Description
The Taurus 856 Executive Grade is the small-frame six-shooter given the full treatment: satin-polished stainless on the barrel, cylinder and frame, checkered Altamont hardwood grips instead of rubber, and a concealed hammer so there is nothing on the outside to catch on a pocket or a jacket lining.
It is the same 856 underneath – six rounds of .38 Special, rated +P, three-inch barrel – but finished by hand rather than run off the line. On a carry revolver that is not purely cosmetic: a polished surface has fewer places for dirt to sit and it draws smoother out of leather.
Part number 2-856EX39CH, UPC 725327937111. Three in stock.
What the Taurus 856 Executive Grade gives you
- Six shots of .38 Special, rated for +P
- 3-inch satin polished stainless steel barrel
- Satin polished stainless cylinder and frame
- Concealed hammer – double action only, nothing to snag
- Checkered Altamont hardwood grips
- Transfer bar safety
- Executive Grade medallion in the sideplate
Concealed hammer, and what you are giving up
- The Taurus 856 Executive Grade has its hammer shrouded inside the frame there is no spur to catch on clothing. You can fire it from inside a coat pocket, which is the classic argument for the design
- It is double action only. There is no single action option, so every shot is a full trigger pull
- That pull is long and deliberate. It is not a handicap at across-the-room distance and it is real work at twenty-five yards
- A shrouded hammer also means nothing to cock quietly, which matters to some people and not to others
- For a carry revolver most shooters conclude the trade is worth it. For a range gun it is not, and the exposed-hammer 856 is the better buy
Taurus 856 Executive Grade specifications
- Manufacturer part number: 2-856EX39CH
- UPC: 725327937111
- Calibre: .38 Special, rated +P
- Capacity: 6 rounds
- Barrel: 3 inches, satin polished stainless steel
- Cylinder and frame: satin polished stainless steel
- Grips: checkered Altamont hardwood
- Action: double action only, concealed hammer, transfer bar safety
- Frame: small
What hand polishing actually means here
The Taurus 856 Executive Grade, like the rest of the line, is taken off the standard line and finished by hand – the flats made flat, the radii made even, the whole surface brought to a consistent satin rather than the usual bead-blast. It looks obviously better and it is obviously more expensive.
The honest caveat is the same one that applies to every polished gun: a satin surface shows handling marks that a matte finish hides. Holster wear along the muzzle and cylinder, a fingernail across a flute, a knock on a safe shelf – all of it shows. If this is going to ride in a kydex holster every day, it will look used within a year. Stainless means it will not rust, but it will not stay pristine either.
The Altamont grips are worth a word too. They are checkered hardwood, slimmer than a rubber boot grip and much better looking, and they conceal better for exactly that reason. They also transmit more recoil, which on a steel-framed three-inch .38 is comfortably within what most people tolerate.
Ammunition
.38 Special and .38 Special +P are standardised by SAAMI, and this revolver is rated for both. The three-inch barrel gets more out of a +P hollow point than a snub does, and the difference is large enough to matter.
The rest of the Executive Grade line, and the rest of the 856s
Taurus builds the same hand finish on the 605 in .357 Magnum, the 692 convertible and the Judge in .45 Colt and .410. If you want the concealed hammer without the polish, the standard concealed hammer 856 and the stainless version cost considerably less.
Why the Taurus 856 Executive Grade earns its place
- Six rounds from the Taurus 856 Executive Grade, a snag-free profile and a three-inch barrel – the sensible carry revolver specification
- A hand-finished gun at a price that is a fraction of what custom work costs
- Altamont wood grips that conceal better and look considerably better than rubber
- Stainless throughout, so daily carry against skin is not a maintenance problem
- Three in stock and the distributor is out
Buy this if you carry a revolver and want a nice one. That is a perfectly good reason and nobody needs to pretend otherwise. It shoots the same as the plain 856 and it looks a great deal better doing it.
Do not buy it if you want a range gun – the double action only trigger and the finish that marks both argue against it, and the exposed-hammer models cost less and suit that job better.
And plan for the marks. The Taurus 856 Executive Grade will pick them up if you carry it, and that is not a defect. A gun that has been carried looks like one.
MAG5 Firearms ships to your FFL.
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