Taurus 905 [Hands-On Review]: A Great 9mm Snubby

Considering the question, “Why would one desire a 9mm revolver?”, it’s noteworthy that 9mm is currently the most prominent caliber for concealed carry. Hence, it stands to reason why it’s an attractive option. This is where our Taurus 905 review comes into play.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who carries a concealed firearm opts for a semi-automatic.

In fact, there remains a significant number of us who prefer the reliability and simplicity of revolvers. Thankfully, renowned manufacturer Taurus caters to this preference with its unique offering, the 905.

The growing appeal and proven effectiveness of the 9mm round make it an excellent choice for a revolver’s cylinder.

The concept of firing an autoloading cartridge from a revolver, such as is the case with the Taurus 905, is not a novel idea, but it’s one that certainly brings the benefits of both worlds together.

This unique combination of form and function is intriguing, isn’t it? Let’s delve deeper into our Taurus 905 review to discover what makes this 9mm revolver an attractive choice for concealed carry enthusiasts.

A Short History

Rimless, semi-auto cartridges have been fired in wheel guns for many years.

The 1917 Revolvers

A good example of a revolver adapted to shoot a rimless cartridge originally designed for a semi-auto pistol are the Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers, model 1917. The guns were very similar, with 5.5-inch barrels, a six-shot cylinder and a trigger pull that would obviate accidental discharges.

Some of the triggers were so heavy it took two men and a boy to pull them. I tried a S&W revolver once and had to put my trigger finger in traction when I was through with it. And the double-action pull was very stiff — just the thing for a muddy battlefield.

The major difference between the Colt and S&W guns (except for trademark cylinder rotation, basic gun shape, and cylinder releases) was that the S&W had a shoulder machined into the chambers for the rimless cartridge to headspace on.

But you still had to poke the empties out one at a time, with no rim to catch the extractor star. Now, back to the war. Here’s the story.

As those of us who passed junior-level US History, we know that World War I started in 1914. America was a little late to that dance in France and didn’t get involved until 1917, which turned out to be the closing 18 or 19 months of that war. Even so, we girded our loins mightily and started sending thousands of men (and more than a few women) over there.

Armed with the excellent 1903 Springfield and the .30-06 cartridge, our boys were well-armed. The addition of the then-almost-new Colt 1911 .45 ACP semi-auto pistol complemented the small arms inventory.

But, there was a glitch — we didn’t have enough pistols to equip all the troops who needed them.

So the powers that be decided to issue revolvers, from Colt and Smith and Wesson, chambered in .45 ACP to aid in the commonality of ammo for supply purposes (not to mention its well-respected power factor).

To Rim, Or Not To Rim?

The only problem was how to eject the fired cases. True revolver cases have a rim for the extractor star to grab, which the rimless .45 auto case lacks.

So instead of expecting the boys (in the heat of combat) to fire six rounds and then find a convenient stick with which to poke the empties out of the chambers, a new method was needed.

There had to be a better way. There was. Invented and patented by Smith and Wesson (but used legally by Colt, thanks to the Army’s pressuring of S&W), the half-moon clip was the answer. Called half-moon because of their half-circle shape, these little metal clips saved the day.

Once all six shots were fired, the shooter opened the cylinder and pushed the ejector rod, which kicked out both half-moon clips simultaneously with their empty cases attached.

These clips were difficult to load and remove the fired cases from, so they came to the combat theater pre-loaded with three .45 auto rounds. All our intrepid doughboy had to do was to drop two clips into the cylinder, close the said cylinder, and blast away. Open cylinder, extract/ eject moon clips, repeat.

The clips solved the problem. And, after WWII, an ingenious engineer at S&W (Naomi Alan) devised the full-moon clip — variations of which are still in use to this day in 9mm revolvers and others, including the one we’re reviewing. The 1917 revolvers were used again in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. They lasted past that era in the inventories of some smaller country’s armories. The 1917 revolvers are still popular today with civilian shooters and collectors.

Enter the .45 Auto Rim in 1920, just a .45 ACP case with a small rim added. That gave the gun makers (especially S&W) the impetus to design large, target revolvers built around it. With the rim, the case behaved like any other revolver case. Those S&W guns were top-notch, the ammo accurate – these revolvers were used on many target circuits and command a nice premium on the used gun market.

There have been many different revolvers that used moon clips. Today, the 9mm cartridge is more popular than ever. Some shooters, most notably Jerry Miculek, use the round for competition.

Jerry can empty his S&W model 929 8-shot revolver into a target in about the time it takes for you to blink your eyes twice. (He’s also shot that gun for the record at 1,000 yards, which boggles my mind).

