I have a 24/7 9mm which is more gun for the money than any I could find. That’s why when the 709 Slim was introduced I rushed to out to see one. After considering the Kahr and the KelTec as a small carry weapon, the 709 appealed in so many ways. I wanted more stopping power than a .38, plus I needed consistency in ammunition with my other gun so a 9mm was required.

The trigger pull is exactly like the 24/7, easy slight pull to a noticeable friction point, then a quick snap to a consistent fire.

It is light and thin, hence the SLIM notation, but still retains a full steel slide, unlike many other light weight carry guns. It tucks nicely within an IWB holster and conceals beneath a light tee-shirt with virtually no print through. The grips are less pronounced and not as soft as the ‘Ribber’ grips on the 24/7 but comfortable.

The slide has been smoothed with a three dot sight for easy holster extraction and all the edges rounded. It has a small ‘loaded’ detent on the top of the slide which is unobtrusive, so much so you can’t see it when sighting the weapon. The little red dot is mostly concealed even when looking from the side and the left side loaded indicator is absent any red paint at all. However, it is easy enough to tell its condition with a slip of the finger across the slide, and then it’s very noticeable. The 24/7 uses a ‘feel’ loaded indicator but it’s placed in a more convenient spot.

The grouping at 7 yards was a bit more spread than with its longer 24/7 cousin, but all shots were within the 9 ring and certainly within body mass. The gun also has quite a bit more recoil than the larger, heavier relative, as should be expected. It does have a tendency to jump around under successive fire and I struggled to keep a magazine emptying, rapid fire within body mass. Thankfully it was a large target.

It is a two finger grip, as you would expect from a 7+1 configuration, but unlike others I don’t find my ring finger searching for a place to grab. Both fingers fit perfectly well in the space provided so I don’t feel like I’m shooting a ‘Noisy Cricket’.
The trigger pull is not as hard as the Keltec but just as long, however once you feel the resistance another millimeter drops the hammer, easy to get used to and very consistent. The SA/DA is equally functional since, at first, the gun failed to fire on a batch of reloads I tried. Usually, a second trigger pull did the job. The factory ammo fired cleanly but when I called Taurus about the reload problem they immediately shipped out a replacement firing pin and the gun now fires the reloads flawlessly as well.

Disassembly is harder than larger guns, both due to size and the release pins used. You have to pull the slide back 1/8” and find a way to retract both right and left side pins at the same time, then pull the slide forward and pull the trigger to allow the slide to come off. It took a couple of times but once I finally achieved success I realized I could repeat the procedure fairly consistently.

The 709 retains the Taurus finger detent along both sides allowing a very natural placement of the index finger off the trigger, as if it were a place for your finger to call home. The safety and magazine release are both for right handed shooters. The mag. release doesn’t lend itself to rapid magazine changes but that’s not what the gun’s designed for. Personal protection isn’t usually about fast magazine swaps.

I was just getting used to the rather odd Heinie sights on the 24/7 so I was surprised when this arrived with a traditional three dot sight. The Heinie sights are much taller than a three dot which might make extraction from a holster more challenging, hence the lower three dot and they work well.

For such a small package it is such a substantial gun. Light in weight although it doesn’t feel toy-like as many others do. The 709 uses a drop trigger protection system plus the Taurus TSS, a little wrench which locks the firing mechanism from prying little hands. It prevents the slide from operating; no shell can be loaded and prevents the trigger from moving so that no loaded cartridge can be fired. They provide a nifty little tool which can be attached to your key ring however; it includes a neat tiny screwdriver which, unfortunately, sticks out at a 45 degree angle making carrying awkward. They sell the lock tool for the 24/7 as a single device for about a buck from the factory.