Beschrijving

Taurus produced its first revolver, the Model 38101SO, in 1941. Beginning in 1953, it exported revolvers to the U.S. market through a series of importers.

In 1962, the Bangor Punta Corporation, then the parent company of Smith & Wesson, purchased 87 percent of Forjas Taurus, allowing the two firearms manufacturers to easily share information regarding design and manufacturing. In 1973, Taurus was purchased from Bangor Punta by its current owners, and its ties to Smith & Wesson were severed.

In 1981, after Italian arms manufacturer Beretta had completed its contracts to produce firearms for Brazil’s military, Taurus purchased Beretta’s São Paulo manufacturing plant along with the tooling, technical drawings, and work force necessary to produce several different pistol designs.

In order to more effectively tap the U.S. market, the company created a subsidiary, Taurus International Manufacturing Incorporated, also known as Taurus USA, in 1988.

In 1995, Forjas Taurus purchased the rights & equipment to manufacture Rossi brand revolvers. They currently manufacture three .38 Special models and four .357 Magnum models under the Rossi name, manufactured in São Leopoldo, Brazil. In 2012, Heritage Manufacturing was also purchased and its production later moved to Taurus’ Miami, Florida plant.

In 2019, Taurus USA moved their facilities from Miami, Florida to Bainbridge, Georgia.