In terms of a gun for concealed carry, the 9mm round is still pretty much king. And now, small-frame revolver fans can have the best of both of those worlds: potent 9mm defense ammo and a five-shot snubby. Now enter the Taurus 905.

The Taurus Company: Its Reputation

If you are interested in the history of Taurus, please read my review of the Taurus Spectrum .380 where I got into some detail about the company.

I have owned many Taurus/Rossi/Heritage Manufacturing guns over the years. (The other two companies are owned by Taurus). My experience has been, on the whole, good. That is not to say that I have not had run-ins with their customer service, or what passed for that, in the past.

I once had a PT1911 in for repairs that seemed to be geared to a calendar based on glacier years. But, I had to return my Spectrum .380 for a spring and the wait time was much shorter.

I will say that, of all the Taurus guns I’ve owned, I’ve only had to send those two back. And, technically, the Spectrum didn’t have a problem — they just wouldn’t sell me a recoil spring from their website.

A New Leaf?

So, it was with some interest that I read this communication from the CEO of Taurus, Bret Voorhees that I received April 29 in my email. Here it is.

To Our Customers,

As the new President and CEO of the Taurus companies here in the USA, I want to address an issue our companies are currently facing and reassure you of the efforts going into improving our customer service.

It became very apparent to me that we are not meeting our goal to provide world-class customer service to those of you who have put your trust in our products. My intention is to fix that, so if the situation does come up where you must utilize one of our firearm’s warranty, that we take care of you in a way that leaves a lasting positive impression about our companies.

[It goes on to say how they are going to work hard to regain the shooter’s trust. I have quoted the important part to show how Taurus is trying to up its game. It is signed:]

Bret Vorhees
President and CEO of Taurus Holdings, Inc.

If even a part of this comes to pass, Taurus’ reputation should rise among shooters. Of course, it’s like when I say I need to lose 40 pounds — wouldn’t I look & feel great? However, I haven’t done it yet.

My reality is that I am still overly large, and nothing changes until I change. We will keep an eye on Taurus and see if the weight really comes off, so to speak.

Having said that, let’s look at the gun they sent me to review, the 9mm model 905 2-inch snubby. To start off with, here are its specifications from the Taurus website and my measurements.

Frame size	Small
Capacity	5 rds
Action type	DA/SA
Trigger pull weights	SA: 3 lbs 10.6 oz, DA: 9 lbs 15.6 oz (measured, avg.)
Caliber	9mm Luger
Height	4.40"
Width	1.40" (measured, 1.388" across cylinder)
Weight	21.00 oz.
Barrel legth	2.00"
Overall length	6.50"
Front sight	Fixed, measured .129" width
Rear sight	Fixed, measured .129" width
Safety	Transfer Bar
MSRP	$530.63

I own a Taurus .38 Spl. Snubby, the model 85 Ultralite. I carry that gun a lot. The main difference between my gun and the 905 (besides the caliber) would be the fact that the 905 uses a steel frame and my ultralight’s frame is aluminum.

The weight difference is noticeable but not a deal-killer. It might be a little heavy for pocket carry, but I found that there are nice holsters available for J-frame-size snubbys. That is an advantage — a holster for a S&W J-frame fits the Taurus 85

There are many holsters available for the 905, as well. The only difference is the fraction of an inch width addition for the 5-round 9mm cylinder of the 905 (1.388″), versus the 5-rounder of the .38 Spl. 85 series (1.348″).

Carry is definitely an option. I have a holster, an inexpensive IWB number with a steel clip, that fits both easily. A J-frame holster, made for that series of guns that have a cylinder width of 1.3″, should fit with no problems.

The Taurus 905 9mm Revolver

Specifications and Design Features

Upon first glance, the Taurus 905 could be mistaken for any other compact, snub-nosed revolver. But don’t be fooled; this is a firearm designed with modern demands in mind.

The Taurus 905 caters to the needs of today’s shooters by incorporating a popular semi-automatic caliber into a traditional revolver format.

The Taurus 905 is a five-shot revolver, with a barrel length of just 2 inches, making it perfect for concealed carry. It weighs in at a modest 22.2 ounces, which is light enough for comfortable daily carry but substantial enough to help manage recoil.

This gun is built with a steel frame, offering reliable durability, while its compact rubber grips provide the comfort and control necessary for precise shooting.

The 905 is designed to shoot the ubiquitous 9mm Luger round. This makes it an excellent choice for those who want to standardize their ammunition across both their semi-auto and revolver firearms. It uses moon clips to hold the 9mm rounds, aiding in both the loading and extraction processes.

