Taurus .45 ACP 24/7 OSS Auto Pistol

I’ve been waiting awhile for this one. Taurus introduced the .45 OSS at the 2006 SHOT Show. One year later at the 2007 SHOT Show, it still wasn’t in production, but after a few more months of waiting, it is finally here. The US military showing interest in a .45 caliber service pistol has brought out many new modern .45 ACP full-sized pistols from several gun makers, and all are pretty good designs. The OSS falls into this category of full-sized service handguns, and is of the type that would be just right for a police holster gun or as a fighting pistol for defensive purposes. The OSS is a large pistol, but has a very comfortable grip, and the weight is relatively light for a service pistol, weighing in at slightly over 31 ounces empty. The barrel measures five and one-quarter inches long, and the overall length is eight and one-quarter inches. The magazine holds twelve .45 ACP cartridges, for a loaded capacity of thirteen, and the pistol ships with two magazines. The magazines are made of steel, and drop free when released, and the magazine release is right behind the trigger guard on the left side, just where it belongs. If desired, the magazine release is reversible for left-handed use. The trigger guard is large enough for a gloved finger, and is hooked on the front for added support from the weak hand.

One thing that sets the OSS apart from its competition is the mode of the action. Unlike most striker-fired modern auto pistols, the OSS has double-strike capability. The slide does not pre-cock the striker, and the trigger can keep cycling the striker, in the case of a dud primer. Personally, if the weapon does not fire when the trigger is pulled, I prefer to rack the slide and get the offending cartridge out of there, but some folks do like the double-strike capability. Also, the OSS has a first shot double action, and subsequent shots single action trigger system, and the safety allows the pistol be carried cocked-and-locked if desired. The safety blocks the trigger from movement, and can be activated whether the striker is cocked or not. This makes for a very versatile pistol. The pistol can also be safely carried with the safety off, if desired. The safety also locks the slide, which can be a good feature if sliding the pistol into a tight holster. Also, thankfully, the safety is of ambidextrous design, which is a real plus for left-handed shooters like me. The safety can also be pushed up to safely de-cock the striker. There is a red indicator at the back of the slide to let the operator know whether the pistol is cocked or not. Just above the extractor is a loaded chamber indicator.

The OSS uses a single spring captured recoil system with a full length guide rod. The pistol strips easily for maintenance. The grip is well-textured for a positive hold, and there are subtle finger grooves on the front strap of the grip. The magazine base pads offer support for the little finger of large hands, and the grip size and trigger reach make the pistol fit smaller hands very well. The slide has serrations fore and aft on both sides to help in cycling the action manually. Thankfully, there is no magazine safety, but the OSS does have the Taurus Security System key lock, that can be utilized or not, as the owner desires. The sights are highly visible, with the rear ramped, and are of the three-dot design, but do not have tritium inserts. Both front and rear sights are windage adjustable, and lock with a set screw.

At the front of the frame there is a section of Picatinny compatible rail for mounting a light or laser sight, and for testing I mounted a very compact Laserlyte laser to the rail. Also pictured here is a Laserlyte L-Rail that allows the use of both a laser sight and a light at the same time, for those who desire to do so. Both the laser sight and L-Rail seem to be very well made, and the laser was easy to see and held its setting throughout the testing of a large quantity of high performance .45 ACP ammunition, most of it Plus P rated. The laser activates by a push button switch, and uses four small batteries, which are supplied, along with four spares. The laser sight is attached to the Picatinny or Weaver style rail with two Allen head screws, and is adjusted with the supplied Allen wrench.

I fired the OSS for accuracy and reliability testing with a variety of high performance ammunition, and also with my standard semi-wadcutter handload. Every brand and type of factory ammunition that I tried functioned flawlessly in the OSS. Chronograph testing was done at a distance of twelve feet over the sensors of a Chrony Master Beta model chronograph. Air temperature was in the seventy-five degree range, at an elevation of approximately 400 feet above sea level. Velocities are listed in the chart below in feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed in grains. JHP is jacketed hollowpoint. EPR is a specialty high performance type bullet loaded by Extreme Shock. SWC is a handloaded lead semi-wadcutter bullet. DPX is the Barnes all-copper hollowpoint bullet loaded by Cor-Bon. PB is a specialty hollowpoint bullet with a nylon ball nose loaded by Cor-Bon, called PowRBall.

Ammunition	Bullet Weight	Velocity
Buffalo Bore JHP	185	1127
Buffalo Bore JHP	200	1029
Extreme Shock EPR	185	1120
Cor-Bon JHP	165	1286
Cor-Bon PB	165	1177
Cor-Bon JHP	185	1080
Cor-Bon DPX	185	1001
Cor-Bon JHP	200	1063
Cor-Bon JHP	230	940.4
Handload SWC	200	848.8

The OSS proved to have match-grade accuracy with semi-wadcutter ammunition, and also with several of the hollowpoint and other combat type ammo. When brand new, the OSS balked a bit on the target handloads, but after shooting it for a little while, it fed, fired, and ejected them flawlessly, just as it did all of the ammo tested.

The big Taurus feels good in the hand. The design and texture of the grip are very comfortable in my hand, and recoil was not bothersome with any ammunition fired in the OSS. The reach to the trigger measures 2.82 inches, and the wide, smooth trigger is easy to operate, with the trigger pull measuring eight pounds, fifteen ounces in double action mode, and six pounds, fourteen ounces single action.

I like the OSS. The parts are substantial, and hopefully Taurus has worked out the few bugs that were present in the earlier 24/7 pistols of a few years ago. This one has functioned very reliably so far, and I plan to put a lot more ammo through this pistol. Taurus was slow getting the OSS into production, and I think that the extra time delay allowed them to get it right. For a full-sized .45 fighting pistol, I think that Taurus has a winner with the OSS. I would like to see tritium night sights offered as an option, but other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing. It is not a pocket pistol by any means, but is accurate, reliable, and easy to shoot. These pistols are in full production, and are available on dealer’s shelves as this is written. I saw two of them just this past week at Tennessee Gun Country in Clarksville, Tennessee. By the way, Tennessee Gun Country keeps a well-stocked store, and they have good prices. I am not sure if they will ship firearms or not, but if you need a gun that is new on the market, they are the first that I know of to have the latest firearms in stock. If you are looking for something, give them a call at 931-552-2118.

For the location of a dealer near you, click on the DEALER FINDER at www.lipseys.com.