Revolvers continue to evolve (and revolve!).

Taurus is like what Kia has turned into. They used to make cheap unreliable crap but they realized they could make more money if they put some effort into design and quality. It seems to be working and they're regaining respect.

The great thing about a red dot is that it makes dry-firing all the more effective. You can see precisely how your trigger pull affects your point-of-aim.

Chris, just wanted to say that your company is the only place I buy ammo online. Your videos are always so calm and reasonable with such a level-headed and straightforward approach. No flashy intros, no hyperbole, goofy skits, scaremongering, and not one second of any video is wasted with anything not relevant to the topic. You have the most professional guntube channel on KZfaq, and it's made me a lifelong customer of your ammo store.

Had an 856 for a while, currently own a 9mm G3. Taurus has had a spotty reputation for a while, but I really think they've cleaned up their act.

I'm surprised Taurus got here first - seems like a great update to the SP101 and LCR

I started off wanting to own a revolver for concealed carry because I have a frankly weird affection for them. This gun makes me want to go ahead and act on that.

My wife's first carry gun was a steel frame 85. Traded it in for a steel frame 856 when they came out. She carries an EZ now, but i generally carry an air weight J frame and was disappointed that Smith doesn't make an air weight 3 inch barrel 38 or 357. Luckily for me Taurus makes an aluminum frame 3 inch barrel 856 and it even comes with a dual tritium fiber optic front sight. Also comes with a Hogue grip. I changed the trigger springs out and its become one of my favorite carry revolvers.

The Chiappa Rhino would be perfect for an optic mounting system if they decided to do it, because they could potentially put a spot where normally the barrel would be.

I carried a Taurus 85 for years. I must have put 5000 rounds thru it. I cleaned it often, and it never did fail me. I decided to trade it in toward an air weight Smith, and I've missed it ever since. The triggers on these snubbies really do smooth out with use. By the time I sold it, the double action was a very smooth 8 pounds. Great video, Chris! Thanks for giving us poors some attention! 😂

Good to hear that Taurus is improving quality. Nice to have an affordable option. Like the red dot on a revolver but needs an under-barrel rail for a light. Could also use a folding bayonet for a last-ditch defensive effort.

I have found all eight of my Taurus pistols to be accurate, reliable and eats everything I feed them. I have had more problems with my M&P and the Smith and Wesson warranty service sucked. The representatives were rude and it took over 3 months to get my pistol back. Although I have never needed Taurus warranty service the contacts I have had with Taurus representatives have been helpful and pleasant.

The amount of detail in this video alone with current market knowledge, thank you lucky gunner for your valuable opinion.

Great info

Little by little, revolvers are growing on me. I inherited a few firearms recently..3 of them are 'volvers (two .38 special, and one .colt 45). They are more fun, and easy to conceal than I thought. I'm still new to the world of wheel guns, so optics are something ill have to learn more on. This vid helps slot

Thanks Chris, as always much appreciation for all of your efforts! Livin my best La Vida Loca here in south eastern Arizona P.S. I have the 942 and enjoy the heck out if it! No issues in 1500 rounds!

Taurus started out as a revolver manufacturer, so I think they have a soft spot for their revolver lineup. I would bet the TX22, G3/G3c, and the GX4 are about 70% of their revenue by now, but they still release new revolvers regularly.

I swore off Taurus after having to return 6 or 7 examples of their micro-sized .380 auto pistols to them, due to various failures that rendered the pistols useless. I did so reluctantly, because I'd had a great experience with their PT1911 - it ran flawlessly. I wasn't as hesitant to pick up one of their revolvers - a 605 in this case - as I had owned a Rossi Model 88 for many years prior to Taurus's acquisition of Rossi and it had been an excellent little revolver, accurate and reliable to a tee. Like the Mod. 88 and the Mod. PT1911, the Taurus 605 has run flawlessly, with all the accuracy it could possibly deliver, given my aging eyesight. I haven't tried .357 magnum loads in it yet and may not - I don't care for hand-jarring recoil these days as much as I did when I was a young buck, but I have fired a number of pretty hot +P+ handloads out of it and it didn't skip a beat with any of them. All of that to say this: I hope that Taurus's reported re-imagining of quality control and customer service will result in a product line in which all models show the same quality and reliability that their revolvers are known for. Not sure if I'd ever want an optic-equipped wheel gun, but I'm sure there are many shooters who would, so ... kudos to Taurus for leading from the front! Cheers.

Thanks Chris!

