Taurus 856?

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defjon

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Hey everyone,

My local FFL has a stainless snubnose 38 Taurus 856, asking 350 out the door
That's pretty good for my area. I handled it once and did a general look over. The new stainless finish isn't my favorite, prefer their old blueing and non matte stainless. I wonder what could be done with mothers mag and elbow grease?

But, seemed to lock up well, no obvious functional issues. Very heavy trigger pull but that can be worn in or maybe do a spring kit.

Anyway, any known issues with these? I don't NEEED another snub but I'm a revolver guy. I do miss a 6 shot snub. I had a really nice model 64 dash 2 snub. Carried in owb all the time. I guess it would be kind of a replacement for the model 64 snub.

Would love to hear from any 856 owners or gun Smith's that might be able to speak to build quality etc!

Questions:

Round counts? 38 is vapor wear. But curious how these are holding up. A full weight stainless 38 in my hands will see a lot of standard or slightly over pressure 38s.

Known gremlins to look out for?

Anyone take a look under the side plate? Just curious to hear opinions.

With today's inflation (atta boy Brandon), Ruger prices are through the roof. Smith j frames used to be obtainable for 250-350 no problem. Used sp101s and lcrs used to be the same. For some reason when the world got weird with Rona and (possibly more horrifying) the various world governments response to wuflu revolvers really went sky high. You can get hi cap plastic fantastic for a couple hundred still.

A 350 in 2022 for a stainless Taurus 38 is about the best deal I've seen for awhile :(

I think I'd rather it be the stainless full weight 3 inch but the stainless full weight 2 inch is live local and taking up space in my mind!
 
It will never be as nice as the 64 K frame, but it will be a bit smaller, but more important - as you said you checked it in person and that is worth a lot. Is it worth $350? I paid $299 for mine and it works fine. If it passes your personal inspection you'll probably enjoy it and forget the comparative extra $51 dollars over time. Would I prefer an equivalent Colt or Kimber, or a nice used 64? You bet.

Still, here's mine:
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I owned four of the predecessor Model 85 at one time or another. One had a stiff trigger and the other three were good.

I did not care for the 3" Model 865 that I briefly owned. The trigger was stiff and it balanced poorly for me.

If it fits the OP's hand well, and the trigger and balance are good, my experiences with Taurus revolvers have mostly been positive.

The 856 runs as low as $289 or so on Gunbroker, but with shipping, tax, and FFL fee, that's pretty close to $350.
 
Mine goes bang, each and every time. Shoots to point of aim with my 158 L 3.5 grains Bullseye loads. It fits into Colt Detective Special holsters, so it is somewhat smaller than a K frame Smith. My pistol has six rounds, the grips fit my hands, I have no issues with trigger pull weights. Besides, this is not a target pistol, I don't need a 2.5 lb single action trigger. I want something that goes bang each and every time.

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What's not to like, at the price. If that does not make you happy, try to find one of these for $350.00

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I have a 85 bought in 2001 along with a 942 (22lr) bought in 2021 and a new 856 bought a few weeks ago. The 85 is blues while the 942 and 856 bot have the matte black finish. All three are very reliable and haven't given me any problems. And if you don't care for the rubber grips on the 856, you can always install the older 85 grips on them. That is what I did with both the 856 and 942.

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I purchased mine about 2 weeks ago. My lgs had just gotten it in and had it priced at $329. It's already had about 150 flawless rounds through it. I found a nice pocket holster, ordered the front Ameriglo night sight from Taurus and today I received my Taurus combat grips from an Ebay seller. Just waiting for the front sight to show up. So far I love it. I have to say fight and finish on mine are impressive.

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$350 seems a bit high to me, but I guess the price might depend on where you live. Before you pay that much for one, you might try ordering through Davidson's to see if you can have it delivered to your shop for less. I've used them to save a fair amount on several guns over the years. The way it works is that you pay a deposit to them online, they ship the gun to your shop, and you pay the rest in cash there. I've saved 20-25% percent that way.

I have the .327 version of the 856, and like it well enough that I have it on me as I type. I did a write-up of it a couple of days ago here. Though a different chambering, it's the same size and weight and would even use the same holster as the 856. If my arthritic hands would let me keep shooting .38 snubnoses, I would definitely have one! Though an inexpensive gun compared to other makers, I have some Taurii that I like very much and have found to be reliable. I did have one lemon, but they've gotten much better since then.
 
