NEW 13.2 oz 6-shot J-frame .38 +P! "Available 3rd Qtr."

[scout]

TAURUS. I had not seen mention of these before. I wonder about the adjustable sights. Maybe the topstrap was too thin/weak to cut a sighting channel into it?

I believe Crimson Trace makes lasergrips to fit this model too, while they do not yet make a lasergrip for the 6-shot D-frame Colt's'. I wonder if any speed loaders fit these Taurus 6-shooters?

 

[Sgt 127]

Tucked away, in a little survival kit I have, there are some Air Force issue emergency fire starters. If I am not mistaken, they are made out of magnesium. Is this really the best material to make a gun out of?

 

[cmort666]

Originally posted by scout:
TAURUS. I had not seen mention of these before. I wonder about the adjustable sights. Maybe the topstrap was too thin/weak to cut a sighting channel into it?

I believe Crimson Trace makes lasergrips to fit this model too, while they do not yet make a lasergrip for the 6-shot D-frame Colt's'. I wonder if any speed loaders fit these Taurus 6-shooters?

I find it interesting that they've chosen to more or less copy the newer style of S&W cylinder latch.

 

[scout]

Apparently, Taurus is making this 6-shot J-frame size .38 Special available in all-steel guns too (except the steel guns are fixed sight only), but I thought the lightweight model was especially interesting for such a small and light 6-shot for which one can get Crimson Trace grips.

Model 856B2: .38SPL +P, BLUE, 6 SHOT, 2" BARREL
Model 856SS2: .38SPL +P, STAINLESS, 6 SHOT, 2" BARREL

 

[scout]

DAWG,

I've never done a side by side either. I don't own a small frame Taurus, but those that do seem to universally lable them as J-frames. According to Grant Cunningham (link here), these 6-shooters are built on the same size frame as the 85. They just opened the cylinder frame window ever-so-much, I guess, to fit the slightly larger cylinder.

(I originally first saw mention of these on Grant's site, but had not noticed the lightweight magnesium model. I see now that he also had posted a link to that model which I missed the first time.)

 

[K5TN]

Remember that experiment in Chemistry class where you dropped a piece of magnesium the size of a pinhead into a beaker of water?

 

[Erich]

Now THAT'S corrosion!

I've seen conflicting reports about whether these will be +P rated (a magazine review of the SHOT Show says no, but the Taurus website seems to say yes). They obviously made the cylinder window a bit larger - maybe this will be like the C-frame S&W that was never fully developed.

On a related not, I got some new boot stocks by Jim Badger that make my Detective Special significantly more compact. The result is that the six-shot Detective Special is a quarter inch longer (that extra 1/4" of barrel) and one-sixteenth of an inch wider than the Chiefs. Not bad for an extra round on board, eh?

Here you see the two guns next to boxes showing their dimensions. I didn't place the DS as far down on the paper as the CS - each gun will fit into its respective box.

Here are a couple of views showing the widths of the two guns.

Just a comparison shot.

And a couple of pix of the DS with its new Badger stocks.

I really appreciate my friend 38/44HD45's telling me about the quality of the Badger stocks. Mr. Badger was a pleasure to speak to, and his handiwork is top notch. These things feel wonderful.

Anyhow, it's great that 6 shots of .38 Special in a pocket gun is just as easy as five. I used to be pretty sure of this with my Agent (which I stupidly sold off), but it's good to see it proven with the DS side-by-side with the Chiefs. I still think the CS is the stronger of the two guns: I won't be shooting THE LOAD in the DS.

The dear departed Agent

I've got a new pocket-carry gun, amigos!

 

[Guest]

I seem to remember from my High School Chemistry Class that Magnesium has as one of it's "Properties" is that it "Burns"!!! I do know that back in the days when I was learning about the use of Thermite for destroying things that one of the Instructors suggested using something made of Magnesium as "tinder" if you were short of Thermite!

Maybe these folks have figured a way around that issue. I also noticed the comment about the Thumb Piece looking remarkably like a Smith & Wesson and I don't know why anybody should be surprised by that since Taurus has always been the "Poorman's" S&W since they started coping the Smith designs the day they opened there plant.

 

[38-44HD45]

Cool! A thermite revolver! Perfect for quiet wet work. Make the hit, lay the gun on the victim's face, light 'er up! CSI will almost certainly do a show with Fellatio the Red on this case! Jeez...

Thanks, Erich. Knew you'd love Jim's grips. I would not worry about limited use of "The Load" with a D-frame in steel, but hey, that's just me...

 

[winter1857]

Why? Because a Model 637 at 15 oz. is just TOO DAMN HEAVY!

Sheesh!

 

[ToddS112]

Weren't hot rod "mag" wheels made of magnesium at one time? There must be some way of alloying it to tone down the flamability. When it burns I know it burns REALLY hot and bright.

 

[scout]

I seem to recall that the S&W "scandium" frame contains only a very small percentage (<1%?) of actual scandium added to the aluminum in order to change the strength properties of the resulting alloy significantly. I do not know any more than I read in the aforecited sources, but I would bet a burger that the Taurus 856HL2MG has a similarly small percentage magnesium added to the majority aluminum alloy. At least I would not count on being able to start a survival fire with shavings from a "magnesium" 856 until we learned more.

