[GR78]

I'm thinking of getting one of these for the purpose of concealed carry for self defense. I looked over three different examples of this gun at my local shop. This being the 605 snub nose in stainless steel. FWIW these are recent manufacturer marked "Bainbridge,GA".

I've never owned a Taurus revolver just one of their semi autos and that was a good gun but that was 20 years ago. So I'm looking for owner feedback on the 605 or similar. The main thing I'm concerned with is of course reliability and such. Would you guys here or do you use this model for concealed carry? Thanks for any help.

 

[357Funtime]

I'm thinking of getting one of these for the purpose of concealed carry for self defense. I looked over three different examples of this gun at my local shop. This being the 605 snub nose in stainless steel. FWIW these are recent manufacturer marked "Bainbridge,GA".

I've never owned a Taurus revolver just one of their semi autos and that was a good gun but that was 20 years ago. So I'm looking for owner feedback on the 605 or similar. The main thing I'm concerned with is of course reliability and such. Would you guys here or do you use this model for concealed carry? Thanks for any help.

In my opinion Taurus revolvers are much better than their semi-autos. I carry both a 605 and 856 snub and have for years. I have yet to have any sort of failure. There are lots of aftermarket holsters and that kind of thing for them, as well as speed loaders and speed strips. Their fit and finish meets or surpasses the same quality as my Smith & Wesson revolvers. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Taurus revolver.

 

[badweatherbiker]

I have 4 Taurus revolvers, one from the late 80s, one from the early 2000s and two recent ones. They have all been rock solid with no issues, I have an 856 and a 605 they are great revolvers

 

[Dad1911]

I own several Taurus revolvers, from .38 Spl to .44 Magnum, including two Defender 856 models and now a Defender 605. I'm not a snubby fan and tend to avoid them, though I do have a couple. All of my Taurus handguns have performed remarkably well. I'm anxious to get my hands on a 942 in .22 Magnum, also with a 3" barrel to match the 856s and the 605. I did put Galloway spring kits in a few of them and most now have wood grips. Other than that, they are box-stock. If you look again at the engraving, you'll most likely see Taurus Int'l Mfg, Bainbridge, GA on one side and Taurus Armas, Made in Brazil on the other side.

 

[lee n. field]

I'm thinking of getting one of these for the purpose of concealed carry for self defense. I looked over three different examples of this gun at my local shop. This being the 605 snub nose in stainless steel. FWIW these are recent manufacturer marked "Bainbridge,GA".

I've never owned a Taurus revolver just one of their semi autos and that was a good gun but that was 20 years ago. So I'm looking for owner feedback on the 605 or similar. The main thing I'm concerned with is of course reliability and such. Would you guys here or do you use this model for concealed carry? Thanks for any help.

I own one, an '08 vintage stainless 605. (It was my first snubby.) It has shot fine, all the time I've owned it. It's been carried off and on since. I've kind of gotten used to my S&W 642 and my Ruger LCR for carry, so the all steel 605 seems heavy for the same purpose.

Mine had a cosmetic problem that I didn't notice for years, but it looks like it went through a finishing machining step crooked. Does not affect function at all.

"4 stars out of 5, would buy again."

 

[GR78]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone. I forgot to ask in my post about cleaning the gun. I'm not really comfortable removing the side plate. That being said what is a good way to do this?

I've been told by a local gun Smith to used non chlorinated break cleaner to pull the hammer back and take the grips off. Then to spray it into to clean and degrease things. Then to use a gun oil to lubricate things again. Is this a good method to use? Will the break cleaner hurt any of the internals or springs?

Any other suggestions for an intial cleaning would be great. If all goes well I'll get it tomorrow morning and be sure to post pics and a range report. One last thing do you recommend Taurus' black oxide or stainless finish as they have both? I'm thinking stainless as I live in Florida and this will be a gun carried for protection. Does the black oxide finish Taurus uses resist rust or corrosion well?

 

[Dad1911]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone. I forgot to ask in my post about cleaning the gun. I'm not really comfortable removing the side plate. That being said what is a good way to do this?

I've been told by a local gun Smith to used non chlorinated break cleaner to pull the hammer back and take the grips off. Then to spray it into to clean and degrease things. Then to use a gun oil to lubricate things again. Is this a good method to use? Will the break cleaner hurt any of the internals or springs?

