Taurus® Defender 856 38 SPECIAL +P

[CSW]

Has anyone tried a JM Appendix holster [j frame] for the 3 inch 586 yet?
I'm wondering if the j holster would be a better choice than one for the sp 100.

[BN]

I got to shoot my new 856 today. I am impressed.

First 6 shots from 7 yards.

Glamor shot with the grips from my older 85.

After the first 12 rounds, I knew the grips had to be replaced. They hurt me. I ended up with the Taurus rubber grips like I have on my S&W 43c. They're small enough to conceal and pretty comfortable to shoot.

The sights hit POA/POI with my reloads. 138 grain Bayou wadcutter over 3.0 Bullseye and 158 Xtreme plated over 4.0 Bullseye. I shot one cylinder of Federal 148 match wadcutters at 7 yards that hit POA/POI and one cylinder at 30 yards. I had only shot DA until 30 yards so I tried SA. The group was pretty loose but they were all in the down 0 and 1 of the IDPA target. In total I fired around 75 rounds and all fired and ejected cleanly.

I had watched @jetfire shoot the Test with a revolver and thought, Hey why not try it. First run was with my 158 reloads and a Safariland Comp 2. 12.95 with a 5.85 reload.

The next run was with my IDPA reloads and a bubberized Comp 3. 11.90 with a 4.83 reload.

The Safariland K-Frame Comp 2 and Comp 3 were the only speedloaders to work OK. Both HKS and Dade were too thick and would bind on the side of the frame.

Sights were pretty good as long as the light was good. They are head and shoulders above 442/642 sights. The front sight is pinned and I'm going to experiment with other sights.

The only thing I did before starting to shoot was run a patch through the chambers and bore. Cylinder locks up good and the trigger stacks very slightly just before the break, and I was able to slow down and almost shoot like a SA. Trigger is a little heavy but no glitches.

I didn't spend much time trying holsters. The only J-Frame holster that might work was an old leather pancake. None of my kydex J-Frame holsters would work. I tried a couple of K-Frame holsters and they might work if I can tighten the tension enough.

One thing I noticed was the cylinder latch didn't beat up my thumb like a J-Frame. When I shoot a J, I put tape around my thumb or I will bleed.

Here's a pic with a longer set of Taurus grips. They were the most comfortable to shoot.

I'm pretty impressed.

[revchuck38]

One thing I noticed was the cylinder latch didn't beat up my thumb like a J-Frame. When I shoot a J, I put tape around my thumb or I will bleed.

I put 105 rounds through my 642 this morning and have the hole in my thumb to prove it. That, and how well yours runs, isn't helping me not pick one of these up.

[willie]

Taurus has demonstrated a 20 year period of sub standard quality control and poor customer service. For this reason, I do not trust their products. Has the company corrected these faults?

[jandbj]

Popped a couple of the Galloway hammer springs in 2 of my 3” 856s. Trying to get some rounds down range tomorrow to confirm function.

Added a drop of marvel mystery oil in the hole through the frame where the hammer spring strut interacts with the hammer too.

Noticeable weight reduction from stock but I have no scale to provide numbers.

Fired 5 cylinderfuls of lost river’s 38SC through one of the pair. No issues. All fired double action.

[BN]

78 rounds today. Groups at 7 and 20 yards with my Bullseye, Bayou 138 grain wadcutter load. All fired and ejected smoothly.

I said yesterday that the thumb latch didn't hurt me and then I noticed a red mark. So I filed off the offending sharp corner. OK now. After shooting today I noticed that the bottom of my trigger finger had a small sore spot, so more filing will be in order. I have springs on the way. The front sight is way better than 442/642 J-Frame sights, but still needs to be easier to see especially at speed. I'll probably try and see if I can get some of the pinned S&W or Ruger sights to work.

[CSW]

It pleases me to know that someone else is experiencing good results with this inexpensive 6 shooter.
I'm gonna order the Galloway kit, and that should make a good gun a bit better.
I had trepidations about purchasing it, but have had stellar results.

[TheNewbie]

This really is a good little gun. Taurus needs to offer and an “enhanced” 2 inch version. Same bobbed DAO trigger, but with better grips, better trigger and real sights.


If they continue to prove reliable, I think Taurus would sell a lot of the “enhanced” versions.

[CSW]

I rarely carry the 642 for anything, anymore.

And there's got to be a holster out there that'll work.

[BN]

This really is a good little gun. Taurus needs to offer and an “enhanced” 2 inch version. Same bobbed DAO trigger, but with better grips, better trigger and real sights.

I have a hacksaw and a Dremel. It won't be the first hammer I ever bobbed.

https://www.shoptaurus.com/revolver-...t-grip-5-20880 These grips that Taurus sells for $9 are quite good. I have put them on my J-Frames.