^{Continued From Part 3}

Elevation Factor  

With the understanding that revolver sights and barrels are already situated fairly high on the frame, the other issue to keep in mind when employing a red-dot sight on a revolver is to be cognizant of the total possible elevation adjustment on a given micro-red dot sight. Otherwise, it would be impossible to get the sight’s point of aim to agree with the revolver’s point of impact.

One of the criticisms I’ve heard about the original .38 Special Taurus 856 Defender is that it can be tricky to get a good zero with a dot. Sometimes, some sights even run out of adjustment. This wouldn’t be an issue if the dot itself was able to sit lower in relation to the bore.

Again, it’s physically impossible on a revolver. These red dots must sit on higher planes but still be able to account for the difference in height. In the case of the .38 Special Defender TORO, I’m sure the slower muzzle velocities of .38-caliber bullets aren’t much help either.

It’s not just with these compact-frame Taurus revolvers, either. One of my Smith & Wesson 686 revolvers wears a dot, and it taught me to keep an eye on the elevation adjustment just the same.

Zeroing the 327 Defender TORO

When I was zeroing the EPS Carry on the 327 Defender TORO, I almost ran out of elevation adjustment. I settled on a 10-yard zero using the 85-grain American Eagle JSP cartridge with a few clicks to spare. In this case, it hasn’t been much of an issue, even with the other five types of ammo, including the two slower High Desert Cartridge .32 H&R Magnum loads.

I was surprised by the minimal delta between the faster and slower cartridges when I shot my groups. The elevation in points of impact was fairly even regardless of muzzle velocities. Ultimately, adjusting the 327 Defender TORO for this 10-yard zero still provided me good coverage at 15 yards and all the way to 25 yards. And it didn’t cause any issues when specifically paired with the Holosun EPS Carry. I can’t comment on other makes and models of micro-reflex sights.

Other Remarks About The 327 Defender TORO

In Part 2 of this review, I keep calling the .327 Fed Mag a “spicy” cartridge. It has a very loud blast that can be distracting or inflict a flinch on shooters. On the firing line, I found it equivalent to shooting full-house .357 Magnum loads out of a similar three-inch gun—the Rossi RP-63 in this case.

Certainly, the felt recoil is almost non-existent, but the .327 Fed Mag blast can be detrimental to most shooters. It isn’t just from the loud report but also because virtually all the .327 Fed Mag loads I fired had a tendency to “spit” gas back on my hands and face. To be clear, no lead particles were shaved off the forcing cone.

I think it’s just a matter of shooting full-house magnum rounds (nominal diameter notwithstanding) through a compact revolver with a three-inch barrel. If one isn’t used to it, the spitting gas can also incur a flinch and detract from the shooting experience. 

I didn’t have any actual reliability issues. However, towards the start of this review, the yoke screw was working itself loose, which led to intermittent ignition issues with a specific charge hole. Once I remembered to check the yoke screw and re-tighten it, all issues went away.

Finally, like every other Taurus wheelgun I’ve bought or reviewed, the 327 Defender TORO began to smooth out with actual live-fire use. 

.327 Fed Mag Vs. .32 H&R Mag

The upside about all the .327 Fed Mag rounds I included in the review is that they were capable of great performance and accuracy, especially out of a three-inch barrel.

I’ve already covered the downside, which includes a loud report that’s indistinguishable from a .357 Magnum blast, along with the spicy spittle and gas to the face and hands. In comparison, shooting both of the High Desert Cartridge .32 H&R Magnum loads was a very smooth and pleasant experience. These rounds’ reports were milder, and there was no angry flinch-prone propellant.

Felt recoil was non-existent, and the little that was left was counteracted by the 327 Defender TORO’s 23-ounce weight.

I think anyone who was serious about carrying this gun for personal protection would do well to not only master its draw and presentation but should consider shooting with .32 H&R Mag rounds. The end result is more in line with the ethos of the efficient .32-caliber defensive wheelgun.

The Takeaway

Since the Taurus 327 Defender TORO revolver is the first .32-caliber revolver of any kind that I’ve fired, I can finally understand why the real revolver nerds go crazy over this smaller bore diameter. It represents a good balance between ballistic efficiency, terminal performance, and a smoother, more pleasant shooter experience compared to slower and “pushier” .38 Special or .357 Magnum options.

