[carlrodd]

fired my friend's at a range the other day, and had money burning a hole in my pocket. loved the way it felt and shot, and picked up a nice, brand new stainless, with hammer, and rated for +P ammo. opinions on the 85ss? also, without going into all sorts of balistics comparisons, i'm interested in hearing some 1st hand/second hand experiences with the performance of the .38 as a self defense weapon, and whether or not i should be running out to buy some +P ammo.

[cidirkona]

These things aregoing to be said hundreds of times in this thread, so I'll get them out of the way.

ALWAYS FOLLOW THE SAFETY RULES!! If you don't know them by now, memorize them!!!!

A well placed shot matters more than weight/velocity/type*.

The 38 has been a reliable round for a very long time. There will be people in here saying all sorts of things about ballistics, bullet type, barrel length, yada yada - but get some reliable defensive ammo and just practice.

Congrats on the handgun purchase! Welcome to the club! Prepare to be broke soon!! :)

And finally: My personal experience: I was never into revolvers until I saw one for a price I couldn't refuse. Took her home, cleaned her up, and put some Wally World Remington hollowpoints through her (not even sure what weight/whatever)... I'm still not a huge fan of revolvers, but after a bit of practice, I could hit what I needed to (or close enough). Those killer oranges and plastic water bottles didn't expect a counter attack!!

-Colin

*to an extent, of course.

[Jkwas]

The model 85 has a very good reputation. Several of my friends have them and enjoy them with no problems. I have a mod 605, which is a 357 version of the same weapon. Practice up with some winchester white box 130gn 38spl full metal jacket. Then get yourself some 125 or 135 gn38+p speer gold dots for self defense, and you're in business. Keep it clean, practice, and you will get a lot out of the little critter. Practice double action at about 15-20ft, and make sure you pull the trigger all the way back, and release it all the way forward. Short stroking the trigger can allow the transfer bar to drop before the hammer engages the pin. It's made that way so you don't shoot yourself by accident! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! :D

[MillCreek]

I have a Model 85 stainless with the concealed hammer. It resides in the safe along with several other Taurus revolvers in .357. I have had very good experience with my Taurus revolvers.

One of the more popular .38 rounds getting lots of attention for self-defense purposes is the Speer Gold Dot .38+p 135 grain JHP optimized for the short barrel. It was designed at the request of the NYC PD, who wanted a round that would reliably penetrate and expand from a short-barrel revolver. Another popular choice is the classic 158 grain lead semi-wadcutter, which was carried for many years by numerous law enforcement agencies.

Myself, I am currently carrying the Speer Gold Dot loading mentioned above in my snubby revolvers. With five or six rounds of this, I don't feel undergunned in my circumstances.

[gazpacho]

Both my 85 and my 850 are reliable and accurate. I might be inclined to recommend the 158gr +P LSWCHP over the Speer GD 135gr, but only because they are a LOT cheaper so you can practice more with your carry ammo. Federal, Remington and Winchester all make the 158gr +P load, and I think you can even find it a Wally World.

I know lots of cops who carry the 85/850/851/B/SS/Ti as BUG or off duty.

[Taurus 617 CCW]

I have a Taurus 85 in a blued/hammer configuration. It's a great little gun to hide on the calf for ankle carry when necessary. I carry two Bianchi speed strip reloads for it and feel just fine. Another great opinion on the Gold Dots for defense ammo. The best thing about Taurus is their lifetime warranty. It will serve you well. One other option for practice ammo is Remington UMC has a 250 round box of .38 special for somewhere around $40. That's a lot of shooting for cheap! Welcome to the club.

[MCgunner]

Mine's an alloy frame M85 Ultra Lite and I love the thing. It shoots where I look and has plenty of power on the business end to get the job done if I do my part. It is the most accurate compact carry gun I have, grouping off the sand bags at 25 yards into 3". My carry 9 groups about 3 1/2 inches. Heck, my full size service 9mm only groups about 2" typically with its best ammo. I have a high cap, compact 9mm that I like, too, but I just enjoy carrying revolvers. I'm a revolver guy. I do carry the 9 if I'm going to the big city, but not all that much around here. The revolver is more convenient and a plenty adequate self defense gun. It also does night stand duty in my bedroom, only gun in the house that consistently stays loaded.

Load it with some good hollowpoint +Ps that you can hit with is my recomendation. The Winchester 125 grain +Ps that WalMart has are accurate in my gun, but hit quite low. The thing is regulated for 158 grain stuff.

I generally have one speed loader and one bianchi speed strip in my pocket. I recently bought a Safariland Comp 1 speedloader I very much prefer over the HKSs I'd been carrying.

[bakert]

My Taurus 85 tends to shoot the + P 158 LSWCHP a few inches high but at the short ranges a gun like this is too be used I don't think it makes a lot of difference. The 125 JHPs print closer to point of aim but that just may be my shooting. It's a good little easy to conceal gun. I've seen a few people that can shoot these little guns at longer ranges but I can't do it. I always practice with standard ammo and occasionally run a few clyinders of the +Ps through it but when I carry it it's stoked with the +P Win 158 LSWCHPs or 125 gr Remington Golden Sabers. The 135 Speer Gold Dot would be a very good choice too. Although I usually carry a larger caliber pistol I feel pretty well armed with this little revolver.