The Taurus Millennium G2
The Taurus Millennium G2 is called a “Gen 2” design as it has improvements
over the original. Some controls are ambi, and it has a fully adjustable
rear sight. A great idea even on a pocket pistol!
The original Taurus PTlll and PT140, introduced way back in 1998, were excellent pistols. So why, now, these “Generation 2.0” versions? Actually, having done some design works myself, I understand. Designers look at the original and think: “Hmm. What if we add this, and change the contour here …” So pretty soon, you have “Gen 2.”
It’s a true “compact” and not one of those hard-to-manage sub-compacts. The overall length is 6.2″, height 5.1″, width 1.2″ and it has a 3″ barrel. Although available in .40 S&W, I opted for the 9mm as it’s more controllable in a small gun like this.
For the average hand, there’s room on the front-strap of the frame for all three fingers. The grip is very comfortable, with good checkering on the front, back and sides and a modest thumb-rest recess. At the front, there’s a slight incurve of the trigger guard, and a short rail for a light or laser.
There are some accommodations for left-handers too. The thumb-recess in the grip is repeated on the right side. Up front, above the trigger guard, both sides have a shallow safety-rest for the trigger finger and the magazine release is reversible. The slide latch and safety lever, though, are only on the left side.
The dual-sleeved recoil springs and a falling-barrel locking system make slide retraction easier than on most compacts. The sights are square-picture, with three white dots. The rear sight has a pleasant surprise — it’s screw-adjustable for windage and elevation. And, it does this without excessive protrusion. Why not be able to precisely zero even a pocket pistol? Kudos to Taurus for this!
We should forgive Taurus for putting the “flipper” safety in the trigger, though. At least this one is not laterally unstable, like some I could name. And, if the trigger catches on something at its tip, it is an effective safety. Speaking of safety, on the right side of the slide, just below the rear sight you’ll find the well-known key-lock that stops everything. Useful for long-term storage.
Available in an all-black version or a fetching two-tone, the G2 has an external thumb
safety and the seemingly required (these days) “trigger” safety lever. A light rail
allows accessories and J.B. found his test guns to run 100 percent, in 9mm.
The rugged and well-made cross-draw holster and bull-hide belt
(not shown) from Wright Leather Works fit the guns perfectly.
Solid Features
An automatic internal safety blocks the striker at all times and is cleared only in the last fraction of trigger pull. The manual safety directly blocks the sear. These design points are reassuring to those, me included, who are made nervous by the idea of “cocked-and-locked” carrying with no secondary safety mechanism.
When the chamber is loaded, the striker is cocked. In firing, there’s about a half-inch of easy trigger movement, compressing only the trigger spring. Sort of a “soft-double-action” effect. Then, a crisp single-action let-off of around eight pounds and no over-travel. The trigger system also has another interesting feature.
Let’s say there’s one of those European hard primers, or one that’s been subjected to heat and is a little “slow.” Well, after the initial SA striker fall, the G2 changes to a DA system and you can hit it again if you like. A really neat option, but I immediately thought “Hey, why not just leave out the single-action system and make it a DA only?” But then we wouldn’t have a Gen 2!
At the range, the G2 performed flawlessly with several loads from Black Hills and Cor Bon. Firing was standing, two-hand hold, and distances were 7 and 15 yards. Groups had an interesting, odd pattern. A quick 5 shots put the first one in the center and the other four close to it, in 2-shot groups, about an inch apart. A good performance, quite acceptable for serious purposes.
Taurus ads for the Millennium G2 refer to it as “The perfect everyday gun” and it qualifies for that. With this in mind, I looked for a cross-draw holster. I even found one, the “Regulator” by Wright Leather Works of Fremont, Ohio. Beautiful quality and about medium in cost. Also, a bull-hide belt of awesome proportions. The Millennium G2 is available in two finishes, an all-black and a 2-tone, with a matte-stainless slide. Retail prices are surprisingly modest at $301 and $316 respectively.
For more info: https://www.taurususa.com
Taurus, Ph: (305)624-1115; Wright Leather Works, Ph: (419)307-6191.
