They did this without the need for a license and they also did not have to pay royalties, as the designs and patents had since expired,[1] resulting in less expensive prices than the Beretta 92 in most cases.

Like the Beretta, the Taurus PT92 utilizes the open-slide design where the upper portion of the slide is cut away exposing much of the barrel itself.

The original design also featured non-ambidextrous safety, round trigger guard and, most notably, the magazine release in the heel of the shiny plastic grips.

It was soon replaced with the release button at the base of the trigger guard, the current industry's most common magazine catch location.

A third revision in the late 90s changed the grip and slide design (which now has wider cocking serrations than PT92s manufactured before 1997).