My 642 lasted a bit less than 4 years before the alloy frame failed. S&W would not replace it since they called it "normal wear and tear" which is how they get out of their phony "warranty". I will never buy another new S&W. My Rossi snub I have had for 27 years with thousands of rounds through it and it's still going strong after being my only carry gun the first 16 years I owned it. I would buy a Taurus or Charter arms before a crummy S&W. They are not the company they were 40 years ago.
Our sad experience with Smith and Wesson coincides except that mine was a 442 no lock, and it lasted a bit longer, before Smith and Wesson told me to pound sand. I then informed them I had bought my last Smith and Wesson! Currently, my carry rotation is a Taurus 856 Ultra Lite, a Charter Arms Undercover, a Charter Arms Police Undercover, and a Rock Island Armory m206, any one of which are, in my opinion, equal to or better than a Smith and Wesson.
S&W is not a “garbage company”. They build many high quality, phenomenal firearms. Like any company, there’s don’t always hit the mark. However, one of my most frequent carry guns is a 642 pro series, and I’ve been impressed by its durability despite it being an alloy framed gun. You need to know that airweights aren’t built to withstand the round count that the steel guns will. No alloy frame gun will. I’ve had many Smiths, and though I’m sorry you all have had issues with yours, I’ll continue to trust S&W over Taurus, and especially Rossi or RIA! lol! However, I have to say though the finish leaves something to be desired, some of these new Taurus revolvers are very good values for the money. I shot a Taurus 856 the other day, and I was very surprised and somewhat impressed by its trigger. It was much better than my 642’s trigger out of the box. Of course, The first thing I did was install a Wilson Combat spring kit and stoned it. Now it’s fabulously smooth, and about 3-4 lbs lighter.
@@leifhoklin2681 Taurus used to be part owners with S&W..They have a bad Rep. because they've made a lot of shitty guns yrs ago. However, They have some very top quality Guns for a very affordable price. Those Rough Rider .22 Mags are very good little plinkers and those are made by Taurus too. Not to mention the G3C's those are awesome and are also around $300.00 or a little less. I've watched countless video's on the 856 and I'm thinking I may very well buy one. They also have some really great aftermarket grips for them. As far as the RIA M206, Nearly every video that I've seen has stated their accuracy and dependability. Now they have some of them with a bigger grip, and they also have a great blade site on them too. However, There isn't any aftermarket grips made for them. The wood grips look nice, but are way to small. The guns are well made, and not what I would call heavy. but aren't as lite as the 856. I agree with you on the S&W comment that you've made. There's many Gun Makers that have some poor quality guns, and that doesn't mean they don't make good quality guns. A Lot of law enforcement still use S&W MP 40's to this day. I've never fired one, but I wouldn't feel scared to buy one either..I just think S&W is over priced, but then again, I also feel that way with some of the Ruger's too. I'd love to fire your 642. I bet that mod you did made it awesome. Peace..
5 rounds of .38 or .38 +P will handle almost any one on one situation. If two shots in the chest don't slow down or stop a bad person then put one into the "Computer"! The capacity is not as important as shot placement. I started carrying a 5 shot S&W Chief's Special revolver in 1973. They will do what it is intended to do. Side note; the Taurus Revolvers are very similar to S&W revolvers because at one time S&W was a Partner Owner of Taurus. Thus, S&W never complained about Taurus being similar! Nice presentation! Best to ya',,,,!
I just shot mine last week. It is what I expected. Recoil is significant. That is expected due to the weight of the pistol. The Trigger is heavy with stacking at the end. This is also expected. My copy tended to print low and to the right, but I only tried Magtech 158 gr FMJ ammo. This is a gun that you have to spend some time with it and learn how to shoot it. The recoil can be managed, the trigger will get better with time, or we can get replacement springs for it. We can also learn to adjust our aim. Don't expect this pistol to behave like a competition piece. The purpose of this pistol is to be concealed in a pocket or a holster. I find this pistol more than adequate for its intended purpose.
Just picked up the Taurus in Stainless Steel with the walnut grips. Went with it over the smith for the slight weight advantage , extra round and exposed hammer. Great video my man 👊🏽
My 30 yr career started in 1968 when we all carried revolvers, I carried one for the first 20 yrs and it saved me more than once. In retirement my preference is a light weight J Frame
I have a 856UL and carry it most of the year. I’ve had it for a few years now and it’s been nothing but reliable. Nice video. I do a discussion video on the 856UL on my channel.
