605 vs 856

Ed Bulldog

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Joined
Mar 13, 2024
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215
QUESTIONS:
Taurus 605 Snubby -vs- Taurus 856
Snubby

1) Which one would you- or - have you selected as your EDC-?
2) What ammo would you -or- do you utilize for EDC-?

I am asking because revolver prices are very high and - for some - this is a reasonable and economical prudent option.

Thank you
 
QUESTIONS:
Taurus 605 Snubby -vs- Taurus 856
Snubby

1) Which one would you- or - have you selected as your EDC-?
2) What ammo would you -or- do you utilize for EDC-?

I am asking because revolver prices are very high and - for some - this is a reasonable and economical prudent option.

Thank y
Get the 856.

I have both. When I got my first 2" 856 I retired the 605. Six shots vs. five.

.38 Special vs. .357 Magnum? You can shoot .38 all day through either. .357 Magnum is not fun through the 605.
 
QUESTIONS:
Taurus 605 Snubby -vs- Taurus 856
Snubby

1) Which one would you- or - have you selected as your EDC-?
2) What ammo would you -or- do you utilize for EDC-?

I am asking because revolver prices are very high and - for some - this is a reasonable and economical prudent option.

Thank you
Neither one.
Ammo wise 150gr wadcutter from Underwood for .38 and 125gr XTP from Hornady for the .357.
 
I had one of the older Taurus 605 guns. I was less-than-pleased with it. I've also had an old Taurus 85 (5-shot) since the mid '90s with no issues.

I almost bought one of the newer Taurus 605s in a 3" barrel. The price was good and I thought it might make a decent light field gun for .38 Special. I didn't really need and and didn't go through with it.


For a dedicated carry/defense gun that will only see .38 Special anyway, the 856 makes more sense. A tad smaller and lighter, and an extra round on tap. I think you can get both in 3" versions if you look around hard enough.
 
i have both the taurus 85 and 856, steel frame, 2” barrel. both are great. both got fuller aftermarket rubber grips. the slimmer 85 pretty much fits in every j-frame holster under the sun. the 856 doesn’t, but has an extra round, due to its fatter cylinder. the fit and finish on the older 85 revolvers is better. handle both and pick one, you won’t go wrong.
 
I wouldn’t buy a snub 357 of any flavor. Ballistics just aren’t there because of the short barrel and the fact that most of the powder is wasted making flash and blast. 3” is the absolute shortest 357 I would even consider but with other options available I would stay away from 357 until it was in a large frame gun with at least a 6” tube. I’m a revolver guy and I cut my teeth on .357 but now I just don’t see a sensible purpose for it outside of hunting or nightstand/truck/office gun.

On topic of budget revolvers of similar build and price though, my money goes to a Taurus 66 or variant thereof. The 6” guns are a really solid bargain gun, and if you really must conceal carry, they make the 3” swappable cylinder 38/357-9mm guns which would get a long hard look. Of budget brands, there is no brand to consider other than Taurus and its various rebranded guns in the Rossi and Heritage brands.
 
QUESTIONS:
Taurus 605 Snubby -vs- Taurus 856
Snubby

1) Which one would you- or - have you selected as your EDC-?
2) What ammo would you -or- do you utilize for EDC-?

I am asking because revolver prices are very high and - for some - this is a reasonable and economical prudent option.

Thank you
The 856 has had a lot of reports with timing issues the the older Model 85 and the 605 doesn't have. Go to the TaurusArmed forum and ask about it as well as do a Google search. Some people claim to DIY fixed the issues and others haven't been able to get the issue fixed. It's seems like a common issue. It's hit or miss if you'll have the same issue or not. Those who have sent their's back to Taurus for repair have reported that it came back still not fixed.
 
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I don't have an 856, but I do have the 605 and 85.

The only Taurus revolver in my carry rotation is the 905. The velocity of 9mm is pretty good in the snubbie, and the recoil isn't bad.

But it's rarely that I don't carry a p365.
 
