Taurus® Defender 856 38 SPECIAL +P

[TheNewbie]

Swung by my favorite death merchant to say hi, root through his box of sundry accessories, and maybe grab some ammo. Left with some ammo, new old stock H&R shotgun/carbine barrel set with mated receiver, and a lightly used matte stainless 856. The front sight is already pink courtesy the previous owner, needs a kydex AIWB baked over the weekend but a janky leather Galco gunsock will do for now, and Safariland Comp IIs for my K-frames are serviceable. I should be able to go run a box through it, tomorrow. See how it likes my junk handloads from using up garbage 158 grain LFN.

Plan:

1. Cold drill - Five Yard Round-Up (10rd)

2. Head back to 25 yards for three rounds of slowfire on a B-8 to check point of impact. (13rd)

3. If POI is agreeable, run through the course of fire from a nearby police handgun qualification as it is revolver neutral (49rd)

4. If I don't need that last round to sort out a particularly unserviceable handload, load it Russian roulette style and do low ready presentations until it pops at seven yards. (50rd)

As a mechanical note, the gun is a factory spurless model and true DAO for lack of a single-action sear. The hammer has no lock as a nice bonus. It is a hair shorter front-to-back than my 2" model 10 even with the covered backstrap. Height is also shorter by a more pronounced but still minor degree. The cylinder is a bit shorter in length and hair thinner. Trigger is fine but for hitch at the point the cylinder stop does its thing. Feels like it won't be a real issue in livefire, however. Along those lines, the stocks are hideous but feel like they may work out alright. Fixing to find out.

Let us know!

I agree the stocks feel horrible, but they didn't bother me so much in live fire.

[Buckeye63]

Currently trying to find a decent holster for it.

Regarding the 856, it has been flawless so far. That might be because I haven't shot it yet, but still!

Charter Bulldog, SP101 & Colt D size holsters should work

[SCCY Marshal]

I'm sixteen hours into a fast, have been nursing a headache all morning, the wind is blowing steadily with occasional howling gusts, and the native temperature is twenty degrees Freedom. So hiking a mile or so out of town, setting-up and shooting was the day's bright idea.


Don't remember if the miss should deduct an extra ten points from the board or as I scored it as being worth zero. Not opening a new tab to check as the glowing screen is already not fun on my eyes.


A variant of a nearby agency bullseye course itself based on a qualification. Ranges 3-25 yards, strong-hand-only, border shift to weak-hand-only, a strong-hand-only draw, one timed reload, standing, kneeling, dropping to a knee, standing back up, thirty cumulative yards of sprinting while on the clock, and string of fire from two to eight rounds. Scored 86% on time and in the bottle.

Did not fire my leftover last round as my head needed a break and hands were well and truly numb. So 49 rounds fired.

- Sights: Much like the household's former Taurus Model 85, better than a J-frame.

- POI: Very low at 25 yards and workable from 15 on in. I'll need to test with carry ammo, other range fodder, and in more lighting conditions before filing the front sight, though.

- Trigger: The hitch is a minor issue but only if you're stupid like me. We'll get back to that point.

- Stocks: Not only ugly but a bit uncomfy as shooting progresses. A very positive grip despite numb, wind-bitten hands. They'll stay until I find a complaint that overrides the very positive grasp.

- Recoil: Think of a J-frame rather than a K. I'm glad I found a steel model as aluminum would probably be pretty sporty. My 4.0 grain Unique loads felt in this like Buffalo Bore +P does in a K-frame.

- Reliability: No issues but I'm only 49 shots in. Primers show signs of being hit stoutly, trigger pull remained consistent, cylinder didn't try to bind, and spent cases ejected smoothly.

- Loading: Only one case caught on the left stock panel but every other reload went fine. Safariland Comp-II don't reload quite as easily as in the K-frame for which they were designed but that isn't the gun's fault. The stiff, springy, and touch gritty cylinder release is not as nice as my Smiths, however.

- My biggest issue: Trying to run it like my daily carry two-inch model 10. I caught the tip of my trigger finger on my other hand and resultantly jerked shots, tried running the trigger and sight picture as nonchalantly as the smoother and wider-sighted K-frame allows, and just plain got cocky with the new snub. In future trips, I'll run it like a J-frame or LCR as it shoots just like them.