Depending on the make and model of the revolver, the smaller .32s may even have the space for an extra charge hole, as is the case for .32-caliber vs. .38-caliber Smith & Wesson J-frames, for example. I do suggest that serious defensive practitioners ought to focus on the .32 H&R Mag instead of the .327 Fed Mag.

However, the fact that the 327 Defender TORO can actually chamber a .327 Federal Magnum is fantastic and makes this an extremely versatile revolver regardless. Not only can one gun handle four different rounds, but it can do so safely in a smaller overall package. 

Taurus has been busy launching new products left and right in 2024—especially in terms of new revolvers. By now, you’ve also hopefully read my 5-part series on the Taurus 692 Executive Grade .357 Magnum revolver, a project I recently wrapped up. Like the Taurus 692 Executive Grade, the 327 Defender TORO deserves some recognition. If anything because the Brazilian gunmaking giant is daring to sell optics-ready carry revolvers in wayward bore diameters.

For more information, please visit TaurusUSA.com.

Taurus 327 Defender TORO: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Special thanks to Big Tex Ordnance for loaning me the Holosun EPS Carry for this review!

^{Continued From Part 2}

The Dot Factor 

In Part 2, I mention that the Taurus 327 Defender TORO’s shootability is augmented by the fuller feeling LOK Grips Veloce set and, more importantly, the red dot that sits on its topstrap. Even though the double-action-only bobbed hammer made it impossible to thumb-cock and carefully shoot off the bag, I thought the groups it printed with nearly all .327 Fed Mag or .32 H&R Mag cartridges were quite satisfactory.

On paper, it seems like this gun really likes fast 100-grain bullets but there wasn’t much of a practical difference with any of the Federal Premium or American Eagle 85-grain loads. 

Shooting Off The Bench And Freestyle

Unless one is shooting from an expensive mechanical fixture like an expensive Ransom rest, I’ve noticed that there tend to be slight levels of user-induced error when shooting pistols for groups in this manner. I’ve become accustomed to iron-sighted revolvers having a degree of error in their groups despite one’s best efforts. I didn’t expect anything different for the Taurus 327 Defender TORO.

After I finished shooting and chronographing everything, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was mistaken, and the groups remained nice and tight in spite of this being a compact-framed revolver with a double-action-only trigger. (As much as I found the LOK Grips Veloce stocks to be helpful, they’re still smaller grips for a compact-sized revolver. The shooter must still contend with the limitations of shooting such a gun).  

During my review, I causally shot the 327 Defender TORO freestyle to get a feel for it, considering how different it is from the revolvers I typically shoot. I ended up shooting two different NRA B8 targets posted at 10-yards without putting too much effort, and punching out the 10-ring wasn’t hard at all. It demonstrates the power of the red dot on a revolver whose size makes it otherwise historically challenging to shoot well.

Perhaps this is another data point to the importance of vision in proper handgun technique (because the red dot’s sight picture is superior to the iron sights found on compact revolvers)?

Muzzle Velocities

Although qualitative and not quantitative, I’m also wondering whether the increased muzzle velocities and lighter bullets that .32-caliber cartridges like the .327 Federal Magnum or the .32 H&R Mag use could also be a factor in tidier groups compared to the traditional .38-caliber wheelguns I’m used to shooting.

After all, the faster a bullet travels toward its target (and the less felt recoil it produces) means that there are fewer chances for external variables to interfere with group size. 

I base my qualitative hunch after observing countless targets shot carefully with slower-moving 147-grain 9mm Luger rounds in comparison with faster-moving 147-grain loads (e.g., competition-style ammo that makes minor power factor vs. faster JHP duty rounds). Almost always, faster-moving bullets correlate with tighter groups.

In the case of these revolvers, the slower-moving .38 Special cartridge has been my frame of reference for everything, especially compact-frame Taurus revolvers with three-inch barrels.   

The Constraints Of Red Dots On Revolvers

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any gear on hand like a dot-friendly holster or .32-caliber cartridge speedloaders that would have allowed me to run some more dynamic shooting exercises under a shot-timer. However, I’ve spent plenty of time dry-firing this revolver at home. The accuracy benefit of the Holosun EPS Carry that’s mounted to the 327 Defender TORO is undeniable, but there’s also no such thing as a free lunch either.

Due to a confluence of factors such as the shape and size of the 327 Defender TORO, the smaller size of the EPS Carry (which is meant primarily for slim and sub-compact semi-automatic carry guns), and the architecture of all double-action revolvers, I think it takes more effort to be fully proficient with this compact-frame dotted revolver to arrive at the point where I’d be comfortable carrying it for defensive-purposes out in the real world.