I wouldn’t buy a snub 357 of any flavor. Ballistics just aren’t there because of the short barrel and the fact that most of the powder is wasted making flash and blast. 3” is the absolute shortest 357 I would even consider but with other options available I would stay away from 357 until it was in a large frame gun with at least a 6” tube. I’m a revolver guy and I cut my teeth on .357 but now I just don’t see a sensible purpose for it outside of hunting or nightstand/truck/office gun.

Depends on what you're trying to kill. Yes, a 6" snub will have more energy and velocity that might be needed with making a longer distance shots on a medium sized 4 legged animal. When it comes to self defense distances and EDC, a 6" revolver isn't practical weight or concealability wise, and the added ballistics isn't really needed.

Again, yes .357 snub loses a lot of power compared to a 6" barreled .357; however, .357 out of a snub is still significantly more powerful than a .38 +p out of a snub. Unless I am going for the smallest and lightest 12oz-14oz revolver for deep concealment purpose or pocket/ankle carry, I perfer and recommend a .357 revolver loaded with .38 +p or .357 (if you can handle it).
 
FWIW, my friend carries a 357 LCR sometimes and I have shot it a lot over the years.

I can shoot it fine and it doesn't hurt my hand. Follow-up shots are a little slow.

When I bought my own LCR, though, I got a 38.
 
I have a stainless 856 that a local shop mispriced. They honored the lower price. After bobbing the hammer, polishing it up from the matte, and dry firing it a 1k times, its slick. I'm liking it as a budget carry. I also found a set of pachmayr compac grips for it.
 
I was pretty interested in the Taurus 856 when they came out. I liked that they held 6 rounds and that they could use speed loaders for the Colt Detective Special.
I lived in CA at the time, Covid hit then people went nuts buying guns and ammo so gun prices, including the prices on 856s increased and I quickly lost interest.
I hadn’t really thought about them until seeing this thread this evening. I went to the Taurus site looking to see how many variations of the 856 they had and I saw this:
1732067826208.jpeg
1732067853707.jpeg

It’s not a snubby, but I would like to put my hands on one.
 
Can’t speak towards 6-shot .38 vs 5-shot .357 because frankly I haven’t made my own mind up on that. But the 605 my brother carries is a slick gun. Emptying the gun as fast as you can DA the trigger with hot .357 accurately is not an easy task. But by god would it be brutal in a full contact “Get off of me.” belly gun shot. The SA breaks decent and with a little practice is not hard to hit man sized targets at 100 yards. My only warning is watch the yoke screw and keep it tight. Lost that once. Its not often in stock on Taurus’s website. But overall I’d like to add a small frame Taurus to my lineup.

Edit with a second thought:
I am interested in the Taurus .327 Fed. 6 shots of magnums. I have a growing infatuation with the .32 cals. And I’d be tempted by one of those.
 
Can’t speak towards 6-shot .38 vs 5-shot .357 because frankly I haven’t made my own mind up on that. But the 605 my brother carries is a slick gun. Emptying the gun as fast as you can DA the trigger with hot .357 accurately is not an easy task. But by god would it be brutal in a full contact “Get off of me.” belly gun shot. The SA breaks decent and with a little practice is not hard to hit man sized targets at 100 yards. My only warning is watch the yoke screw and keep it tight. Lost that once. Its not often in stock on Taurus’s website. But overall I’d like to add a small frame Taurus to my lineup.

Edit with a second thought:
I am interested in the Taurus .327 Fed. 6 shots of magnums. I have a growing infatuation with the .32 cals. And I’d be tempted by one of those.
Had one. Not overly impressed. It was a good gun, but the flash and blast were ridiculous and it was unpleasant to shoot with any 327fm ammo. 32 mag wasn’t bad. It seriously needed an extra inch or two of barrel. Pocket carry, I’m certain it was plenty for defense, but it was also a 6 round flashbang that was gonna get everybody around including you. I can’t imagine the permanent damage that would be done if it were used in something like a subway car or bus. I will stick to lower pressure with much less risk of injury from blast.
 
I have a 605 2" steel. It has worked fine. I even shoot 357mag loads from it frequently. If I'm carrying a gun loaded with 38 special. It will be an Airweight J frame, but would consider the 856.
I kind of like the Heritage Arms Roscoe. It would be a range toy
 
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