I told myself the other day I wasn't buying any more guns, but for what ever reason these 856 Tauri kind of speak to me. If they prove to be reliable and dependable I think I could establish a long term relationship with a 3" version.
Dave
I told myself the other day I wasn't buying any more guns, but for what ever reason these 856 Tauri kind of speak to me. If they prove to be reliable and dependable I think I could establish a long term relationship with a 3" version.
Dave
49+25=74 rounds downrange
Extraction: Still easy but I do keep my wheelguns brushed every time they get fired. The VZ stocks seem to clear spent cases a bit better than the originals.
Loading: The VZs cramp a Safariland Comp II a bit more than the OEM grip but not enough to bother.
Recoil: These stocks are comfier in recoil. Mostly for sliding a bit versus gluing to the web of your hand and tugging it under recoil.
Trigger: Have a reduced weight Wolff hammer spring on order. If I can massage this, it would be nice. For now, it is serviceable.
Lost light on the way home so no target photo. Nothing impressive to see. Ran a single string from HeadHunter's 5^5 then ball and dummy draws to singles shots for a cylinder each at 7 and 12 yards. Then Some seven yard slowfire for one cylinder. Final round strong-hand-only presentations to the headbox at seven yards until it went off.
Initial impression of the stocks: I should have practiced my draws, first. Once I started getting a good grip on a new gun with new stock in a new holster in a new pair of pants with unusual loop placement, things got better. Until then, I found myself milking the grip like a moron as things settled during the trigger roll.
Garbage photo:
856 with a Smith model 36.
I finally got around to dropping guns on my scale.
2" model 10 - 1lb 15oz
856 with VZs - 1lb 11oz
Chief's Special - 1lb 5.5oz (and carrying one less round)
The 856 splitting the weight differential so nearly perfectly amuses me. Like the model Taurus model 85, it is most comparable to the J-frame. The narrow frames, less potential in the triggers, tiny grip-frame, snug speedloader clearance, inherently slower splits, etc. Where a J-frame is still an excellent pocket gun after all these decades, the 856 is longer from crown to backstrap and wider at the cylinder - reducing the pants and thighs it will fit. Going back to the low point of impact, my no-dash model 36 also printed significantly low before filing the front sight.
I'd be tempted to park a set of wooden Stile stocks on the Chief and compare them directly at the range. However, the narrow front sight doesn't play well with my eyes, anymore. Were I again a nineteen year-old with his first carry permit and sharper eyes, it would be a fair shoot off. Now, the sights would be guaranteed such a difference to make stock selecting irrelevant. Being honest, it would primarily have been the difference back then, too. I did track the fat front of our Taurus model 85 much better at the time. The old loaner 85 had a better trigger than the 856 while bringing it up.
Further digressing along this line, every Kimber K6s I've handled or shot has also sported a better trigger than this 856 even though I dislike their inconsistency as it is. While I could learn to live with the trigger hitch, it is becoming clear that it is my number one and possibly only real complaint about the 856. When the Wolff spring arrives and the sideplate is already off, I'll take a peek and see if anything looks up for a date with a stone.
Will the 856 take the same grips as an 85?
The pictured VZ 320 set is advertised for the 85 and the Barami Hip-Grip set I ordered is, as well. Both fit.Originally Posted by BN
I'm probably going to end up trying one of these. I'm pretty sure I want a 2 inch. It looks like they have the pinned front sight also.
So the front sight issue interested me enough to Google... Taurus does not have a OEM night sight for sale.
TaurusArmed.net has two threads that have some humor about trying to get a 856 replacement night sight. Kudos to those cats.
TLDR is there not a COTS drop in solution, but the J Frame Meprolights seem to come close but are shorter than Tauri factory and need fitting. YMMV.
Do those still exist? I haven't seen a shop with "plenty of inventory" in quite some time.
Dave
Might be a few years.
Pre-Covid, I was offered the chance to look through several non-Defender 856s at the local Academy. Did the same back when I thought an 870 Express was a logical thing to buy.
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Not another dime.
Wanted to shoot a dot drill to better learn the trigger but an ammo shortage is still on and this gun is not a practice priority. So ran HeadHunter's Punto Banco at seven yards. Well, a variant.
74+21=95 rounds downrange
I used 6" circles with 2" aiming spots and each circle was from the draw. No administrative reloading was done. Circle four was draw to click and emergency reload. Ran dry on circle five and again on six. Dropped one shot on circle three when getting cocky and pushing the gas.
Used the last of my garbage reloads and no new comments to be made.
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