The Taurus 856 Ultra-Lite is a six-shot aluminum-framed .38 Special revolver built for all-day concealed carry. It has an MSRP of $431. The frame is anodized aluminum while the cylinder and barrel stay carbon steel, so the weight comes out of the part that rides against your body and the steel stays where chamber pressure goes.

It comes with a removable serrated front blade, a rear groove machined into the frame and soft rubber grips, and a transfer bar sits between hammer and firing pin until the trigger is all the way back. The front blade is the one part that lifts out, so a taller or brighter sight is a parts change; nothing else on the gun adjusts and there is no way to mount an optic. The 2-inch barrel puts the whole revolver at 6.55 inches long, and the cylinder measures 1.41 inches across.

If you're cross-shopping, the Taurus 856 Defender is the same six-shot frame in stainless with a 3-inch barrel and a night sight, at 24 oz and an MSRP of $488. The Smith & Wesson Model 642 Airweight holds five rounds at 14.6 oz on a 1.88-inch barrel with an MSRP of $539, and its hammer is enclosed, so nothing can snag coming out of a pocket and no shot can be fired single action.