Taurus Judge Mishap

salcon · November 16, 2008, 09:02 PM

My dad purchased a Taurus Judge yesterday along with a box of .410 shells. On his first fire at the range the barrel broke off at the base. In all his years in the US Army he never saw such a thing happen and has doubts about exchanging this gun for a new one. He has no access to the internet so I am doing some research for him. Has anyone else heard of this happening or have any thoughts on what could case this to happen?

WC145 · November 16, 2008, 09:33 PM

The obvious thing to do is call Taurus customer serviece before anything else.
That being said, I've had no trouble with my 4410.

carguychris · November 16, 2008, 09:34 PM

The Taurus haters are gonna jump all over this one. Where's my popcorn...

bodab · November 16, 2008, 09:40 PM

I GOT THE SALT!!! I own on and have never had that problem...

alloy · November 16, 2008, 09:44 PM

wow, thats some bad luck...can you post a pic?

Keltyke · November 16, 2008, 09:49 PM

Mine shoots perfectly. You sure he didn't try using 3" mags in it?

kman · November 16, 2008, 09:53 PM

My condolences to your Father, who I'm sure has had better days. After Taurus has replaced said firearm, and they will, your father will no doubt be looking for a way to get out of this mess as painlessly as possible. Assure him that the used market is still strong for this pistol and that he should be able to recoup most of his hard earned cash. BTW was it the stainless or blued version?

Heepstress · November 16, 2008, 10:06 PM

Ouch! Is your Dad ok?

FYI, no problem with mine.

Mark Milton · November 17, 2008, 08:56 AM

Sometimes it happens.

A few years ago the Georgia Department of Corrections had the same problem happen with a bunch of brand new S&W revolvers.
There was a gunsmith on here who explained the error which causes this. I think I recall it happening to Ruger once too.

Kreyzhorse · November 17, 2008, 09:17 AM

I'm no fan of Taurus, but it does happen.

There are pics of a blown apart S&W floating around here (although I believe a handload was the reason) and a post concerning a Ruger that blew the barrel off of it.

Anyway, seems that Taurus does have more than their fair share of issues. If I were your Dad, I'd see if I could get my money back on it and move onto some thing else. Glad he's okay.

Glenn E. Meyer · November 17, 2008, 11:49 AM

I'd be really interested in the follow-up and cause. I have two friends who bought such as the ultimate defense gun for their untrained women folk -

.

I've seen a Kel-tec 223 rifle crack its plastic in half on the range. Things happen. We had a VW Rabbit in the 70's - pressed a switch on the dash and the entire set of controls fell into the dashboard leaving a stencil like plastic frame.

tomgun · November 17, 2008, 12:00 PM

hope all are ok!
another fine example of taurus quality.
as youve found out there is no exchange policy on firearms, only the sheer frustration of months of waiting for a repair from their lifetime warranty,generally because thats how long your going to wait.
send it back through the place of purchase.at least this way when youve tired of waiting they may give you a credit on another choice hopefully.

Smaug · November 17, 2008, 12:16 PM

Same thing happened to my Redhawk. (search this forum for threads with "blew up my redhawk" in the title) I bet your Judge looks a lot like my Redhawk did.

I found out it was a manufacturing defect in the early 1980s. They had changed barrel thread lube. At the end of the shift, workers would leave the barrels out, which they had lubed. This new lube would apparently dry up overnight, so that when they torqued the barrel on in the morning, it stressed the metal. Just like when the head of a screw has been over-torqued but hasn't fallen off yet. Since the lube wasn't working, it took more torque to get the barrel on far enough that the sights were straight and the barrel was lined up properly.

rogertc1 · November 17, 2008, 02:09 PM

Welcome to the forum salcon.
Your first post!!!
What kinda Judge was it? Alloy, Stainless, steel, 3" 410's, barrel size?
Beings he just bought it was it used or new. Dids he take it back to the dealer? Does he load his own rounds?
Have you tried the Taurus Forum?
http://www.taurusarmed.net

Hitech78 · November 17, 2008, 02:55 PM

Quote:

hope all are ok!
another fine example of taurus quality.
as youve found out there is no exchange policy on firearms, only the sheer frustration of months of waiting for a repair from their lifetime warranty,generally because thats how long your going to wait.
send it back through the place of purchase.at least this way when youve tired of waiting they may give you a credit on another choice hopefully.

