[snuffy]

Evey time this question comes up about the judge and hot 45 colt loads, I answer the same way, forget-about-it! Two problems with the fact that you're trying to make one gun shoot two very different shells. The outside diameter of a .410 shell is .470. The 45 colt has a .452 diameter SOLID bullet. Then the 3 inch chamber of the magnum judge gives 1-5/8 inches for the .452 bullet to travel before it encounters a throat.

So what happens when you fire a 45 colt shell in this huge, long freebore? You get massive blow-by! The powder gasses have no barrel to seal against to provide velocity.

Then, you have a small bullet rattling down that big chamber, then slamming into the rifling. It then has to start spinning while trying to grip the rifling. So the third strike against the judge is lousy accuracy.

For those that have read this far, you have to realize how a normal revolver is built. You have the chamber, then IMMEDIATELY the throat in the front of the cylinder. This allows the bullet to transition from the case to the barrel with ALL the powder gases behind the bullet. Also it's still accelerating when it encounters the rifling, going slow enough to not skid the bullet into the rifling.

None of these conditions exist in the judge. The bullet exits the case, the powder gases blow by the bullet then the bullet has no guidance or support for 1-5/8 inches! (the 2.5 inch judge, the original, still has the same problems).

The judge is simply a short range defensive weapon best used with the .410 shells. There's some specialty rounds available for the judge in .410 with 3 .400 lead balls in a 3 inch shell. Winchester has some loads with 2-3 slugs as well. The 95 grain normal .410 slug is anemic at best. AND it's too small to grip the rifling in the barrel.