orangeninja
Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2003
- Messages
- 3,117
Quick Correction. The title says the Taurus 605 when it is actually the Taurus 650. Sorry about that.
Well I just came back fresh from the range with a brand new Taurus 650B CIA (the “B” meaning blue steel) .357 magnum.
The Gun
A basic no frills job in blue steel weighing about 24 ounces with 5 shot capacity on a J-frame. It is hammerless with one of the Taurus safety locks just above the grips and out of the way above the back strap so as I never once noticed it while shooting. The grips are the standard rubber pebble grips from Taurus and will soon be replaced with Pachmyer or Hogues as the factory grips have a rough seam down the front that gets irritating during shooting. The front sight is of course a fixed blade style sight and functions well for what it is.
The Ammo
A mixed bag of .357 Mag Golden Sabers and Hydrashocks both 125gr. And a couple of heavy 158 gr. Hydrashocks from WAY back (about 10 years old or more).
The Range
Indoor climate controlled well lit with the target being a standard silhouette style and a basic target with 3 inch bulls-eye. Shooting was between 15 and 20 feet (it is a snub after all). All shooting was done off hand with 2 slow deliberate 5 shot strings along with several quick 5 shot strings.
The Rest of the Story
So I load up this little unassuming monster, gun-snobs casting nary a glance at my little Taurus as they fire off their Colt’s, Glocks and Sigs around me. I plop 5 Golden Sabers into the gun, take aim and squeeze the trigger. The trigger is very smooth, much like the S&W revolvers that it patterns itself after; there wasn’t even a hint of grittiness.
The trigger slid smoothly back, the front blade sight on target when suddenly; “BOOM” a fire ball the size of a burning orangutan jumps out of the end of it. The concussion inside the little cubicle that surrounds the shooter was noticeable and I saw at least a couple shooters look down towards me to see what kind of fist artillery I was playing with. Surprisingly the recoil wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated (I had anticipated it to be really,really bad). Soon I was shooting controlled pairs and quick five shots. Was I rapid firing like with my Glock 17? No, but I was able to place about five shots in 3 seconds without getting outside of the 5 ring on a silhouette, not bad.
I shot the gun one handed, albeit much slower with my strong hand and I was about at my limit for recoil. I switched to the weak hand and was above my limit for recoil as my hand became quickly fatigued. At 20 feet head shots were easily accomplished with concentration. I did notice that I had a tendency to pull my shots to the right, which is probably a combination of not being used to a DAO revolver trigger, small grips and catchers mitts for hands (I have larger hands). When shooting two handed the recoil wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t have finished about 300 or so rounds in one sitting. This thing will be a real pussy cat with some .38 specials in it.
The accuracy was very acceptable, I placed multiple shots through a single ragged hole and I'm not much of a revolver shooter. The gun is more accurate than I am.
Overall given the cost of this gun and its performance I would have to say this gun gets a “best-buy” from me. Solid reliable and smooth, don’t expect any frills with the 650.
Carrying
Well I bought an equally thrifty Uncle Mikes IWB holster for this gun and dropped it right into my pants pocket. No sweat, the gun stays put, the holster breaks up the printing and it feels like I’m carrying a wad of keys around. At first I was concerned about the guns weight (prior to actually wearing it), since 24 ounces isn’t in the same neighborhood of the 12 ounce .38 special, but then I remembered that this was a magnum, not a .38. After shooting it, I was thankful for every precious ounce this gun had, but the gun balances so well, it doesn’t feel like it weighs 24 ounces. Just for a quick reference, a fully loaded Glock G26 9mm weighs about the same, give or take an ounce and I’ve never heard anyone complain about carrying a G26 as being heavy.
I’ve carried the 650 for 3 days now in my right front pocket with no trouble. I’ve even used it as a BUG to my standard Glock 23 .40 and didn’t feel like Pancho Villa. I just drop the 650 in my pocket, move all the keys, wallet, etc to my left pocket and I feel very balanced without my pants falling down and I wear my pants LOOSE like most young guys. For IWB carry the gun simply vanishes. It carries so well that the only other thing like it is a Glock G26.
The Myth of the Snub Magnum
Now I’ve been told by many gun-shop gurus that the snub magnum is just all powder flash and no velocity. That the gun simply becomes a hot .38 special at higher velocities. Upon performing a bit of research, partly through Chuck Hawks http://www.chuckhawks.com and a few other sources and have come to find that the 2 inch snub magnum is still a magnum. The .38 special coming out of a 2 inch barrel at about 950 FPS (feet per second) doesn’t even hold a candle to the .357 coming out of the same gun at 1250 FPS. Does that guarantee the venerable “one shot stop”? Of course not, shot placement, not caliber dictates that, but the magnum will do it’s thing if the shooter does his/her part and I just don’t feel like carrying a mouse gun auto when I could carry the magnum for roughly the same weight and size.
Conclusion
If you need a small but powerful pocket pistol I recommend a Taurus 650 be given at least a second look. It shoots the inexpensive .38 special target rounds, it will shoot the hottest .38 special +P or +P+ defensive rounds and if your up to it, the Holy Grail of defensive rounds, the .357 Magnum 125 gr. without undue hardship and pain on the shooter that some of the alloy frame revolvers produce. At under $300.00 (if you look), you’d be hard pressed to find better.
