The Taurus 856 .38 Special Revolver is definitely an affordable personal protection option worth considering.

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.

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

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