Taurus Deputy 357 Black 4.75in 6-Shot — Superb Single Action

Description

The Taurus Deputy 357 Black is a six-shot single-action revolver on the old Colt pattern: a 4.75-inch barrel, a loading gate on the right side, an ejector rod housing under the barrel, and a deep polished black finish over steel.

Single actions are not obsolete, they are a different discipline. You cock the hammer for every shot, you load and unload one chamber at a time through the gate, and the whole thing slows you down on purpose. The Taurus Deputy 357 Black is about as pure a version of that as you can buy new, and 4.75 inches is the classic gunfighter length — the one that balances in the hand rather than hanging off it.

How a single action works, and what you get

• The Taurus Deputy 357 Black has six chambers in .357 Magnum, which also fire .38 Special and .38 Special +P.
• A 4.75-inch polished black steel barrel with the ejector rod housing running beneath it.
• A loading gate on the right side of the frame. Open the gate, half-cock, rotate and load; to unload, push each case out with the ejector rod.
• Fixed sights — a groove down the top strap and a blade at the muzzle, exactly as the pattern has always had.
• A transfer bar safety, which is the one modern part of the Taurus Deputy 357 Black and the reason you can safely carry six rather than five.

Honest notes

• The transfer bar matters. On an original-pattern single action you carry five and leave the hammer on an empty chamber; with a transfer bar between hammer and firing pin, all six chambers are safe to load.
• Reloading is slow and it is meant to be. One chamber at a time, through the gate, with the ejector rod. That is part of the appeal, not a flaw.
• Fixed sights mean you shoot the load the gun was regulated for, or you learn its hold. There is nothing to adjust.
• .38 Special makes practice cheap and the Taurus Deputy 357 Black very pleasant to shoot; full Magnum loads in a steel single action are firm but far from punishing.
• The polished black finish is handsome and it is not stainless. Wipe it down and oil it, or it will spot.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-D35741
• UPC: 725327631590
• Calibre: .357 Magnum / .38 Special +P
• Capacity: 6 rounds
• Barrel: 4.75 in, polished black steel
• Frame: small, steel, polished black
• Cylinder: polished black steel
• Action: single action, loading gate
• Sights: fixed
• Safety: transfer bar
• Grip: black checkered polymer

.357 Magnum and .38 Special are standardised by SAAMI, and the Magnum case is a tenth of an inch longer — which is why the shorter round chambers here and the longer one will not fit a .38-only gun. In a single action with a fixed ejector rod, the shorter .38 case is also noticeably easier to punch out, which is another small argument for practising with it.

MAG5 also stocks the Deputy with a 5.5-inch barrel in .357 and a 4.75-inch barrel in .45 Colt. If you would rather have a double action in the same cartridge, look at the seven-shot Taurus 66 or the Tracker 627.

Why the Taurus Deputy 357 Black earns its place

• The Taurus Deputy 357 Black is a proper single action at a price that leaves room for ammunition and a holster.
• A transfer bar, so all six chambers are usable.
• The 4.75-inch barrel, which is the length the pattern was designed around.
• Two cartridges out of one cylinder — .38 for volume, Magnum when it matters.
• A deep polished finish that looks like a revolver ought to look.

This is a plinker, a ranch and trail gun, a cowboy-action starter and a handsome thing to own. It suits anyone who enjoys deliberate shooting rather than volume, and it is a genuinely good teaching gun because the single-action cycle forces attention on each shot. The Taurus Deputy 357 Black is not a defensive handgun and not a fast one — if that is what you need, buy a double action.

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.