Taurus Judge

[jsummers]

Anyone have any firsthand experience with the new Taurus Judge ? My wife can't easily handle the old double barrel we kept for her use, should Home Defense ever be required for her. She's intriqued by this possibility. A shotgun shell in an easier to handle pistol. Anyone really know what a shotshell patterns like out of one of these ? Like most home defense weapons buyers, we're looking for something to use at about 10 yards MAX. My wife's not a bit afraid of firearms but doesn't really want to improve her shooting in order to use/depend upon a traditional pistol, shooting "real" bullets. Thnx

[moccassins]

search Taurus Judge and look at all the complaint threads, read a few and then go from there

[SW1911CT]

I was considering one as a novelty until I did a little research and saw the pictures of blown up guns.

[cavediver27]

I held one at a gun show and that made up my mind :barf: It is the most unbalanced, muzzle heavy gun I ever handled.

[45_Shooter]

My wife's not a bit afraid of firearms but doesn't really want to improve her shooting in order to use/depend upon a traditional pistol, shooting "real" bullets. Thnx

You should really consider convincing her to start practicing more; a Judge is not in any way the solution to a bad shot. A .410 out of a short rifled barrel is not nearly as effective as a quality handgun round or regular length smooth bore shotgun. Unfortunately the only decent round the Judge is capable of firing is the .45 Colt, but due to the long chamber they are not very accurate, and the gun is very large and heavy for the caliber.

What you end up with is potentially either a decent snake gun, or a grossly oversized, inaccurate, mostly impotent self defense gun.

Get her a full size 9mm or a .38 and some training classes, or teach her how to use a real shotgun and you'll be much more happy IMO.

[jimbob86]

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm

I have shot one ..... was not real impressed- I fired at a large (kitchen stove size) cardboard box at 21 feet---- birsdshot scatered over the entire box, with plenty of snake sized gaps in the patern. Using 45 LC, it was accurate enough, but positively huge for the task at hand (house gun). Not to mention barrel heavy......

[old knife buddy]

i think guns and ammo mag. had pics of them blown up i would not give one to my wife.i have shot one and they have a heavy recoil

[kraigwy]

I thought it was a gimic. My wife saw one and thought it would be the cat's meow for her horseback riding (heavy snake area).

Being I like to eat, I bought it for her. She likes it, she can shoot the 410s with no problem (the 45LCs I load are quite mild anyway).

She replaced her carry PPK with the Judge. She just dosnt use it for horse back riding. She works late doing books for a Bar/Liquor/Smoke Shop and makes bank deposits at 3 AM. She takes her judge with her. She figure its dark, low light, so she carries her judge, loaded with #4 shot. She figures a bandit shot in the face would give her time to get out of the area.

After playing with it, I see she has a point. Granted its too big for her to carry on her person (she's scrawny). But she has it in her purse (which I dont like) unless she's making her night deposit, then its in her hand.

Like I said, I've played with it, I'm impressed, I wont replace my 642 with it, but if wife is happy, I eat, if I eat, I'm happy.

JMHO

[jsummers]

Thnx to all but especially to last poster. I knew all the regular answers to home defense- take classes, practice, learn the craft, use a "real" weapon, etc. I agree with them all but what I wanted was 1st hand info like the last post contained. I too, am acting on a sincere request from my wife who isn't able to handle her old shotgun capably anymore. She knows how to use it and operate it well, but its weight has her worried that in a crisis, she might not be able to muster it fast/well enough. She wanted to try a pistol and it sounds as if at least 1 other wife did also.My wife would have it in the bedside table, not toting it around. She thinks it might be a lot easier to access & operate than the ole smothbore. I'm not sold totally; I read the articles, I saw the pictures and I know Taurus is NOT S & W. I just wanted some first hand reports from women that might have tried it. For that- I thank you. Guess I'll try & find one that she can shoot and see what she thinks. Been reading on Bond arms too. Might be another possibility.

jim summers, USAF, ret
C-130 driver

[longranger]

How about ex wives, are they a good gift?

