Tell Me About the Taurus 85

[3KillerBs]

I went on another research trip today and handled a number of the small guns on my list. The revolvers included a LadySmith revolver, a different, steel, S&W J-frame, and a Taurus 85 -- all in .38 special.

The LadySmith is OK except that the trigger is extremely heavy in double action. The regular J-frame is not only extremely heavy in double action its hard to cock and, like every S&W except the LadySmith, everything feels just a little too big. (My DH has smallish hands for a man and they are exactly the same shape as mine, just about 15% larger -- S&W's always feel perfect in his hands).

If I were going to choose based on feel alone I'd absolutely pick the Taurus 85, .38 special revolver. The grips are perfect in my hand. The trigger is the perfect distance. I can reach and cock the hammer easily. The trigger is heavy enough to feel safe about it in double action and nearly as smooth as my Mark III in single action. Held against my side it vanished curves into curves. The sights, well, its a snubby revolver and you can't ask for much on those. The negatives are that I don't like shooting revolvers and the 5-shot capacity.

This is definitely now the #1 on the list of possible carry guns. Can those who own them tell me if there is anything I ought to know about it? There seem to be a LOT of options available for holsters since its the same size as the S&W J-frames. And .38 special is the 2nd most cost-effective of the defensive calibers to shoot.

 

[George C Morrison]

My son in law has used the Taurus 85 as his carry gun for 10 years.
He swears by it and stakes his life on it every day.
We've had discussions about it being a little light.Not to him.With 125 grain Hornady JHP/XTP he feels this is the perfect compromise.He carries 5 extra rounds in a speedloader.

 

[bakert]

Although I'm not a big fan of snubbies, I like the model 85 I have. I think it's one of the better or maybe best revolver that Taurus has on the market. Very good trigger and more accurate than I can shoot a short gun. For church, family gatherings and other occasions where you want to really hide a gun it works well.

 

[.38 Special]

Mine is a passable gun. Mine is DAO and the trigger was unacceptably heavy. I tried the "home remedy" of a Wolff spring kit and was rewarded with inadequate lockup, so the original springs went back on. This makes what should be merely a difficult gun to manage almost impossible. The bottom of the trigger is sharp and pinches my finger, especially with heavy loads -- and it kicks the daylights out of me.

I would and have carried the gun. It's not my first pick for recreation, but it fulfills its intended mission.

 

[MCgunner]

Bought mine in about 1997. Fantastic trigger, better DA and SA than any Smith I've tried or owned out of the box. Very accurate, always goes bang. I don't see a problem here. I liked it so much, I even had a better front sight installed. Didn't really like the shiny stainless front sight, one of the few flaws I could find on it. It's currently doing carry duty for me today. I handle the gun, all 17 ounces, just fine with +P loads. I'm NOT a beginner revolver shooter. The smooth, light DA makes DA shooting a pleasure. I practice almost exclusively DA with it for that reason, just such a pleasure to shoot. I agree that the M85 is ONE of Taurus's best, but I am partial to the M66 medium frame .357 and the tracker series, too.

 

[GRIZ22]

I got mine 20 years ago. Paid about $75 for it. Several thousand rounds later it's still in great shape. The sights and trigger is better than the S&W J frames of that time. Never fired much +P in it mostly standard pressure loads.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

I've had 2 of these. One, a plain blued version that I bought when I turned 21 and was a constant companion for several years. Traded it on something I thought I wanted more - wish I had it back. To recapture my lost love, I bought a 85TI, oh I donno, about 10 years ago. It's nice, reliable, and light, but I still think I'd like to have another plain blued one. To me, the lines of the gun now aren't as nice as they were. But the guns themselves seem to do fine. They're your basic meat and potatoes/no frills defensive hangun. Alot of what you need, very little of what you don't. I shot mostly pet reloads out of my first one. Second one gets FMJ - largely b/c of the ports and somebody gave a ****load of military surplus ball ammo.

 

[.38 Special]

Better trigger than a Smith? My first thought was "You guys are on crack", but let's just say that you apparently got better Tauri than I did!

 

[wuluf]

here's mine



it's the ultra lite version, weighs about 13 oz and was uncomfortable for me with the stock boot grips, shooting +p. I changed to a Hogue grip which is larger (sorry) but made shooting it more fun. i really like mine. My son has a blued steel (and heavier) version which he likes too. Their customer service is horrible I've been told....

 

[MCgunner]

I've owned a lot of revolvers. Trust me, this M85SSUL came out of the box with a trigger I could have sworn was polished by a good gunsmith. It always goes bang, yet the trigger is about 10 lbs light. My current old M10 runs 13 lbs and my best M66 runs 12. The 642s I've picked up were not only stiffer, but grittier. I suspect with some shooting they'd clean up, but out of the box they can't compare.

My DA Rugers had a pretty stiff trigger, but they were easy to cure with a spring and some tooth paste. Once worked on, that SP101 is almost as good as my M85, almost.

Hogues are great for taming recoil. I put one on the SP101 and can shoot the hottest 180 magnum loads in it comfortably. However, my UL is the aluminum/steel version, a little heavier than the titanium, and I like the stock grip for pocket and ankle for back up carry. I have fired maybe 400 rounds of +P, not sure, but by far I put more standard pressure loads down range with it, up in the 6K range for round count. I carry the gun with 158 +Ps.

