Price: $249.99
If you’re looking for a cut price concealed carry gun that will just do the job and not let you down, then you could do a lot worse than the Taurus 85FS.
It’s a simple revolver, which you can turn into a pretty decent firearm with an aftermarket spring kit. But you don’t have to mod it at all if you don’t want to.
There are Better Options for Cheap Concealed Carry
We spent a lot of time on these lists, so we’ll shamelessly plug them here. If you want a cheap concealed carry, or just a great one, you’ll find some better options here:
- Best Cheap Handguns For Sale in 2020
- 30 Best Concealed Carry Handguns for Sale.
- Best Subcompact 9mm Handguns for concealed carry.
Simple And Effective Gun
You get five rounds of .38 Special and it’s rated for +P loads, which is enough to stop most issues. It won’t win any prizes at the range, but then this is a close quarters weapon and reliability is a much bigger issue than long-distance accuracy.
It’s 6.5 inches long, despite the 2 inch barrel, so it isn’t quite as compact as you might think. But it does weigh just 1.06lb and some people simply don’t want a semi-automatic.
If you’re prepared to sacrifice your clothes to save your life, you can fire a revolver inside your pocket and revolvers hardly ever malfunction. Semi-autos are better these days, but when you’re pulling a concealed carry then it’s pretty much always a life or death situation and so you want to be 100% sure.
The wheel flicks out well and shouldn’t bind, the parts are well machined and it’s a competent workhorse of a gun. No you don’t get fancy metalwork and you really won’t pull your gun out just to show people.
But then so what?
It’s an honest, cut-price revolver that can handle 158gr bullets, or less if you don’t like recoil.
Taurus Trigger Stacks A Little
The trigger stacks a little at the end of the pull, hence the recommendation for an aftermarket spring kit. But that’s really the only criticism. Well, that and the ejector rod needs a firm press. Go at it half hearted and you can get hung-up shell casings.
Again, this is a non-issue.
For the money, this is a great little gun that could slip into your pocket, belt holster or purse. Anybody can operate it, it really isn’t that advanced and it is a seriously cheap weapon that won’t fall apart in your hands.
Even as a back-up, we think this gun has a place in most people’s collection. If you’re the kind of person who wants several weapons around the house to get to in an emergency, then this is the ideal starter kit. You can buy four of them for less than the price of an ornate 1911 and then upgrade them over time.
So yeah, we think every home should have one of these little revolvers, and possibly more than one.
Get your Taurus 85FS now!
Taurus 85 FS Need to Know
Caliber: .38 Special
Capacity: 5 rounds
Length: 6.5 inches
Weight: 1.06lb
Get .38 Special Ammunition Online
What’s the best .38 Special ammunition for bulk deals online? Well some people don’t want once-fired ammo, and we get that, but the 158gr Military Ballistics Industries .38 Special ammo comes in at just 26c a round at Lucky Gunner and it gets a five-star rating from almost 30 reviews.
We’d consider that training ammo, to be honest, but then you can get the full-bore +P Federal Law Enforcement rounds for 39.9c and I’d want those locked and loaded on a daily basis.
Pick some up for yourself and get ready to feel the difference.
I have one of these and it IS a nifty little snubbie. I even got one for my son-in-law so he could protect our daughter and grandchildren. As for ammo, I’m partial to Federal 158 gr LSWCHP +P’s