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| TAURUS |
| From humble beginnings as a small tool manufacturer in Porto Alegre, Brazil over 60 years ago, Forjas Taurus (translation: Taurus Forge) has become a diversified, international company and one of the largest small arms manufacturers in the world. The company produced its first revolver in 1941. The gun combined elements from several manufacturers of that day, including Colt, Smith & Wesson and certain Spanish brands. This first revolver was designated the Model 38101SO. Taurus soon became a major factor in the South American market and experienced continuous growth. In 1968, the company entered the U.S. market via a succession of U.S. distributors over the next several years. Their efforts met with only marginal success. In 1970 a gun conglomerate, Bangor Punta, purchased 54% of Taurus. Smith & Wesson also owned by Bangor Punta became a sister company to Taurus. During the next seven years, a great deal of technology and methodology was passed between the two. 1977 saw minority ownership buy the 54% of Taurus outright from Bangor Punta. At once a quest to improve overall quality of Taurus product was initiated. Also, the company now began a dynamic expansion program. Beretta had won a huge contract in 1974 to produce small arms for the army of Brazil. Part of the deal was that Beretta construct a Brazilian factory and use Brazilian labor. This they did, in the southwestern coastal city of Sao Paulo. When the contract ran out in 1980, Beretta sold the plant, literally "lock, stock and barrel," to Taurus. Taurus now owned everything that once belonged to Beretta, including drawings, tooling, machinery, and a very experienced work force. Taurus was in the pistol business, and immediately sought to improve on the Beretta design, resulting in the popular and acclaimed Taurus PT-92 and PT-99 9mm pistols. The most significant milestone for Taurus came in 1982. This is when the Brazil management decided to "take the bull by the horns" by opening an affiliated company, Taurus, in Miami, Florida. Two slow years followed and it was not until 1984, when Taurus made the announcement that was to have a tremendous impact on the entire industry. Taurus became the first company to offer its customers an unqualified lifetime repair policy. Only recently has this policy been matched. The U. S. subsidiary has posted record years ever since. For our full product range see the Airsoft Guns at the Airsoft Gun Room |