Taurus® Defender 856 38 SPECIAL +P

[Half Moon]

Handled one at a regional box store last weekend. Lock up seemed a little loose. Probably within my comfort level for a used revolver but more than expected for a new one. Is this typical to the design or an outlier?

[OlongJohnson]

If Taurus is anything like S&W, the final ratchet fitting is done by hand, which makes the outcome (tightness of lockup) completely random.

[willie]

Now that Taurus has improved quality, has anyone dealt with their customer service? I wonder if they pay the freight both ways and have a reasonable turn around time. I do hope they continue to sell a better product. At my lgs I've examined a few of these. They have a very heavy mainspring giving a heavy double action pull. I noticed that a couple had timing issues, but exerting enough force to shoot double action caused the cylinder to turn fast enough to lock up. Hence, Taurus folks might claim that these particular revolvers are within specs. At my shop, none of the young workers has ever owned a revolver. My revolver comments fall on deaf ears and bore the listeners.

[OlongJohnson]

At my shop, none of the young workers has ever owned a revolver. My revolver comments fall on deaf ears and bore the listeners.

You can use my avatar if you want.

[lee n. field]

Ordered the Talo edition 856 Defender. The bobbed hammer was the deciding factor over the other versions. After purchase and all fees it’ll cost me considerably less than the Executive.

Attachment 90228

How did you find that? I looked on Talo's website, could find nothing at all for Taurus.

[Hizzie]

Saw a pic and tracked it down. Here’s the designation:

[DrkBlue]

Saw a pic and tracked it down. Here’s the designation:

So color me intrigued.
I probably shouldn’t be so impressed by the color scheme, but looks serious.

A quick search found this - https://handguncloud.com/gun/taurus-856-ch-talo-edition

[Hizzie]

So far I've fired 100 rds thru my 856. No issues with it. When I got it home I cleaned the internals and examined it. The internal finish was as good or better than my recent manufacture S&W's. After lubing it and some dry fire I checked the trigger pull. Double action was off the reading of my Lyman digital gauge and single action was around 6.5 lbs. I changed the mainspring and rebound spring with a set from Galloway Precision, which has given it a 7.3 Double action and a 4.1 Single action pull average over 10 trigger pulls in each mode. I think that will get better with dry fire as parts wear in. I've tried my Comp 2 speedloaders, which work but do bind. I then tried HKS DS loaders for the Detective Special which seem to work the best. Metal CD holders work well as do Split 6 holders. I'm carrying Buffalo Bore 158 LSWCHP +p which hit closest to POA/POI but are still a bit high. More manageable than when fired in an Airweight though. I ordered a JMCK AIWB Holster for a 3 inch J Frame. I loosened the screws and warmed the holster with a heat gun (Just Warmed NOT Softened) I put the gun in the holster and tightened the screws a bit, once cooled I adjusted the screws for final fit and it works fine. Should you choose to do this, you do so at your own risk. And I do not hold Tony responsible for any issues with the holster, as I have chosen to alter it. (I don't expect there will be any). I have s set of Eagle Secret Service Boot Grips on order. Hope this helps anyone who's looking for gear for their 856.

Attachment 72475

How’s this holding up for you? How tight was it to begin with?

[MDFA]

How’s this holding up for you? How tight was it to begin with?

Holding up fine. The shape wasn't quite right for a correct fit and needed that slight alteration.

[jh9]

If Taurus is anything like S&W, the final ratchet fitting is done by hand, which makes the outcome (tightness of lockup) completely random.

That's still true for the 7-shot L-frames. And it very much shows. Comparing hand fit 7-shot extractors from when the 686+ was a new thing to anything recent is night-and-day.

The standard 6 shot K/L/N frame "square" extractors (w/o pins) have not been a fitted part since sometime in the 90s, IIRC. 1992, maybe.

The 8-shot N-frames I don't know. I don't think so. All that I've looked at were done way too evenly to have been done by hand.