Great analysis, appreciate it. Initially I liked revolvers for the classic style but more and more it's the function. No jams, simple cleaning, simple mechanism, no moving parts that can get blocked during a shot, no shells flying after each shot. Manufacturers might 'shoot' for high quality mechanisms without the flashiness to save on cost. 8 rounds, 38spl +p, low bore axis if possible.

Chris, thanks for the honest review! I didn’t know I needed a revolver with an optic until I watched this review! Great stuff, Rick

This actually looks interesting. Glad to hear that Taurus has made changes to help quality. I might have to look into this.

Thanks Chris

Chris, you're doing the best weapon reviews I've ever seen! I like your style, your beautiful real cluster-rich English, your stories around a topic, and video-light effects! Hello from Ukraine!

Best review of this gun I’ve seen by far. I’ve watched five and no one brought up the red dot issue until you! Glad I watched this

Taurus model 66 and 605 and never had a problem. I loved

Yup! This is relevant and game changing in the revolver world.

I love lucky gunners reviews so glad he review a Taurus 856, just recently purchased the defender and love it, it’s a little stiff but with wear I know it’ll be great. I’m having problems finding a decent holster for it. Only been able to find ones for the 2inch barrels

Great job, Chris. I really enjoyed your review.

My 10 year old Taurus 85 is my favorite handgun. Taurus makes a great revolver!

Nice to see a little review on this. Hopefully other manufacturers get on this too

My only experience with Taurus so far was my first revolver last year, a Taurus 686 in .357 magnum. I was a fool and cowboy'd the revolver a bunch, closing the drum with a spin and such. After doing that a handful of times the cylinder was damaged, on 4 of the chambers the cylinder didn't lock securely anymore and could be rotated backwards. Sent the gun in to the retailer I bought it from, they sent it to Taurus, 2.5 months later I received a new 686, no questions asked despite them probably definitely knowing it was user error. I'm not an expert but the damage occured so quickly that I assume that their steel isn't the highest quality or best treated, but the 686 is a budget 6 inch barrel revolver so I didn't expect the cream of the crop. The new revolver runs well so far (only put about 150 rounds through it so far), the first 50 rounds had occasional light primer strikes, after oiling the revolver that was resolved. The trigger feels nice and I can stage it fairly well now.

I love my 856 for a budget revolver, I usually don’t leave the house without it in my truck. 😊

The graphic of the tall front sight almost made me soda on my keyboard. Great video. I have a non-toro 856, and I am happy with it. It shoot stupid groups with full wadcutters, I can't believe i can shoot that accurately with a revolver. I can only imagine that a red dot would bring in even tighter groups. Thanks for showing the zeroing flaw, although I would kind of expect it from such a high sight over bore you get with a RD on a revolver. I also appreciate showing options that actually do zero on this gun.....Thanks, Chris!!

Thanks for the vid. I have two model 85s, three 856s (Defender, a 2 in, and a 2 in UltraLite), and a 942lr (for cheap practice). They are reliable and inexpensive. I carry 2 revolvers with lasers. My secondary is an SW 337 AirLite. Because of cost of the Taurus' I don't feel excessively guilty throwing it down for a NY reload and yet feel comfortable about its reliability. I think the 856/605 TORO is an innovative play on Taurus' part. They are unique in the market and for a few dollars more than the standard models, there is no reason not to buy it. And to all the 605, 856, 85 , and j-frame owners wanting to get into optics craze, this is an inexpensive avenue and Taurus is the only game in town.

Lawyer proof-triggers are a sign of the times!!!

3 years ago I put rifle mounts on my ruger wrangler & ria m200 with sig Romeo red dot . Works great.

Uh oh! These are about to get scarce lol! Thanks again for the quality content, Chris and crew!

I'm happy with my Galloway Precision spring set. Greatly reduced trigger pull and 100% reliable.

Taurus has came a long way and my experience they're customer service in the best

Wasn't there one of the characters in the Tom Clancy novel Rainbow Six that had a red dot revolver way back in 1998? Honestly, one of my favorite guns to shoot is my dirt cheap Armscor M200 .38 Special revolver. I reload inexpensive .38 Spl and get to shoot it a lot. An easy to shoot revolver with a red dot on it sounds like a lot of fun.

I still have my M44 I hot 20 years ago. It's been great.

