Piedmont Plinker
Member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2006
- Messages
- 941
Many of us can agree that the J-frame revolver is a very good self defense handgun. Lightweight and compact, they are easily concealable, are reliable, and pack enough punch to take down most bad guys.
Their only shortcoming is the fact that they can only chamber five rounds, at least in the more popular .38versions. You can get six-shot .32s, but .32 ammo is much harder to find than .38 ammo, and it isn't quite as powerful. Yes, most of the time, five shots will be more than enough, but occasionally, it won't. And honestly, if you can get six shots in the same size package as five, why wouldn't you?
Colt always had the six-shot share of the market, but Colt has stopped making double action revolvers and Detective Specials are commanding premium prices.
Rossi and Charter both make a six-shot .38 snub, but they are still the same size as a K-frame, and may have spotty quality control issues. Several other companies, such as EAA and Armscor, make the six-shot snubs, but again, there is the issue of quality control to be reckoned with.
Taurus seems to have solved this problem.
The line of Taurus Model 85 revolvers are affordably priced, and good quality J-frame type handguns. Now, Taurus has taken that line one step, or more precisely, one round further.
The Taurus 85-6 is a six shot snubnose. It is avaliable in blue, stainless, or magnesium. The two former are chambered in .38+P, the latter is only rated for standard pressure rounds. However, this is a moot point. Buffalo Bore makes very powerful standard-pressure ammunition, as powerful as some +P loads. The rounds are safe in guns like the Smith & Wesson Model 12, and they would also help cut down on recoil.
Cutting down on recoil might be important in a gun like the magnesiun Taurus- it ways a scant 13.2oz. That's less than many aluminum five-shooters. Yet it chambers six shots, and, unique to the magnesium model, it has an adjustable rear sight.
The standard blue and stainless 85-6 models weigh in a 22oz, still no heavyweight. Comparably, Smith & Wesson's 315 Night Guard is 24oz. The Night Guard, the most directly comparable to this revolver, also is thicker, the same size as a K-frame, making pocket carry more difficult.
In a recent Guns and Ammo review on this gun, the author stated that the 85-6 fit comfortably in any J-frame holster. I assume the grip frame is the same as the standard Model 85. Speedloaders might be a problem, but if HKS and Safariland haven't already made one, they proably will, and Detective Special speedloaders might work.
There are a few cons for this gun. They all have to with the fact that it is made by Taurus. Now, Taurus is a very large international gun maker, but if I understand correctly, they have had a fai amount of lemons. Also, I've heard their customer service consistenly sucks. The guns also have the Taurus Security System, which is either a positive or negative thing, depending on your opinion of internal locking devices.
All in all though, I'd say these are probably pretty good little guns. If you're looking for a defensive sidearm that holds six shots, but don't want to spend an arm and a leg for an aging Colt, this might be the gun for you.
Their only shortcoming is the fact that they can only chamber five rounds, at least in the more popular .38versions. You can get six-shot .32s, but .32 ammo is much harder to find than .38 ammo, and it isn't quite as powerful. Yes, most of the time, five shots will be more than enough, but occasionally, it won't. And honestly, if you can get six shots in the same size package as five, why wouldn't you?
Colt always had the six-shot share of the market, but Colt has stopped making double action revolvers and Detective Specials are commanding premium prices.
Rossi and Charter both make a six-shot .38 snub, but they are still the same size as a K-frame, and may have spotty quality control issues. Several other companies, such as EAA and Armscor, make the six-shot snubs, but again, there is the issue of quality control to be reckoned with.
Taurus seems to have solved this problem.
The line of Taurus Model 85 revolvers are affordably priced, and good quality J-frame type handguns. Now, Taurus has taken that line one step, or more precisely, one round further.
The Taurus 85-6 is a six shot snubnose. It is avaliable in blue, stainless, or magnesium. The two former are chambered in .38+P, the latter is only rated for standard pressure rounds. However, this is a moot point. Buffalo Bore makes very powerful standard-pressure ammunition, as powerful as some +P loads. The rounds are safe in guns like the Smith & Wesson Model 12, and they would also help cut down on recoil.
Cutting down on recoil might be important in a gun like the magnesiun Taurus- it ways a scant 13.2oz. That's less than many aluminum five-shooters. Yet it chambers six shots, and, unique to the magnesium model, it has an adjustable rear sight.
The standard blue and stainless 85-6 models weigh in a 22oz, still no heavyweight. Comparably, Smith & Wesson's 315 Night Guard is 24oz. The Night Guard, the most directly comparable to this revolver, also is thicker, the same size as a K-frame, making pocket carry more difficult.
In a recent Guns and Ammo review on this gun, the author stated that the 85-6 fit comfortably in any J-frame holster. I assume the grip frame is the same as the standard Model 85. Speedloaders might be a problem, but if HKS and Safariland haven't already made one, they proably will, and Detective Special speedloaders might work.
There are a few cons for this gun. They all have to with the fact that it is made by Taurus. Now, Taurus is a very large international gun maker, but if I understand correctly, they have had a fai amount of lemons. Also, I've heard their customer service consistenly sucks. The guns also have the Taurus Security System, which is either a positive or negative thing, depending on your opinion of internal locking devices.
All in all though, I'd say these are probably pretty good little guns. If you're looking for a defensive sidearm that holds six shots, but don't want to spend an arm and a leg for an aging Colt, this might be the gun for you.
