Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue 38 Special 2in — Superb Carry

Description

The Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue is a six-shot .38 Special +P snub with a Sky Blue Cerakote aluminium frame, a matte stainless barrel and cylinder, a two-inch barrel and the hammer sealed inside the frame.

Three things are going on here and all of them are practical. The aluminium frame takes ounces off a steel gun, so it actually gets carried. The enclosed hammer means nothing protrudes, so the draw from a pocket or a bag is clean. And the colour means the Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue is instantly identifiable in a drawer, a safe or a handbag — which matters more under stress than anyone likes to admit.

How it is built

• The Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue holds six rounds of .38 Special +P, one more chamber than most small-frame revolvers of the same size.
• A two-inch matte stainless barrel and a matte stainless cylinder — the steel parts are corrosion resistant in the metal rather than under a coating.
• A Sky Blue Cerakote anodised aluminium frame, which is where the weight saving lives.
• A fully enclosed hammer, so the Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue is double-action-only and has nothing to catch on a pocket lining or a coat hem.
• Fixed sights, a transfer bar safety and a black rubber grip.

The honest trade-offs

• Light revolvers kick harder. That is physics, not a fault — take weight out and the recoil has less to move. Standard-pressure .38 is comfortable; a steady diet of +P is not.
• Double action only. Every press is the same long, deliberate pull and there is no thumbing the hammer back for a careful shot at distance.
• The trigger takes real practice. Dry fire costs nothing and is most of the skill.
• Cerakote is a sprayed ceramic coating, not colour moulded through metal — a deep gouge will show aluminium underneath. It is tough, but it is a finish.
• Six rounds and a slow reload. Carry a speed strip and treat the Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue as a gun you shoot well rather than a gun you shoot a lot.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-85629ULC23CH
• UPC: 725327937456
• Calibre: .38 Special +P
• Capacity: 6 rounds
• Barrel: 2 in, matte stainless steel
• Cylinder: matte stainless steel
• Frame: small, Sky Blue Cerakote aluminium
• Action: double action only, fully enclosed hammer
• Sights: fixed
• Safety: transfer bar
• Grip: black rubber

.38 Special is standardised by SAAMI, and +P is a separate, higher standard within it — which is why a revolver has to be rated for it, as this one is. From a two-inch barrel the gap between a good standard-pressure load and a +P is smaller than the pressure figures suggest, so shoot both and carry whichever you can place quickly.

The rest of the 856 range is in stock: the black Ultra Lite with an enclosed hammer, the spurred-hammer Ultra Lite in black and stainless, the all-steel 856, and the steel-framed concealed-hammer stainless. For .357 on a similar frame, the 650.

Why the Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue earns its place

• The Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue is light enough that it actually gets carried, which is the only quality that matters in a carry gun.
• A snag-free draw from a pocket or a bag.
• Six rounds where most small revolvers offer five.
• Stainless barrel and cylinder, so the working parts resist a lifetime against the body.
• A colour you can find instantly in a bag — and one nobody else at the range will have.

This is a pocket and purse gun, a backup and a sensible first revolver for someone who will carry it far more than they shoot it. It suits anyone who cannot work a semi-automatic slide, and anyone who has found a heavier gun ends up in a drawer. The Taurus 856 Ultra Lite Sky Blue is not a range gun — a long afternoon with +P will remind you — and it is not the choice if you want to shoot single action at distance.

In stock now at MAG5 Firearms in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Handgun sales ship to a licensed dealer in your state, where you will complete a Form 4473 and the background check before taking delivery.