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Technically, Taurus calls their wee new wheel gun the 85VTA Revolver, but you probably know it as the View. It may be the snubbiest snubster you’ve ever seen. With that minuscule 1.41″ protuberance of a barrel and an uber-compact grip, there’s hardly a pocket it won’t happily call home. But besides its diminutive size and 9 oz. weight, (by comparison, a 642 Airweight tips the scales at a comparatively portly 15 oz.) what caught a lot of eyes at SHOT was its oh-so-revealing Lexan side panel . . .

Who are we kidding, though? While the View’s svelte nature — thanks to its titanium cylinder and barrel — would seem to ensure an ultra-comfy concealed carry experience, the big question on everyone’s mind will be, how (painfully) does she shoot? I can’t wait to find out. In the mean time, if you want to see how the View compares size-wise to a standard small-framed Model 85, feast your eyes…

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67 COMMENTS

  2. This seems like a platform that would actually be a great use for the .327 federal cartridge. If made right you could use a whole slew of .32 ammo for practice and use the big stuff for defense.

    • Shouldn’t you use at least an 4 inch barrel because of velocity?

      I do like the .327, you can switch cylinders to go from .327 to .32 acp. Assuming you have them made.

    • Also, the gunsmith at Taurus’ repair center won’t even have to take it apart before returning it without doing anything the first time you send it back.

    • I would say recent Taurus revolvers are worthwhile. I’ve got a .357 Tracker I use for hog hunting that has been nothing but a pleasure to shoot and has never given me a single issue. They cleaned up their act alot once they got the Beretta tooling.

      • When they got the Beretta tooling…. 34 years ago… has affected how they build revolvers..

      • I give them crap, but my PT709 has been trouble free, not even a single jam. They seem to have a reputation for making you send in your faulty firearms twice before they fix it though.

        You get what you pay for, Taurus makes cheap guns cheap.

  7. As someone who wears XXL gloves, I don’t think I’ll be in the market for ‘the view’.

  8. Just what we need – another ADHD ‘trigger’ (pun intended) to get someone else shot. Can you imagine being on the support side of the shooter in the adjacent shooting lane when someone says “hey, watch this neat stuff here” (think ….SQUIRREL!!!) while pointing it sideways for his buddy to look at – all the while forgetting to turn downrange and that it’s loaded? Way to go, Taurus. Please tell me this is a joke.

    These are potentially deadly devices, not toys. Save the cutsie BS for videos on your website, please!

  9. In all seriousness, what kind of muzzle-energy will this thingy generate with that adorable little barrel?

    Normal 2″ snubbies are bad enough, I’d love to see chrono data from this thing. Better than holding the shell in your fingers and smacking the primer with a roofing hammer, but how much?

    • I bet it will vary a lot based on the powder used in the round.

      I will probably buy one to experiment with. Plus, putting an LED inside the lexan would be really cool. 🙂

      • Agreed. Something that burns fast and likely a reduced charge at that. I’d probably want to wad it somehow, just to control the flame front and burn as much as possible.

        • Speer makes a “short barrel” .38sp+p with a fast burning low flash propellant. I don’t know if this thing will stand up to +p or not. I DO know it would hurt!

    • Ever hear of the “knuckle duster” revolver form the 1800s? Fired the cartridges directly out of the cylinder. The solid metal handle had a hole in it, so you could use it as a single “brass knuckle”. Obviously a close-range weapon, this new thing can’t be much better. And really, I can see using something other than metal to save weight–but why transparent??

        • Yeah, except the “Apaches” had a knife blade, too, and the full 5-finger set of “knucks” . I think that transparent is just goofy for something you are supposed to actually use–and keep hidden until you use it.

    • I don’t know of any chrono testing that’s been done on a View yet. But you can head over to BallisticsByTheInch and look at their .38 Special results for a 3″ barrel. The chamber plus barrel length on a View adds up to about 3″, so it should be comparable (remember that a revolver and a semi-auto measure the barrel length differently, and BBTI uses only the semi-auto method, so you have to add the chamber to the revolver barrel to make them comparable).