Any other suggestions for an intial cleaning would be great. If all goes well I'll get it tomorrow morning and be sure to post pics and a range report. One last thing do you recommend Taurus' black oxide or stainless finish as they have both? I'm thinking stainless as I live in Florida and this will be a gun carried for protection. Does the black oxide finish Taurus uses resist rust or corrosion well?

If you look at the 942, 856 and 605, they look about as close to identical as you can get, other than caliber and capacity. My 605 is stainless, my 942 will be as well. I have one stainless and one black 856. Taurus states on their website that the black model is all stainless, just with a black finish. I typically don't remove the side cover for an initial cleaning of my revolvers. In fact, I very rarely remove the covers at all. There are springs and tiny parts in there that will get you in trouble fast. I strictly stay with products designed for gun cleaning. The wrong solvents might just take that black finish right off your new revolver. Why take chances.

 

[357Funtime]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone. I forgot to ask in my post about cleaning the gun. I'm not really comfortable removing the side plate. That being said what is a good way to do this?

I've been told by a local gun Smith to used non chlorinated break cleaner to pull the hammer back and take the grips off. Then to spray it into to clean and degrease things. Then to use a gun oil to lubricate things again. Is this a good method to use? Will the break cleaner hurt any of the internals or springs?

Any other suggestions for an intial cleaning would be great. If all goes well I'll get it tomorrow morning and be sure to post pics and a range report. One last thing do you recommend Taurus' black oxide or stainless finish as they have both? I'm thinking stainless as I live in Florida and this will be a gun carried for protection. Does the black oxide finish Taurus uses resist rust or corrosion well?

I've never removed the side plate of any revolver I've ever owned. I've never needed to, it's not a normal part of routine cleaning/maintenance. The only time I've ever removed a grip is to change the grip. Again, not a normal part of routine maintenance.

 

[Fredward]

I bought my first Taurus revolver in '76. You won't be sorry, they're much better at revolvers than semi-autos.

 

[OldYankee]

Taurus revolvers don't get a lot of respect from those who own Smiths , Rugers or other US manufactured revolvers. I have three Taurus revolvers: My first was a 38 Spcl Poly Protector, I'll have to admit it is not my favorite; my second one was a Mod. 608 from 2002, I am very impressed with the quality of fit and finish; I recently bought a Mod. 692 manufactured in 2019, again I was impressed. There is no need to take the side plate off for regular maintenance. I removed the side plate of my 608 to clean up excess dirty oil and put in a lighter trigger spring, but that's been it. The 692 is just fine the way I got it. I would only use oils and solvents that have been manufactured for guns.

 

[777Driver]

I personally like having more rounds than a revolver carries, so I carry a Taurus TH9C semi-auto.
My wife like the Taurus Model 85UL, 38 SPCL for its simplicity; and she shoots it very well.
I have a friend that has a Taurus 605 with a 4 inch barrel, and he really likes it.
He's let me shoot it many times, and I agree that it's a great gun.
One of the really good things about a .357 Magnum, is that you can shoot .38 special rounds thru it all day long.
I don't understand guys that buy a .38 special revolver, and then want to load .38+ or .38++ rounds.
If you want to shoot a more powerful round, you should have bought a .357 Magnum!

 

[mark38090]

I love mine, had it for years and never had an issue.

 

[mikld]

I really like my 605. I also really like my 85, 689, 905, I am a lifelong machinist/mechanic so complete disassembly is not exceedingly difficult, but to many I would not recommend doing it. Way too many small parts that "grow legs" and scurry off the bench. Removing the side plate isn't hard and exposes the innards to a good spray and relube but replacing the side plate can be daunting. The plate is a very tight/precise fit into the frame and on all my revolvers there is a small tit on the upper edge that must be fitted in place before the plate can be fully installed (I've been playing with revolvers since the late '60s and replacing a side plate can be frustrating). Removing the grips and spraying the innards from below can work to get all the manufacturing/shipping junk out but I would be cautious about squirting oil inside, you can have too much oil in a revolver...

 

[comp124]

Mine is not a 357 magnum but my 85 in 38 special, close to new, has never given me any problems, standard pressure and +p loads.