[Keltyke]

I like ours and so does my wife. It's been flawless so far. It's accurate at PD or HD ranges and even farther. The nose heavy condition works to lessen the recoil, especially with .410 shells. The Ribber grips are very comfortable and easy to hold. We have one on our headboard loaded with 2 - .410 #000 buck and three Corbon .45 LC JHP.

[The Great Mahoo]

I'm pretty happy with my Judge. I bought it for hiking/riding in case of snakes and the like. I don't much think its very important to worry about snakes, as they are easily avoided most of the time, but I can't say my dog won't be a little over curious with them. I'm not out to hunt them, but I'd surely kill a snake to keep it form biting one of my animals.

As for the gun, its reasonably accurate w/ .45colts, and handles the .410 shells well enough. Its rather large and heavy, but I keep it secured to my pack (within reach) rather than my belt, so its not much of an issue. A lot of people have voiced concerns with Taurus quality; I have owned 3 including the Judge and never had any problems I would fault the gun for.

The only thing I would warn against is relying on .410 rounds for self defense. .410 in general is rather poor, especially when fired out of a short barrel like the Judge. It may be a good at dissuading attackers, but be sure to keep some .45's in there in case you need a bit more.

[Housezealot]

I have not shot the judge but I have fired a thunder five and I assume the problem I had would be the same on any .410 pistol, Ricochet like crazy with shot shells, the best I can figure its becuse the short barrel, I could be wrong but WEAR EYE PROTECTION. we all know we are always supposed to but I also know some of us let it slip, I had a friend tell me he shot a judge and caught a pellet in the forehead, Just my opinion but be careful.

[curt.45]

How about ex wives, are they a good gift?

only if you give her to someone you don't really like much.

[mec]

Unaware of them blowing up but haven't looked at G*A in a long time. Box of truth material is very close to what I saw. Shot one a couple of days ago.

POI is fairly close to point of am at 25 yard. I was sitting on the ground using my knees for a rest/back rested so the group is not optimal. Same deal with slugs was less impressive:

and the velocity with the circa 90 grain projectile would give it a little more energy than a 380. Velocity from a full lenght shotgun was 1899fps.

Number six shot saturated a small area at 6feet or so, would probably kill a rabbit at 30. I shot at a drink can at 45 feet and didnt hit it with a single pellet.

The three-round buckshot load produced velocities very much like a Colt Pocket police .36 . Two out of three hit this board at 30 feet and all three were good at 15. I suspect it would be a great defensive round at half that distance and even better with the new three inch chamber that holds five tripple ought.


The number six shot penetrated the white pine board 3/8ths to just under 1/2 inch out to 30 feet. Should be good for a snake, rabbit or squirrel at those distances. I have no real knowlege of whether it would be a good defense load at a few feet range but don't like the idea of shooting somebody in the face with it and not killing him.

[Opinated]

I subscribe to G&A magazine. I have not seen any pictures of Taurus Judge with problems in the magazine. Can anyone identify a specific monthly issue of the magazine with such pictures? Until then, I do not believe the claim of such pictures.

[shortwave]

How about ex-wives. Are they a good gift?

You send pics of yours, I`ll send pics of mine and we`ll talk. You should be fore-warned that I`m an expert 'horsetrader'.

[Pyzon]

jsummers-

I continue to get serious kicks out of the number of folks that knew a guy that read about a guy that knew a guy that shot this or that and had a lot of problems with this or that or blah blah blah......

If you are looking for comments or feedback from somebody that actually has an informed opinion about a subject (like having shot it ?) it seems you need to say so any more, doesn't it ?

The Judge is a poor .410 shotgun, imagine that, considering a 3" barrel....

The Judge is not small enough to fit in your pocket, imagine that......

.410 slugs don't work so well, imagine that......Like they work well in a long gun either. (And why would you even try, considering you have the option of the highly regarded .45 Colt ?

