Rifleman Review: Taurus Deputy

 These days, Taurus USA is known for offering a range of modern handguns, from the well-regarded TX22 to the popular and affordable GX4 micro-compact. But recently, the company offered a throwback in the form of its Deputy, a single-action revolver that would be more at home during the days of the Old West than in 2025. Watch our "American Rifleman Television" Rifleman Review segment above to see the details of this classic revolver design.

"So the first Taurus single-action revolver I saw was the Gaucho. That was introduced in 2005, but since that time, Taurus has changed their manufacturing methods," NRA Publications Editorial Director Mark Keefe said. "And their newer gun, which is a little lighter and a little more svelte than the Gaucho, is called the Deputy. And just as you'd expect, it's modeled on the Colt Single Action Army."

Like the Single Action Army, the Taurus Deputy is built with a four-notch hammer, and of course, as a single-action-only revolver, the gun must be made ready to fire by manually cocking the hammer spur at the rear of the frame. The revolver is equipped with a fluted six-round cylinder and is chambered in either .45 Colt or .357 Magnum. The Deputy can also be had with either a 5.5" barrel or a 4.75" barrel.

 "But what's different on this gun in terms of the hammer is it has a frame-mounted transfer bar," Keefe said. "That means the firing pin is actually in here. It's not on the nose of the hammer, so that when the hammer drops, it transmits the energy from the hammer to the firing pin, which then hits the primer. And what that means for the Deputy is you can actually load all six chambers and not have to worry about an inadvertent discharge."

Sights are typical for a Single Action Army-style gun, with a simple grooved topstrap acting as the rear sight, along with a fixed blade front sight. The black polymer stocks are checkered and emblazoned with the Taurus logo. Along the right side of the barrel is an ejector-rod housing, allowing shooters to manually remove spent cases or cartridges through the right-side loading gate. All metal surfaces are treated with a highly polished, deep black finish.

 "So, all in all, Taurus has done really a fine job on this gun," Keefe said. "It's affordable. From everything we can tell, it shoots very well so far, and it's just a nice-looking gun. And this is indicative of where I think Taurus is going."

Taurus Deputy Specifications
Manufacturer: Taurus Armas
Importer: Taurus USA
Action Type: single-action, centerfire revolver
Chambering: .45 Colt
Frame: carbon steel
barrel: 5.5" carbon steel
Finish: polished black
Rifling: six-groove; 1:16.5" RH twist
Cylinder Capacity: six
Sights: fixed; U-notch rear, blade front
Stocks: polymer
Overall Length: 11.04"
Height: 5.11"
Width: 1.65"
Weight: 38.2 ozs.
Accessories: owner's manual, lock
MSRP: $607

To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/videos/artv/. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.