It’s not impossible but I think such a gun (regardless of caliber) objectively would require more effort on the end-user’s part. 

The Sight Height Issue 

On most any revolver, whose frame is built to support its cylinder, sights and dots have no choice but to sit high on the frame—just like their barrels. Without going into the weeds about revolver architecture, this tends to result in the most efficient layout for a wheelgun. But this also gives revolvers an inherently higher bore axis.

For example, I took a measuring tape and measured the distance from the bottom of the 327 Defender TORO’s grip to the middle of the EPS Carry’s housing. This imaginary diagonal line measures 6 ⅜ inches. I took the same measuring tape and measured the same diagonal line on the Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Metal Carry Comp 9mm pistol that I’ve also been working with. The distance between the bottom of the full-size magazine base pad to the middle of its red-dot’s housing (it currently wears an Aimpoint ACRO P-2) was only 6 inches.  

Drawing and Presenting a Red Dot Equipped Revolver

The distance between both points on a full-size double-stack 9mm service pistol was shorter, and our line’s angle less severe compared to the “smaller” handgun. So, even if one is used to drawing and presenting a red-dot sight with a semi-automatic pistol, they’d all but have to re-learn it when it’s mounted on a revolver.

This isn’t impossible, but it takes additional effort to get used to. Even when shooting the 327 Defender TORO casually, there were times when I lost the dot and had to keep “looking for it,” something that I don’t have trouble with on semi-autos since 97% of my handgun shooting involves red-dot sights these days.

…

Continued In Part 4

^{Continued From Part 1}

Taurus 327 Defender TORO Grips

The Taurus 327 Defender TORO includes a Hogue Overmolded Rubber Monogrip, an upgrade from the standard Taurus compact-frame revolver rubber boot grip.

The Hogue Monogrip is made from a sturdy rubber material that slips over the frame’s tang. Its left and right sides provide a very gentle palm swell, along with three finger grooves and a tacky texture. The top left portion of the Monogrip is relieved for speedloader use, and the backstrap is completely rounded for ease of carry.

However, as someone already familiar with both Hogue Monogrips and standard Taurus rubber boot grips, I carried out this review by installing a pair of LOK Grips Veloce stocks to get a better feel for them.

LOK Veloces are made from G10 and feature a convex-shaped profile that fills the firing hand considerably more than even the Monogrip. Their cross-section is narrower at the top where the seams meet the back of the hammer’s slot on the frame, and they widen out towards the bottom, creating something similar to a bird’s head grip.

Compact-frame revolvers have been historically more challenging to shoot due to a combination of tiny grips and even smaller sights. In the case of the Taurus 327 Defender TORO, the inclusion of a reflex sight and grips with more surface area to ‘grab onto’ go a long way in improving this revolver’s “shootability.”   

Installing A Red-Dot Sight 

I mounted a Holosun EPS Carry (the same unit that Big Tex Ordnance has been kindly loaning me long-term for my work). The included optics-plate and adapter are footprint-agnostic as long as the dot in question uses either the Holosun-K or Shield RMSc optics mounting footprints.

The adapter plate sits over the revolver’s topstrap and uses two T10 Torx screws to secure it to the frame. When mounting them, I treated this pair of screws like any other. After applying threadlocker, I torqued them down to about 20 inch-pounds. Ditto for the two screws that secure the Holosun EPS Carry to the adapter plate itself.

As I write this, I’ve fired exactly 244 rounds through the 327 Defender TORO, and 180 of these were Federal full-house .327 Fed Mag cartridges. Shooting 244 rounds isn’t extensive by any means, but during the course of my shooting, I actually had to tighten the 327 Defender TORO’s yoke screw after it got somewhat loose after the first few cylinders. On the other hand, the adapter plate and optic remain sitting solid; no loose screws.

Shooting The 327 Defender TORO 

The Taurus 327 Defender TORO revolver is the first and only .32-caliber revolver of any kind that I’ve fired. In this sense, a .32-caliber revolver was somewhat of a novelty, and I approached the review with an open mind. This includes my customary protocol of shooting two separate 10-round groups for each featured cartridge, along with chronograph data.

It takes some time to acclimate to shooting .327 Federal Magnum rounds since shooting .327 Fed Mag loads through a compact-frame revolver with a three-inch barrel is what most people would call “spicy” (but also lots of fun). Simply put, the blast and report feel the same as shooting full-house .357 Magnum cartridges through a similar revolver.

