Taurus 445 Ultra-Lite .44spl review

deadduck357 · February 3, 2013, 12:23 AM

I got to review a Taurus 445 UL chambered in the .44 special. For a light weight snub-nose I thought there was going to be a considerable amount of recoil, I was wrong. Whether because of the 'Ribber' grip or the mild .44spl round it was very controllable. The fixed sight had POI below POA at 50 ft. but adding a little more front sight had it hitting dead center. I'm really surprised at how much I like this wheelgun.

for the full review - Taurus 445 UL

IDAHOMIKE · February 3, 2013, 03:40 PM

Ive always liked the idea behind Taurus' small framed big bores. Never got a snub such as this, but had a 441 and 41 mag Tracker that I dearly miss.

Ozzieman · February 4, 2013, 06:44 PM

I have one of the earlier versions of the 445. Although mine had problems from the factory it was cleaned up by a good gun smith. Cylinder clearance issue.
Nice report by the way.
One thing that surprised me was the Speer gold dot,,, 661 FPS. That’s almost walking speed.
I’m a stick in the mud and keep Silvertips in my specials, mainly because I purchased a case of them many years ago.
I don’t know how weight compares between the UL and the standard but mine with factory loads shoots much lighter than the Charter Bulldog with the same rounds.
As far as the grips, I never cared for Taurus’s soft squishy grips and I like the ones that are on mine better. As far as accuracy they compare at your 7 yard range. Never shot 50 feet so can’t comment on that.
I’m a 44 specialoholick and buy anything within my means that eats 44’s. I had doubts about this gun (It was used and I knew about the problems when I purchased it) but overall it's been a good gun and has been shot a quite a bit.

deadduck357 · February 4, 2013, 10:07 PM

I was also surprised by the slow velocity of the GD but that was average with not a lot of extreme spread.

dgludwig · February 5, 2013, 02:47 PM

I, too, had some concerns regarding excessive recoil before shooting my 2 1/2", ported barrel, K-frame size, Model 415 revolver, chambered in .41 Magnum, but was pleasantly surprised at how controllable it is on fast, repeat shots. True, the revolver is all steel and the ported barrel may play a role in its good recoil management, but I suspect that the "soft, squishy" ribbed grip is largely responsible for its unexpected controllability.

deadduck357 · February 6, 2013, 12:09 PM

The 44spl doesn't kick the sht out of you but I think those grips did dampen the felt recoil. The recoil was similar to firing a 5" 1911, very nice.

February 3, 2013, 12:23 AM	#1
deadduck357 Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2010 Location: Tx Posts: 182	Taurus 445 Ultra-Lite .44spl review I got to review a Taurus 445 UL chambered in the .44 special. For a light weight snub-nose I thought there was going to be a considerable amount of recoil, I was wrong. Whether because of the 'Ribber' grip or the mild .44spl round it was very controllable. The fixed sight had POI below POA at 50 ft. but adding a little more front sight had it hitting dead center. I'm really surprised at how much I like this wheelgun. for the full review - Taurus 445 UL

February 4, 2013, 06:44 PM	#3
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	I have one of the earlier versions of the 445. Although mine had problems from the factory it was cleaned up by a good gun smith. Cylinder clearance issue. Nice report by the way. One thing that surprised me was the Speer gold dot,,, 661 FPS. That’s almost walking speed. I’m a stick in the mud and keep Silvertips in my specials, mainly because I purchased a case of them many years ago. I don’t know how weight compares between the UL and the standard but mine with factory loads shoots much lighter than the Charter Bulldog with the same rounds. As far as the grips, I never cared for Taurus’s soft squishy grips and I like the ones that are on mine better. As far as accuracy they compare at your 7 yard range. Never shot 50 feet so can’t comment on that. I’m a 44 specialoholick and buy anything within my means that eats 44’s. I had doubts about this gun (It was used and I knew about the problems when I purchased it) but overall it's been a good gun and has been shot a quite a bit. __________________ It was a sad day when I discovered my universal remote control did not in fact control the universe. Did you hear about the latest study.....5 out of 6 liberals say that Russian Roulette is safe. Last edited by Ozzieman; October 1, 2016 at 05:21 PM.

February 5, 2013, 02:47 PM	#5
dgludwig Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2005 Location: North central Ohio Posts: 7,486	I, too, had some concerns regarding excessive recoil before shooting my 2 1/2", ported barrel, K-frame size, Model 415 revolver, chambered in .41 Magnum, but was pleasantly surprised at how controllable it is on fast, repeat shots. True, the revolver is all steel and the ported barrel may play a role in its good recoil management, but I suspect that the "soft, squishy" ribbed grip is largely responsible for its unexpected controllability. __________________ ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED ...Aristotle NRA Benefactor Life Member

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February 3, 2013, 03:40 PM	#2
IDAHOMIKE Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2007 Location: Gooding, ID Posts: 348	Ive always liked the idea behind Taurus' small framed big bores. Never got a snub such as this, but had a 441 and 41 mag Tracker that I dearly miss.

February 4, 2013, 10:07 PM	#4
deadduck357 Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2010 Location: Tx Posts: 182	I was also surprised by the slow velocity of the GD but that was average with not a lot of extreme spread.

February 6, 2013, 12:09 PM	#6
deadduck357 Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2010 Location: Tx Posts: 182	The 44spl doesn't kick the sht out of you but I think those grips did dampen the felt recoil. The recoil was similar to firing a 5" 1911, very nice.