And like mec reported, performance at 30-45 yards is spotty at best.....

BUT-

Put this rascal to work in the way that Taurus meant (and if you haven't watched the Judge video yet, it's pretty graphic as to what they had in mind)
at normal home or vehicle defense range of 3-5 yards and you see how well it fills that need, no matter what size shot you might have stuffed inside, let alone again the .45 Colt medicine. No, may not put down a BG with #6 shells but his complexion and vision will never be quite right again.

The Judge really starts to bark if you're lucky enough to be able to hand load some #2 or BB sized lead shot, especialy in the Magnum 3" cylinder.

Consider 60 or so #2 pellets (at 3.76mm or .148" diameter) covering a 12-16" circle at 5 yards, or in the case of lead BB, 32 +/- pellets (.18" or 4.57mm) and you start to realize the destructive potential this thing is capable of.

In other words, you would not be likely to choose any #4 or #6 shotshell in any gauge as a home defense choice when using a long gun. Pump it up on some larger shot and the penetration goes way up due to the same energy being spread between far fewer pellets, and be realistic about the range it would be put to use over. Inside of 5 yards (thats 15', further than a lot of rooms are across, remember) this is some serious mojo !

Beyond that, .45 Colt is a fine longer range alternative too, so load the Judge with 2-3 shotshells followed by 3 or 2 Colts and there is not another pistol that can do what this one can.

After 500 3" shotshells and a few hundred .45's the Judge brings a big smile to my face every time I get it out and let it rip.

Pay no attention to that man behind the screen....he has not shot the Judge !

My 2 cents worth only, my friend.

[jsummers]

Thnx ever so much for feedback on the Judge. I esp appreciate the real photos of it's performance and the first hand reports of those of you (& your wives) who have shot it. I have seen the Tuarus video's but I'd rather depend on this kind of feedback. My intuition tells me that my wife will enjoy shooting it because she's gona' feel like it's giving her a built-in advantage. (I understand the technicals you've all shared and appreciate the comments regarding it only as a home defense weapon, 5-15 yds max) She's gona' be thinking that it's gona' do a job for her, and that'll be a built-in help. Based on past sporting/shooting outings we've had in 35 yrs- I'm betting she's gona' be anxious to getting more proficient & more comfortable with it. I'll let her have fun w/ the 410 using BB's or # 2's as advised, and then sneak up on the actual instruction & shooting refresher work when she gets around to shooting the 45 rounds. Now all I have to do is find one. Both big gun shows up here were last month. HA !! Just my luck. Thnx again guys. You're tops.

[maddog31751]

I became a new Judge owner, back in feb. It is a blued 3" mag, with a 3" barrel. I've given it a pretty good workout, and have to say I'm impressed with mine. Pyzon pretty much hit the nail on the head. Use the Judge, for what it is intended. "In your face" HD, and personal protection. I didn't care for 3" #6 shot, or the rifled slugs. I WAS impressed with the 3" 000 buck[Win], and the 45 LC. I had one load, that while I was impressed with the group, it had issues sticking in the cyl. That was the Golden Bear, #4 buck. The metallic cases stuck hard in the cyl., and on dbl action 2 of 3 failed to fire. I had no issue shooting anything else in dbl. action. Here are some pics, fired at 7-10 yds. I don't profess to be a good handgun shooter[left handed/right eye dominate]. Many could probably shoot better groups, but I was pleased. Here are some pics.



The Judge



Golden Bears. Decent groups, but reliability issues.



45LC. The gun shoots better than me.



Win. 000 buck, fired dbl. action at 10 yds.

maddog

[5Wire]

I haven't seen any photos of blown up Taurus Judges and I found nothing of the sort on G&A's site. On the other hand, there are cautions about firing 3-in shells in the 2-1/2 inch revolver. The box of truth was on the 2-1/2 inch version. The three inch version, it seems, is another story and removes some of the doubts in some peoples minds.