When Caleb Giddings, marketing manager at Taurus USA, recommended that I try a new revolver, the 605 Executive Grade in 357 Magnum, I balked a bit. Frankly, some revolvers of late advertised for everyday carry (EDC) have been difficult for me to manipulate – thanks to excessive double-action trigger pulls of 12 pounds and more. He told me he thought I should try it, and that really, this one was different.
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When it arrived, I noticed it was in an attractive, strong black polymer case that had a foam insert fitted to the gun. I immediately liked the look of the revolver. Frankly, it’s a non-nonsense, beautifully finished firearm. This 605 Executive Grade revolver is one of a line of handguns, and therefore, it is a cousin to a top seller for the company, the 5-shot compact .357 Magnum version. Taurus dubs it a “hand-built fighting revolver.”
The 605 certainly looks “hand-built,” with presentation-grade walnut wood grips and a polished-satin finish. With a 3-inch barrel, and again, an ever-so smooth finish (nothing jagged or rough at all to catch on clothing), this gun measures 7.5 inches overall, and stands 4.8 inches tall. Its overall weight is 23.52 ounces unloaded. It holds 5 shots, and accepts the same speed loaders that you would use in other 5-shot revolvers. You may shoot either .357 Magnum or .38 Special, including +P loads.
The 605’s barrel, cylinder and frame are stainless steel, perfect for dealing with sweat if you carry it on your body. And to top things off beautifully, Taurus added a brass-rod front sight.
But, how would it shoot? Could I shoot it one-handed? Would I need to do deadlifts with my trigger finger to operate it double-action?
After cleaning the 605 Exec., I took it out to the range and set up a target at 7 yards, since that is standard distance for concealed carry shots. I shot the revolver while standing, and shot .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammo through it. For the drills, I used the lesser of the two ammos – the .38 special (and a glove).
Note: Since this is a pistol designed for EDC, make sure to practice with the personal defense load that you would carry.
For practice, I pulled out a new book I had ordered (recommended by our managing editor, Michelle Cerino) titled “Pistol Practice, The Shooting Rang Guidebook that teaches you how to practice, Third Edition,” by John Kolis.
I started with the first lesson: Paper Plates. Kolis reminds us that the National Rifle Association Marksmanship Qualification Program for handguns begins with paper plates, so I taped one up on the target. The book has score sheets included, or you can go online and download the sheets.
I like the paper plate method, not only because the targets are cheap. You concentrate on grouping and all the other fundamentals, I believe. After you’ve fired your first shot at the center of the plate, you aim at the same point, and using your shooting fundamentals keep shooting to see what type of group you land. As you can see, the grouping was good – well within center of mass.
The drill includes shooting a firearm from your strong-side with both hands, from your strong-side one-handed, from your weak-side with both hands and from your weak-side one-handed. As I have covered in earlier posts, if you are going to shoot a handgun for self-defense, you need to ascertain that you can shoot it one-handed and also from your weak side. In that post, I used a Taurus Defender 856.
You have two options if the trigger pull is too much for you to shoot the handgun accurately: get a different gun or strengthen your hands with exercises.
I could manage the double-action trigger with my strong side, both two- and one-handed, but had difficulty holding the gun steady and pulling the trigger on my weak side one-handed. Using both weak side hands improved my shots, but still left something to be desired. If I wanted to use this gun, I’d have to strengthen my weak hand.
The trigger pulls, both single-and double-action were smooth without any stacking toward the end of the pulls. I tested the 605’s trigger pulls with a Lyman electronic trigger pull gage, and found the single action pull average over five pulls to be 6-pounds 9.5-ounces. The double action pull exceeded the 12-pound limit of the gage. Note that the real feel of a trigger is subjective, and a smooth pull can somewhat make up for high measured pulls as long as the gun fits the shooter’s hand well.
So, this gun might work for you, and it is a viable and affordable option for EDU. Be sure to try before you buy!
The Taurus 605 Executive Grade Revolver MRSP is $757.99.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
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