Good looking grips, Erich.

 

[Rich W]

Magnesium/Aluminum alloys can burn too. One of the weaknesses of the old VW beetle was that an engine compartment fire could light off the crankcase which was such an alloy. Saw one burning along the Autobahn in Germany.

Not sure what the proportions were but remember reading that at one time VW was the worlds leading user of Magnesium.

Cast magnesium alloys I am aware of are brittle. Not sure about alloys capable of being forged or if machined from billets of a Magnesium alloy.

One of the weaknesses of true Mag wheels was a tendency to shatter under impact. Also occasionally one lit off on a race car after an accident and magnesium fires are very difficult to extinguish.

With all of the attempts to minimize revolver weight how long until we see a carbon composite frame being offered by some manufacturer? First plastic semi autos and next plastic revolvers.

 

[Pat_Jones]

Originally posted by K5TN:
Remember that experiment in Chemistry class where you dropped a piece of magnesium the size of a pinhead into a beaker of water?

That was Sodium actually. Magnesium would just get wet.

 

[Spotteddog]

Correct Pat,
Part of the issue of using sodium filled exhaust valves in water cooled engines. Cracking a valve after blowing a head gasket = Chernobyl.

 

[norfdet]

Now the question will be if the K-frame 6 shot speed loaders will work on the Taurus?

 

[pred]

Lancia made some light weight magnesium alloy wheels for their cars in the 60s, The wheels are all gone now, They would oxidize quite swiftly with salty winters and had a tendancy to crack,,, I am sure that Taurus has done research so that if you carry one and sweat on it you wil still have a functioning gun in ten years,'
I dont own any taurus made firarms, Something about looking like a smith and turning like a colt rubs me wrong. Sorry taurus fans, They are just not for me.
Peter.

 

[gaucho1]

As a new fan of colt D frames,I enjoyed
your precise comparison of the DS to the CS.
I also have been a long time J frame guy.

I am wondering if you now carry your colt
more than your smith and any opinions you have
formed.

Originally posted by Erich:
Now THAT'S corrosion!

I've seen conflicting reports about whether these will be +P rated (a magazine review of the SHOT Show says no, but the Taurus website seems to say yes). They obviously made the cylinder window a bit larger - maybe this will be like the C-frame S&W that was never fully developed.

On a related not, I got some new boot stocks by Jim Badger that make my Detective Special significantly more compact. The result is that the six-shot Detective Special is a quarter inch longer (that extra 1/4" of barrel) and one-sixteenth of an inch wider than the Chiefs. Not bad for an extra round on board, eh?

Here you see the two guns next to boxes showing their dimensions. I didn't place the DS as far down on the paper as the CS - each gun will fit into its respective box.

Here are a couple of views showing the widths of the two guns.

Just a comparison shot.

And a couple of pix of the DS with its new Badger stocks.

I really appreciate my friend 38/44HD45's telling me about the quality of the Badger stocks. Mr. Badger was a pleasure to speak to, and his handiwork is top notch. These things feel wonderful.

Anyhow, it's great that 6 shots of .38 Special in a pocket gun is just as easy as five. I used to be pretty sure of this with my Agent (which I stupidly sold off), but it's good to see it proven with the DS side-by-side with the Chiefs. I still think the CS is the stronger of the two guns: I won't be shooting THE LOAD in the DS.

The dear departed Agent

I've got a new pocket-carry gun, amigos!

 

[mrhockey]

I am interested in the extra round, but I would go for stainless. I was reading an article in one of the gun mags at Cabelas a few weeks ago (Sorry i don't remember which one) that stated the Magnesium alloy was NOT for use with +P ammo.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Originally posted by scout:
TAURUS. I had not seen mention of these before. I wonder about the adjustable sights. Maybe the topstrap was too thin/weak to cut a sighting channel into it?

I believe Crimson Trace makes lasergrips to fit this model too, while they do not yet make a lasergrip for the 6-shot D-frame Colt's'. I wonder if any speed loaders fit these Taurus 6-shooters?

There was a thread on this magnesium Taurus some time back.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5301039...881004223#7881004223

The folly of this new Taurus gun was fully explored then.

However, if you want the counterpoint, just go to that gun magazine writer Dick Metcalf, who has never met a new Taurus he did not love more than life itself.

One thing you can be sure of with Mr. Metcalf and Taurus is that any bad points will be minimized, hidden with "code words" for "bad idea" or "bad execution" or just ignored all together.

Metcalf is more of a salesman for Taurus than an objective journalist and his articles should have that margin marking indicating that they are advertisements instead of the yellow journalism they turn out to be.

Sorry for the rant, but Taurus is bad, I have tried their products many times over the years, and EVERY SINGLE one I have ever purchased has either malfunctioned on the FIRST TRIP to the range or did not work out of the box.

Never have they honored their supposed lifetime warranty by actually fixing any of the guns. I would love to see how Taurus comes out if the evaluation by Mr. Metcalf was of a gun purchased from a distributor without knowledge it was going to a gun writer.

Yes, I truly do believe the "fix" is in with Metcalf and Taurus.