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Taurus 856

• moderate
• Shop tier 2
• medium confidence
• Revolver
• revolver
• double action
• concealed carry
• sideplate
• budget

field strip ~3 min · reassembly ~4 min · detail strip ~40 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• A revolver is not cleared by opening the cylinder. Look through every chamber and count them.
• The cylinder release is pushed forward, following the Smith & Wesson convention rather than the Colt one.
• Revolver lockwork behind the sideplate is gunsmith territory. Stop at cylinder and yoke removal.
• Never flick the cylinder closed — it springs the yoke and puts the revolver out of time.

Under spring tension

• Mainspring
• Rebound spring (sideplate removal)
• Cylinder stop spring

Easily lost parts

Yoke retaining screw · Sideplate screws · Cylinder stop

Tools

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 2 Tier 2 — moderate among revolvers, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. S&W-pattern sideplate lockwork with a transfer bar; Taurus lists 37 items but several are assemblies (hammer, mainspring, trigger spring, cylinder, yoke screw). Two springs to capture with a pin, a sprung yoke retaining pin in the front screw, and a tight sideplate: moderate.

Parts: 37 numbered parts (856 steel-frame hammer model part list; hammer, mainspring, trigger-spring, cylinder and yoke-screw entries are assemblies, so real pieces are more), from 856/856UL 856CH/856CHUL Instruction Manual: General Safety, Operating Instructions and Limited Warranty — Taurus International Manufacturing, Inc., p. 24–25 taurususa.com [2].

Bench time: about 35 min to strip, 55 min to rebuild (estimate). Estimated, same scale as the S&W K/J frames: sideplate, lockwork, crane/cylinder, latch and sights; rebuild longer for the two captured spring assemblies, hand and transfer bar.

Small parts: 8 pins, 7 springs, 2 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Sideplate and crane: grip, sideplate screws and yoke screw assembly (holds yoke retaining pin and spring), sideplate (tapped off via the frame), cylinder and yoke — fitted screwdrivers, nylon/rubber mallet
• Lockwork: mainspring assembly (captured with a paper clip), trigger spring assembly (captured with a paper clip), hammer assembly, trigger with hand, hand spring and transfer bar, cylinder stop, bolt and springs, cylinder stop plunger and spring — paper clip / pin
• Frame: thumbpiece and screw, front latch, spring and pin, sights (pinned), firing pin, spring and retaining pin only if required — pin punches

Special tools

• Straightened paper clip or pin (two) — Capturing the mainspring and trigger spring on their center pins
• Nylon or rubber mallet — Tapping the frame to lift the sideplate
• Fitted screwdrivers — Sideplate and yoke screws

Known pain points

• The front sideplate screw is an assembly holding the yoke retaining pin and its spring. (disassembly)
  Source: Handgun DIY: Taurus Revolver Spring Swap — Shoot On shoot-on.com [6] — “The forward screw is the yoke screw assembly, which contains the yoke retaining pin and retaining pin spring.”
• The sideplate fits very closely and must be vibrated off by tapping the frame, never pried. (disassembly)
  Source: Handgun DIY: Taurus Revolver Spring Swap — Shoot On shoot-on.com [6] — “The ONLY way you want to remove the side plate is to tap the frame (not the side plate) with a nylon or rubber hammer face.”
• Mainspring and trigger spring are each held on a center pin by a paper clip and must be compressed to refit. (both)
  Source: Handgun DIY: Taurus Revolver Spring Swap — Shoot On shoot-on.com [6] — “Be careful to maintain control of the spring once the paper clip is removed and slowly allow the spring to extend.”
• Taurus says the gun cleans without disassembly and sends repairs to the factory or a gunsmith. (both)
  Source: 856/856UL 856CH/856CHUL Instruction Manual: General Safety, Operating Instructions and Limited Warranty — Taurus International Manufacturing, Inc. taurususa.com [2] — “The firearm may be cleaned and lubricated under normal conditions without any disassembly steps.”

Fit or check on rebuild

• Timing / carry-up: every chamber locks before the hammer falls, single and double action; cylinder gap and end shake — Standard revolver check after lockwork has been out; worn hand or cylinder stop gives the "does not lock up" fault under Common issues.
• Trigger spring center pin engages the trigger in the noted position; trigger returns — Shoot On asks you to note this position when the assembly comes out.
  Source: Handgun DIY: Taurus Revolver Spring Swap — Shoot On shoot-on.com [6] — “Insert the paper clip through the hole in the trigger spring center pin and allow the hammer and trigger to move to their at-rest position. Note the position where the center pin engages the back of the trigger.”
• Transfer bar and hand correctly placed before the sideplate goes on — Well-known transfer-bar revolver check; a misplaced transfer bar binds the action.

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Manufacturer videos

Official videos from Taurus Armas's own channels, linked rather than copied. Where a video and the steps on this page differ, follow the manufacturer's manual and video.

• Taurus How-To Series: Cleaning Taurus Small Frame Revolvers TaurusUSA cleaning · 2024-03-06
  Covers: Taurus small-frame revolvers; taurususa.com lists the 856 under /small-frame-revolvers/
• Taurus How-To Series: Basic Revolver Maintenance TaurusUSA maintenance · 2024-01-03
  Covers: Taurus revolvers generally (no model named)

Procedures

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

Materials and factory finish

As stated by Taurus Armas. Prep, masking and cure depend on these; a polymer or aluminium part, a nitrided or anodised finish, and a blued steel part are each a different job. Variants with other finishes may exist — check the maker's page for the exact SKU on the bench.

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (856/856UL 856CH/856CHUL Instruction Manual: General Safety, Operating Instructions and Limited Warranty — Taurus International Manufacturing, Inc., p. 24–25 taurususa.com [2]) — "Exploded View (856)" / Part List (pp. 24-25), steel-frame hammer model. Separate lists for 856UL, 856 Hammerless and 856UL Hammerless (pp. 26-31) omitted.. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Verify every chamber is empty before each check.
• Cock the hammer slowly and confirm the cylinder locks up at each chamber before the hammer reaches full cock — this is carry-up.
• With the hammer at full cock, try to rotate the cylinder by hand. It should be locked, with only minimal play.
• Press the trigger in single action and confirm a clean hammer fall.
• Cycle the action in double action through every chamber and confirm the cylinder indexes and locks each time.
• Confirm the cylinder latches closed securely and the release frees it cleanly.
• Check that cylinder endshake is minimal and the cylinder gap looks even. If either seems off, see a gunsmith.
• If the revolver has the Taurus Security System keyed lock, confirm it is in the unlocked position and that the action functions normally.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Yoke or crane barrel where the cylinder rides
• Ejector rod
• Hammer and trigger pivot pins (a single drop each)
• Cylinder stop

Cleaning notes

Lead and carbon build up on the front face of the cylinder and in the forcing cone, and left alone they eventually bind the cylinder. Clean the chambers thoroughly — a fouled chamber makes extraction difficult and is often mistaken for a timing problem. Keep lubrication sparing; revolver lockwork does not want to be wet.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 2000 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Hand · Cylinder stop · Ejector rod (confirm it has not unscrewed) · Forcing cone (inspect for cracks) · Yoke or crane alignment

Common issues

Also covers

The procedures above are reported to apply to: Taurus 605 · Taurus 856 Defender and Executive Grade. Verify against the manual for your specific model.

Similar manual of arms

• Smith & Wesson Model 642
• Smith & Wesson Model 10

Sourcing