Montenegrin TARA TM-9 Pistol Now Available in the USA

Posted 2 days ago in Daily News, Pistols, Semi-Auto by Hrachya H with 35 Comments
Tags: DASR, Double Action Short Release, Montenegro, TARA, TARA Tactical USA, TM-9, TM-9 Gen2
Tara TM-9 (2)

Back in 2013, we published an article telling about the first generation of the Montenegrin Tara TM-9 pistol. Since then this handgun has been revised and updated multiple times and its latest iteration is now available in the USA via a US distributor called TARA Tactical USA. In this article, we’ll take a look at the design and features of this newest version of Tara TM-9 pistol.

The Tara TM-9 is a striker-fired polymer-framed handgun chambered in 9x19mm. It is a locked-breech short barrel recoil pistol with a tilting barrel lockup. The pistol is made by the small arms division of a Montenegrin aerospace company called TARA Aerospace AD. The experience and capabilities of manufacturing aerospace products allow the company to make these pistols to tight tolerances. The tight barrel-to-slide lockup is advertised to make the gun extremely accurate and the low bore axis (22mm (.865″)) to minimize the muzzle flip and allow for fast follow-up shots.

Tara TM-9 (4)

Some of the upgrades incorporated into the design of the latest generation frames of TM-9 pistols are the removed finger grooves, extended beavertail and honeycomb pattern on the grip and on support hand thumb / primary hand index finger shelves. The slide rails are on two separate metal blocks inserted into the frame. The company opted not to mold the slide rails into the frame to prevent them from being affected by frame flex during firing the gun. The frame also features a double undercut trigger guard, lanyard attachment provision, 1913 accessory rail and interchangeable backstraps. The pistol is fed from 17-round metal magazines and has an ambidextrous magazine release button.

The barrel and slide of the Tara TM-9 pistol are machined out of solid stainless steel bars and along with other metal parts feature a special surface treatment that allows the company to give a 50,000 rounds guarantee on all main parts of the pistol. The slide has front and rear cocking serrations. The angled surfaces on the front portion of the slide are another difference from previous generation guns. The improved extractor has an extension that works as a visual and tactile loaded chamber indicator. Tara TM-9 pistol weighs in at 800 grams (28 oz) unloaded and has the following dimensions: length – 187mm (7.36″); height – 139mm (5.47″); width – 30mm (1.18″); barrel length – 113mm (4.45″); sight radius – 165mm (6.5″).

Tara TM-9 (5)

One of the most interesting design features of the Tara TM-9 pistol is the patented trigger mechanism called DASR (Double Action Short Release). It is sort of a hybrid of double-action-only (DAO) and double-action/single-action (DA/SA) triggers. The gun always fires the first round in double-action mode but the trigger has two reset points. When the gun is fired and the trigger is let forward all the way, it will reset to double-action again. However, if the trigger is released by about .25″, kind of half-way, it will click into an intermediate reset point and can be pulled back again with a lighter and shorter single-action pull.

Resetting to DAO every time the trigger is completely released means that when the gun is not being fired, the striker is completely decocked. This, in conjunction with the striker blocking mechanism, ensure ultimate safety virtually eliminating the chances of an accidental discharge due to a cocked or semi-cocked striker slipping off of the sear. And of course, another feature of the DAO trigger mechanism is the ability to strike the primer again in case of a misfire without the need to rack the slide. DAO trigger of Tara TM-9 pistol also allows starting the disassembly of the gun without the need for pulling the trigger first.

The MSRP of the Tara TM-9 pistol is $529. The pistol comes in a nylon case with three magazines and three different size backstraps. It is compatible with Safariland ALS and SLS Glock 17 holsters. A compact version of this pistol (TM-9C) may become available in the future as well.

We are looking forward to reviewing the Tara TM-9 pistol. Stay tuned!

Pictures by TARA Tactical USA, www.tarapistols.com
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Hrachya H
Hrachya H

Being a lifelong firearms enthusiast, Hrachya always enjoys studying design, technology and history of guns and ammunition. His knowledge of Russian allows him to translate and make Russian/Soviet/Combloc small arms related information available for the English speaking audience. Hrachya also writes for SilahReport.com
Should you need to contact him, feel free to shoot him a message at Hrachya@thefirearmblog.com

So you basically posted an ad for a new polymer framed striker fired pistol. Before you say it’s not an ad...

quote:

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Just looking at the pics, there’s a few issues I’d have that your wonder reviewer missed.

TARA...wasn't that the name of some house?

Currently $399 at PSA...for those willing to take a chance. The trigger sounds interesting at least. Though there's no mention of what the pull weights are for each action.

Yeah, the pistol is so great that Hrachya missed that it’s already priced for the bargain bin. Hmmm, let’s see what that “firearm enthusiast” missed which took only seconds for my eye to notice:

1. U-shaped cut out in the bottom of the front grip, a feature on some Glock models that its fans couldn’t stand as it irritated them during shooting. A trade off between needing to grip the mag under certain circumstances and shooting comfort. The latter wins IMHO.

