Taurus TH10, Old-School 10mm Bear Medicine | Review

Old-school. 10mm Bear medicine. These phrases don’t automatically go together, although many 10mm pistols are carried as protection against bears and other toothy critters. The “old-school” part doesn’t fit. What do I mean, old-school? If you look closely at the beavertail in the photo above, you will see the nub of a hammer sticking out of the rear of this gun just above it. Hammer? Yes. Striker? No. The TH series of Taurus pistols feature a DA/SA trigger, complete with a safety that functions as a decocker. Holy 1980s, Batman!

Taurus TH10 – 10mm Double/Single Action Pistol

Live Inventory Price Checker

	TAURUS G3C TORO COMPACT 9MM PISTOL | BLK | 1-G3CP931 | 12 RD MAGAZINE	Bear Creek Arsenal	$ 449.65
	FN 510 MRD 4.1" 15rd 10mm Pistol, Black - 66-101379	Palmetto State Armory	$ 930.00 $ 819.00
	FN 510 MRD 4.1" 15rd 10mm Pistol, Black - 66-101379	Palmetto State Armory	$ 1108.99 $ 819.99
	Hoppe's 1.2.3 Done!, 40 Caliber, 10mm Pistol Cleaning Kit - 110040	Palmetto State Armory	$ 24.99 $ 17.99

If you think this 10mm DA/SA blaster is a one-off, you’re wrong. Taurus wants to give shooters who favor that type of pistol a choice, so they make 23 different DA/SA models. Choose from five frame finishes (black, tan, gray, cyan, and OD) and two gun sizes (full and compact). Calibers? We’ve got 9mm, 10mm, 40 S&W, and .45 ACP. You have a choice and are not limited to one or two calibers. The 10mm and .45 ACP calibers only come in full-size and black, while the other calibers offer the mentioned color and gun size variables. So, fans of DA/SA pistols are in luck. See the whole shebang here.

Why DA/SA?

In case you are not familiar with the term “DA/SA”, you may not be alone. What does DA/SA stand for? It is the acronym for Double Action/Single Action. Isn’t it one or the other, you may wonder. I don’t mean to confuse you, so let me explain…That type of pistol action got its start before WWII, but it was really popular among American shooters in the 1970s-1980s. It has, for the most part, given way to striker-fired pistols. One of the more famous examples of a DA/SA pistol from the earlier era is the German Walther P38. As with the P-08 Luger, collectors go ga-ga over the P38. It was the first successful DA/SA pistol to serve in a military role, in 9mm. Another DA/SA pistol you may be familiar with is the Beretta 92FS. This style of action isn’t as popular as it once was in the 1970s and 1980s, but some shooters love the DA/SA trigger and the ability to carry the gun with the hammer down, or cocked and locked like a 1911.

Here’s how it works…

Pistols made to be DA/SA have trigger mechanisms that allow for the gun to be carried with the hammer down, and then fired by pulling the trigger through a long DA arc. This is exactly how a DA revolver works. That first trigger pull is long and fairly stiff. But, after the first shot, the hammer stays cocked. The next time you pull the trigger, the pull is lighter… again, just as if you’d thumb-cocked a DA revolver’s hammer to fire in SA mode.

There is one benefit that DA/SA semiauto pistols have that revolvers don’t (unless you consider lowering the hammer slowly with your thumb to serve this function): a decocker lever. When the pistol’s hammer is back, say, after loading a fresh magazine and racking the slide to load the chamber, you can press the safety lever down, and the hammer will safely fall forward against the frame. That way, you won’t be carrying a pistol around with a cocked hammer unless you want to, of course.

Here’s another advantage of the DA/SA system. Many shooters came to DA/SA pistols after training with and using 1911s. They were used to carrying guns cocked and locked. So, they continued to do so with their new Wonder Nines, as they were referred to back in the day. That’s another reason to consider going to a DA/SA pistol. That was one of the main reasons that Jeff Cooper, a noted 1911 aficionado, sang the praises of the CZ75 when it came out. You could carry it in Condition One, cocked and locked, with a round in the chamber. High praise, indeed!

Report Card

Here’s my report card for this particular pistol before going into more detail below.

• RELIABILITY: A | No failures of any kind
• BUILD QUALITY: B+ | (see below)
• ACCESSORIES: A | A nice case, 3 backstraps, and 2 magazines included
• ACCURACY: B | It shot five inches high, but the groups were acceptable for its purpose
• OVERALL VALUE: B+ | A couple of items kept it from being an A (see below)

Observations

The pistol comes in a very nice, hard plastic case with the extras listed above. Taurus has upped their game when it comes to pistol cases. The pistol fired everything I asked it to with no FTF or FTE problems, so that was not an issue. Where I had a problem was with the magazine release. I could barely get the button pushed in far enough to release the mags… I had to turn the gun upside down and do a gorilla grip on the release to let it work.

Another glitch was the sight arrangement. The sights are well-made and are great to use, except that the regulation was off. The gun shot approximately four inches high. The two representative target pics below were taken before I pulled the sheets off the target backer because some of the shots were off the paper. I was using a center hold. Later, I went to a 6 o’clock hold just to keep shots on paper. I guess that we could consider that this pistol is zeroed for 75 yards, as that’s the range that the bullet will drop around four inches. That range is not out of character for this caliber, for medium game such as deer.