 

[.38 Special]

Amazing. My trigger pull gage only goes to 17 pounds and doesn't come close to activating the Taurus. And pull weight varies wildly from pull to pull and within the pull itself. I have to be perfect to get this gun to shoot.

Well, it was an early gun, perhaps pointing up the accusation that Taurus took a while to smooth out the rough edges on their products.

 

[MCgunner]

.38, have you had the side plate off of it? Many of 'em are shipped CRAMMED with grease which must be cleaned out. Being an old gun, maybe that's not it, just wondering.

Oh, the old hammer block actions weren't as smooth as the newer transfer bar actions, either, but I don't think I've fired a gun with a DA that heavy other than a cheap Nagant revolver. That's the most horrid trigger I've ever tried, personally, LOL.

 

[.38 Special]

Yes, and I actually stoned a few of the surfaces, just to get rid of obvious burrs and such. This helped a tiny bit, but obviously did not sort it to any significant degree.

I have no doubt that a good gunsmith could do wonders for this little gun, but it's hard for me to justify a hundred dollars of work on a gun that set me back $175. And of course, the gun does fulfill its intended mission just fine.

I'd be happy to trade it for a Detective Special, though...

 

[Moonclip]

I've owned/own 3. Every one was a good gun,2 have better than average accuracy.

 

[Dan-O]

I like mine. I took a dremel to the hammer and de-spurred it. Now it slides in and out of my pocket much better.





And pre de-spurring:

 

[3pairs12]

I have a Tuarus 850 and love it. Not 1 problem.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm thinking that I'd get the steel one rather than one of the lightweights to help with the recoil. I've been trying various household objects as carry items and size matters more to me than weight.

I'm not all that fond of revolvers, but when you get into really small carry guns this seems to be the thing that best fits my requirements.

I'm not 100% decided yet, but your input is very helpful.

 

[No Exit]

Taurus 851 Ultralite

Bought the 851UL in Nov 2007 and it is a fine weapon. 16.5 ounce weight. Very concealable. Shoots .38 cal a bit low and to the left at 15 yards but in a confrontation the range will be far closer. I have only fired a 50 round box thru it but it sent them all down range.

 

[baker437]

I have 850 and it has been a great carry gun

 

[GRIZ22]

Better trigger than a Smith? My first thought was "You guys are on crack", but let's just say that you apparently got better Tauri than I did!


Don't know about the newer ones mine was made in 1988 and has the transfer bar. The trigger was what sold me on the gun at the time for about 1/2 the price of a S&W.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The conventional (blued or stainless steel, no exotic metals) Taurus small-frame revolvers have been around quite a few years and have a pretty good reputation. One I handled (belonging to someone else, did not live fire) had very good fit and finish and a smooth trigger, feeling quite a bit lighter than a J-Smith (as you noted). If it fits your hand and carries well for you, I see no reason not to buy it. Remember that all small-frame revolvers are some of the most difficult guns to shoot well.

 

[sagebrushjim]

Very Affordable and Dependable Gun... This one is lightweight and very accurate ...

 

[Ifishsum]

IMO the Taurus 85 is an excellent piece. My 85UL has a very decent DA trigger pull and I don't find it uncomfortable to shoot, even with my +P carry ammo. I've got smaller hands and the rubber grip fits me well. The only improvement I could think of was a little white fingernail polish on the front sight ramp for a little more visibility in low light.

 

[thesecond]

Hey Killer,

Are you set on the Taurus 85? (They do look smooth, never had a Taurus.) Do you need +p ratings for your .38? If price was a major consideration, have you looked at pre-owned (many of which are even pre-lock) Smiths? (I might take a so-called risk on a $300 “905“ (9mm), rather than go ‘internet-auction-commando’ for $1000 on a used Smith 547!!! Opinions, please? No intent to thread-jack .) Steel Smiths are heavier than the T85, but airweights/lites are comparable to their Taurus “snubby cousins“, 15 oz. or less, and 16.5 oz empty, respectively. Have you considered the trigger/hammer variables? To my knowledge, Smith, Taurus, and Ruger make variations in fully-exposed, bobbed or shrouded (semi-enclosed, to allow S/A), fully-enclosed (no S/A) ….

“Buyers remorse” sucks, but taking it one step further to convince yourself a mistake hasn’t been made -or changing course once heavily invested and deliberated - is an exponentially larger wad of ‘suck‘. Determination and remedial action (i.e., more work than you planned). I say this because I‘m likewise ‘prudent‘ which I gather from your posts, and there would be a few more things to suggest in after-market items, e.g., grips, leather, nail-polish for the sight-ramp (thank you THR!). O.k. that’s about it (wheelies are simple like that), unless you like to tinker, but grips, still, can be expensive.

IMHO, new, as well as rarely-fired 36's, have a “gritty” feel, whether 1978 or 2008. (Of course, they won’t let you open up the side-plate, while browsing.) You're looking at a long DA pull, no matter the brand, but, the Smith-triggers end up amazingly consistent, whether it's a "click-CLICK" or a "click-CLICK-click". Know your hands, your trigger. Practice. Snap-caps, lasers, dime on the top strap (again, thank you THR!), with every thousand pulls, a stronger trigger-finger …. and a smoother trigger. (+1 on The Lone Haranguer’s comment on the difficulty of shooting small-frame wheelies, btw.) Respectfully,

 

[another okie]

A Ti with laser grips is my regular pocket gun. The trigger is fairly heavy, but repeatable. I have to practice with it to be able to hit anything, but it's worth it. It's a great hiking and fishing gun.