Anyone Rocking an 856 Defender or Executive 3"

[CarloMNL]

@jetfire Would you know if the QC improvements in the Brazil factory will also affect Taurus products exported to non-US markets, or do these apply only to guns bound for the American market?

[Tannhauser]

Really wish the YT review gimmick of near-intentional controversy and/or contrarian mouth-breathing would simply go away.

But then there would like three YT accounts.

This should can, do. Those who can’t, create YT channels.

[Stephanie B]

I guess I just remember a time when we sent revolvers to the frontier and to war and they were thought to be durable and up to the task of heavy use.

It's been a very long time since I read A Rifleman Went to War {which, if you have a Kindle, is a steal at 99 cents} and, keeping in mind that he served in the Canadian Army, but I seem to recall that he ditched the issue .455 revolver for a Colt 1911 as soon as he could, because he felt that the 1911 was better suited to trench warfare.

[jetfire]

@jetfire Would you know if the QC improvements in the Brazil factory will also affect Taurus products exported to non-US markets, or do these apply only to guns bound for the American market?

I can't imagine the Brazil factory setting up a separate production line for "not America" so yeah, I'd say yes

[Stephanie B]

What voids the warranty for Taurus revolvers?

You can RTFM if you wish. As I read it, using it carelessly, criminally, negligently, "under the influence", improper adjustment/alteration, using reloads or improper ammunition (+P+ is specifically mentioned int eh manual) and so on. Nothing about removing screws voids the warranty, so far as I can see. And it does have a few pages of "exploded views", which seems to be illogical if taking off the sideplate is verboten.

[willie]

Thank you.

[Tamara]

You can RTFM if you wish. As I read it, using it carelessly, criminally, negligently, "under the influence", improper adjustment/alteration, using reloads or improper ammunition (+P+ is specifically mentioned int eh manual) and so on. Nothing about removing screws voids the warranty, so far as I can see. And it does have a few pages of "exploded views", which seems to be illogical if taking off the sideplate is verboten.

Not having read in that level of detail and not being any sort of lawyer, is there anything in there about taking a stone/file to the lockwork or swapping parts out with questionable third party replacements?

[Stephanie B]

Not having read in that level of detail and not being any sort of lawyer, is there anything in there about taking a stone/file to the lockwork or swapping parts out with questionable third party replacements?

I'm guessing that the Bull People would regard that as improper adjustment or alteration.

[Wonder9]

Pros:
*Timing & lockup are good
*Accurate
*Trigger is really good except for a small staging right before the hammer drops
*Pinned front sight
*Fun to shoot
*Extra boot grip & extra front iron sight

Cons:
*Black oxide is cheesy, but since it's stainless steel I'm not too worried
*While accurate, the front night sight doesn't lend itself too much to target shooting.
*Extractor star looks bad
*Manual was missing
*Taurus parts policy means I'll probably buy a parts kit

I had been looking for a stainless Defender, but this was the only steel 856 Defender in stock asides for a CH variant at the LGS. Only had time for 100 rounds of PMC 132gr since the range was nearly closing. No problems and just a pleasant shooting experience.

[Totem Polar]

So long as peeps are interested in the experience of regular dudes buying an Executive from a friendly LGS with regular money, here’s mine, in all its detail.

BLUF: I like it, and I’m glad I jumped in on one.

As most here know, I’ve probably owned at least one sample of anything even remotely competitive; multiple LCRs, a K6, 3 new production D-frame Cobras, plenty of Js, Ks, SPs, blah blah. I also have (and I’m falling on my sword for y’all here by spilling this) 4 Tauri in the bottom of my safe—which has got to be a P-F record, outside of *maybe* Caleb. (3 of the 4 were gifts, 3 of the guns were bought back in the early 90s, and 3 of those guns totally suck—and it’s not a clean venn diagram across those categories; only the 85 is worth having.) So I’ve got an earned skepticism going on, but hold out hope for an 85 with a 6.

That said, the Pros:

1, It’s a very handsome revolver. This thing somehow strikes the perfect balance between “as God, Horace, and Daniel intended” and “21st-c. modern” without going into LCR or K6S territory. Super-clean lines and just about perfect visual balance, as one can see when viewed next to iconic K and J frames (pics 3 and 4, below)

2, the fit and finish is excellent. Not a line or screw buggered, and the matte satin is well done—even the frame under the grips looks clean; at least as much so as any other common maker (pic 5).

3, the lock up on my 856E is *fantastic*. I mean, this example feels more “Ruger” than “Smith,” with that ‘welded to the frame’ lock up on all 6 chambers. Excellent. (This is obviously with the hammer down and trigger back on all 6, just in case anyone mistakes me for a ‘tuber.) End shake, cylinder gap, and timing all look/feel great. The other example that the LGS had was close to this one, with just a hint of play; certainly every bit as good or better than either ‘Smith in the pics, and well within expectations. It would have been fine, I just chose this one because it’s a bank vault.