Not related to the specific video, but I just want to say, I put in a large (for me) ammo purchase from Lucky Gunner, for a specific reason. You're just about the only gun channel, and company, that doesn't engage in fear based marketing. You seem like a genuinely respectable, reasonable, and reliable gun channel. I'm so tired of the "group "x culture war nonsense" is gonna gettcha, buy more guns" marketing. I'll likely continue buying my ammo from you as time continues. I like supporting reasonable, and sane, people. Thank you.

thank you for this review and explanation of red dots on revolvers.

I've carried the 856 Defender VZ for a couple years and really like it, gonna have to look into this one more

I like revolvers for EDC, Taurus is a company I appreciate.

I bought the Taurus 856 TORO and i love it. I put a Galloway spring kit and Holosun 407K on it. I also installed a laser grip as a backup just in case the optic dies on me. Shot over 4,000 round through it and only had problems with Fiocchi wadcutters. Would recommend

RMR on my 686, fantastic. I should have done it years ago.

Consider this: having a zeroed optic provides a sight picture superior to the dark rear trench. I know many argue that the small revolver is designed for only close work, anyway, and an optic won't change that, but WILL help reach farther out with accuracy.

As someone with a preference toward pre-lock S&Ws and Rugers, I was thoroughly impressed with the Taurus 856 Executive Grade I picked up on a whim recently. Fit and finish are good for the price, I didn't encounter any reliability issues in 500 shots, and it holds six rounds in a gun the size of an SP101. Here's hoping Taurus continues to put out some great wheelguns; I'd like to see them offer a high gloss blued finish again, and give us some more options with tapered or partial underlugs.

I put the hogue monogrip on my 605. They definitely are the best grips I've found that work well with every 357 load I've shot

"Embrace the awkwardness." I love it.

I would LOVE to hear/see Manny’s reaction to the red dot on a revolver! 😎Please make that happen!👍

That's honestly cool and I want one

Never thought I‘d see the day that Chris reviews a Taurus revolver

I have owned multiple Taurus weapons over the years. My first handgun was a PT92. Since then I have owned several taurus revolvers and a 1911 auto. I have never had one break and all have been reliable.

I own Taurus revolvers and semi-autos. Their revolver designs are solid. In the recent (2 years) past, their metallurgy has been spotty with three of them in my personal experience. I want them to succeed. We need affordable options. I have much 'better' guns also, but I enjoy my Tauri. One of my favorite carry weapons is a 856 Ultralight 2 inch, with blue VZ grips. In my work, I have seen what 38 Special can do. I do not feel inadequately armed when I carry it. For speed loaders, I use the Zeta six and also Zeta speed strips. The HKS loaders I use with my Ruger Security six are just barely too big by a red C hair. I have some from Vulcan Ballistics for my 5 shot Charter 357 snubby. They work, but are VERY stiff.

856 it's a great gun and beautiful.

This is interesting. I have been thinking more and more about getting a revolver as a daily carry.

Even when I disagree with you or am repulsed by some new heresy you're pushing, your presentations are too good not to watch. You have a good sense of humor with terrific production values. Kudos.

I just recently purchased a new Taurus 942. Revolver in 22LR. It was defective out of the box, would not ignite any primers. Sent it back to Taurus, after waiting 3 weeks for an update they finally answered their customer service line. They said the frame was so defective they would need to destroy the firearm and issue me a new one, replacing the serial number. Wait 8 weeks for delivery and I have to do an FFL transfer AND pay for it. Just a heads up. Still waiting 6 weeks later. I also had to send the Taurus GX4 back to them TWICE for repair.

I have one of these and got a Crimson Trace red dot to put on it. It zeroed in just fine

I’d love to try one!

I’ve been waiting for this vid!

I think this is awesome. Good for them.

Excited to see more optics ready options, would love your thoughts on the mossberg shockwave hip holster from M&L shop

As much as I like the look of some Taurus guns after all the problems and terrible service I got from them I couldn't give them another chance.

I am also working on a review of this revolver. I like the idea of a red dot on any firearm to help with accuracy

I'm more excited at this point about the 3 inch six shot revolver weighing in at a pound and a half than I am about the optic. This style of handgun is probably what the nondedicated shooter is best served with rather than the smallest and lightest thing they can get. I think six shots of .38 Special will suffice to allow the typical person to break contact and escape a parking lot ambush if we stay in the world of reality versus fantasy. I think I might get one of these to work with a bit just as an iron sighted gun, but having the option to add an optic later when my eyesight is completely gone and I can no longer see my front sight. As for Taurus quality, when I worked in Brazil in the early 90's, they made a couple of really good guns. The first was the PT92 9mm, and the others were the Models 82 and 85. These last two were simple, uncomplicated revolvers. I trained hundreds of officers of the Policia Militar with these three guns, and never saw a cop break one beyond stripping threads on a grip screw. It was only in later years that I saw Taurus quality go into the dumper. I'd be ecstatic if Taurus has been able to turn their rep around with these newer revolvers.