Obviously your a Smith fanatic or you've never owned a Taurus. Even if that statement isn't true, I know this for a FACT: you've never dealt with Taurus customer service.

salcom,
As you see this is not unheard of with ANY manufacturer. Contact Taurus, they will quickly resolve the issue. Their customer service is top notch!

Smaug · November 17, 2008, 03:22 PM

Hitech is right. Rugers are well-known for being stronger than they need to be. But even the mighty Ruger can have the occasional defect.

One of my first thoughts after that happened to mine was: "Oh no! Now I'm not going to be able to say Rugers are tanks any more!" I am forever cursed to bring up this little episode every time someone else does too, hehehe.

IMTHDUKE · November 17, 2008, 07:00 PM

I owned a Taurus Judge lite...bought new and first range trip...the cylinder locks up after 4 shots of 45LC....seems the caseing melted to the cylinder and restricted it's movement.

I was done....can't put up with that stuff....bye bye....dare go de Judge. Guess that soured me against Taurus, but to be honest...I read so much problems with them and there are so many better guns...why do I wanna go there to save a few bucks. If you like em....wonderful...I wont buy em up so there will be plenty for you.

God speed and party on...........

45reloader · November 17, 2008, 07:08 PM

1st post and already a problem.

OK

rogertc1 · November 17, 2008, 07:20 PM

ImthDuke ... very interesting...
you said "the cylinder locks up after 4 shots of 45LC....seems the caseing melted to the cylinder and restricted it's movement."

How did the brass cases of the 45C get so hot to melt. You load them with nitro instead of powder? Ehat si the melting point of brass?

Please explain so nobody else does what you do...

IMTHDUKE · November 17, 2008, 07:39 PM

These were not brass cases but alloy, however, the 410s also caused the same problem. I had to use a pinch to extract them. As to doing what I do...what I did was fired a brand new taurus Judge....I first posted this ....do a search....another poster told me the same happened to him.

rogertc1 · November 18, 2008, 07:09 AM

alloy melts like butter

IMTHDUKE · November 18, 2008, 09:13 AM

The only joke was on me for buying the stupid gun. When I said, melted,,the cases expanded to inside of cylinder and bulged out on the end....

See here is the way this works....I report you decide...your not required to believe my experience...Im just telling you what happened to me. If you want more info do a search ....you wont find a large fan base for the Taurus Judge. For some reasons I described above.

rogertc1 · November 18, 2008, 12:00 PM

case expanded so much it came out the bottom!! Wow

IMTHDUKE · November 18, 2008, 12:32 PM

I should have said...braded to the sides of the cylinder...like I said...I don't really care whether you believe me or not.

rogertc1 · November 18, 2008, 01:26 PM

I believe you this time

November 16, 2008, 09:02 PM	#1
salcon Junior Member Join Date: November 16, 2008 Posts: 2	Taurus Judge Mishap My dad purchased a Taurus Judge yesterday along with a box of .410 shells. On his first fire at the range the barrel broke off at the base. In all his years in the US Army he never saw such a thing happen and has doubts about exchanging this gun for a new one. He has no access to the internet so I am doing some research for him. Has anyone else heard of this happening or have any thoughts on what could case this to happen?

November 16, 2008, 09:34 PM	#3
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 7,523	The Taurus haters are gonna jump all over this one. Where's my popcorn... __________________ "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules... MARK IT ZERO!!" - Walter Sobchak

November 16, 2008, 09:53 PM	#7
kman Junior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Location: Cincinnati Oh. Posts: 11	ooops.. My condolences to your Father, who I'm sure has had better days. After Taurus has replaced said firearm, and they will, your father will no doubt be looking for a way to get out of this mess as painlessly as possible. Assure him that the used market is still strong for this pistol and that he should be able to recoup most of his hard earned cash. BTW was it the stainless or blued version?