In fact, I had the Rossi RP-63 with me during this session, and I shot two cylinders worth of 158-grain Federal .357 Magnum JSPs in order to specifically compare and contrast the “feel” of shooting the 327 Defender TORO. On the flip side, because the actual .32-caliber bullets are so much lighter than .357-inch bullets, the 327 Defender TORO’s felt recoil is considerably less.

Because of the .327 Fed Mag’s blast, this can be difficult to perceive since the magnum blast can overwhelm the senses, especially for those uninitiated. 

Accuracy And Data 

I put six different loads through the Taurus 327 Defender TORO for this review, both a mix of .327 Fed Mag and .32 H&R Mag. Having a good cross-section of .32-caliber revolver cartridges to feature in this review was a priority of mine given my emerging “unifying theory” of .32-caliber wheelguns.

I shot two 10-round groups off a bag from rest at a distance of 15 yards for each load while also capturing muzzle velocities with the Garmin chronograph. I typically thumb-cock the hammers on revolvers I review and shoot them in single-action when trying to group them. But this wasn’t possible due to the 327 Defender TORO’s bobbed DAO hammer.

In spite of that, I was surprised by the overall accuracy of the groups I did print. No doubt, the Holosun EPS Carry made life easier, too.  

Selected Ammunition 

For the .327 Fed Mag side of the equation, I included four different SKUs from Federal Premium: American Eagle 100-grain JSP, American Eagle 85-grain JSP, the Personal Defense 104-grain HST JHP, and the Personal Defense 85-grain Hydra-Shok JSP. 

Decent .32 H&R Mag cartridges can be challenging to source as .32 H&R Mag isn’t exactly a mainstream handgun cartridge. Likewise, revolver nerds have seemingly wiped out the existing stock of the available supply following the launch of the Smith & Wesson / Lipsey’s .32 H&R Mag Ultimate Carry J-frames this year.

I was able to obtain two different .32 H&R Mag loads from High Desert Cartridge Company, a small Washington state-based ammunition company that continues to be present for the ongoing revolver renaissance. I fired their .32 H&R 100-grain JHP carry load and their 95-grain coated wadcutters.

.327 Federal Magnum

Federal American Eagle 100-grain JSP

Federal American Eagle 85-grain JSP

Federal Premium Personal Defense 104-grain HST

Federal Premium Personal Defense 85-grain Hydra-Shok

.32 H&R Magnum

High Desert Cartridge Company 100-grain JHP

High Desert Cartridge Company 95-grain WC

Continued In Part 3

Back in 2023, Taurus turned a lot of heads by being the first major revolver manufacturer to offer an “optics-ready” revolver, the then-new .38 Special 6-shot Taurus Defender 856 TORO. 

This 3-inch compact revolver, which was first revealed to the shooting public at SHOT Show 2023, comes with an optics mounting plate that directly secures itself to the revolver’s topstrap. It accepts the smallest category of pistol-mounted dots—those that use the Shield RMSc or Holosun-K footprints. This style of red-dot sight is already the go-to on modern striker-fired slim-frame 9mm like the Taurus GX4 family, SIG-Sauer P365 series, Smith & Wesson M&P Shields, Glock 48s, etc. 

Crossing over from the micro-compact EDC semi-auto universe and into the carry revolver realm wasn’t a big stretch for Taurus. As far as revolvers are concerned, there is no doubt that Taurus hasn’t been afraid of its metaphorical sails to catch the fresh gales of newfound interest that revolver shooting represents in this decade of the 2020s. 

Following the launch of the .38 Special Defender 856 TORO in 2023, Taurus followed up at SHOT Show 2024 with another optics-ready Defender model—one chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum cartridge: the new Taurus 327 Defender TORO. 

Taurus 327 Defender TORO Overview

The Taurus 327 Defender TORO revolver is a 6-shot compact framed revolver chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum cartridge with a 3-inch barrel. As highlighted in its name [Taurus Optics Ready Option], this revolver is optics-ready from the factory to accept any micro-reflex red-dot sight that uses either the Shield RMSc or Holosun-K mounting footprint.

Candidly, the gist of the Taurus 327 Defender TORO is that it’s a .32-caliber Taurus 856. And this is fine. Being intimately familiar with Taurus, Rossi, and Heritage small-framed revolvers, it’s perfectly fine. 

