I recently purchased a Taurus 445, a 5-shot .44 Special revolver. The 445 was previously produced in a heavier version; this is a new (2011 manufacture) ultralight version that weighs in at only 22 ounces, model 445B2UL (here is a link to the official Taurus page for this firearm).
First of all, let me admit that I'm excited to have a .44 Special. I've carried many calibers, and my usual carry is a .40 S&W. At times I pocket-carry a S&W 442 (.38+P), and I feel it's an excellent weapon at close range. But I have always been intrigued by the .44. I have not personally fired a .44 Magnum, but from what I've read, I gather it's somewhat impractical for self-defense purposes due to the recoil. The .44 Special round is impressively larger than the .38, but should be much more controllable than a .44 Magnum, especially in a small, light package.
Now for the photos:
Sorry about the lint on the grip--the Taurus "ribber" grip is comfortable to hold and absorbs a fair bit of recoil--but it's practically impossible to get 100% of the lint off these things!
Fit and finish is pretty good. The attention to detail is not as high as would be the case with a Smith and Wesson; the blueing is nice, but not perfect, with a few areas, mostly around screws, where shinier metal is showing. But in my opinion, it far exceeds the fit and finish of a Charter Bulldog; I've handled these at gun shows, and felt that they were VERY rough and uncomfortable (the cylinder release, for example, was actually painful to operate on the Charter, but is normal on the Taurus). And S&W doesn't currently make an affordable .44 Special, so I think the Charter is the 445's main competition. The 445 costs a little more (I paid $379.95 at Bradis), but the extra seems very much worth it.
The trigger pull on this 445 is NICE. Double-action is quite smooth and breaks cleanly; the single-action trigger is VERY smooth and crisp. I don't have a trigger-pull gauge, but I'm less interested in the numbers than I am in the feel of the trigger, and this one, out of the box, is impressive, especially for a sub-$400 weapon.
At the range, I used Hornady Critical Defense 165-grain. That's a pretty light bullet for a .44, and the recoil wasn't bad at all--a bit more than .38+P, but much more comfortable than .357 Magnum.
I've not fired many rounds through this revolver yet, but on my first time at the range, shooting without support on a cold, rainy day, with no experience shooting this caliber, I was easily able to keep the rounds within about 1.5 inches at 7 yards in single-action fire. The sights are right on at 7 yards with this particular loading.
With rapid double-action fire, it wasn't hard to keep the rounds in the center area of a piece of paper...say 3 inches. Not great, but with practice I'm sure I could do much better. This is certainly not a target weapon, but its accuracy should be adequate for self-defense. I'll be interested to see how accurate it can be with practice, and maybe in the hands of a better marksman than me.
I purchased an inexpensive holster at Bradis, which is designed for a K-frame Smith, but fits this 445 just fine. It carries well and feels pretty light on the hip. I'm thinking about options for carrying this in a nicer leather holster. I believe anything made for a 2- to 3-inch barreled K-frame should work for the 445.
Overall, I'm impressed. This is a darn good weapon for its price point, and a nice alternative for those who prefer revolvers but want something bigger than a .38 but recognize that a .357 can be difficult to shoot through a platform this light.
First of all, let me admit that I'm excited to have a .44 Special. I've carried many calibers, and my usual carry is a .40 S&W. At times I pocket-carry a S&W 442 (.38+P), and I feel it's an excellent weapon at close range. But I have always been intrigued by the .44. I have not personally fired a .44 Magnum, but from what I've read, I gather it's somewhat impractical for self-defense purposes due to the recoil. The .44 Special round is impressively larger than the .38, but should be much more controllable than a .44 Magnum, especially in a small, light package.
Now for the photos:
Sorry about the lint on the grip--the Taurus "ribber" grip is comfortable to hold and absorbs a fair bit of recoil--but it's practically impossible to get 100% of the lint off these things!
Fit and finish is pretty good. The attention to detail is not as high as would be the case with a Smith and Wesson; the blueing is nice, but not perfect, with a few areas, mostly around screws, where shinier metal is showing. But in my opinion, it far exceeds the fit and finish of a Charter Bulldog; I've handled these at gun shows, and felt that they were VERY rough and uncomfortable (the cylinder release, for example, was actually painful to operate on the Charter, but is normal on the Taurus). And S&W doesn't currently make an affordable .44 Special, so I think the Charter is the 445's main competition. The 445 costs a little more (I paid $379.95 at Bradis), but the extra seems very much worth it.
The trigger pull on this 445 is NICE. Double-action is quite smooth and breaks cleanly; the single-action trigger is VERY smooth and crisp. I don't have a trigger-pull gauge, but I'm less interested in the numbers than I am in the feel of the trigger, and this one, out of the box, is impressive, especially for a sub-$400 weapon.
At the range, I used Hornady Critical Defense 165-grain. That's a pretty light bullet for a .44, and the recoil wasn't bad at all--a bit more than .38+P, but much more comfortable than .357 Magnum.
I've not fired many rounds through this revolver yet, but on my first time at the range, shooting without support on a cold, rainy day, with no experience shooting this caliber, I was easily able to keep the rounds within about 1.5 inches at 7 yards in single-action fire. The sights are right on at 7 yards with this particular loading.
With rapid double-action fire, it wasn't hard to keep the rounds in the center area of a piece of paper...say 3 inches. Not great, but with practice I'm sure I could do much better. This is certainly not a target weapon, but its accuracy should be adequate for self-defense. I'll be interested to see how accurate it can be with practice, and maybe in the hands of a better marksman than me.
I purchased an inexpensive holster at Bradis, which is designed for a K-frame Smith, but fits this 445 just fine. It carries well and feels pretty light on the hip. I'm thinking about options for carrying this in a nicer leather holster. I believe anything made for a 2- to 3-inch barreled K-frame should work for the 445.
Overall, I'm impressed. This is a darn good weapon for its price point, and a nice alternative for those who prefer revolvers but want something bigger than a .38 but recognize that a .357 can be difficult to shoot through a platform this light.
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Very nice! 
Congrats!!