      BBTI shows a 3″ barrel+chamber delivers about 831 to 963 feet per second. About the same velocity as a .45 ACP, so not too very shabby. Looking at their “real world weapons”, it looks like it may be comparable to an S&W 642 with its 1.875″ barrel.

      • True, BBTI is a great resource. I’m just looking at once you get down to really short barrels, things can get weird really fast. Even a significant fraction of an inch can make 50FPS of difference, as can a few thousandths of cylinder gap. That projectile has almost no travel time with pressure behind it to accelerate.

        As the long-ago owner of a Dan Wesson Pistol Pack (and desire to experiment) I have some ideas how this will spit rounds. I just want to see the science on this gun.

  11. When using reinforced concrete in buildings, engineers make the assumption that the concrete takes zero tensile stress, as a safety precaution. Similarly, the engineers who designed this better have treated that Lexan as if it will take zero stresses of any kind. Otherwise I am seeing broken side panels as a result of the cyclic loading that comes along with lots of shooting.

    I wouldn’t buy one of these until it had been on the market for at least a year without incident.

  12. I have to say my personal experience with Taurus revolvers means I will not purchase another one.

    YMMV

  15. No thanks, will stick to my Ruger LCR .38 for concealed carry pocket revolver. Not a fan of Taurus, sold the two I’ve ever owned!. LCR is not a range gun except for self imposed fire off 25 rounds a month to maintain proficiency, .

  17. This is the perfect KGB assassins gun. Walk right up behind someone and shoot him in the spine from your jacket pocket. With a a barrel that small you are unlike to hit anyone beyond 1′

  18. Interesting gun but not one for revolvers. any one here own or had a chance to shoot the Boberg 9?

  21. Fugly & Taurus. But, I repeat myself.

    Taurus 1911’s aren’t bad (with some decent parts & work), but I wouldn’t give a plugged nickle for any Taurus product. YMMV, etc, etc.

  24. I own two Taurus Millennium Pros. Never had a issue with either. So I don’t dismiss this out of any disdain for the manufacturer. I dismiss it because it manages to add nothing new but painfully low weight and painfully short barrell length (which would seem to both hurt to shoot yet not have sufficient velcocity to takedown a target) while managing to be really, really ugly. I already have an LCR on my “need to buy” list, I don’t think this will replace it.

  26. This is a gimmick gun. You can get a tiny semiautomatic that works & runs better. This from someone who’s had 4 Taurus (Tauri? ) that ALL ran perfectly. Including an Ultralight 85revolver. YMMV

  28. Ugly yes but I would still take one. Its not about looks but about having a easy to carry firearm and this fits the bill. Also see alot of you complain about tauras revolvers I have 3 two 38 & a 357 with absoutly no issues over the last 10 yrs with them

  29. It seems to be a marketing gimmick, if considered this as more of a novelty, and a potential teaching tool to show new shooters how the fire arm operates. I’d like to see an accuracy test as well, plus a ballistic test like everybody else.

  30. Just what the world needs- more NDs, suicides, and killings by idiots showing off how their firearm works.
    No thanks, I’ll pass on this POS constructed simply to gather those who like gimcracks and doodads to show off.

  33. I used to shoot marbles in a 21″ circle, wow now just bring this Taurus. Not for me, I would rather use a knife in a gun fight! Lets be careful out there, know the enemy.

  34. I like the size and shape of it. I don’t like the window. 9mm moon clips with a short cylinder would be cool.

  35. Load your own ammo: 148 grain HB wadcutter, upside down over 3 grains of Unique or 3.2 grains of Red Dot in a .38 special hull.

    I PROMISE it will expand, down to less than 600 fps. The loads develops 820 in a 1 7/8 inch model 60, so a 1.4 inch bbl should run at 725 – 750.

    This lists @ $599, probably go for 480 to 490 in the shop. I’m gonna get one.

    I like nasty in small packages . . .

  36. Just picked one up for 375 shipped. Not planning on shooting just gonna watch the value go up and up as they become sought after by collectors.

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