Taurus Model 65 357 Magnum 4in 6rd Stainless — Superb Service Revolver

Description

The Taurus Model 65 357 is a medium-frame service revolver of the kind that used to ride in every patrol car in America, and Taurus still builds it. Catalogued as 2-650049, it holds six rounds of 357 Magnum or 38 Special +P, wears a 4-inch barrel, and is finished in matte stainless steel across the barrel, cylinder and frame.

Medium frame is the operative phrase. A snub-nosed 357 is a handful; a 4-inch medium frame is the size at which the cartridge becomes genuinely shootable. There is enough steel to soak up the recoil, enough barrel to get the powder burned, and enough sight radius to place the shots.

MAG5 Firearms has the Taurus Model 65 357 in stock. Handguns ship to a licensed FFL on a signed 4473, and we coordinate the transfer with your dealer.

Why a four-inch medium frame still makes sense

• A 4-inch barrel burns most of the powder charge in a 357 Magnum load, where a two-inch barrel wastes it as muzzle flash.
• Six rounds, in a frame sized to be shot rather than to disappear.
• The Taurus Model 65 357 also chambers 38 Special, so practice can be done for a fraction of what magnum ammunition costs.
• Matte stainless throughout, which suits a gun that goes in a range bag, a truck or a pack and does not always get wiped down.
• No magazine springs to take a set, which matters for a revolver that will spend years loaded in a drawer.

Taurus Model 65 357 build, grip and the Taurus Security System

• Matte stainless steel barrel, cylinder and frame, with no applied finish to wear through.
• Finger-grooved black rubber grip that fills the hand and takes the sting out of full-power loads.
• Exposed hammer, so the Taurus Model 65 357 can be cocked for a light single-action press or run double action.
• Transfer bar safety blocks the firing pin mechanically until the trigger is fully pressed, so all six chambers can be loaded.
• Fixed sights, which is what a working revolver wants: nothing to drift out of zero and nothing to snag.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-650049
• Model: 65, medium frame
• Caliber: 357 Magnum, also chambers 38 Special +P
• Capacity: 6 rounds
• Barrel: 4 in, matte stainless steel
• Cylinder and frame: matte stainless steel
• Grip: black finger-grooved rubber
• Action: single and double action, exposed hammer
• Safety: transfer bar

Being able to shoot two cartridges out of one cylinder is the practical advantage here. Both are loaded to the dimensional and pressure standards published by SAAMI, and the 38 Special case is simply shorter, so it drops into a 357 chamber without any adapter. Practice with 38, carry 357. We stock CCI Blazer Brass 357 Magnum 158gr and the Barnes VOR-TX 357 Magnum 140gr, along with 38 Special practice ammunition.

If you want the same cartridge in something carryable, the Taurus 605 is a five-shot with a 3-inch barrel. Browse the rest of our revolvers before deciding.

Why the Model 65 earns its place

• The Taurus Model 65 357 is the size the cartridge was designed around, which is why four-inch service revolvers never really went away.
• Two chamberings from one gun, and the cheaper one is the one you will shoot most.
• Stainless steel throughout, so it tolerates neglect better than a blued revolver.
• Six rounds rather than the five most compact 357s offer.
• Taurus backs it with a limited lifetime repair policy that follows the firearm rather than the original buyer.

This is a house gun, a truck gun and a range gun in the same package. The Taurus Model 65 357 suits someone who wants one revolver that will shoot anything from mild wadcutters to full-power magnums, and who values a gun that works the same way after ten years in a drawer as it did the day it was bought. It is also a good first centerfire revolver, since starting with 38 Special and working up to magnum loads is a sensible way to learn.

Ordering is simple. Choose it, tell us which FFL should receive it, and we handle the dealer side. If you have not picked a transfer dealer, call us and we will help you find one nearby.

Ammunition for a Taurus Model 65 357 Magnum

On the Taurus Model 65 357 a four inch barrel is the length that 357 Magnum was developed around, and it is where the cartridge makes sense rather than simply making noise. A 158 grain load out of four inches is doing real work; out of a two inch snub most of that powder is still burning past the muzzle. The Taurus Model 65 357 gives you the full benefit.

For practice and for anyone learning the gun, CCI Blazer Brass 158 grain FMJ is the sensible working load, and the Model 65 will also shoot 38 Special happily, which is the cheapest way there is to build a revolver shooter. For defensive or field use, Barnes VOR-TX 140 grain XPB is an all-copper load that expands reliably without needing magnum velocity to do it.

Remember that the Taurus Model 65 357, like any 357 Magnum revolver, chambers and fires 38 Special safely, but the reverse is never true. Shooting a lot of 38 Special will build a carbon ring at the front of the chamber; clean it out before you go back to magnum loads or the longer cases will be a fight to seat.

How the Model 65 compares to the small-frame Taurus revolvers

The Taurus Model 65 357 is a medium-frame six-shot gun, which puts it in a different category from the small-frame fives. The Taurus 605 with night sights and the 605 Executive Grade are both three inch, five-shot carry revolvers: lighter, easier to conceal, and noticeably harsher to shoot with full magnum loads. The Model 65 trades concealability for one more round, a longer sight radius and a great deal more comfort behind the trigger.

If the Taurus Model 65 357 is going to live in a nightstand, a truck or a range bag rather than on a belt under a shirt, the medium frame is the better buy every time.