 

[toadranch1]

My 605 9mm is a nice revolver. Snappy, but reliable. It prefers the 115 grain over the 124. That's my experience.

 

[sknhgy]

Mine's about 15 years old. It gets fed from a Dillon progressive press using my home-cast boolits. It has been shot a lot. I bought it so I wouldn't shoot my good Smiths so much. Its had more than its share of heavy loads. Many 357's.
That said, it developed an indexing glitch a couple years ago. So I messed with it a bunch and found out a burr had been raised on a plunger that rides on the front edge of the cylinder stop. I removed the burr and it has run good since.
I would carry it if I had to. Get one. They are good, fun, boat anchors. I use it when we go into the city for a concert or show and it has to stay in the car.

 

[GR78]

Hey all thanks for all the replies you've all been very helpful indeed. I went down to my LGS this morning and got a 605 in 357 magnum. I went with the black oxide model.,only reason was I like the action on it best out of the four they had in.

I also tried the trigger on the stainless ones they had. I'm a big fan of stainless revolvers in general. But for some reason I like the way the black oxide finish looked. All of the 605's had great right lock ups and good triggers. Mine has the smoothest I felt so I chose it.

I brought along some 357 and 38+P all together I put around 250 rounds through it. This gun shoot beautifully and every bit as good as the S&W and Ruger's I've owned. In fact this Taurus has a smoother and slightly lighter double action pull than the Roger SP101 2" snub that I sold last month.

I also think this Taurus 605 handles the recoil of the 357's just as well as the Ruger did and to me this gun feels lighter in the hand and while being carried. To me the recoil impulse of the 357's is pretty much the same as the 38 special +P rounds I shot.

The fit and finish is VERY well done on this gun. I can honestly say that I don't think current production S&W revolvers are any better than the current Taurus made guns. And yes my friends I've owned and shot a lot of high dollar wheel guns. Including Colts and while I love them all. This Taurus dare I say is my favorite this far and that's saying a lot I think. What I also like is that this Taurus including tax,and $5 background check fee costs me only $398.

For the level of quality of the fit,finish and overall bang for my buck I couldn't be happier with my choice. Anyhow I'll post pictures a bit later. Thanks again all and I look forward to hanging out here on Taurus armed.

 

[Dad1911]

Hey all thanks for all the replies you've all been very helpful indeed. I went down to my LGS this morning and got a 605 in 357 magnum. I went with the black oxide model.,only reason was I like the action on it best out of the four they had in.

I also tried the trigger on the stainless ones they had. I'm a big fan of stainless revolvers in general. But for some reason I like the way the black oxide finish looked. All of the 605's had great right lock ups and good triggers. Mine has the smoothest I felt so I chose it.

I brought along some 357 and 38+P all together I put around 250 rounds through it. This gun shoot beautifully and every bit as good as the S&W and Ruger's I've owned. In fact this Taurus has a smoother and slightly lighter double action pull than the Roger SP101 2" snub that I sold last month.

I also think this Taurus 605 handles the recoil of the 357's just as well as the Ruger did and to me this gun feels lighter in the hand and while being carried. To me the recoil impulse of the 357's is pretty much the same as the 38 special +P rounds I shot.

The fit and finish is VERY well done on this gun. I can honestly say that I don't think current production S&W revolvers are any better than the current Taurus made guns. And yes my friends I've owned and shot a lot of high dollar wheel guns. Including Colts and while I love them all. This Taurus dare I say is my favorite this far and that's saying a lot I think. What I also like is that this Taurus including tax,and $5 background check fee costs me only $398.

For the level of quality of the fit,finish and overall bang for my buck I couldn't be happier with my choice. Anyhow I'll post pictures a bit later. Thanks again all and I look forward to hanging out here on Taurus armed.

According to Taurus, the black finish is over a stainless steel revolver. I agree 100% on the quality level.

 

[socrates007]

My two Taurus 856 revolvers are fantastic shooters. I have a 2" stainless and a 3" stainless version. They have no MIM parts unlike modern day S&W revolvers. I will never buy a new S&W revolver - for the price they charge- they are junk. Taurus has them beat in every way these days.

 

[flareside_ford]

My 605 is from 2015 or 16 and something certainly could have changed but it definitely has an mim hammer and trigger and I'm pretty sure the cylinder release button is as well.