Taurus Arms has been in business for quite a long time, and their product line definitely tends towards the more affordable section of the spectrum. In the past, they have had a reputation for products that are poorly made or do not function well, and as a result, people love to make fun of the brand and their products. Are they really that bad though? Have they not improved their quality at all?
Whether it be for the single parent with kids to feed or the overnight factory worker, there are a lot of people out there that simply can not justify spending five hundred or six hundred dollars on a firearm. Unfortunately, in the search for an affordable budget firearm, these people often run into blatant brand shaming or gatekeeping by people who love to hide behind their keyboards and sermonize about how gun A is so much better than gun B, and how people who waste their money on gun B should just use a sharpened stick. It's been the mission of this blog to convey practical information on firearms and self-defense for the everyman, without the gatekeeping or blatant brand shaming that is so prevalent in the firearms industry. The gun we're looking at today is an example of that, simply because of it's name.
The 856 is a small frame six-shot revolver chambered in .38 special, and is +P rated as well. The example that I have is the matte black finish, but it is also available in a stainless steel version for a few dollars more. Speaking of dollars, the 856 carries an MSRP of $363 dollars, but like most Taurus products it can be found for much less than that. I got this version for $280 at Brownells.
The 856's frame and cylinder are both made of steel, and it has a 2-inch barrel with a 1:16.5 twist rate. The cylinder ejector rod is shrouded by the frame when the cyulinder is locked in place, and the cylinder release is a Smith and Wesson style push-forward action. The cylinder locks into the frame with a good click, and there is very little movement when it is locked up.
The 856 has very basic sights, with a rear notch sight that is machined right into the frame of the gun. The front sight is a basic black serrated ramp sight that is held in with a roll pin. Sight picture is good but very minimal; I will likely end up putting some white paint on the front sight to assist in faster alignment.
The action is double action-single action, and it has an exposed and textured hammer to help assist with manipulation. In double action mode, the trigger is smooth but predictably heavy. It measured off the end of my trigger pull gauge, so I would guess about 11 or maybe 12 pounds of pull effort. When the hammer is pulled back into the single action position, the trigger is much lighter as expected. I measured it at 6 pounds, but it is so crisp and smooth that it does not feel like a six pound pull at all. If I had to guess, it feels more like a 4-pound pull. The break is very crisp, as one would expect from a revolver.
The 856 sports a transfer bar system, which ensures that the weapon won't fire if the weapon is dropped with the hammer in the cocked position. If the trigger is not pulled, the transfer bar retracts and the hammer cannot contact the firing pin.
I have had the 856 out to the range a few times now, and have put about 100 rounds of mixed range and defensive ammo through it. My most important takeaway from testing so far is that it has been completely reliable; I have experienced no light strikes, no failures to rotate the cylinder, and no problems loading or unloading the weapon. The ejector rod kicks empty shells out to a good height to where they will just fall out if the weapon is upended. Accuracy is great as long as I do my part as a shooter; the longer and heavier double action pull of the trigger along with the inherently snappier nature of a revolver definitely take some practice to acclimate to.
Testing still continues, but so far the 856 seems to be a very solid and capable weapon that does not deserve the brand stigma that the Taurus name carries. I would feel confident in carrying this weapon for self defense or home defense. If you're looking for a budget weapon for home or self defense, my initial impression is that the Taurus 856 is a good choice.
If you're interested in picking up an 856 for yourself, you can grab them at Brownells. If you like the idea of a budget weapon from Taurus but a revolver isn't your jam, watch this space for an upcoming article on the 856's semi-automatic brother, the G3, as I have one of those in for testing as well. That's all I have for you this time, so until next time...stay safe!