TheBigDog65
Amateur
I've always had mixed feelings about the guns that come from Taurus. I owned one of their early Model 80's briefly more than forty years ago, receiving it and a bunch of cash for an S&W Model 14 that I didn't need at the time. To say I came out on the short end would be an understatement. That Model 80 never could fire a complete cylinder full and had an awful habit of skipping chambers in rapid fire. I wound up selling it at a loss to a guy who was going to go to gunsmithing school and wanted projects. I had a couple other Taurus revolvers of later vintage (90s and 2000s) pass through my hands that were problematic as well.
At one point I traded a beat up Colt Commander in 9mm that never ran well and needed a bunch of work for a Taurus PT92. I was impressed by how well that Taurus ran.... flawless. Perhaps the Beretta lineage, but it was an outstanding gun in all respects. I later traded it into an S&W Model 19 that I still have today 30 plus years later. So my experience with Taurus has been very much feast or famine.
Over the past couple of years I have had a hankering for an airweight .38 six shot preferably with a three inch barrel. Vintage S&W Model 12s in good shape are hard to find, when I do I always get outbid. And they are either two or four inch. Lightweight Colt snubs cost big bucks and don't really interest me. Offerings from other manufacturers either didn't fit what I was looking for or were simply meh.
I attended The Pat Rogers Revolver Roundup in 2022 and had the opportunity to train with and talk to Caleb Giddings, who is a wheel in the marketing arm at Taurus. Caleb is an amazing shooter and a devoted revolver nerd so we found common ground pretty quickly. The buzz around the campfires at Gunsite that weekend was that Taurus was recommitting itself to their revolver lines; in quality, in innovation and at reasonable price points. Caleb had production samples of several models at the Monday "Fun Day" for evaluation. I found the guns he had on hand to be accurate and well executed. Those who follow Caleb know he has spent much of last year running more than 10,000 rounds through a Taurus Model 82 in practice and competition. I saw that gun perform at the 2023 Roundup and it's legit. So it has got me thinking more about Taurus.
I was retiring at the end of January from corporate life to pursue my passion for instructing. I had a bunch of points from work bonuses that I needed to use or lose so I redeemed them for gift cards and went shopping for a retirement present to myself. I landed on a Taurus 856 Defender Ultra Lite in .38 Special. When all was said I done I had to pay the tax and about ten bucks of the sale price out of pocket. Deal.
What I like:
* The size is comparable to a three inch Ruger SP-101 that I've had for years, but maybe half the weight. The Hogue Combat Monogrip on the Taurus is nearly identical to the same grip on my SP-101. On the Taurus, the backstrap is open, which is how I prefer revolver grips.
* The front sight is a squared post which fills the rear notch nicely but leaves a bit of room for light on either side. The face of the sight is slightly undercut with a bright orange insert. In the middle of the insert is a small tritium vial. While small it is bright enough to be visible in low / no light.
* The finish is a utilitarian but outwardly durable coating. I've put close to a thousand dry presses on the action, with snap caps, and there is only the slightest hint of a turn line.
* The fitting on the gun is terrific. I had to put my glasses on to find the side plate lines... not at all what I expect from a "budget revolver". The cylinder spins freely and a detent in the crane assures a good lock up of the cylinder both front and back.
What I don't like:
* The internals need a bit of help. I've not had the side plate off yet I blew out the insides with air and lubed generously with Slip 2000 before beginning dry fire with it. The trigger pull is smooth but sometimes it likes to stack a bit. I suspect a detail cleaning, a bit of polishing in a couple of spots, a spring kit (already ordered) and honest break in will solve for it.
* The undercut on the front sight shades the orange insert in some presentations. The insert all but disappears when the sun is ahead of the muzzle. This may be an "is what it is" situation. Not a deal breaker, and the good news is the front sight is pinned in place so it could presumably be changed.
* With my big mitts finding the exact grip is always a chore, but time and reps will solve that. The gun just feels different in the hand and I suspect that is a construct of the size and the weight.
* The face of the trigger is smooth and rolls well, but the sides of the trigger face can stand for some rounding. The edges are not sharp, but they are abrupt and don't help (me) with good finger placement.
* The spurred hammer is, for my purposes, pointless. This is a gun intended for defensive purposes and as such it really should only be getting fired in double action. Taurus makes a spurless hammer and puts it in some of the 856 variations. Honestly, it needs to be on this model. I'll likely bob the hammer, or see if I can get a spurless hammer fitted.
