Mechanically, the spring-loaded striker-fired ignition system is completely reset by the action of the slide, so the PT709 is technically defined as a single-action design (meaning that the trigger pull does not contribute to loading the striker; it merely releases the already cocked system). However, the trigger pull feels like one of today's popular short-throw DAO guns--firm and smooth, with a positive travel distance, returning to the same stroke-length for every shot.

As a single-action design, the PT709 also features a manual thumb safety, conventionally located on the left rear of the frame, which operates in the classic "up-safe/down-fire" mode of a M1911 pistol and allows the gun to be carried cocked and locked if the user desires.

I've usually been wary of carrying small striker-fired single-action auto pistols (like the old "Baby Browning" .25 ACP, for example) cocked and locked because their safety mechanisms are small, lightweight and easy to slip off accidentally, and their trigger pulls are a bit too unstable for my sense of security. In fact, even when I carry a hammer-fired M1911 cocked and locked, I prefer to use a holster with a safety strap or thumb break that interposes between the cocked hammer and the frame.

But the manual safety on the PT709 is particularly solid and secure, and the firm DAO-feel trigger pull makes this pistol the only one of its type where I would consider cocked and locked a viable option.

ACCURACY RESULTS: TAURUS PT709 SLIM
9MM LUGER	BULLET WEIGHT (gr.)	AVG. VELOCITY (fps)	AVG GROUP (in.)
Federal JHP	115	1,001	2.75
Remington JHP	115	1,088	2.83
Winchester STHP	115	1,197	2.88
Hornady XTP HP	124	996	2.63
Remington BJHP +P	124	1,139	2.75
Speer Gold Dot	125	1,005	2.50
Federal Hydra-Shok	135	978	2.63
Winchester SXT	147	956	2.68
NOTES: Velocity data is average of 5 rounds measured 10 feet from muzzle. Group-size data are averages of five five-shot groups for each load, fired at 15 yards from benchrest.

As a further safety enhancement, the PT709 also features a passive internal firing-block system. A spring-loaded plunger in the slide automatically blocks firing pin travel unless the trigger is pulled fully to the rear, an action that raises a steel lever inside the right side of the frame and depresses the pin-block plunger, allowing the gun to fire. So an accidental drop of the gun onto a hard surface will not allow the firing pin to strike a chambered cartridge, no matter whether the firing mechanism is cocked or at rest.

I'm also particularly impressed by the sights on the PT709. Most sights on ultra compact carry pistols are almost an afterthought, tiny and hard to see, as if their manufacturer thinks the gun will be only pointed instead of actually aimed.

The Taurus Slim can definitely be aimed. The low-profile combat-style fixed rear sight and semi-Patridge front blade feature three large white dots for high visibility and quick acquisition, and the rear notch is wide and deep for ready alignment with the front blade--unlike the shallow narrow notches typical of many other similar-size pistols. The proof is in the shooting.

The polymer frame has a hand-filling rounded backstrap and secure grasping grooves on the backstrap, front strap and forward sides. There are also grasping grooves on the rear sides of the slide to assist in chambering and clearing.

The magazine release is conventionally located on the left side of the frame behind the trigger guard. The polymer baseplate of the steel eight-round magazine (which is a lot of firepower for a pistol of this size) fits smoothly into the bottom contour of the grip, with a slight forward extension that provides a secure control surface for the bottom finger of your firing grasp.