Taurus just dropped another new revolver, this one geared towards the competition shooting market. The new Taurus 608 Competition is based on their proven large frame .357 Magnum Model 608, but comes with a number of improvements.
The 608 Competition
The 608 Competition is Taurus’ first competition-ready revolver. It’s designed to be ready to compete right out of the box. The .357 Magnum Taurus 608 Competition is made for USPSA or ICORE revolver competitions without the need for aftermarket modifications. It has an 8 round capacity and is cut for moon clips, and chamfered for faster reloads. The cylinder is radically cut to reduce mass on the revolver as well.
The 608 Competition comes with a custom-tuned trigger, which can be adjusted without a gunsmith. This allows shooters to tweak the performance of their gun on their own while still having it covered by Taurus’ lifetime warranty.
The 608 Competition has a 6-inch bull barrel with extended ejection rod. It features an adjustable rear sight and green fiber optic front sight. It’s also fitted with a nice set of soft rubber VZ target grips. I didn’t know VZ did rubber grips, so maybe this is a special thing for Taurus? Basically Taurus has provided everything on the gun that competition shooters might want, all right out of the box.
Taurus 608 Competition Features:
- 8-Shot Capacity: The Taurus 608 Competition features an 8-round cylinder, delivering enhanced firepower and giving shooters a competitive edge in both .38 Special +P and .357 Magnum
- Cut for Moon Clips: Designed for speed and efficiency, the revolver is cut for moon clips to ensure fast reloads during competition.
- Chamfered charge holes
- Adjustable rear sight and Green fiber optic front sight
- Custom-Tuned Trigger: Unique to Taurus, the custom-tuned trigger is easily adjustable
by the user—without voiding the lifetime warranty. Shooters can fine-tune the trigger for optimal performance on the range. - Ready for USPSA and ICORE: The 608 Competition is fully equipped for competitive
revolver categories right out of the box, making it an ideal choice for both seasoned competitors and newcomers looking for a high-performance option.
MSRP = $1015.99
I was lusting after this revolver until I saw the $1015.99 manufacturers suggested retail price.
That may be a very fair price for that revolver–I am simply not willing to pay it.
I would love to see a “premium” revolver similar to this “competition” model (without quite so many many “extras”) for home-defense. In my mind such a “premium” revolver would have a 5-inch barrel, a VERY nice factory trigger, minimum possible cylinder-barrel gap, tight lockup, adjustable blade rear sight, and a tritium front sight (set inside a bright orange circle which is highly visible in ambient light). A street price of $600 would be acceptable–and should allow the manufacturer to still make a tidy profit on every sale.
For clarification, my idea of a “VERY nice factory trigger” means the absolute minimum possible safe trigger force in both single-action and double-action, exceptionally smooth operation (no “stacking”), no grit or creep until the “wall”, a clean break, minimal travel past the break, and smooth reset. In other words the trigger in Colt manufacturing’s “snake gun” series of revolvers. Note that this “VERY nice factory trigger” does not need to be adjustable.