A fine blend of concealed carry design and robust performance, the new Taurus 817 revolver is a perfect everyday defense fit from the metro to the wild lands
by Rob Reaser
Earlier this year, Taurus announced production of a new revolver series dubbed the 817. The company pitched the new handgun as a balance between compact concealability and enhanced capacity in a rugged platform.
I must admit that minor variations among compact and short-barrel revolvers often become blurred to me. I had been enjoying my small-frame Taurus 605 .357 Magnum for a few years and really like its easy-carry manners. The recoil bite…not so much, and I’ve always felt slightly undergunned with its five-round cylinder. So, when Taurus put out the new 817 in July, I wanted to get one in my hands and see if it would, as billed, fill that elusive niche of higher capacity and compact portability…and perhaps shoot a bit softer than my 605.
I’m here to tell you that after several months of rolling with the 817, this revolver hits all the marks.
Finding the Middleground
The 817 is a medium-frame-size revolver currently offered in one configuration. You can have any chamber size you like as long as it is .38 Special and any barrel length you want as long as it is two inches. (Credit Henry Ford with that snark. If you don’t know what it means, look it up!) There is a bit of wiggle room in load flexibility, as the 817 is rated for standard and +P ammunition. During testing, I ran the gun with standard-velocity jacketed round nose and +P defensive loads from Fiocchi. No hiccups were encountered.
Although a medium-frame revolver doesn’t exactly pirouette in the hand like a lighter-weight small-frame, the 817 certainly delivers that “confident feel” in good measure. Hitting the middleweight class at 1 lb., 14.2 oz. by my scale, credit for the heft goes to the gun’s all-stainless-steel construction and beefy bones. Similarly, all components — barrel, frame, and cylinder — come with a classy matte finish. Personally, I like the monotone theme. The hammer, trigger, and cylinder release button have a slightly lighter tone and higher shine that provides a subtle accent.
The metal finishes pair well with the black rubber grip. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Taurus revolvers are their high-traction grips. They make for easy draw from the holster and ensure optimal handling control during engagement. Another bonus is that the rubber grip goes a long way toward sucking up recoil when shooting harsh loads.
Cylinder Capacity
Taurus designers gave the 817 a seven-round cylinder. It’s bigger than the small-frame cylinders, obviously, hence the greater capacity. A seven-round cylinder is not, though, unique in the Taurus medium-size revolver class. The Taurus 66 is a medium-frame .357 Magnum with seven-round capacity. The Taurus 608 does that one better with its eight-round cylinder; however, the 608 cylinder is over a quarter-inch wider than that of the 817.
This brings us back to the reasoning behind the 817 design. It is intended to be a more robust, high-ish capacity revolver with a minimized footprint conducive to concealed everyday carry duties.
Construction Quality
Opened, the cylinder rotates smoothly on the yoke. Lockup is solid and timing is in order. The ejector rod pushes rearward with no noticeable hiccups and cleanly dumps the empty brass.
One (small) strike against my test model was the crane action. You can flick the cylinder closed easily enough, but there is a definite stuttering as the crane moves through its arc of motion. I tried loosening the yoke screw, thinking it may have been overtightened at the factory, but that didn’t solve the issue. Again, it’s no big, but it’s there.
Overall, fitment of the pistol assembly is good. The side plate joint wouldn’t let a frog hair pass, and there are no gaps between the barrel shroud and frame. The gun is tight and solid, as it should be.
Sights
Part of what keeps the 817’s profile low and lean is the rear sight. The 817 joins the 66 and 82 medium-frame revolvers in that the rear sight is machined into the top strap.
While I’ve never been a huge fan of this sight type, the 817’s works well. You have a crisp and distinct square notch for precise alignment with the square blade front sight. Further, the notch is recessed slightly in the top strap to provide something of a “blackout” function that reduces glare.
Up front, the 817 uses the same pinned front sight blade footprint as is found on the Taurus 856 small-frame revolver. This allows you to remove the front sight and replace it with an aftermarket unit. We covered this process on the 605 when we installed the XS Sights Standard Dot Tritium Night Sight system. Since XS lists this sight as being compatible with both the 856 and 605, it’s a good bet that it will install onto the 817 as well. Just be sure to check with XS Sights before committing to the purchase.
