulations to get the firearm approved, but 2.5 years seems ridiculous.
Hopefully the CTG29 performs better than expected, otherwise this gun may be dead in the water. The limitation to 10-round magazines is likely going to incite many pro-gun buyers to pass on principle alone, and if Taurus didn’t deliver on the CTG29 accepting their pistol magazines I think this product may be relegated to a show case.
Using that fugly stock makes no sense. Why didnt they cut off that piece connecting the stock and hand grip, allow the use of AR-15 grips and a folding stock? Honestly, if they were going to try and make a gun thats cooler than all the others, well, this is a failure. As for the threaded barrel, ya, epic fail. They release a gun with a premium price point with no premium features (unless we consider left hand charging as premium)…. If this was an attempt to import it, epic fail once again, make kits and rebuild them in the US with the features that everyone is going to want. Give it a folding stock, AR grips, threaded barrel and ya, you have a gun that can run against the other carbines, but otherwise your doomed. $900 for that is a joke, when you compare to what else you could buy with $900 (Even if you found one for $800, for $800 you can still buy some very nice carbines)….
If they’re importing it from Brazil, it can’t have evil non-sporting features. I agree that there is some huge aftermarket potential here.
I normally have a net-positive view of Taurus products, due to their proven, derivative designs and low cost.
But here, I can’t see why I’d want this when I can buy a much higher quality carbine (like the Beretta CX4) and share factory magazines (30-rounders) with a 92FS or PX4.
For less money, too.
Taurus needs to build a factory in the US to become more flexible and competitive. They make quality guns. The laws necessitate a new factory here.
Agreed. I believe that Taurus does have some manufacturing capacity in the US. But I think it is limited to some of the smaller handguns that do not meet import restrictions. It would be nice to see them expand and make guns here to avoid a lot of the silly restrictions.
Yes, especially with handguns, but this rifle seems to be another case of restrictions curbing development.
They might be hesitant to expand U.S. manufacturing because they have a HUGE presence in Brazil. It’s been referred to as a city within a city in Puerto Alegre:
http [colon]//ww[dot]downrange[dot]tv/blog/shooting-gallery-brazil/13172/
Maybe they feel they have plenty capacity, though exporting to the U.S. is obviously problematic.
Best deal is to go to http://www.mechtechsys.com. This is a great carbine that you use your 1911 45acp Taurus lower and have them build your upper the way you want. I have this Mechtech in the 45acp. I keep the upper ( slide ) in the gun case with extra mags and extra ammo. This system also works with glocks. Big plus is that the ( CCU ) is delivered to your door step. My carbine is sited in at 100 yrd and all shots are placed with in a 1 inch circle. It worth checking out their site.
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for mentioning Mechtech Systems. I’ve seen their site before, but have never been able to shoot one of the CCU builds. Glad to hear it is a good shooter!
Richard
For that price, I was hoping for a little more. At least the high capacity magazine. I have a Sterling Sporter I bought for $400 and it runs like a sewing machine and uses 34 round magazines. The Taurus looks good but for the price needs a few more features