Taurus 856 Ultra Lite 38 Special Revolver Review
Taurus 856 Defender Ultra-Lite Revolver Review
The Taurus 856 Defender Ultra-Lite revolver features a useful night sight, doesn't weigh much and is easier to shoot than a two-inch snubby.
Oct 23, 2020
About a yr agone, I reviewed the 856 Ultra-Lite—a successor to the Model 85 with vi shots instead of five—and came away impressed by the inexpensive but skillful-shooting snubnose revolver. Recently, Taurus came out with a 3-inch version, the Defender, and it is equally impressive.
This particular model is an aluminum-framed Ultra-Low-cal, i of ii such guns in the sixgun 856 Defender lineup. These weigh 17.v ounces, half of what the 4 all-steel models weigh. Overall length is seven.5 inches, and the width across the fluted steel cylinder is 1.4 inches.
I think the most outstanding feature on the 856 Defender is the front sight. While the rear is simply a gutter milled into the backstrap, the forepart is a day/nighttime sight, which is not something y'all look to find on a revolver with a suggested retail just n of $400. It's an AmeriGlo, marked "H3 FJ," for which I could find no details on AmeriGlo's site. But no affair. Information technology features a bright orange stripe into which a small tritium vial is set. It's a sight that's very quick to pick up in any lighting condition. It is pinned in place.
The three-inch barrel is of i piece and fully shrouded. The cage sports a slight crown to protect the rifling. It, the crane and the cylinder are matte stainless.
When I posted a range photograph of the 856 Defender Ultra-Calorie-free on Facebook, i visitor commented that I must've shot the gun really hot because the cylinder was discolored. While some of what he noticed was simply fouling, the gun's appearance was besides due in part to the fact that the steel parts are slightly darker than the anodized finish on the aluminum frame. It's non quite ii-tone, but I think it gives the gun a unique look.
The right side of the frame features the Taurus balderdash logo and "Taurus Int'l Mfg Miami, FL-USA" along with the serial and model numbers. The left side is stamped "Ultra-Low-cal" and "Taurus Armas Made in Brazil."
The cylinder release is dainty and big, and it's serrated so your thumb won't slip. The exposed hammer's spur is as well serrated.
The rubber grips come from Hogue. They have a pebbled texture, finger grooves and a dish at the acme where your firing-hand thumb rests. They're not full wraparounds, and so a thin strip of the frame'due south backstrap is exposed.
I really prefer this in handguns that don't have a lot of recoil because the lack of extra material at the dorsum makes the grip a scrap smaller. Even though I have medium-size hands, I almost always find that slimmer, smaller grips shoot improve for me.
The trigger is what yous'd wait. The double-activity pull is relatively smooth, with typical stacking, and it breaks at ix pounds, 14 ounces on boilerplate. The single-action pull has a wee bit of creep and grit, and it breaks at iii pounds, seven ounces.
I own 1 revolver with a three-inch butt, a Ruger GP100 in .44 Special, and I've come to appreciate this butt length. The actress inch of sighting radius over a snubby is a big advantage to my astigmatic eyes. Shooting with bifocals is hell, every bit some of yous know.
The longer tube gives simply a bit more weight out front, which tames muzzle rise a flake. The 856 Defender is chambered to .38 Special +P, and I found +P loads to be nicely controllable fifty-fifty though it's such a light gun.
While the Black Hills HoneyBadger ammunition wasn't the nigh accurate of the four loads I tested from the bench, information technology sure was the nicest to shoot because its low-cal 100-grain bullets don't generate a lot of recoil, making fast follow-up shots no problem. And from what I've read, this bullet design, with its fluted "fins" produces first-class terminal operation.
I thought the gun shot nifty from the bench. While it's not apples to apples because I didn't exam the same ammo in both guns, but the longer Defender outdid the standard 856 by about a one-half-inch on average. And regardless of what ammo I fed information technology, the Defender acquitted itself really well in defensive-type drills.
The dazzler of the snubnose revolver is that it makes a slap-up comport gun for those who prefer revolvers. Yes, the Defender has a longer three-inch barrel, but unless you're carrying it in a pocket—in a proper pocket holster, of course—the actress length isn't going to impact concealability. Considering it's a lightweight aluminum frame, you're bearing hardly any brunt in terms of weight.
In the concluding analysis, I think the 856 Defender has a lot going for it. It has that useful night sight, information technology doesn't counterbalance much, and it's easier to shoot than a ii-inch snubby. Couple that with its $425 suggested retail toll, which will bring mid-to-high $300s at dealers, and you've got a dependable, shootable and affordable concealed-comport revolver.
Taurus 856 Defender Ultra-Lite Specs
- Blazon: Single-action/double-action centerfire revolver
- Caliber: .38 Special +P
- Capacity: 6
- Barrel: 3 in.
- OAL/Acme/Width: 7.5/5.0/ane.4 in.
- Weight: 17.5 oz.
- Construction: Matte stainless butt, cylinder, crane; anodized aluminum frame
- Sights: Gutter rear, AmeriGlo day/night front
- Trigger: Double action, ix lb. 14 oz.; unmarried action, iii lb. 7 oz. (measured)
- Prophylactic: Transfer bar
- Cost: $425
- Manufacturer: Taurus, TaurusUSA.com
Taurus 856 Defender Ultra-Lite Accuracy Results
Source: https://www.handgunsmag.com/editorial/taurus-856-defender-ultra-lite-revolver-review/385523
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