Taurus 608

About the Taurus 608

The Taurus 608 is a large-frame, eight-shot, double-action/single-action revolver chambered in .357 Magnum that also accepts .38 Special and .38 Special +P ammunition. Introduced in the late 1990s, its defining characteristic is the oversized eight-round cylinder, which uses a .44 Magnum-sized frame to accommodate the extra two rounds beyond the standard six-shot configuration found in most .357 Magnum revolvers. This gives the shooter a significant capacity advantage without requiring a reload. The 608 is built entirely of stainless steel and features a factory-ported barrel with a gas expansion chamber to mitigate the muzzle flip and felt recoil of full-power .357 Magnum loads. The 6.5-inch barrel model weighs 51 ounces (1446g) with an overall length of approximately 11.67 inches (296mm) and a height of 6 inches (152mm). The revolver features a fully adjustable rear sight for windage and elevation and a fixed front sight. The soft rubber grip with finger grooves provides a secure hold and cushions against recoil. The double-action trigger pull measures approximately 10 pounds 7 ounces (46 N), while the single-action pull is approximately 5 pounds 11 ounces (25 N). The rifling twist rate is 1:16.5 inches (419mm) right-hand twist. With 125-grain .357 Magnum loads from the 6.5-inch barrel, muzzle velocity is approximately 1,450 fps (440 m/s), producing around 784 joules of muzzle energy.

Taurus's revolver manufacturing expertise traces back to their acquisition of the Smith & Wesson factory in Brazil, giving them access to decades of refined revolver-building knowledge that continues to influence their designs today.

Taurus 608 specifications

The Taurus 608 competes with the Smith & Wesson Model 627 (also an eight-shot .357 Magnum on the N-frame), offering similar capacity and performance at a substantially lower price point. The decision to use a .44 Magnum-sized cylinder for a .357 Magnum revolver was driven by the need for sufficient cylinder wall thickness between the eight chambers to maintain structural integrity under the 35,000 PSI operating pressure of the .357 Magnum cartridge. This makes the 608 comparable in size and weight to N-frame revolvers despite being chambered for a smaller cartridge. The 4-inch barrel model weighs approximately 45 ounces (1276g) unloaded with an overall length of 9.5 inches (241mm) and a height of 6.1 inches (155mm), as confirmed by the NRA American Hunter test. The 608 Competition variant features a 6-inch unported barrel with a fiber optic front sight and enhanced trigger for competitive shooting applications. Loaded weight estimate for the 6.5-inch model includes eight .357 Magnum cartridges at approximately 13g each. The eight-shot capacity makes the 608 particularly attractive for home defense, where the extra rounds provide additional margin without the reload time disadvantage of lower-capacity revolvers. MSRP is approximately $857, with the Competition variant priced higher. The ported barrel effectively reduces muzzle flip but increases muzzle blast and flash, which is a trade-off that some shooters prefer to manage with hearing protection at the range. The rubber grip features finger grooves along the front strap and pebbled texturing on the sides for improved purchase.