2. The large arched backstrap won’t be comfortable for many folks and there appears to be no modularity to the grip panels. Combined with what looks like a large trigger throw, the pistol will appeal only to those with large hands.

3. The trigger doesn’t appear to have an integral safety. The designers didn’t ask the question why such a safety exists on so many striker fired pistols.. it’s meant to ensure that the trigger is deliberately pulled from its front face, not caught on its side and pulled - resulting in a potentially deadly misfire. Probably why the throw is so large. But hey, Hrachya says its design is the “ultimate safety”. He is mistaking convenience for safety, like many fools I know.

4. Many, many things weren’t covered besides trigger pull weight but that’s because ad space is limited.

I’m not saying that the pistol is quality because I don’t know but it appears that there’s no integral safety in the trigger like a Glock because it’s a DAO pistol.

The Smith & Wesson M&P isn't a Glock and is DAO striker-fired but the trigger contains an integral interlock, making certain the trigger is pulled from the front face (like so many striker fired pistols). Don't confuse the subject.

quote:

Originally posted by Dakor:
Hmmm, let’s see what that “firearm enthusiast” missed which took only seconds for my eye to notice:

3. The trigger doesn’t appear to have an integral safety. The designers didn’t ask the question why such a safety exists on so many striker fired pistols.. it’s meant to ensure that the trigger is deliberately pulled from its front face, not caught on its side and pulled - resulting in a potentially deadly misfire. Probably why the throw is so large. But hey, Hrachya says its design is the “ultimate safety”. He is mistaking convenience for safety, like many fools I know.

Uh, the SIG P320 Trigger doesn't have an 'integral safety' and it's a striker fired pistol.

Only YOU can prevent Negligent Discharges...

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
Uh, the SIG P320 Trigger doesn't have an 'integral safety' and it's a striker fired pistol.

Same with the Kahrs, which are striker-fired without an integral trigger safety. And the Sig P365. Plus a number of less-common striker guns, like the Hudson H9 and Tangfolio Esse. And a whole slew of earlier striker guns like the Roth-Steyr, Mauser 1914, Colt Vest Pocket, Savage 1910, Luger, HK VP70, etc.

None of which have Glock-style trigger safeties.

quote:

Originally posted by Dakor:
The Smith & Wesson M&P isn't a Glock and is DAO striker-fired

The common modern striker-fired guns (Glock, M&P, etc.) have partially-cocked strikers, where the striker is almost fully cocked by the slide travel, and then the trigger moves the striker rearward the last few percentage points before releasing it. Thus they are not true "DAO" guns.

(In fact, some argue that terms like "Single Action" and "Double Action/DAO" only apply to hammer-fired guns anyway.)

But as much as a striker-fired handgun could be, this TARA appears to be more of a "DAO" than any of the common modern striker guns, because the striker is reportedly fully at rest, and the trigger pull fully retracts the striker before releasing it.

That makes it distinct from the Glock/M&P/et al.

Looks and sounds like a Caracal

Y'know, I knew that DA/SA-like striker system sounded familiar...

This same handgun was licensed by Schmeisser back in the mid-2010s, who offered it as the Schmeisser SLP-9. They marketed the trigger system as "DARE" for "Double Action Rapid Engagement". It made a small splash at some trade shows and had a few favorable reviews, but never really went anywhere in the market.

Now TARA, the original manufacturer, is apparently making a run at selling it themselves directly, as the TM-9 with what they're now calling the "DASR" (Double Action Short Reset) trigger system.

The year is 2021, every pistol is now as close to a Glock as their lawyers allow. The Tupperware revolution is complete.

I agree. I think we need to declare "glock" a generic term for the type.

Not a lot of work for lawyers, though; patents only run for 20 years, so you should be able to make a straight copy of anything up through Gen 3 introduced in 1998. I assume the knockoffs have "features" thought desirable and/or are cheaper to build than an already cookie cutter design.

Hmm. Suddenly I want another P250.

A glockoff?

The TARA website is cutting edge.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
The TARA website is cutting edge.

Haha. I thought the same thing.

You'd almost expect it to have some 16-bit flashing GIFs and a MIDI version of "Rock You Like a Hurricane" playing in the background, like a Geocities page circa 1995.

Just another chip off of the old Glock!!

The last handgun to come out of Montenegro that I know of was this one.



This gun might be OK, but in a world awash in Glocks, P320s, "Springfield XDs" (manufactured in Montenegro's neighbor Croatia), it is likely to get lost.

I've had one in my hands for some years ago, definitively the most horrible trigger i've seen in a striker pistol, gritty, heavy,not interesting.

quote:

Originally posted by Dakor:
The Smith & Wesson M&P isn't a Glock and is DAO striker-fired but the trigger contains an integral interlock, making certain the trigger is pulled from the front face (like so many striker fired pistols). Don't confuse the subject.

I’m not confusing the subject at all. The long trigger pull of the DAO trigger is likely considered the safety mechanism here, just like with so many other DAO handguns without any thumb or trigger safety.