November 17, 2008, 09:17 AM	#10
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	I'm no fan of Taurus, but it does happen. There are pics of a blown apart S&W floating around here (although I believe a handload was the reason) and a post concerning a Ruger that blew the barrel off of it. Anyway, seems that Taurus does have more than their fair share of issues. If I were your Dad, I'd see if I could get my money back on it and move onto some thing else. Glad he's okay. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

November 17, 2008, 11:49 AM	#11
Glenn E. Meyer Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2000 Posts: 20,064	I'd be really interested in the follow-up and cause. I have two friends who bought such as the ultimate defense gun for their untrained women folk - . I've seen a Kel-tec 223 rifle crack its plastic in half on the range. Things happen. We had a VW Rabbit in the 70's - pressed a switch on the dash and the entire set of controls fell into the dashboard leaving a stencil like plastic frame. __________________ NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens

November 16, 2008, 09:33 PM	#2
WC145 Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2008 Location: Downeast Maine Posts: 1,836	The obvious thing to do is call Taurus customer serviece before anything else. That being said, I've had no trouble with my 4410.

November 16, 2008, 09:40 PM	#4
bodab Member Join Date: December 13, 2005 Posts: 82	I GOT THE SALT!!! I own on and have never had that problem...

November 16, 2008, 09:49 PM	#6
Keltyke Junior member Join Date: April 6, 2008 Location: Spartanburg, SC Posts: 2,933	Mine shoots perfectly. You sure he didn't try using 3" mags in it?

November 16, 2008, 10:06 PM	#8
Heepstress Registration in progress Join Date: June 29, 2008 Posts: 99	Ouch! Is your Dad ok? FYI, no problem with mine.

November 17, 2008, 08:56 AM	#9
Mark Milton Junior member Join Date: January 30, 2006 Posts: 504	Sometimes it happens. A few years ago the Georgia Department of Corrections had the same problem happen with a bunch of brand new S&W revolvers. There was a gunsmith on here who explained the error which causes this. I think I recall it happening to Ruger once too.

November 17, 2008, 12:00 PM	#12
tomgun Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Location: penna,no wait state Posts: 187	here come the judge hope all are ok! another fine example of taurus quality. as youve found out there is no exchange policy on firearms, only the sheer frustration of months of waiting for a repair from their lifetime warranty,generally because thats how long your going to wait. send it back through the place of purchase.at least this way when youve tired of waiting they may give you a credit on another choice hopefully.

November 17, 2008, 12:16 PM	#13
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Same thing happened to my Redhawk. (search this forum for threads with "blew up my redhawk" in the title) I bet your Judge looks a lot like my Redhawk did. I found out it was a manufacturing defect in the early 1980s. They had changed barrel thread lube. At the end of the shift, workers would leave the barrels out, which they had lubed. This new lube would apparently dry up overnight, so that when they torqued the barrel on in the morning, it stressed the metal. Just like when the head of a screw has been over-torqued but hasn't fallen off yet. Since the lube wasn't working, it took more torque to get the barrel on far enough that the sights were straight and the barrel was lined up properly. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 17, 2008, 02:09 PM	#14
rogertc1 Junior member Join Date: December 17, 2004 Location: Maquoketa Posts: 1,335	Welcome to the forum salcon. Your first post!!! What kinda Judge was it? Alloy, Stainless, steel, 3" 410's, barrel size? Beings he just bought it was it used or new. Dids he take it back to the dealer? Does he load his own rounds? Have you tried the Taurus Forum? http://www.taurusarmed.net

November 17, 2008, 03:22 PM	#16
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Hitech is right. Rugers are well-known for being stronger than they need to be. But even the mighty Ruger can have the occasional defect. One of my first thoughts after that happened to mine was: "Oh no! Now I'm not going to be able to say Rugers are tanks any more!" I am forever cursed to bring up this little episode every time someone else does too, hehehe. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 17, 2008, 07:00 PM	#17
IMTHDUKE Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2004 Location: Sweet Home Alabama Posts: 1,475	Only owned one Taurus....notice the past tense.... I owned a Taurus Judge lite...bought new and first range trip...the cylinder locks up after 4 shots of 45LC....seems the caseing melted to the cylinder and restricted it's movement. I was done....can't put up with that stuff....bye bye....dare go de Judge. Guess that soured me against Taurus, but to be honest...I read so much problems with them and there are so many better guns...why do I wanna go there to save a few bucks. If you like em....wonderful...I wont buy em up so there will be plenty for you. God speed and party on........... __________________ http://www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com Ed Brown Alpha Carry\| Sig P238, P938, P232, 1911 C3 \| Colt Defender, Mustang Pocketlite, 1911 \| Rohrbaugh R9 \| Browning, Buckmark 22LR(suppressed) \| Kahr PM9 Black Rose \| S&W\|M&P C.O.R.E RMR Trijicon \| Dan Wesson ECO Last edited by IMTHDUKE; November 17, 2008 at 07:06 PM.

