Wheelgun Wednesday: Taylor's & Company 963 MF Defense .357 Magnum

In this week’s edition of Wheelgun Wednesday, we turn our eyes to Europe for a revolver that has been out for over a decade but is only recently making its way into the United States. Taylor’s & Company has begun importing the 963 MF Defense .357 Magnum (and more importantly, they are arriving), and this revolver was “tactically cool” long before us, Americans, began asking for Picatinny rails and Cerakote colors on our wheelguns. Today, we will take a closer look at the Taylor’s & Company 963 MF Defense .357 Magnum, that is made by Armi Olmi in Italy, to see what it is all about. Let’s dive in!

Wheelgun Wednesday @ TFB

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The 963 MF Defense is a rad revolver in my eyes simply by the name. The “963” might be something arbitrary and I cannot trace its origins, but the rest of the name – MF Defense – sounds a lot like Mother Bleeping Defense to me. That might be crass of me to jump to that conclusion, but I also cuss like a sailor, and nothing says “This is my defense handgun” like a firearm named 963 Mother Bleeping Defense.

Now, back to more civilized conversations, this Taylor’s & Company 963 MF Defense .357 Magnum is a bit hard to pin down the specifications on. While Taylor’s & Company imports this revolver, they do not list it on their website. You can find it for sale all over the internet on places like Midway, GrabAGun, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and many other places with mixed specs, but the most thorough (albeit difficult to decipher) listing of specs comes straight from the horse’s mouth – Fabbrica d’Armi Olmi G. – the original manufacturer in Italy.

The Taylor’s & Company 963 MF Defense .357 Magnum has 3″ or 4″ barrel length options with an utter rainbow of color options to choose from. So, these are all of the specs as presented by Fabbrica d’Armi Olmi G.:

• Cylinder: Alloy Steels for Quenching and Tempering
• Frame: Pure Forged in Hardened Trilegate (NiCrMo) Steel
• Grip: Walnut | Ebony Wood | Aerospace Aluminum Alloy + Anodic Oxidation (Black, Red, Cobalt Blue)
• Trigger: Smooth Polished
• Hammer: With Precision Bearing
• Pins: Hardened and Polished
• Finish & Coatings: Cerakote, Technical PVD, and DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) in Black, Silver, Military Green, Desert Tan, White, and Gold

Since this revolver ironically is not listed on Taylor’s & Company’s website and Fabbrica d’Armi Olmi G. does not openly list an MSRP either, we have to rely on what the market will bear. A quick Google search returned these top 7 results for online retailers who are selling the Taylor’s & Company 963 MF Defense .357 Magnum in a 4″ barrel, black finish, and wood grip version:

• Bud’s Gun Shop – $957.89
• Midway USA – $959.99
• Impact Guns – $973.59
• GrabAGun – $973.99
• Alpine Shooting Range – $982.65
• DE Guns – $1,000.99
• Dunham’s – $1,099.99
• Sportsman’s Warehouse – $1,099.99

Like nearly any firearm you may want to buy, the pricing is all over the place. If you have straight cash, money and live in Kentucky to buy one in person, then Bud’s Gun Shop has the cheapest price at around $929.99 for the ol’ cash discount. Overall, you’re looking at a swing in the price of $170 from Sportsman’s Warehouse price to Bud’s Gun Shop for perspective.

I have personally never handled one of these revolvers before and have never seen one at the SHOT Show in the almost 10 years that I have been attending and I was only made aware of the existence of this revolver a few weeks ago (that’s my own personal ignorance at work). So, I am very intrigued if this wheelgun lives up to its $1K price tag.

Fabbrica d’Armi Olmi G. lists some interesting marketing phrases describing this revolver like “continuous trigger pull adjustments” and a “reinforced cylinder rotation shaft.” Those sound like positive attributes, but that’s not common vernacular or phrasing you hear for revolvers (maybe those are European colloquialisms, I don’t know).

So, all of that being said, there is more mystery to this revolver and its performance than there is transparency. I definitely look forward to handling one some day to see what they are all about. As always, let us know all of your thoughts about Fabbrica d’Armi Olmi G., Taylor’s & Company, and the 963 MF Defense .357 Magnum in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.