Taurus or Braztech International does proof fire their products before they leave the factory as far as I know. I can’t own a handgun yet because I live Upstate NY and have yet to apply for my CCI, but I do have a Rossi/Taurus Model 92 clone in 357. However, my buddy who I grew up with, and who now lives in Maine just became a first time gun owner and I’m very proud and excited for him. He ended up getting a Taurus. 9mm little striker fire plastic gun and a Taurus Ultralight 5 shot and I’m now researching the wheel gun and stumbled upon your video. It’s a very good revolver and it’s motivating me to start my licensing process. Good video, great product from a company I have a great opinion of. Go Brazil! Good stuff.
I have that same ultra light I carry it every day and I’ve shot around 700 rounds thru it I bought it about ten months ago haven’t had any problems at all with it
I've had a couple snubbies. I like my S&W mod 60 357 mag. However, it is a little hefty at 22 ounces. An airweight like this Taurus looks like a good summer carry option
Hey brother, everyone has their preferences to things they like. Revolvers are awesome too!! I just got a M206, a Rock Island product. It was cheap, but will take care of business for sure. I do need to do some training with it; but hey bro come on a 38 Special!! Cool piece, right! VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE!!🇺🇸👍💥
It is a nice looking gun I own the SS 856 and 605 357 mag both pretty sweet 😋. I like the UL but already have the Smith 642 airweight so don't really need one. Hope you enjoy it. Great video. Thanks
I was looking for a pocket 38 recently. There are some nice ones out there, but some are out of my league price wise. I've owned a couple Taurus guns and my brother swears by them. Maybe this little guy is the ticket until I save up for a fancier one.
In my humble opinion Taurus makes best looking revolvers. Check out Taurus 692 stainless with wooden grips or Taurus Raging hunter 460 with 5 inch barrel. Those snibbies look great too.
This firearm possesses remarkable aesthetic qualities. However, I would have preferred a blue finish rather than the current powder-coated or Cerakoted finish.
They have some aftermarket grips for this gun that are wood on the top and pearl on the bottom of the grips. Pretty sweet looking. When I get this gun, I'll order some sexy grips for it.
I am not fully convinced that the extra capacity of a small auto always necessarily makes up for the disadvantages of their tendency to go out of battery in close grappling and to malfunction when close quarters operations preclude ideal grip. And a striker fired auto definitely a deal breaker for me. A small double stack auto would be a nice backup though.
My 2011 85 2.5” has a barrel that is not separate from the shroud, it’s one solid piece and the bluing is shiny on mine. It is not an ultralight though.
I have a Taurus 605 and its a great gun but I like my Charter Arms better then the Taurus. I also own Ruger, S&W, Colt and Rossi and I like those as well but I like how light the Charter Arms are and I love there smooth triggers better then the rest.
My wife is 4’11” and weighs 98 lbs. She is more intimidated by racking the slide of an auto loading pistol than by the recoil. I’ve tried to teach her several techniques to help my tiny beloved competently handle and rack a pocket pistol. We own both a Keltec P3AT and a Ruger LCP. She is not happy with either. I just bought her one of these. I’ll come back and let you all know how she likes it.
The ladies like the simplicity of the just point, squeeze the trigger and shoot revolver especially for the womens smaller hand sizes .must be the only time they prefer IT SMALLER 🤣
Since you let that gun go, do you feel like you'd buy another one, or do you feel it's not really worth it? Just wondering because I'm trying to find a good budget gun that will be powerful enough for C&C and also home defense. I know after I find a sweet little budget gun, I'll be looking for a dbl Barrel 12G for the home..I just love those. Most likely a coach gun..
@@HillbillyMusings This may be a little off topic, But I stopped at a small town gun store yesterday and checked out a Henry Riffle. It was a 22 lr. But that was the sweetest 22 lr I've ever checked out. You should go check out one of those if you never have. I'm not telling you to buy one, as a lot of people don't have much use for a 22. But boy was that a sweet little Riffle. Thanks for this Reply. Now after hearing you say this, I'll be looking for a 856..Peace..
Revolver may not be compare to those micro 9mm pistol but they are beauties. In my opinion, if you or me or anyone a gun person, gotta have at least 1 or 2 revolvers in the collection. Revolvers come a long way and had been used as police main side arms for over 50 years.
