The overall width of the grip frame is slightly less than one inch, making the PT709 thinner than any other 9mm pistol in its class and definitely entitling it to the name that is laser-etched into the slide: "Slim."

Takedown of the PT709 for maintenance and cleaning is entirely modular, as is the current standard for auto pistols, and will be familiar to users of other popular current polymer pistol makes.

First, remove the magazine and make sure the chamber is clear. Then draw the slide slightly to the rear and pull downward on both sides of the spring-loaded takedown lever, pull the trigger to relax the firing mechanism and draw the slide/barrel/recoil spring assembly forward off the frame. The barrel and recoil spring can then be removed from the slide for cleaning.

To reassemble, you simply guide the slide assembly back onto the frame rails and press it to the rear until the takedown latch clicks back into place, and you're ready to reload and go. Simple.

The first time I picked up the PT709 at a trade show, I immediately took to its comfortable feel and instinctive M1911-angle pointability--as well as the apparent quality of its DAO-like single-action trigger pull--so I was delighted when we received an early sample for review.

I was able to put it through a function and accuracy review with eight different varieties of commercial 9mm personal-protection ammunition, firing from benchrest at a personal defense distance of 15 yards (about the width of a typical city street).

The gun functioned flawlessly with all loads, and the overall combined group average was less than three inches. Put another way, you can hit a baseball-size target all day long with this gun at that range with anything you care to load in it, which is well within the specification standards of any law-enforcement agency, even for a full-size duty and service pistol.

And it was as natural and comfortable to shoot as I had anticipated from merely handling it on the showroom floor. One of the advantages of any striker-fired auto pistol (as compared to hammer-fired mechanisms) is that the gun sits lower in the hand, putting the recoil axis of the bore closer to the line of the shooter's grip. For a lightweight compact centerfire pistol, this is a very important factor in controllability, perception of recoil and recovery time between shots.

Combine the striker-fired low axis of recoil with an ergonomic grip like the PT709's, and you've got a pistol that handles like it was a much fuller-structured gun.

If you're looking for a low-profile, lightweight 9mm auto that is utterly reliable, accurate above the norm and as convenient to carry as a wallet, the new Taurus Slim definitely ought to be on your short list of candidates.