Well I just came back fresh from the range with a brand new Taurus 650B CIA (the “B” meaning blue steel) .357 magnum.
The Gun
A basic no frills job in blue steel weighing about 24 ounces with 5 shot capacity on a J-frame. It is hammerless with one of the Taurus safety locks just above the grips and out of the way above the back strap so as I never once noticed it while shooting. The grips are the standard rubber pebble grips from Taurus and will soon be replaced with Pachmyer or Hogues as the factory grips have a rough seam down the front that gets irritating during shooting. The front sight is of course a fixed blade style sight and functions well for what it is.
The Ammo
A mixed bag of .357 Mag Golden Sabers and Hydrashocks both 125gr. And a couple of heavy 158 gr. Hydrashocks from WAY back (about 10 years old or more).
The Range
Indoor climate controlled well lit with the target being a standard silhouette style and a basic target with 3 inch bulls-eye. Shooting was between 15 and 20 feet (it is a snub after all). All shooting was done off hand with 2 slow deliberate 5 shot strings along with several quick 5 shot strings.
The Rest of the Story
So I load up this little unassuming monster, gun-snobs casting nary a glance at my little Taurus as they fire off their Colt’s, Glocks and Sigs around me. I plop 5 Golden Sabers into the gun, take aim and squeeze the trigger. The trigger is very smooth, much like the S&W revolvers that it patterns itself after; there wasn’t even a hint of grittiness.
The trigger slid smoothly back, the front blade sight on target when suddenly; “BOOM” a fire ball the size of a burning orangutan jumps out of the end of it. The concussion inside the little cubicle that surrounds the shooter was noticeable and I saw at least a couple shooters look down towards me to see what kind of fist artillery I was playing with. Surprisingly the recoil wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated (I had anticipated it to be really,really bad). Soon I was shooting controlled pairs and quick five shots. Was I rapid firing like with my Glock 17? No, but I was able to place about five shots in 3 seconds without getting outside of the 5 ring on a silhouette, not bad.
I shot the gun one handed, albeit much slower with my strong hand and I was about at my limit for recoil. I switched to the weak hand and was above my limit for recoil as my hand became quickly fatigued. At 20 feet head shots were easily accomplished with concentration. I did notice that I had a tendency to pull my shots to the right, which is probably a combination of not being used to a DAO revolver trigger, small grips and catchers mitts for hands (I have larger hands). When shooting two handed the recoil wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t have finished about 300 or so rounds in one sitting. This thing will be a real pussy cat with some .38 specials in it.
The accuracy was very acceptable, I placed multiple shots through a single ragged hole and I'm not much of a revolver shooter. The gun is more accurate than I am.
Overall given the cost of this gun and its performance I would have to say this gun gets a “best-buy” from me. Solid reliable and smooth, don’t expect any frills with the 650.
Carrying
Well I bought an equally thrifty Uncle Mikes IWB holster for this gun and dropped it right into my pants pocket. No sweat, the gun stays put, the holster breaks up the printing and it feels like I’m carrying a wad of keys around. At first I was concerned about the guns weight (prior to actually wearing it), since 24 ounces isn’t in the same neighborhood of the 12 ounce .38 special, but then I remembered that this was a magnum, not a .38. After shooting it, I was thankful for every precious ounce this gun had, but the gun balances so well, it doesn’t feel like it weighs 24 ounces. Just for a quick reference, a fully loaded Glock G26 9mm weighs about the same, give or take an ounce and I’ve never heard anyone complain about carrying a G26 as being heavy.
I’ve carried the 650 for 3 days now in my right front pocket with no trouble. I’ve even used it as a BUG to my standard Glock 23 .40 and didn’t feel like Pancho Villa. I just drop the 650 in my pocket, move all the keys, wallet, etc to my left pocket and I feel very balanced without my pants falling down and I wear my pants LOOSE like most young guys. For IWB carry the gun simply vanishes. It carries so well that the only other thing like it is a Glock G26.
The Myth of the Snub Magnum
Now I’ve been told by many gun-shop gurus that the snub magnum is just all powder flash and no velocity. That the gun simply becomes a hot .38 special at higher velocities. Upon performing a bit of research, partly through Chuck Hawks http://www.chuckhawks.com and a few other sources and have come to find that the 2 inch snub magnum is still a magnum. The .38 special coming out of a 2 inch barrel at about 950 FPS (feet per second) doesn’t even hold a candle to the .357 coming out of the same gun at 1250 FPS. Does that guarantee the venerable “one shot stop”? Of course not, shot placement, not caliber dictates that, but the magnum will do it’s thing if the shooter does his/her part and I just don’t feel like carrying a mouse gun auto when I could carry the magnum for roughly the same weight and size.
Conclusion
If you need a small but powerful pocket pistol I recommend a Taurus 650 be given at least a second look. It shoots the inexpensive .38 special target rounds, it will shoot the hottest .38 special +P or +P+ defensive rounds and if your up to it, the Holy Grail of defensive rounds, the .357 Magnum 125 gr. without undue hardship and pain on the shooter that some of the alloy frame revolvers produce. At under $300.00 (if you look), you’d be hard pressed to find better.
Thanks for the range report.
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