Slinging Lead with a .357 Mag Snubby

You don’t have to be a masochist to want a 22.5 ounce Taurus 650 snubnose in .357 Magnum. There are other reasons. The little five-shot revolver has the lines and basic functionality of the double-action-only (DAO) S&W J-frame Model 640 snubnose .357 Magnum. This includes the fully enclosed internal hammer designed for a snag-free draw from deep concealment.

Why the Taurus 650 Sunbnose in .357 Magnum

The appeal of the Taurus is that it’s literally half the price of the S&W! If the Taurus were half the gun, that wouldn’t be saying much. However, my test gun proved both reliable and capable of impressive accuracy.

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Taurus cut costs by forgoing a high polish on the metal for a non-reflective, sand-blasted surface finish. Likewise, as with their previous revolvers, the company reengineered the internals for simplicity of manufacture.

Compared to the S&W, the Taurus showed somewhat looser tolerances in the cylinder indexing and lock-up. Its trigger pull was also 27% heavier. However, neither seemed to meaningfully diminish its accuracy at 25 yards when shooting from a rest at the bench or at seven yards while shooting standing with a two-hand hold.

I expected the Taurus, with its 15-pound trigger pull, wouldn’t shoot as well as the 11-pound trigger pull S&W. I did a side-by-side test of the two snubnose guns from the standing position at 7 yards in the fading light of the early evening. To my surprise, the Taurus outshot the more refined pistol.

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In my opinion, this was due to the deeper rear sight notch on the Taurus. It allowed for a more quickly acquired and easier-to-see sight picture.

The 650 Snubnose in Hand

The Taurus comes with a very good, one-piece, rubber overmolded polymer, concealment-sized grip. It allows for a two-finger and half pinky hold with my medium-sized hands. The two finger grooves on the front strap blend into subtle depressions on the sides. This, along with molded-in thumb-rest ridges, helps you maintain a consistent shooting grip.

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The grip is ambidextrous, and neither protruding thumb-rests nor the checking on the sides and backstrap abrade the palm in recoil. I like this grip and wouldn’t be inclined to change it. However, Taurus does offer a larger and softer Hogue Monogrip for $28 on their webpage.   

The standard grip is a good compromise between concealability and control. Likewise, it doesn’t interfere with HKS and Safariland speed-loaders or excessively obstruct the ejection of empty cases. Perhaps most important when shooting .357 Magnum is the fact that it completely covers the backstrap. This provides enough cushioning to make magnum recoil endurable.

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My S&W 640 has the concealment-sized Crimson Trace laser grips with an exposed backstrap, and it’s agony from the first round! Shooting the Taurus with magnum loads eventually began to sting the heel of my palm, but they were never painful.

If you do want to change grips, note that the Taurus 650 differs from their earlier small-frame revolvers in that its grip is secured to the frame with a single roll-pin rather than a screw.

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Shooting the Snubby in .357 Magnum

No J-frame-sized revolver is going to hold up shooting a steady diet of hot .357 Magnum. I’d discourage that unless you’re enthusiastic about battering your hands and like sending your gun to the factory for repairs. Practice with .38 Special when you can to save wear and tear on yourself and the gun.

That said, a big part of the reason anyone wants one of these is because they are about as compact a hand cannon as you can find. With this in mind, I did all my accuracy testing with self-defense-oriented .357 Magnum loads.

Overall Performance

Shooting from a rest on the bench at 25 yards, my most accurate load was Federal Premium .357 Magnum 154 grain HST JHP. It averaged 1,137 feet-per-second and five shot groups measuring 2.6 inches.

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With a law enforcement following, the HST JHP bullet is engineered for massive expansion, resistance to plugging when penetrating barriers, and nearly 100 percent weight retention. Its nickel-plated cases ejected more smoothly than the brass-cased loads tested.

Close behind in accuracy was the 127-grain solid copper Honey Badger .357 Magnum from Black Hills Ammunition. Averaging 1,167 FPS, groups averaged 3.7 inches. The Phillips screwdriver-like tip of the Honey Badger bullet generates substantial hydrostatic displacement in flesh and blood targets for great shock effect while also producing a braking effect on the bullet to reduce overpenetration.

The heaviest-hitting load in terms of muzzle energy was Federal Premium’s .357 Magnum Low Recoil 130 grain Hydra-Shok JHP. It produced velocities averaging 1,268 FPS and groups averaging 4.1 inches. The classic Hydra Shok hollow point bullet, introduced over forty years ago, features a central post for more reliable expansion, initiated and controlled by its notched copper jacket.

Though marketed as “low recoil”, I didn’t find it to be noticeably softer shooting than the other loads tested. Low recoil, snubnose revolver, and .357 Magnum aren’t words one can reasonably expect to be associated. For low recoil, go with .38 Special.

The Taurus 650 Snubnose is a Solid Value

In closing, the Taurus 650 is a solid value when you need a pocket cannon for deep concealment. It can be carried in a pocket and even reliably fired from inside the pocket.

For more secure carry, with almost as much convenience, I like the American-made Triple K, leather, clip-on, inside the pants holster (Style 314). It features a reinforced top that makes re-holstering easier.

Taurus 650 .357 Magnum Snubnose Revolver Specs

Performance

Performance was tested with a series of five-shot groups fired at 25 yards from a bench rest with a Competition Electronics Pro-Chrono DLX Digital Chronograph set 15 feet from the muzzle. Bullet weight is in grains, velocity in feet-per-second, and the group size in inches.