You sold it, IMHO big mistake. I bought a 3" 856 Defender UL 3 months ago and love it. I also own a 642 no lock Smith and in the Taurus box there was a set of boot grips that are almost an exact copy of the Smith 642 grips, I installed them and set out to compare them. After 800 rounds I've found the Taurus has a better trigger, it has a better front sight (a Tritium night sight), holds 6 rounds, is +P rated, still has a tighter lock up, fits all my 642 holsters and with the 3" barrel has much better balance and bullet performance. Fit and finish is on par between the two but the 3" Taurus shoots like I'm pointing my finger, hip shooting beer cans across my yard is no problem. Did I mention it costs $200 less also. It's a perfect nightstand gun and I like it so much that I am considering selling my 642 to buy a stainless steel frame model just for general banging around, I'll keep the stock Hogue rubber birdshead grips on that one.
I can't ever find a review of my exact type of taurus ultralight...everything is stock..it's a 5 shooter. And it's reliable..nice ..but every video I click is just one that looks like mine....what gives? Lol nice video and pistol btw P.s I mostly just want to know if I can shoot plus p in it..it only says 38.spl
You can call or email Taurus with the serial number and they will be able to tell you if its +p rated. Be prepared for a wait time on the phone though if you call, which is why I usually just email them. Thanks for watching!!
Looking into getting the 856. Would you recommend getting the stainless steel frame model over the aluminum ultra-lite model since it is heavier and would possibly hold up better during use? Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Derek, if you're going to carry the 856, I would definitely recommend the Ultra-lite model. Although the weight savings doesn't look like much on paper, when it comes to carrying it all day you'll appreciate the lighter weight. However, if you're looking at one for a nice range gun, pleasure to shoot, night stand gun, truck gun (any case where you aren't carrying it a lot), then save the $$ and go with the stainless model. I'm sure the Ultra Lite would hold up fine over time with lighter ammo, but I definitely wouldn't feed it a lot of hot ammo or +p ammo (I'm talking hundreds of rounds). Thanks for watching!
@@HillbillyMusings hi thank you for the response! Another question, would you recommend the 856 with a bobbed hammer when concealed carrying so it doesn’t snag on clothes or buying one with a hammer. Do you find your hammer to snag on clothes when carrying or no?
@@derekrobinson2366 I just grabbed one 7 days ago 856 bobbed hammer and in the black coating they use whatever it is, also it’s not a ultra light. I love it, shoots pretty good for its small little size
That’s easy to answer, get them both. If your worried about wear you could practice with the all steel version most of the time and make sure you put enough time in on the Ultra-Lite version to remain proficient.
HlllBilly good day. I have the 856 Defender 3"barrel can you please tell me where i can buy combat or target grips i need something longer for my pinkie .Thanks 👍🏿🎯👍🏿
No. that aluminum is the same used for engine blocks. Do you see engine blocks being eaten by the flame of the combustion chamber? Besides, you are supposed to lube the inside of the barrel with a little bit of gun oil to protect the metal from rust, also to protect it from the long term effect of bullets going through the barrel. Now if you are planning to shoot 10 million rounds of bullets at once your concerned should be about the metal melting and not being eaten by the flame hahaha.
I'm assuming you're talking about 'flame cutting' on the top strap right above the forcing cone? If so, I think it would be possible if you're using some really hot ammo, but it would take a LONG time. My suspicion is you would have other parts wearing out first. Thanks for watching!!
@@HillbillyMusings Just out of curiousity: why do you think Taurus makes it so difficult to remove the grip on the Ultralite? That pin is a bear to remove. Why didn't they use a screw like on the Charter Arms and others?
No no nothing's better to me! For 2022 I have the 605 defender 357mag/38 3"barrel matte finish Also I just picked up the 856 3"barrel black finish Also I ordered the new taurus 605 in Tungsten cerakote with Altamont wood grips!! Sweet I can't wait SWEET 👍🏿😊👍🏿
To debunk a myth - stainless steel is often times magnetic. It depends on the alloy and heat treatment - my S&W stainless steel revolvers are all very much magnetic. My new Taurus 856 Executve Grade in stainless is also magnetic.
I only buy stainless steel and Carbon/alloy steel guns. The weight is always a plus over aluminum frame guns of any type. There are a few exceptions but not many. When it come to pistols I don’t like lightweight nothing, give me STEEL
In most cases, one or two shots will do the trick. Most bad guys scatter like roaches when a gun comes out. Having said that, if you live in one of these cities where the rioters come out, having seventeen rounds might be handy. I carry a five shot 38 or a seven shot 380. If I see a large group of trouble makers, hope I can turn around.