I love this… definitely be trading in my 605

Very nice! Looks like a small Tracker

Dude you look like a badass when you’re shooting

I miss my SP101 3" .357. That thing was excellent

Inevitable Canadian invasion :) I love this channel!

Taurus has stepped up their game from twenty years ago.

Oh my god, it’s a sign! I’ve been seriously looking at buying an 856 to carry

As a quick sidenote to Taurus if they are reading this. A way to give the guns a good finish that is cheaper and that will eliminate most of the sharp edges, Why not do bead blasted/sand blasted stainless? The finish will be non reflective, and prepped for cerakote (at an additional cost for custom work). And it will debur and round the sharp edges in one process. Next, a more basic look with less machining may not only improve the appearance but make the handgun cheaper and stronger. I feel that the elimination of fluting to the cylinder would not only look better but would have more advantages like the ones I mentioned above. A flat machined barrel/underlug with the cylinder matching those contours would make the revolver more futuristic looking, and easier/cheaper to manufacture. (Similar to the Kimber revolvers, but of course not the same)

Nobody wants to talk about it, but we all know those dastardly canucks are coming for our freedom.

Another win for Taurus.

Unlike picatinny-everything, that adds substantial weight and bulk, I do like that optics-cut will become standard because it rarelly is intrusive, add weight or demands that the iron sight are removed, so it's a welcome addition of possibilities

No real desire to buy the gun, but I enjoy the presentation. Always good content!

Great video Chris! Gotta’ watch those sneaky Canadians! 😂

I knew. The Canadians want Boston! Great video & review as usual.

I would absolutely love to see you investigate parallel zeroes for optics. I've done it for a while, and it's fantastic. Seems like a good solution for this system.

I ordered the snubbie 856 UL with a bobbed hammer a couple days ago. I am really looking forward to getting on the range with it.

wheel gun LOVE!

I find it funny how Taurus figured it out before anyone else.

I have the 856 defender as a home defense weapon. Fires well, but the ammo isn’t cheap anymore for 38.

I was waiting for the Celeb Giddings cameo in this video.....I don't know if I got lucky or what, but I've had an 856 two-inch that has been terrific for years. After working the trigger in a lot in dryfire, it is very manageable and easy to shoot.

I want S&W to do up a line of scandium snub noses cut for the micro dots (the 507k size). Snubbys because they struggle most with their short sight radius, and scandium because screw carrying a heavy gun. One in all the frame sizes too, because people have different preferences. I have many j-frames and both me and my wife aiwb one as our edc. I've gotten pretty good at shooting one (2" groups at 7 yards thanks to cheap 22lr practice), but the sights are holding me back. A red dot would greatly improve that. Even if a steel j-frame comes with a dot I won't carry it; my 340PD is soo conveniently light that nothing worth carrying even gets close on weight.

How recently was this leadership change? I had an 856 just over a year ago, shot less than 100 rounds through it (maybe 18 of which were Speer +Ps), and it lost lockup. I didn't even bother sending it back, and just sold it to someone else (who I told, and knew what they were getting; I didn't scam someone). I don't think I'll ever buy another Taurus anything, unless I can shoot it substantially first.

Red dots and lasers encourage you to focus on the target instead of the sights. Thanks for sharing.

Pretty revolver

Nice... good video 👍👍

"Overpriced, flashy, nostalgia." As some one who owns a CZ made Python I feel like that was directed towards me.

Thanks for the review. Not sure what your issue with Taurus is but its all I will buy or carry!

Happy to hear someone acknowledging the Canadian threat on our northern border😂

When I started buying guns 20 years ago, I got suckered into buying a few Taurus guns by people telling me "These aren't like the Taurus guns from 10 years ago, these are reliable!" I bought a few (one being a lawsuit gun), learned my lesson and sold them all. 10 years later, people were still telling new shooters "These aren't like the Taurus guns from 10 years ago, these are reliable!" Today, there are still people running around saying "These aren't like the Taurus guns from 10 years ago, these are reliable!" In 10 years, there will probably still be people saying "These aren't like the Taurus guns from 10 years ago, these are reliable!"

Oooh, cool.

It's a surprising revelation that [most] optics can't be sighted properly due to bore height... Very odd realization, & info I don't think 99.99% of users even know about.