The Taurus 856 .38 Special Revolver is definitely an affordable personal protection option worth considering.
If you’re in the market for a small, concealable, self-defense arm that’s as easy on recoil as it is the bank account, it may be time to take a walk on the cylinder side of things and explore the Taurus UL 856 revolver.
Yes, a revolver. In a world saturated with compact semiautomatic pistols, the revolver hasn’t been getting the love of many first-time shooters and concealed-carry card holders as it used to. But the .38 caliber that was popular at the turn of the 20th century can still be a viable option for folks looking for operational simplicity and dependability with enough persuasion to stop a threat.
The UL 856, by Taurus, is a six-shot, 2-inch barreled .38 Special that is just over 6.5 inches long and 1.41 inches wide.
The UL 856, by Taurus, is a six-shot, 2-inch barreled .38 Special that is just over 6.5 inches long and 1.41 inches wide. Before you think that seems to be a bit large for a concealed-carry gun, given today’s micro semiauto’s, the 856 is shorter than a lot of pistols that are considered concealable compacts. This includes the popular Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0 and SIG Sauer P320. (The UL 856 actually matches the P320 Compact in width.)
Also, don’t think the .38 Special chambering is a detriment. Ammunition today is top notch with loads featuring a wide choice of bullet weights ranging from Hornady’s 90-grain Critical Defense loads up to 158-grain round-nose thumpers in Remington’s Performance Wheel Gun offering. There are also training loads from Winchester to hone your skills.
Sure, velocities don’t match the 9mms, but even at the velocities I was recording from