4, The trigger is good, very smooth, with a positive reset. No temptation for short stroking this one, you’d have to work at it to mess up the return. My impression in the LGS was that it was also light, but a later comparison with my very creamy and lightly massaged DAO 64 shows that the 856 is definitely heavier than I thought; the smoothness gives the impression of an easier pull than it actually is. Regardless, it’s a great trigger to work with, and in the 640 pro ballpark for weight feel.

5, the cylinder chamber chamfering is well executed and works as advertised to grease reloads up—at least once the grips are swapped to allow for speedloader use (see cons)

6, it’s plenty accurate. The sights are slightly more legible than the K-frame I took along for comparison, and *very* good for a more or less J-frame sized gun with fixed sights (incidentally, a kydex trigger guard cover for a J-frame snaps on the 856 Executive perfectly, and will hold the gun securely while hanging upside down and shaking from the static line. Useful range bag and deeper concealment info, I suppose). I ran the target out just past the 25 foot mark (+/-9 yards? Pics 1 & 2, below) and let ‘er rip with my first 6-shots (135gr GDHP+P). The horizontal stringing is all me: I found the top taper of the stock grips to be a bit twisty under recoil, and I failed to lock the gun down properly. But, hey, it was my first cylinder full ever out of the gun, with a reasonably representative defensive load.

Recoil is no problem; the balance, weight, and hand-filling grips help with comfort. I enjoyed getting the gun piping hot with a few more cylinders of my precious stash of GDHP, 3 or 4 cylinders of some NOS 129gr +P hydra-shok, and 96 rounds of 158gr ball by someone—I forgot who after I dumped the case into a spare 50c ammo can. Most likely Georgia or Freedom munitions. At any rate, there was a good bit of oil lubing the gun—I wiped the excess off the ejector rod, under the ejector star, etc. before I started, but by the time I finished up with the Federal HS, I’d cooked that stuff out, and the snakey tendrils of smoke at each reload subsided. In all, a fun first outing.

Cons:

1, I found the gun to shoot a little low for me, as one can see in the maiden voyage result pic. My K-frames would put that group right in the box at that distance. Fortunately, the sight is pinned in, and the replacement sights that Caleb steered me towards are 6 bucks or so. I ordered the short one that Caleb linked to, and I also ordered a medium… I have a suspicion that my particular Executive might have left with the tall sight; it’s 4.8mm. I’ll find out soon, since Taurus has already shipped out the two replacement blades. So far, so good on CS.

2, the Altamonts that come on the gun are not relieved on the left side for speedloaders. That’s a complete deal-killer for me, so the grips had to go; I ordered up a set of Pachmayrs, which obviously got here quickly. As an aside, the pin in the grip frame of the 856E is actually a sturdy roll pin, and it was noticeably bigger than the replacement peg that came with the pachys. Seeing no future in messing with that, I drilled the recess holes in the lower inside of both Pachy stocks out a bit, and pressed on with the swap. The new grips easily clear my stash of HKS DS-As, and I’ve had a riotous time practicing reloads with dummy rounds—the chamfering is, as mentioned, great, and the “J”-framed gun reloads like a larger revolver. (Incidentally, I know that Caleb may well make fun of me for using HKS loaders, but I’ve been running those things since 1989 or so, with shoe boxes of the things laying around, and there’s more old bastards like me out there in revolverville than there are world-class competitors like Caleb. Of course, with that said, the number of potential 856 buyers who will *never* use a speedloader at all certainly dwarfs all the Calebs and Totem fudds combined, so Taurus most likely made the right decision going with the stock Altamonts, because they look so good—enough so to give Piers Morgan or Michael Bloomberg matching wood. I like the looks and recoil spread of the stock grips enough that I will probably try to find someone clever to relieve and touch up the left panel for me, and then re-install them. If only I knew someone with extraordinary exotic wood working skills, who also thoroughly understands revolvers… @Lex Luthier, @ lex luthier, and @Lex Luthier…)

Finally, 3, the pin holding the front sight in wasn’t perfectly flush on both sides. Must have been a Friday.

And that’s it. If you’re thinking I’m being picky on that last con, you’re right, and it’ll be a non-issue—as will con #1, hopefully—as soon as the replacement blades get here for me to mess around with.

Conclusion:

It’s a smooth, relatively inexpensive J-frame sized steel .38, with great finish and features, decent sights, and a 6-shot cylinder squeezed in. The ONLY question remaining for me is long-term durability, and time will sort that out. Given my first +/- 140 rounds or so, I’m optimistic. Tom at DSG was kind enough to let me purchase a pre-release AIWB cradle for the 856, and I’m GTG with loaders and ammo, so I’ll take this thing out to things like the weekly fun shoots and the John Murphy summer tour and see how it goes.

I heard Caleb on some sort of podcast talking about “the gun,” as in, when someone is buying their first gun, as opposed to a majority of us who have “field gun,” “nightstand gun,” “carry gun,” whathaveyou. Clearly, I’m not that guy, since I can reach blindly onto two fully packed shelves of my safe and come up with a random “the gun” that would do.

But if I had yet another friend who was wanting something low-intensity to start up from scratch that would do for home, hiking, and late night road trip CCW, I’d add the 856 Exec to the pile for consideration. Thumbs up on this little carry revolver. It’s currently my “the gun.”