I find this revolver interesting for two reasons–its capacity to accept a reflex sight and the fact that it’s a .32-caliber revolver. Besides shooting .327 Federal Magnum rounds, the 327 Defender TORO can also safely handle the rest of the classic .32-caliber revolver cartridges, including the .32 H&R Magnum, .32 S&W Long, and .32 S&W Short.

These four revolver cartridges have a relationship much like the .357 Magnum and the .38 Special, where it’s perfectly safe to shoot the “lesser” cartridge(s) in the “greater” revolver. I’ll expand on this later in the review.   

A Taurus Through And Through 

Anyone well-versed with the other compact-framed revolvers in the Taurus catalog, like the 856s, 905s, and 605s, will immediately find the 327 Defender TORO familiar. I did, and that’s why I’m perfectly fine in describing the 327 Defender as a 1:1 copy of the 3-inch Defender 856 (except that it’s .32-caliber).

I own a 2-inch 856 snub and a 3-inch 856 [standard] Defender. Comparing those two against the 327 Defender TORO, there’s really not much difference other than the nominal caliber and bore diameter. All three revolvers have the same look, layout, and feel.

For example, the 327 Defender TORO shares the same matte black oxide finish that my 2-inch 856 snub also has. It’s a basic, no-frills finish whose surface feels chalky when first taken out of the box. After some time, the chalkiness smoothes out.

Holster wear and use will render all of the gun’s edges with silver piping. Although I find it to be a perfectly serviceable finish for a utilitarian revolver, one would do well to keep the gun wiped down with grease or oil from time to time. 

Taurus 327 Defender TORO Action And Frame 

Like all other revolvers in Taurus’ catalog (large or small), the 327 Defender TORO employs the same action. It’s loosely based on the Smith & Wesson pattern. Though far from being Smith & Wesson clones, all Taurus double action revolver DNA is still linked to Springfield, MA.

The Taurus action is simplified, modernized and refined. Taurus revolvers use a frame-mounted firing pin and eschew the pin on the hammer; they also use a standard transfer bar safety.  

The frame of the 327 Defender TORO and its other relatives in the vast Taurus compact-revolver catalog is closest to the classic Colt D-frame of 6-shot .38 Special Cobra snub nose fame. Compared to the Smith & Wesson J-frame, the Taurus frame is slightly bigger, though not by much. But this is why .38-caliber Tauruses have six charge holes compared to the J-frame’s five.

The cool thing about the 327 Defender TORO is that the smaller diameter .327 Federal Magnum cartridges allow for more material to reside between each of the cylinder’s six charge holes. This means that the cylinder can support a full-house magnum revolver cartridge in a compact frame.

If .32-caliber revolver cartridges had a unifying theory, it’s that they represent an excellent size-to-power ratio. The word “efficiency” comes to mind.  

327 Defender Trigger Pull 

The trigger pull on the 327 Defender TORO is unremarkable. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. But this revolver’s trigger pull is adequately manageable. Maybe it’s somewhat gritty at first when the gun is brand new. The double action pull lives in the 10-12 pound range (my electronic trigger pull scale cannot accurately gauge anything over 8 pounds; apologies).

Because the specific hammer included in this gun is bobbed, it doesn’t have a single action notch. So, all trigger pulls are double-action-only—something that isn’t a problem on a defensive revolver. Like with every other Taurus revolver I own or have reviewed, the 327 Defender TORO’s trigger pull will improve with use, especially with live fire.

Staging the hammer halfway and adding a few drops of oil into the crease between the hammer and transfer bar and working them into the interior of the action by wiggling the trigger also goes a long way.   

Sights And Taurus Optics Ready Option (TORO)

Since the 327 Defender sells as a red-dot capable carry revolver, it’s outfitted with a high-visibility Ameriglo front sight. It’s the same style of Ameriglo front sight that ships with Taurus 856 Defender models, with an eye-catching blaze orange paint and a green tritium vial on the lower portion.

Like all other compact-frame Taurus, its standard rear notch is carved into the topstrap, where it’s drilled and tapped to accept a Taurus mounting plate that accepts reflex sights that use a Shield RMSc or Holosun-K footprint.

Due to the physical constraints of fitting the red-dot adapter plate to the frame, using co-witnessing iron sights is out of the question completely.

For more information, please visit TaurusUSA.com.

To Be Continued In Part 2