Amid the huge selection of autopistols these days, it’s nice to see there are still some basic, reliable revolvers for those who prefer them.
The Taurus 445 is not a deep concealment gun, but is a good carry gun that fits easily in a pocket or hides well on a belt. It’s light weight (at 22 ounces), has a 2″ barrel, and a 5-round cylinder. It’s comfortable to handle in adult hands, and pleasant to shoot, recoil being heavy but well-dispersed and not sharp, despite the gun’s low weight. It has Taurus’ proprietary “Ribber” grips that offer great purchase and retention, and help damp the recoil. .44 Special is an easy to find, reliable stopper, that doesn’t sacrifice controllability.
The trigger broke cleanly at 11 pounds double action, 4 pounds single, and was quite crisp. Release and ejection were positive and easy.
Accuracy is respectable. Weather was about 60F, humidity about 45%, altitude 300 feet, no wind. I found it easy to shoot 2″ groups at 10 yards standing. The sights picture was easy to get, and the gun shot right to point of aim laterally, a little low vertically. Since this is a snub revolver for close defense, I didn’t test longer ranges.
It shot reliably and easily, and I burned through a box of 50 rounds in very short order. A gun that’s fun and easy to practice with is always a benefit.
The stainless alloy is very weather-resistant. Even after a wet range trip with no cleaning for two days, the gun was untarnished and cleaned easily.
Speedloaders are available.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $539, but is available from about $450 at many retailers. Taurus offers a free one year NRA membership with purchase.
Disclaimer Note From JWR (per FTC File No. P034520): Michael Z. Williamson received a test gun for 90 day trial, which was returned at the end of the test period. SurvivalBlog accepts cash-paid advertising. To the best of my knowledge, as of the date of this posting, none of my advertisers that sell the products mentioned in this article have solicited me or paid me to write any reviews or endorsements, nor have they provided me any free or reduced-price gear in exchange for any reviews or endorsements. I am not a stock holder in any company. I do, however, benefit from sales through the SurvivalBlog Amazon Store. If you click on one of our Amazon links and then “click through” to order ANY product from Amazon.com (not just the ones listed in our catalog), then we will earn a modest sales commission.