Lastly, I noticed that I needed to pull the slide back very hard when I was reassembling the pistol after cleaning. It did not want to get past the take-down lever unless I really cranked on it. It did work; it just took some doing.

These were the few problems I had with this pistol… probably, the next one down the production line wouldn’t have these issues. If I wanted a 10mm to carry on a deer or hog hunt, I would not discount this one – the problems mentioned could be addressed easily enough.

Trigger Time

The trigger was decent enough… you had the usual-for-DA/SA-pistols 1/2″ or so take-up for the SA pull, but then it broke cleanly at 4 3/4 pounds. The DA pull surprised me in a good way – I measured it at 8 1/2 pounds. Typically, guns in this price range that use a DA pull have one that weighs around 10-12 pounds. Not this one. This trigger should be able to help the gun deliver small groups for better shooters than me.

Specs

Here’s what the website and my observations say about the TH10…

• CALIBER: 10 MM AUTO
• CAPACITY: 15 Rounds
• FRONT SIGHT: Drift Adjustable
• REAR SIGHT: Drift Adjustable
• MAGAZINES INCLUDED: 2
• ACTION TYPE: DA/SA
• FRAME SIZE: Full
• BARREL LENGTH: 4.25 In.
• OVERALL LENGTH: 7.80 In.
• OVERALL HEIGHT: 5.80 In.
• OVERALL WIDTH: 1.43 In.
• OVERALL WEIGHT: 28.50 Oz. (Unloaded)
• TWIST RATE: 1:16 – in RH twist
• GROOVES: 6
• FRAME MATERIAL: Polymer
• FRAME FINISH: Black
• SLIDE MATERIAL: Alloy Steel
• SLIDE FINISH: Matte Black
• BARREL MATERIAL: Stainless Steel
• BARREL FINISH: Matte Stainless
• SAFETY: Firing Pin Block
  • Manual Safety
  • Visual Loaded Chamber Indicator
• SA TRIGGER PULL WEIGHT: 4 3/4 lbs.
• DA TRIGGER PULL WEIGHT: 8 1/2 lbs. (weights measured with a Lyman digital gauge)

Cleaning The TH10

Disassembling the Taurus TH10 is easy. As always, start by removing the magazine and checking the chamber to make sure the gun is unloaded. Pull the slide back a half-inch or so while pulling the take-down tabs down. Release the slide and pull the trigger and the slide comes off… separate the barrel and spring from the slide. Clean away and reverse the process to re-assemble the gun. That’s all there is to it. (You might want to make sure the hammer is cocked when pulling the slide back – that way you don’t have to cock it with the slide. It makes it just a bit easier to seat the slide).

Range Time with the Taurus TH10

I went to my backyard range, set up targets at 25 yards, and brought what small amount of 10mm I had on hand – I don’t own a 10mm, so I don’t keep scads of ammo around – and set up with my Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph. (Side note – the Garmin has gone to my shooting bench with me almost every time I test a gun or shoot for fun. It’s always enlightening to see what velocity a given load is doing, out of the barrel. This portable, no-wires-or-sky screens radar unit makes that easy).

Anyway, I had two loads that I wanted to try… a 180-grain FMJ load from Magtech, and a 200-grain, hard-cast-bullet load from HSM that says “Bear Load” on the box. Here’s what happened.

I told you the gun shot high—here’s proof. The group was centered nicely and would be a great practice load. Notice they didn’t skimp on the velocity—this is not a mid-range load. At 1140 fps and over 500 ft./lbs. of energy, this would be effective for several uses.

The “Bear Load”

Again, off the paper, but once that is addressed, this load will be one to consider for hunting. Penetration would not be an issue. These are not groups that you could cover with a teacup, but they would work in the field for close- to medium-range game. I would love to try it in our deer woods later this fall.

Photo Time

Summing Up

Even though I had a few issues with this pistol, I like it. There is nothing here that can’t be fixed or accommodated. At a real-world price of $429 (several outlets have it at this price), this gun would be hard to beat. The trigger was above expectations, and the grip was exceptional… just enough texturing and very subtle finger grooves to keep the gun in place. With two 15-round mags, you should be ready for anything in the woods you might run across, and the extra backstraps will allow you to custom-fit it to your hand.

I like it, warts and all… as I said above, the next one down the line probably wouldn’t have these issues. For a bargain 10mm, it works… I’ve seen worse. It is a great way to get into the 10mm cartridge for those wanting to expand their caliber choices.

About Mike Hardesty

With experience spanning over 45 years, Mike Hardesty has long enjoyed shooting and reloading. An inveterate reloader, he casts bullets and reloads for a diverse array of firearms, each handled with long-practiced precision. Living in rural Indiana, his homestead boasts a personal 100-yard range where he shares his love for guns to his four sons, their wives, and eleven grandchildren. As a recognized author, his writings have been featured in notable platforms like Sniper Country, Bear Creek Arsenal Blog, Pew Pew Tactical, TTAG, Dillon Precision’s Blue Press, and Gun Made, revealing his ongoing passion for firearms at the age of 72.