Operational Controls
Being a single-action/double-action pistol, the 817 hosts an external hammer for single-action use.
The hammer spur is “just right” in size for a medium-size, compact-oriented pistol platform — not too big and not too small. It offers plenty of acreage for the thumb to positively engage and has aggressive enough texture to maintain control through the cocking/de-cocking processes. Forward of the hammer is a transfer bar, which provides the safety function essential for carrying a full cylinder.
The thumbpiece, which releases the cylinder for opening, is ergonomically designed and, like the hammer spur, is well-textured for positive operation. Push the thumbpiece forward and the cylinder is freed to swing out for extraction or reloading.
I found the trigger to be optimally proportioned. Its wide shoe offers plenty of territory for good trigger finger purchase while the contoured edges ensure comfort on the pull.
Double-action pull isn’t as smooth as it is with my 605, but then I’ve installed a reduced power spring on that gun, so it’s not a fair comparison. Still, when testing the 817 on double-action drills, groups were more than respectable for a two-inch-barrel revolver. All shifts off target were the fault of the shooter (sigh…).
I measured the trigger pull weight in double-action mode at 9 lbs., 4.6 oz. — comfortably stiff with manageable accuracy given practice. In single-action mode, the 817 registered 2 lbs., 10.6 oz. on a ten-pull average. It is light and ultra-crisp, with no discernible trigger creep. I was quite surprised at how “premium” this trigger felt in single-action mode, and the results showed it on paper.
On the Range
I started testing the 817 by establishing its accuracy potential at the bench with the target set at 10 yards, single-action fire. Spending the full seven-round cylinder, the revolver posted a 1.244-inch group size using Fiocchi’s Hyperformance Defense 110-gr. XTP. Nothing to argue with here.
Next came double-action rounds at five and seven yards. The longer and heavier trigger pull delivered its expected results, but all sessions produced lethal-at-distance groups. As for recoil, no problem. Even with the +P loadings, the gun proved manageable enough for quick sight reacquisition and was easy on the hand thanks to the quality grip, which, by the way, can be swapped for other grips offered by Taurus by simply removing the bottom grip screw.
As an EDC revolver, the Taurus 817 is a solid choice. It’s small enough to carry OWB or IWB and light enough to be comfortable with a good weight-distributing holster and belt combo.
Where I think the 817 would shine the brightest is as an outdoor travel/adventure gun. The short-barrel pistol profile makes it conducive to securing in a fast-to-access pistol pouch or shoulder rig. Should any four-legged (or two-legged) varmints mean you harm in the backcountry, the Taurus 817 is more than capable.
Taurus 817 Revolver Specifications
- Model #: 2-817029
- Caliber: .38 Special +P
- Action: DA/SA
- Capacity: 7 rounds
- Frame Size: medium
- Frame Material: stainless steel, matte finish
- Barrel Length: 2 in.
- Barrel Material: stainless steel, matte finish
- Cylinder Material: stainless steel, matte finish
- Front Sight: removeable blade
- Rear Sight: machined notch
- Safety: transfer bar
- Overall Length: 8 in.
- Overall Width: 1.53 in.
- Overall Height: 4.78 in.
- Overall Weight: 30.26 oz.
- MSRP: $713.99
Double Whammy
Speaking of backcountry adventuring, here’s a load you might want to consider taking with you into the wilds.
A company called Doubletap Ammunition makes, as its name implies, multi-projectile defensive loads. One such load is their Snakeshot Defense, available in 9mm, 10mm, and .45 ACP.
Snakeshot Defense combines a jacketed hollow point bullet with #9 lead shot in one cartridge case. The charge sits beneath a cup in the bottom of the case. The lead shot sits in the cup and the bullet sits atop the load.
We haven’t yet had a chance to test this loading for velocity, accuracy, and cycling in semi-auto pistols, but it is an interesting concept that certainly makes sense if your travels take you into the realm of poisonous snakes or Wangdoodles.
