Taurus PT 1911SS

Almost a century after its introduction, the 1911 platform is still the pistol against which all others are judged. However, few are within reach of the average shooter. That’s why Taurus’ affordable, feature-packed 1911 line caught my eye.

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Taurus’ PT 1911s are built on a hammer-forged, ordnance-grade steel slide, frame, and barrel. All three components are hand-fitted for reliable operation and accuracy. Then they’re marked with matching serial numbers to ensure that the hard work isn’t negated with a parts mix-up.

I tested the stainless steel variant, which features polished flats and a matte-finished top and bottom. The full-length slide houses its five-inch, stainless barrel and full-length guide rod. The ejection port is lowered and flared, and wide grasping grooves fore and aft facilitate slide manipulation in high-stress situations. Low-profile Hienie sights are dovetailed into the slide. The serrated rear sight has a single white dot below the generous notch. The front also has a white dot, which sits atop the rear sight’s dot in Heinie’s “Straight 8” pattern.