November 17, 2008, 07:08 PM	#18
45reloader Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 669	1st post and already a problem. OK

November 17, 2008, 07:20 PM	#19
rogertc1 Junior member Join Date: December 17, 2004 Location: Maquoketa Posts: 1,335	ImthDuke ... very interesting... you said "the cylinder locks up after 4 shots of 45LC....seems the caseing melted to the cylinder and restricted it's movement." How did the brass cases of the 45C get so hot to melt. You load them with nitro instead of powder? Ehat si the melting point of brass? Please explain so nobody else does what you do...

November 17, 2008, 07:39 PM	#20
IMTHDUKE Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2004 Location: Sweet Home Alabama Posts: 1,475	These were not brass cases but alloy, however, the 410s also caused the same problem. I had to use a pinch to extract them. As to doing what I do...what I did was fired a brand new taurus Judge....I first posted this ....do a search....another poster told me the same happened to him. __________________ http://www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com Ed Brown Alpha Carry\| Sig P238, P938, P232, 1911 C3 \| Colt Defender, Mustang Pocketlite, 1911 \| Rohrbaugh R9 \| Browning, Buckmark 22LR(suppressed) \| Kahr PM9 Black Rose \| S&W\|M&P C.O.R.E RMR Trijicon \| Dan Wesson ECO

November 18, 2008, 07:09 AM	#21
rogertc1 Junior member Join Date: December 17, 2004 Location: Maquoketa Posts: 1,335	alloy melts like butter Last edited by rogertc1; November 20, 2008 at 04:15 AM.

November 18, 2008, 09:13 AM	#22
IMTHDUKE Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2004 Location: Sweet Home Alabama Posts: 1,475	The only joke was on me for buying the stupid gun. When I said, melted,,the cases expanded to inside of cylinder and bulged out on the end.... See here is the way this works....I report you decide...your not required to believe my experience...Im just telling you what happened to me. If you want more info do a search ....you wont find a large fan base for the Taurus Judge. For some reasons I described above. __________________ http://www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com Ed Brown Alpha Carry\| Sig P238, P938, P232, 1911 C3 \| Colt Defender, Mustang Pocketlite, 1911 \| Rohrbaugh R9 \| Browning, Buckmark 22LR(suppressed) \| Kahr PM9 Black Rose \| S&W\|M&P C.O.R.E RMR Trijicon \| Dan Wesson ECO

November 18, 2008, 12:00 PM	#23
rogertc1 Junior member Join Date: December 17, 2004 Location: Maquoketa Posts: 1,335	case expanded so much it came out the bottom!! Wow Last edited by rogertc1; November 20, 2008 at 04:16 AM.

November 18, 2008, 12:32 PM	#24
IMTHDUKE Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2004 Location: Sweet Home Alabama Posts: 1,475	I should have said...braded to the sides of the cylinder...like I said...I don't really care whether you believe me or not. __________________ http://www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com Ed Brown Alpha Carry\| Sig P238, P938, P232, 1911 C3 \| Colt Defender, Mustang Pocketlite, 1911 \| Rohrbaugh R9 \| Browning, Buckmark 22LR(suppressed) \| Kahr PM9 Black Rose \| S&W\|M&P C.O.R.E RMR Trijicon \| Dan Wesson ECO

November 18, 2008, 01:26 PM	#25
rogertc1 Junior member Join Date: December 17, 2004 Location: Maquoketa Posts: 1,335	I believe you this time Last edited by rogertc1; November 20, 2008 at 04:17 AM.