- The Good: Like our old Model 85, I think I am going to get along with this gun much better than my S&W Model 36. Despite being a Taurus and the hideous grips, everything is well thought out for a large pocket or small belt snub. Time will tell if service life is up to snuff.

- Initial Impression: I'm diggin' it and look forward to more range time as I can spare some ammo.

[Half Moon]

I'm sixteen hours into a fast, have been nursing a headache all morning, the wind is blowing steadily with occasional howling gusts, and the native temperature is twenty degrees Freedom. So hiking a mile or so out of town, setting-up and shooting was the day's bright idea.


Don't remember if the miss should deduct an extra ten points from the board or as I scored it as being worth zero. Not opening a new tab to check as the glowing screen is already not fun on my eyes.


A variant of a nearby agency bullseye course itself based on a qualification. Ranges 3-25 yards, strong-hand-only, border shift to weak-hand-only, a strong-hand-only draw, one timed reload, standing, kneeling, dropping to a knee, standing back up, thirty cumulative yards of sprinting while on the clock, and string of fire from two to eight rounds. Scored 86% on time and in the bottle.

Did not fire my leftover last round as my head needed a break and hands were well and truly numb. So 49 rounds fired.

- Sights: Much like the household's former Taurus Model 85, better than a J-frame.

- POI: Very low at 25 yards and workable from 15 on in. I'll need to test with carry ammo, other range fodder, and in more lighting conditions before filing the front sight, though.

- Trigger: The hitch is a minor issue but only if you're stupid like me. We'll get back to that point.

- Stocks: Not only ugly but a bit uncomfy as shooting progresses. A very positive grip despite numb, wind-bitten hands. They'll stay until I find a complaint that overrides the very positive grasp.

- Recoil: Think of a J-frame rather than a K. I'm glad I found a steel model as aluminum would probably be pretty sporty. My 4.0 grain Unique loads felt in this like Buffalo Bore +P does in a K-frame.

- Reliability: No issues but I'm only 49 shots in. Primers show signs of being hit stoutly, trigger pull remained consistent, cylinder didn't try to bind, and spent cases ejected smoothly.

- Loading: Only one case caught on the left stock panel but every other reload went fine. Safariland Comp-II don't reload quite as easily as in the K-frame for which they were designed but that isn't the gun's fault. The stiff, springy, and touch gritty cylinder release is not as nice as my Smiths, however.

- My biggest issue: Trying to run it like my daily carry two-inch model 10. I caught the tip of my trigger finger on my other hand and resultantly jerked shots, tried running the trigger and sight picture as nonchalantly as the smoother and wider-sighted K-frame allows, and just plain got cocky with the new snub. In future trips, I'll run it like a J-frame or LCR as it shoots just like them.

- The Good: Like our old Model 85, I think I am going to get along with this gun much better than my S&W Model 36. Despite being a Taurus and the hideous grips, everything is well thought out for a large pocket or small belt snub. Time will tell if service life is up to snuff.

- Initial Impression: I'm diggin' it and look forward to more range time as I can spare some ammo.

Just a thought on the recoil front: does anyone make larger grips for it? I get less perceived recoil from my Model 12 with magnas and a grip adaptor than our 640 which is about 5 ounces heavier. The extra grip real estate helps. Then again bigger grips might not fit your use case.

[OlongJohnson]

@jetfire,

If you're still in contact with Taurus, maybe you could suggest they bring in a box of fifty or a hundred spurless DAO 856 hammers and make them available for stand-alone sale as accessories. My understanding is they are MIM parts and shouldn't require any fitting. Would allow people who didn't buy the spurless guns to change their mind, or those who think a spurless Defender would be a good thing to get what they need.

[Zeke38]

I own 2 Kimber K6s and I use the Colt DS HKS speedloaders for it and the Colt D frame speedloaders would align more closely with your Taurus.