As noted, I've got a lot of dry presses on it already and it seems to be wearing in. Once the holster I ordered gets here, I'll get it onto the range.
At one point I traded a beat up Colt Commander in 9mm that never ran well and needed a bunch of work for a Taurus PT92. I was impressed by how well that Taurus ran.... flawless. Perhaps the Beretta lineage, but it was an outstanding gun in all respects. I later traded it into an S&W Model 19 that I still have today 30 plus years later. So my experience with Taurus has been very much feast or famine.
Over the past couple of years I have had a hankering for an airweight .38 six shot preferably with a three inch barrel. Vintage S&W Model 12s in good shape are hard to find, when I do I always get outbid. And they are either two or four inch. Lightweight Colt snubs cost big bucks and don't really interest me. Offerings from other manufacturers either didn't fit what I was looking for or were simply meh.
I attended The Pat Rogers Revolver Roundup in 2022 and had the opportunity to train with and talk to Caleb Giddings, who is a wheel in the marketing arm at Taurus. Caleb is an amazing shooter and a devoted revolver nerd so we found common ground pretty quickly. The buzz around the campfires at Gunsite that weekend was that Taurus was recommitting itself to their revolver lines; in quality, in innovation and at reasonable price points. Caleb had production samples of several models at the Monday "Fun Day" for evaluation. I found the guns he had on hand to be accurate and well executed. Those who follow Caleb know he has spent much of last year running more than 10,000 rounds through a Taurus Model 82 in practice and competition. I saw that gun perform at the 2023 Roundup and it's legit. So it has got me thinking more about Taurus.
I was retiring at the end of January from corporate life to pursue my passion for instructing. I had a bunch of points from work bonuses that I needed to use or lose so I redeemed them for gift cards and went shopping for a retirement present to myself. I landed on a Taurus 856 Defender Ultra Lite in .38 Special. When all was said I done I had to pay the tax and about ten bucks of the sale price out of pocket. Deal.
What I like:
* The size is comparable to a three inch Ruger SP-101 that I've had for years, but maybe half the weight. The Hogue Combat Monogrip on the Taurus is nearly identical to the same grip on my SP-101. On the Taurus, the backstrap is open, which is how I prefer revolver grips.
* The front sight is a squared post which fills the rear notch nicely but leaves a bit of room for light on either side. The face of the sight is slightly undercut with a bright orange insert. In the middle of the insert is a small tritium vial. While small it is bright enough to be visible in low / no light.
* The finish is a utilitarian but outwardly durable coating. I've put close to a thousand dry presses on the action, with snap caps, and there is only the slightest hint of a turn line.
* The fitting on the gun is terrific. I had to put my glasses on to find the side plate lines... not at all what I expect from a "budget revolver". The cylinder spins freely and a detent in the crane assures a good lock up of the cylinder both front and back.
What I don't like:
* The internals need a bit of help. I've not had the side plate off yet I blew out the insides with air and lubed generously with Slip 2000 before beginning dry fire with it. The trigger pull is smooth but sometimes it likes to stack a bit. I suspect a detail cleaning, a bit of polishing in a couple of spots, a spring kit (already ordered) and honest break in will solve for it.
* The undercut on the front sight shades the orange insert in some presentations. The insert all but disappears when the sun is ahead of the muzzle. This may be an "is what it is" situation. Not a deal breaker, and the good news is the front sight is pinned in place so it could presumably be changed.
* With my big mitts finding the exact grip is always a chore, but time and reps will solve that. The gun just feels different in the hand and I suspect that is a construct of the size and the weight.
* The face of the trigger is smooth and rolls well, but the sides of the trigger face can stand for some rounding. The edges are not sharp, but they are abrupt and don't help (me) with good finger placement.
* The spurred hammer is, for my purposes, pointless. This is a gun intended for defensive purposes and as such it really should only be getting fired in double action. Taurus makes a spurless hammer and puts it in some of the 856 variations. Honestly, it needs to be on this model. I'll likely bob the hammer, or see if I can get a spurless hammer fitted.
As noted, I've got a lot of dry presses on it already and it seems to be wearing in. Once the holster I ordered gets here, I'll get it onto the range.