The sights on the 905 are traditional revolver sights, with a fixed front sight and an integral notch as the rear sight. This setup is simple, robust, and perfect for quick target acquisition in self-defense situations.

Additionally, the Taurus 905 features the ‘Taurus Security System,’ which provides an integrated safety solution. With a simple turn of a key, you can render the firearm inoperable, providing an added layer of safety, especially when not in use.

Taurus 905 Photos

Now, let’s look at some photos I took of the Taurus 905.

A lot of thought went into its design. Note the texturing — good in all the right places. Plus, like several other similar grips, it covers all the backstrap. That’s important with a little kicker like this gun is it bucks pretty good with factory 9mm ammo, so a little padding over the backstrap is appreciated.

The grip almost clears speedloaders. I had to whittle on my 85’s rubber grip to provide more clearance and this one is practically the same size as the 85’s.

I also like the cylinder releases’ shape. Speaking of loading the cylinder (and extracting fired cases), here’s what happens when you don’t look through the gun’s box thoroughly when you first shoot this gun.

I knew this was going to happen since I didn’t see any moon clips in the box. Imagine my surprise when I discovered these.

THAT’S more like it. This proves that I am too impulsive and want to get right to the shooting part without thoroughly examining the box it came in. Heck, I was ready with a handy stick to poke the empties out. SO, the moral of the story: always look through everything that comes with a gun.

If these aren’t enough, you can order extras from Taurus. This would speed up reloading this gun a lot. I saw several of these clips on your person if you carried this little gun for self-defense. At least it is very easy to place rounds in the clip and then remove the empty cases. Now, let’s shoot this thing.

Shooting the Taurus 905 9mm Revolver

I know some folks who can’t shoot 9mm autoloaders because they kick too much. I admit I have a small problem shooting full-bore defensive ammo through a lightweight, little gun like the Kahr CM-9 I used to own, and it liked to jump around.

This revolver does tend to want to bite the hand that holds it, but it’s not too bad. You just have to grip it tight and show it who’s boss.

When shooting revolvers, I like to place my off-hand thumb in the web between my shooting hand’s thumb and forefinger. I press down and this tends to hold guns down in recoil some. (I know, it isn’t the same thumbs-forward grip I use with semi-autos, but I’ve done it for years, and it works).

Held properly, the gun doesn’t rise much in recoil, but it does come straight back pretty quickly. When you figure that the cartridge that most snubbies are known for (the .38 Special) has an average pressure of around 17K to 21K pounds. It’s no wonder that this 9mm kicks a bit.

9mm pressures hover around 35K (the same neighborhood that the .357 Magnum lives in). This provides a pretty decent thump on your hand. Even so, it was fun to shoot.

I shot three different factory loads through it — good ol’ Winchester White Box, CCI Blazer Brass, and a new one to me, Fiocchi 9mm. All bullets were 115 grain, and velocities hovered between 1000-1100 fps.

Here are some targets.

This was interesting ammo. It was sent to me to try, something for which I’m grateful. It is made in the USA and seems very high-quality ammo. They don’t just make .22 ammo anymore. I got samples in 9mm, .380, .45 ACP, and 6.5 Creedmoor.

I’m anxious to try the rest of it. This isn’t the tightest group I’ve ever shot, but it represents the breed. This load averaged 1014 fps out of the Taurus’ 2-inch barrel.

With its reloadable case, this bargain ammo does alright. It shot a bit high, but all in all it performed fine. It clocked at 1034 fps.

I’ve read forums where this load, the famous Winchester White Box, was greatly disparaged regarding reliability and accuracy. However, I don’t see it. Granted, this isn’t a one-hole group, but I’d hate to be on the receiving end of my first shot with this gun — the hole in the middle of the target. This ammo went out the barrel at 1052 fps — not bad.

Wrap Up

Looking for a new 9mm? Don’t need uber-capacity? Check out this gun. Taurus sells a bunch of 9mm revolvers.

Folks who carry snubbies tend to like the increased 9mm power factor that is something on the order of around three times that for an average .38 Special load, a caliber that practically owns the snubby market.

Also, if you carry specialized loads in your snubby, you bring even more power into play. I’ve heard many shooters disparage the .357 in a snubby due to its ferocious recoil, flash and blast. You can get almost that level of performance from your little 2-incher without taking your hand off at the elbow (some say this happens with that .357) because of recoil.

I tend to shy away from the hard-kickers the older I get. I could see carrying something like this model 905, though, just because of that increased power factor over the .38. The recoil wasn’t that bad when I shot it. I could get used to it, for sure.

If you want to try something different, pick up a 905. Let us know what you think in the comments below. And, as always, stay safe.

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