[lee n. field]

Just a thought on the recoil front: does anyone make larger grips for it? I get less perceived recoil from my Model 12 with magnas and a grip adaptor than our 640 which is about 5 ounces heavier. The extra grip real estate helps. Then again bigger grips might not fit your use case.

Crimson Trace's LG385 is pretty comfortable.

(Viridian makes something like that, that Taurus sells. But, I've seen multiple reports of that not fitting well, and not keeping consistent zero.)

[SCCY Marshal]

...Then again bigger grips might not fit your use case.

It's just a fun test bed on my end. If it shows trustworthy, will tag it as a loaner like I'd posted above. So probably a nightstand and car lockbox gun with occasional carry with the way people are. I've already ordered up a Barami Hip-Grip for a Taurus model 85 to see if it'll fit. If memory serves, there was a change in grip frame pattern at some point. For the cost of a burger, it's a nothing gamble though.

Plan to press a tuckable kydex AIWB tonight or tomorrow. Then look into a leather pancake for an OWB option. While waiting for that to come in, use the gun as a lab rat to see how ugly an idiot mark I can leave with my Dremel and some white diatomaceous earth abrasive while mildly breaking the sharp edges in baby's first melt treatment. Then rough up the polished edges with emery cloth to better match the original matte finish. And grab a Wolff reduced power hammer spring and check reliability. I'd get along just fine with the trigger as-is, especially as it breaks in, but the spring is cheap to try out.

Back to the stocks, I do like the factory set-up. While ugly, the texturing provides a very positive grip. If people talk about snubs being good for weapon retention, this thing would be even more so. They are ugly but very well thought out and lock my hand in nicely while still being fairly trim for concealment. I'll play with other options but not because I feel any fault in these ones that warrants replacement.

And I don't find the recoil to be an issue. It's like any other steel J-frame. But people like my wife should probably hear it. If you don't care for the way a usual small frame snub bucks, this won't offer any improvement. Or people like me who are used to a snub-nosed model 10 and the way they shoot just like the full length guns. The 856 shoots like pocket snubs with extra girth and 20% more capacity being the only difference.

The trigger needs a small update while I'm typing. Between some dryfire, short bit of livefire, and couple drops of oil, the hitch in the trigger is notably reduced. The already mild stacking has also mellowed. It's gotten a bit smoother, too.

[vaglocker]

.......

The trigger needs a small update while I'm typing. Between some dryfire, short bit of livefire, and couple drops of oil, the hitch in the trigger is notably reduced. The already mild stacking has also mellowed. It's gotten a bit smoother, too.

I recommend the Galloway Precision trigger return spring. Really improved the trigger on mine. Stay away from the hammer spring though not strong enough.

[SCCY Marshal]

- Stocks: Not only ugly but a bit uncomfy as shooting progresses. A very positive grip despite numb, wind-bitten hands. They'll stay until I find a complaint that overrides the very positive grasp.

It's a good thing I rather like crow, oldest calls them steak on wings, because I'm eating some:


VZ 320 with stainless hardware. The screw just barely clears the hammer spring but I don't feel any binding. In dryfire, the added bulk reduces the cramped placement of my trigger finger. We'll see if that is worth the pricetag. Also need to check how they handle recoil.


Made a tuckable appendix rig while I was waiting for delivery.


With the chunkier S&W model 10 snub I carry every day but today. Big shakeup in opting for my bobbed 4" model 10 in a thumb-break leather pancake since I was scouting for next hunting season. Which is to say I was being dragged through briar, bog, and thicket by a good beagle on the scent. Retention was a priority and OWB comfort much appreciated.

Going to head out this afternoon and run half a box of the same junk handloads from four to twelve yards. I have also accepted delivery of a Barami Hip-Grip set which I'll check for fit after posting this.



Edit: The Hip-Grip set might actually get its own post later. The texture is very different than my S&W sets. Rather than use the original index pin or a replacement as does VZ, they have integral nubs to index in the gripframe's pin hole. Screw placement is well clear of the hammer spring but the screw itself is too short. The BK grip adapter I have for a J-frame fits well enough and would work with the Hip-Grip when I get around to sourcing a longer screw, doing the usual file fitting, and deburring of mold flashing.