Taurus recently upped their game with the introduction of the 856 Executive Grade. The 856 is a six-shot revolver with a frame that is slightly larger than a Smith & Wesson J-frame. The new Executive line is manufactured on a dedicated production line and receives significantly more tuning and hand finishing than the standard line. As a value add, the Executive is shipped in a Pelican Vault case with a custom foam insert. The pistol features an attractive stainless stainless finish and a unique logo on the sideplate. The 3-inch barrel has a full underlug and the trigger is nicely contoured and polished. The rear sight is a typical frame notch, while the front sight is a plain black ramp that is pinned. The Executive has a bobbed hammer and it is double action only. Taurus equipped the new Executive with a set of Altamont combat style grips that are an upgrade from standard stocks. The grips cover the backstrap, fill the hand well and are attractive.
However, all was not perfect with the Executive. Despite the advertised “custom trigger system,” the action on our sample was on the heavy side and had some stacking. On the plus side, Taurus did a very nice job of polishing and rounding the trigger. Hitting the range, we found the Taurus pleasant to shoot with the 125-grain +P American Gunner ammunition. Shooters found they had difficulty tracking the sights in the bright sun. They also noted that the grips are shaped similarly to the Python grips. Like the Python, the grips made control difficult, especially during the rapid-fire strings to evaluate recoil. That being said, the stainless construction combined with the 3-inch barrel allowed the Executive to score surprisingly well in both accuracy and recoil control. The Executive had an average score of 4 or better in aesthetics, recoil control and accuracy, with an overall score of 35.05.
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