Let me first say, in general, I don't care for snubbies. Don’t much care for Taurus. I hate air weights. The shortest barrel revolver I owned before this is 5.5”. It’s relatively rare to see a full stainless frame in a compact revolver these days.
I saw this one cheap online. Picked it up shipped for around $320. Brought it home yesterday. Today, I shot it for the first time.
Before I get into it, the last 38 compact I shot, the neighbor gal brought it out to my range the day she got it. Was a little light weight Charter Arms. I warned her about how snappy it would be but you know girls and colors… had to have that colored frame… *sigh*. Anyway, I grabbed a box of factory 38 spl (was non existent on store shelves at the time) and brought it out for her. In the first 4 cylinders, it recoiled so hard, 2 rounds jumped crimp.
I shoot some of the hottest 500 magnum rounds known to man for fun and one jumped crimp on me. My wife shot it and used the word “hate” to describe it.
So, there it is, that’s the last time I shot a compact 38, until today.
I have a Taurus Model 44 I polished up. My poor man’s 629. Not poor, just ain’t spending $1200+ on one. It’s gritty, sights had to be adjusted way right to get on target. Needless to say, I didn’t have high hopes for this 856.
I also picked up a S&W 686 yesterday, so I had both new guns to compare. I expected the trigger to be heavier than the S&W. I actually thought it was until I picked up the Smith and tested them side by side. There was no difference in trigger weight. Trigger was just as smooth on the 856 as the 686.
I loaded up 6rds, walked out to the front porch and emptied it. I was very surprised at how pleasant it was to shoot. That same neighbor gal happened to be there at the house when I did that. I came back in, loaded another cylinder and handed it to her. She stepped out and emptied it. “Wow, that was nice!” She said. I agreed, that extra weight made a world of difference.
It ain’t real pretty but the finish is good and uniform. The orange front sight is a nice touch. If you’re in the market for a compact carry revolver, don’t overlook this little gem. It’s surprisingly heavy for its compact footprint at a little over 23oz, but that extra weight makes all the difference shooting it and staying on target.
I saw this one cheap online. Picked it up shipped for around $320. Brought it home yesterday. Today, I shot it for the first time.
Before I get into it, the last 38 compact I shot, the neighbor gal brought it out to my range the day she got it. Was a little light weight Charter Arms. I warned her about how snappy it would be but you know girls and colors… had to have that colored frame… *sigh*. Anyway, I grabbed a box of factory 38 spl (was non existent on store shelves at the time) and brought it out for her. In the first 4 cylinders, it recoiled so hard, 2 rounds jumped crimp.
I shoot some of the hottest 500 magnum rounds known to man for fun and one jumped crimp on me. My wife shot it and used the word “hate” to describe it.
So, there it is, that’s the last time I shot a compact 38, until today.
I have a Taurus Model 44 I polished up. My poor man’s 629. Not poor, just ain’t spending $1200+ on one. It’s gritty, sights had to be adjusted way right to get on target. Needless to say, I didn’t have high hopes for this 856.
I also picked up a S&W 686 yesterday, so I had both new guns to compare. I expected the trigger to be heavier than the S&W. I actually thought it was until I picked up the Smith and tested them side by side. There was no difference in trigger weight. Trigger was just as smooth on the 856 as the 686.
I loaded up 6rds, walked out to the front porch and emptied it. I was very surprised at how pleasant it was to shoot. That same neighbor gal happened to be there at the house when I did that. I came back in, loaded another cylinder and handed it to her. She stepped out and emptied it. “Wow, that was nice!” She said. I agreed, that extra weight made a world of difference.
It ain’t real pretty but the finish is good and uniform. The orange front sight is a nice touch. If you’re in the market for a compact carry revolver, don’t overlook this little gem. It’s surprisingly heavy for its compact footprint at a little over 23oz, but that extra weight makes all the difference shooting it and staying on target.
Last edited:
