Happy New Years to Me!

[JustinN]

I went up to my local gun shop to buy the LCR i fondled on Saturday and he had sold it :(

So instead I bought this Taurus M605 Poly .357 Mag! :D
Has a pretty good trigger and weighs nothing. I can stick thing appendix carry and it disappears under my t-shirt. Now I just need to go find some light .38s and shoot it a bunch....and maybe a cylinder or two of 357.

Fiber front sight and weighs under 20 oz! Feels really nice in the hand, and comes with a smaller grip for real CCW.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7153/photocav.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/photocav.jpg/)

[jocko]

nice. and nice lookin to. I like a hamerless but the way thge hammer is on this one, again gives you the best of both worlds..

[JustinN]

It really does, minimizes it for CC, but then you can still cock it back for a nice single action....and it has a nice single action. It feels like it moves about 1mm when it breaks. Poundage isn't super light but it's a nice crisp pull, and the Double is pretty nice as well. Very smooth with a surprising break.

[Tinman507]

Nice weapon. My daughter has decided to get her carry permit and wants to begin the process of obtaining a handgun. I am steering her toward a revolver. May have to check one of those out.

[TheTman]

I don't care for the color combination, but I like the overall looks of it, it seems sleeker than the Ole Humpback S&W with the nub of a hammer you can cock for SA shooting. My Charter Arms in .44 is all stainless, yet weighs just under a pound.

[MW surveyor]

Hope it works out for you. Let us know how it shoots!

[JustinN]

Will do. Now I just have to try to find ammo. Gonna check Wal-mart for 357 or 38, then maybe the local farm store if walmart is dry.

[DeaconKC]

I always used Winchester 110 grain +Ps in .38 in my Ultralight. Nice balance.

[JustinN]

Walmart actually had Blazer 158 gr HP 357s, 158 gr JSP Federals, and Winchester 38 special +P PDX ammo. I bought the box of federal just to break it in. I was bouncing back and forth on the PDX stuff for carry, but they had a few so I can always go back later for them.

[MikeyKahr]

Nice pick up Justin. I haven't seen one of these locally to hold or fondle. Please let us know how it shoots. This Taurus would be in the running for my wife when she finally decides to take the CCW class. She didn't like the LCR too much but loves my PM9 - just needs more practice with a semi-auto.

[JustinN]

I will get to the range with it ASAP. I'm excited to shoot it and see what I think. I've heard things both ways on Taurus, some people swear by them, some swear at them. I have several friends and relatives who have all owned them and none of them have ever had a problem, so I'm hopeful. The gun feels really nice and looks good. Everything around the cylinder is metal, so anywhere there is explosion/fire/etc is metal, no polymer to worry about. The reduced weight is nice, and I've read it absorbs recoil. I may take my dad's little Taurus 38 steel gun and shoot a .38 out of each, just to compare the recoil.

[addictedhealer]

Nothing wrong with Taurus. Enjoy it, it will serve you well. Nothing like a snubby in the jacket pocket

[JFootin]

Nice find there, Justin! :D It looks like the hammer is shaped normally, rather than the flat tab on my S&W 638. Probably easier to get a good purchase on.

Those Taurus triggers get smoother and lighter with use. A bit of polishing of the internals will produce a noticeable improvement.

You need a holster for that AIWB carry? I carry my 638 AIWB in a Stays-Put Ultra Pocket Holster (http://www.concealmentspecialties.com/products.html). It is my favorite and most often used carry package. It is extremely comfortable and it stays put all day long behind a good belt. I carry it low with a reverse cant which:


lays the grip down horizontally just above my belt so that it doesn't stick up, get pushed out by my belly and print,
moves the muzzle inwards so that it doesn't jam against my thigh when I am seated,
presents the gun at an ideal angle for drawing from that location, which can be done keeping my elbow low and close to my body for a less noticeable draw.

The lining of the holster is smooth nylon which enhances the draw, yet the gun stays put in the holster. And, believe it or not, even with a snug belt it is easy to reholster my revolver in this holster - a really great design and just $14.95 shipped! :wof:

What I really love about the AIWB carry is that it is every bit as easy to draw the gun when seated as when standing! ;)

[JustinN]

I like the idea JFootin but I don't see they make one that will fit a Taurus M605 Poly. Appendix carry seems like a good option, but my belly may be a bit too big right now. playing around with it empty, I just stuck it in my waste at that position, and it really does hide very easily. I'm just not sure about sitting down and such. I need to play around with it a bit more and figure out a good holster.

[jeepster09]

I like the aluminum case Blazer hollow points for j-frames. They actually are noticably lighter for carry over brass.

[JFootin]

Justin, do a little research on other revolvers of similar size, then call them at Concealment Specialties. I'm pretty sure they can steer you toward the right holster. These are not close fitting molded holsters. Lke most synthetic pocket holsters, they are sized to contain the gun and a variety of similarly sized guns.

I am 5'8", 42" waist and pushing 200 lb, so I have quite a spread and spare tire. But a snubby revolver placed as I described rides perfectly just at belt level and my belly expands above it, hiding it from any printing under a loose shirt. The reverse cant does that, and it eliminated any comfort problems when sitting. Hey, a $15 experiment that is well worth it, IMO. If it (inconceiveable to me) doesn't work, you'll still have a great pocket holster that "stays put" about the best I have ever seen.

[JustinN]

Took the gun to the range on my lunch break today.

I was more than happy with the performance of this little slugger. I'd read mixed things on Taurus, but apparently I was lucky and got a great one. I know wheel guns tend to have fewer issues than autos, but I had read one review that when they shot a cylinder of hot 357s, it wouldn't lock back up until it cooled. I experienced no such thing.

I started shooting 38 through it, and it recoiled less than a Glock 17. I could shoot it all day long. One interesting thing, I could group almost as well with the double action as the single action, and I could shoot it pretty damn fast in double action, keeping a decent group.

I then switched to the 158 gr 357 loads. Quite a difference there. A BIG thump in my hand (little bit of a sting), still grouped pretty well (until I started to pull the gun down). Stayed in a straight line, just a few rounds went low (still on the cardboard, but lower). I could correct this if I just relaxed a bit.

I then shot some of the 125 gr 357 (Winchester PDX) loads. They were a snappier recoil than the 38s by quite a bit, but not nearly as hammering as the 158 gr. I started to get a bit flenchy, as I'd put about 20 or so rounds of 357 through it, so I started mixing 38s with 357 in the cylinder and spinning it before I locked it up. That helped alot, not knowing what to expect out of it.

As a self defense, shooting at 7 yards it was super easy to keep all 70 shots in the "triangle" sized zone. I was shooting at one of those 5" shoot-n-see targets, and every round but 2 were in that circle. That included me dumping the 5 rounds with double action pulls as quickly as I could a few times.

I never moved my target out past around 7 yards, didn't see a big need this range trip. With a single action shot I know hitting my point of aim at 15 or 20 yards wouldn't be a problem. I was more function testing the gun and getting used to it at this point. Next time I head out to the range, I'll move my target out a bit further and work on accuracy at a greater distance, but really, for a 2" gun, I couldn't have asked for more.

Comparing it to a S&W 386SC Mountain Lite I had in 357, I think this gun handles the recoil better and is easier to shoot. Maybe there really is something to the polymer absorbing some of the recoil.

Definitely happy with my purchase, not at all upset I didn't get the LCR in 38...For a CCW I really like the 357 bullet and I saved $100.

[MikeyKahr]

Sweet, thanks for the range report, JustinN, I appreciate it. And I'm glad you got a keeper.