Taurus produced its first
revolver, the Model 38101SO, in 1941. Beginning in 1968, it exported revolvers to the U.S. market through a series of importers. In 1971, the Bangor Punta Corporation, then the parent company of
Smith & Wesson, purchased 54 percent of Forjas Taurus, allowing the two firearms manufacturers to easily share information regarding design and manufacturing. In 1977, Taurus was purchased from Bangor Punta by its current owners, and its ties to
Smith & Wesson were severed. In 1980, 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 1982. In 1997, 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. ==Products==