The Taurus SLIM 708 pistol in .380 ACP was one of two new SLIM pistols announced at the 2010 SHOT Show. The Taurus SLIM 740 in .40 S&W was the other. The Taurus 708 is modeled on the very popular 9mm SLIM introduced by Taurus in 2009.
The 708 is a compact pistol that holds seven .380 ACP rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber. It can be had with a blued or stainless steel finish. Barrel length is 3.2″ and weighs only 19 ounces unloaded.
The Taurus SLIM 708 has a fixed front sight, with an adjustable rear. The sights are very low profile, but they are usable.
As with the other pistols in the SLIM line, the frame is polymer and the pistol has Taurus’s DA/SA action with the “Strike Two” capability. The SLIM has a manual safety – sweep down to fire. The safety is on the left side of the frame.
The SLIM 708 samples at the Taurus booth felt good in the hand. The safety was easy to manipulate and smartly clicked off. I would imagine that shooting the relatively low powered .380 ACP out of this pistol would be a very enjoyable experience. While I would be more inclined to pick up the 9mm version, I can certainly understand why someone would want the .380 Taurus SLIM 708.
2013 Update
The Taurus SLIM 708 is no more. Â According to the company’s website, Taurus canceled the production of both the black and stainless .380 ACP pistols. Â The 9mm and .40 S&W guns are still in production. Â Frankly, I am a little surprised, as the guns should have been well suited to the lower powered cartridge. Â I found the 9mm SLIM to be pretty snappy as far as recoil goes, and the .40 S&W can be downright unpleasant if you plan on shooting it often. Â Additionally, the guns are compact and easy to carry, but still big enough to do some serious shooting with. Â They definitely beat the Ruger LCP for comfort and precision.
I have the 709 version and it has very little recoil. I never even knew they made a 708 slim. I thought the .380 version was the PT-738 TCP. I would say it would be a nice smooth recoil in that frame. To me the 709 and 740 are perfect pocket guns. They can be concealed very easy. They are heavy enough to handle recoil. And they still have a decent sized 3.2 inch barrel. Perfect for when you are eating ice cream and a Giggler grabs your nikon camera.