Description
The Taurus 856 TORO VZ Blue is the three-inch, six-shot 856 in a two-tone finish – matte stainless frame and barrel against a black cylinder – wearing blue and black VZ G10 grips and carrying a T.O.R.O. optic cut on the topstrap. It is a steel-framed revolver at 35 ounces, so it is a shooter rather than a pocket gun, and it is one of the better-looking things Taurus currently builds.
Part number 2-856P35VZ16, UPC 725327941439. Three in stock.
What the Taurus 856 TORO VZ Blue is made of
- Six shots of .38 Special from a steel frame
- 3-inch barrel, matte stainless, with a black cylinder for the two-tone look
- T.O.R.O. optic cut on the topstrap for a micro red dot
- Blue and black VZ G10 grips, not rubber and not wood
- Standard fixed front sight and fixed rear notch
- Exposed hammer for single action, transfer bar safety
- 35 ounces, 7.5 inches overall
G10 grips and what they are actually like
- The Taurus 856 TORO VZ Blue uses G10, which is layers of glass cloth set in resin and machined to shape. It is hard, it does not absorb sweat or oil, and it does not go soft or sticky with age the way rubber does
- The texture is aggressive by design. It holds in wet hands and it will also wear a shirt if you carry against bare skin. That is the trade
- G10 transmits recoil more directly than rubber. On a 35-ounce steel-framed .38 that is a non-issue; on a light alloy revolver firing +P it would not be
- The colour goes all the way through the material because it is laminated in, so a scratch shows the same blue rather than bare grey underneath
- They come off with two screws if you decide you prefer something softer
Taurus 856 TORO VZ Blue specifications
- Manufacturer part number: 2-856P35VZ16
- UPC: 725327941439
- Calibre: .38 Special
- Capacity: 6 rounds
- Barrel: 3 inches
- Finish: matte stainless frame and barrel, black cylinder
- Grips: blue and black VZ G10
- Sights: fixed front and rear, T.O.R.O. optic cut
- Action: double action / single action, transfer bar safety
- Frame: steel
- Weight: 35 oz. Overall length 7.5 in.
About the optic cut on a revolver
A red dot on the Taurus 856 TORO VZ Blue, or any defensive revolver, is a genuinely good idea and an acquired taste at the same time. The good part: you look at the target rather than at the sights, which is what you will do under stress anyway, and it fixes the aging-eyes problem that makes fixed sights hard work past forty. The awkward part: the dot sits high above the bore on a revolver, the gun gets bulkier for concealment, and you have to find the dot on presentation, which takes real practice.
The cut is the T.O.R.O. pattern, and the gun ships with a cover plate over it, so it works perfectly well with irons alone if you never fit one. Check the plate pattern against your optic before buying a dot.
Ammunition
.38 Special is standardised by SAAMI. The steel frame here handles standard-pressure and +P comfortably, and at 35 ounces this is a revolver you can shoot a box of fifty through without it becoming work – which is not true of the lightweight 856s.
Other 856 variants
The same optic cut without the VZ grips is the 856 TORO in stainless or the 856 TORO in black. If you want a tritium front sight instead of an optic, the 856 Defender Night Sight is the 3-inch alloy-framed version. For G10 in a different colour there is the two-tone 856 with G10 grips, and the concealed hammer 856 is the pocket-carry option.
Why the Taurus 856 TORO VZ Blue earns its place
- Six rounds of .38 from the Taurus 856 TORO VZ Blue steel frame that is genuinely comfortable to shoot
- An optic cut fitted at the factory, which no gunsmith will do for what this costs
- VZ G10 grips fitted as standard – people pay a third of the price of this gun for a set
- Two-tone stainless and black is a finish that stays looking right as it wears
- Three in stock, and this is not a configuration that stays available
Two honest notes. This is a steel-framed three-inch revolver at 35 ounces, which is heavier than most people expect from an 856. It carries fine on a proper belt and holster and it is a nuisance in a waistband with a flimsy belt. Buy the holster properly or buy a lighter 856.
And the grips are polarising. G10 at this texture is superb in the hand and abrasive against skin. If you carry appendix against bare skin in summer, you will notice. If you carry over a shirt or shoot it at the range, you will love them.
The Taurus 856 TORO VZ Blue is a nicely specified revolver at a price that does not reflect what is on it. MAG5 Firearms ships to your FFL.
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