I’ve got a 856 I’ve had for 6mos now.
I’m VERY satisfied with it. Trigger pull is actually good! Smooth, timing and lock-up are perfect.
As another poster stated, it shoots POA with 148gr WC over 2.8gr of BullsEye or a 158gr SWC over 3.5gr of BE. Accuracy is astonishing for a 2” revolver!

It’s Identical in size to a Colt Detective and uses the same D-frame HKS Speed Loaders.
There are variations on the model.
I’ve got the all-stainless steel version. There is an all black chrome-moly version, as well as a brushed Aluminum/Stainless version, and black aluminum/blue steel version.
The all stainless is the heaviest and most expensive. Mine ran me $329 +tax at Academy Sports. I had $300in gift cards and got 5% off balance I put on my Academy card. I’ve got iirc $34.00 in it!
I don’t think you’ll regret getting one.
Of course there is the 3” versions too, with a tritium front night sight...
 
Last edited:
defjon said:
Hey everyone,

My local FFL has a stainless snubnose 38 Taurus 856, asking 350 out the door
That's pretty good for my area.
Click to expand...

Ditto here. I think that's around what I paid for my "Defender" version.

I handled it once and did a general look over. The new stainless finish isn't my favorite, prefer their old blueing and non matte stainless.
Click to expand...

Likewise. A "rougher" texture than the stainless finish of my '08 vintage 605. Picks up shooting grime easily.

I wonder what could be done with mothers mag and elbow grease?

But, seemed to lock up well, no obvious functional issues. Very heavy trigger pull but that can be worn in or maybe do a spring kit.
Click to expand...

Skip the spring kit. Shoot it a bunch. It'l be fine.

Anyway, any known issues with these?
Click to expand...

I don't think I've seen much (any) negative about the 856.

"It's a Taurus.", so, inspect closely the unit you will be buying. See Jim March's revolver checkout document. Barrel clocking, lockup, hammer pushoff, endshake. Check sideplate screws.

They are slightly larger than the j-frame equivalent Model 85, so closely molded kydex holsters likely won't fit.

Safariland Comp 2 speedloaders work, which is cool.

I don't NEEED another snub but I'm a revolver guy. I do miss a 6 shot snub. I had a really nice model 64 dash 2 snub. Carried in owb all the time. I guess it would be kind of a replacement for the model 64 snub.

Would love to hear from any 856 owners or gun Smith's that might be able to speak to build quality etc!
Click to expand...

I bought a 3" "Defender" version in August. I have had no cause for complaint with it. Oh, the ejector rod at some point picked up a slight bend. Surprise, Taurus had then for sale (cheap!) on their website.

Round counts? 38 is vapor wear. But curious how these are holding up. A full weight stainless 38 in my hands will see a lot of standard or slightly over pressure 38s.
Click to expand...

A couple hundred so far, so that doesn't really tell you much.

Anyone take a look under the side plate? Just curious to hear opinions.
Click to expand...

They're "S&W-ish" inside. Mostly. I'm not for sure on this, but I've read (Innernetz hearsay, YMMV) that Taurus voids the warranty if you pull the sideplate. Be careful, because Taurus will not sell you most parts.

With today's inflation (atta boy Brandon)
Click to expand...

I hope you didn't think trillions of US dollars could be conjured from nothing without consequence.

, Ruger prices are through the roof. Smith j frames used to be obtainable for 250-350 no problem. Used sp101s and lcrs used to be the same. For some reason when the world got weird with Rona and (possibly more horrifying) the various world governments response to wuflu revolvers really went sky high. You can get hi cap plastic fantastic for a couple hundred still.
Click to expand...

Automatics are less complicated than revolvers, and the market for them is larger.

A 350 in 2022 for a stainless Taurus 38 is about the best deal I've seen for awhile :(

I think I'd rather it be the stainless full weight 3 inch but the stainless full weight 2 inch is live local and taking up space in my mind!
Click to expand...
 
Yes there is a slight difference in size between the 85 and 856. I had to adjust the screws a little on my Crossbreed holster for the 856. As it was setup for the 85, it was a little tight getting the 856 in and out.
 
They are onto something others have forgot. A 3” D/K frame size revolver is popular. Just a great size gun. That and their Model 82 4” are filling a niche.
 
easy said:
I have a 856UL. Shoots a bit snappier than I had imagined. Am considering different grip. Front sight is fixed and not replaceable.
Click to expand...

The front sight on my S/S 856 is pinned. It is certainly replaceable. I just don’t know if Taurus can supply different sight heights.
 
Most but not all of the 856 models have replaceable front sights. If yours has a pin under the front sight, you can change it. The only sight I have seen on the Taurus store webpage is the AmeriGlo front night sight.
 
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