Sherman, set the Wayback Machine for the late 1980’s and the height of the Cold War. NATO planners were worried about Soviet paratroopers and Operational Maneuver Groups rampaging through the rear-guard areas in Germany and elsewhere. These planners determined that because of this, there was a need for a modern-day version of the WWII-era M1 Carbine, something that offered more firepower than a service pistol but was easier to carry around than a rifle, and thus, the concept of the PDW, or Personal Defense Weapon, was born.
The fall of the Soviet Union greatly reduced the perceived need for this sort of firearm, and the NFA rules regarding barrel lengths and rifle stocks meant it never took hold in the civilian market either. This changed in 2014, however, when ATF approved the pistol brace for use. Now you could add a stabilizer to the rear of a large AR-15 pistol or other firearm and use it as another point of contact on your gun, allowing it to be more accurate and more controllable.
Legal squabbles soon followed, but at the time of this writing, adding a brace to a pistol and stabilizing it on your shoulder is permissible by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is likely to be this way for quite some time.
This relatively stable legal landscape undoubtedly convinced Taurus USA to release the new GX4 Strike Bravo. This pistol is a version of the polymer-framed, striker-fired GX4 pistol, except there is a Strike Industries FSA Single Stabilizer attached to the back of the frame of the gun.
The stabilizer dramatically changes the nature of this pistol. What was once a compact carry gun ideal for carrying in a holster on the waistband suddenly becomes a firearm that’s harder to conceal but is easily capable of 25-yard head shots and center-mass shots at 50 yards. What you give up in concealability, you gain in accuracy and fast follow-up shots. Is that a trade-off worth your time? Well, let’s consider the role that the Taurus GX4 Strike Bravo might play in your armed lifestyle.
Let’s begin by going back to the original idea behind the PDW, which was to create something that was easy to have with you, but offered more punch than a pistol could bring to the party. The GX4 Strike Back certainly can play this role, but let’s face it, stopping Soviet paratroopers is not high on my list of self-defense priorities.
What is up there, however, is having something that offers me more than just a defensive pistol does, especially in a home defense situation. The GX4 Strike Back gives me most of the ease of use of a pistol within the tight confines of my home, but with the added accuracy of a stabilizing brace.
In addition to this, I frequently take trips, either for work or for pleasure. I take along a concealed carry pistol whenever it is practical, but at home, I like to have a little more by my side than just a pistol, and the same is true when I travel. Call it a home defense gun for when I’m away from home. Not a truck gun: This is not meant to permanently reside in my vehicle, waiting for the day when a bad guy breaks in and claims my property for his own. Instead, this gun goes with me in my vehicle, then into my hotel or whatever, then back out to my vehicle when I go out and about.
This is why I don’t like to carry luggage that screams out, “Attention criminals: There is at least one firearm inside this case” when I travel. Instead, I like to stay in the background as much as possible, and the small size of the GX4 Strike Back means it can easily fit into a normal-sized backpack when I roam about.
All of this is theoretical; however, if the GX4 Strike Back doesn’t offer a significant upgrade from what my concealed carry pistol can accomplish. Features-wise, the pistol checks all the boxes you’d expect in a modern defensive pistol. The slide has Taurus’s T.O.R.O. optics cut, which is compatible with the Holosun-K and RMSc footprints. Up front, the 3.7-inch barrel is threaded for a suppressor, a handy thing to add to any gun which is meant to be used indoors. The trigger is right in line with other striker-fired guns available today, and the magazine holds 15 rounds right out of the box, with higher-capacity magazines available from third-party vendors.
What really sets this pistol apart from the competition is the Strike Industries brace that is attached to the pistol via a short section of Picatinny rail at the rear of the frame. There is also a reversible charging handle of the slide to aid with slide manipulations; however, I found it easier just to grasp the optic I had mounted to the slide and use it to help me get the gun back into action.
Using the pistol as a pistol without the brace was dead simple. However, unlike some other braces I have used, the Strike Industries stabilizer locks into place when folded closed and requires a bit of effort to extend fully. This keeps it firmly in place when not in use, but also means it’s slower to open than some braces out there.
On the range, the brace made it easy to place rounds anywhere I wanted to within 25 yards, and center-mass hits out to 100 yards were possible with added care to sights and trigger, especially when using a red dot sight on top of the gun.
To test the reliability of the GX4 Strike Back, I shot 200+ rounds through the gun with no issues whatsoever. Taurus has recently made a real effort to improve the dependability of their guns, and while 200 rounds is just a start, the lack of problems with this gun is a promising sign.
The Taurus GX4 Strike Back is a niche firearm. It doesn’t pack the wallop of a rifle or a shotgun for home defense, and it’s too big to carry concealed without resorting to off-body carry. However, if you’re looking for something that can augment your existing concealed carry and is easy to carry with you almost anywhere you go, it is well worth your investment.
Taurus GX4 Strike Bravo Specifications
Caliber: 9mm
Front Sight: Fixed White dot
Rear Sight: Drift adjustable
Frame size: Compact
Barrel Length: 3.7 inches
Overall Length w/ Brace (Closed): 10.5 inches
Overall Length w/ Brace (Open): 18.4 inches
Overall Width: 1.08 inches
Weight (unloaded): 24.1 ounces
Barrel Threads: 1/2×28
Magazine Capacity: 15 rounds (10 rounds when appropriate)
Magazines Included: 2
MSRP: $606.99
25 yard Bench Rest Accuracy Results
115 Grain Blazer Brass, five 5 shot groups
Average group: 3.07 inches
Minimum group:1.98 inches
Maximum group: 4.10 inches
Average velocity: 1099 fps
147 Grain Speer Gold Do G2, five 5 shot groups
Average Group: 2.63 inches
Minimum group: 2.34 inches
Maximum group: 2.87 inches
Average velocity: 892 fps
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