What's your view on the Taurus Judge

[jtb1967]

Overly large for CCW.

.410 shot is ineffective for SD, and not much better for snakes.

It's a Taurus.

There's 3 good reasons.

I think 2 1/2 of those could be valid. As far as a 410 not being effective on snakes, you must have some huge armored snakes where you live. the 410 is deadly on the rattle snakes and copperheads we have around here.

[m.p.driver]

Woman down in New Orleans shot her husband with one a couple of months ago and he kept on running,it made the news.Other than that too big for its intended purpose.

[Tom Servo]

Woman down in New Orleans shot her husband with one a couple of months ago and he kept on running,it made the news.

Yep. She shot him to teach him a lesson, and because she didn't think it would cause serious harm. Then she found out the hard way that, regardless of loading, the law considers it a deadly weapon.

There was another case where a guy shot his daughter's boyfriend in the crotch with birdshot from one. Same outcome.

It's not Taurus' fault, but the marketing seems to have mutated into some weird meme that's outgrown common sense.

[jimbob86]

Overly large for CCW.

.410 shot is ineffective for SD, and not much better for snakes.

It's a Taurus.

There's 3 good reasons.

I think 2 1/2 of those could be valid.

How is it only 1/2 a Taurus?

[jimbob86]

Birdshot out of a .410 *shotgun* is certainly adequate for snakes.... but out of the Judge's rifled barrel, the shot pattern is so diffuse as to make hitting a snake at anything further than "I coulda' used a shovel" ranges ........... um, .....problematic.

And as for those of you that have a problem with killing venomous snakes out of hand ...... well, you ain't from here, and I am glad to hear it. You preserve all the dangerous critters you want to in YOUR neck of the woods. 'Round here, if I see it as a threat to me and mine.... well, being venomous is a bad survival strategy.

[jtb1967]

The couple judges I've fired shot effective snake patterns at far more than shovel range. They were still short range weapons, but further than any stick, shovel, etc. would reach and better than any standard shot load from a 44 or 45

[MLeake]

... then the snake isn't really a threat, and one could probably just avoid it.

If one needs to hunt snakes, for instance to protect livestock, then a real shotgun is more useful.

If one wants to react to a snake at close quarters, a stick in the hand is faster than a Judge in the holster.

At ranges where a snake is a threat, a shotshell in a regular revolver, with less bulk and weight, will work.

Just don't see the appeal to the Judge...

[TMackey]

Just don't see the appeal to the Judge...

You don't have to buy one.

I plan on getting one just for snakes.

Kinda hard to use a shovel on a moccasin while you are skulling a jon boat around a pond fishing.

[gyvel]

Yet another answer to a question that wasn't asked.

[jimbob86]

The couple judges I've fired shot effective snake patterns at far more than shovel range. They were still short range weapons, but further than any stick, shovel, etc. would reach and better than any standard shot load from a 44 or 45

The only snake situation where a shot capsule or a "Judgecrappy" shot pattern wouuld beat the 124gr hp's I already carry would be in a boat: both the snake and I at the same time. Such a situation would not long endure, boat be damned.

[mavracer]

The couple judges I've fired shot effective snake patterns at far more than shovel range. They were still short range weapons, but further than any stick, shovel, etc. would reach and better than any standard shot load from a 44 or 45

Sound like some conjecture there.
I had a T/C contender 45 colt .410 many years ago and have quite a bit of experiance shooting various critters that exist on a farm. Now my T/C barrel hac a external choke tube that made the .410 pattern pretty good 20-25 yards I could bring down Squirrels and even shot 1/2 dozen doves with it.Problem was you couldnt shoot .45 Colts with the choke in place so quite frequenty I took to carrying it without the choke so as to have a hot 45 Colt avaliable if needed. That made the 410 pattern huge with shot big enough to retain enough energy to kill at more than 8-10 yards there were holes in the pattern plenty big enough for small critters to avoid being hit.
Around the same time I found using CCI shot capsules in 357 and 44 quite effective in the same situation and have used enough of them to have found what velocity and shot works best and to have gone through a 5# bag of #10 shot.
I can tell you that 44/45 shot capsuls at 8-10 yards on wood rats work just as well as a .410/45 with a rifled barrel and no choke.
Now if your happy with your judge thats great I'm happy for ya.
Just be happy and stop tryin' to pee on my leg and convince me it's raining.

[JerryM]

My own view is that if someone offered me one, and I had to keep it I would not accept it.

Regards,
Jerry

[abelacres]

That's harsh Jerry.

I want one BUT only as a novelty- therefore it's pretty low on my list of 'Guns I Want To Buy' (about third from the bottom)

Jimbob- +1
JBweld will fix bullet holes in aluminum boats

[jtb1967]

Sound like some conjecture there.
I had a T/C contender 45 colt .410 many years ago and have quite a bit of experiance shooting various critters that exist on a farm. Now my T/C barrel hac a external choke tube that made the .410 pattern pretty good 20-25 yards I could bring down Squirrels and even shot 1/2 dozen doves with it.Problem was you couldnt shoot .45 Colts with the choke in place so quite frequenty I took to carrying it without the choke so as to have a hot 45 Colt avaliable if needed. That made the 410 pattern huge with shot big enough to retain enough energy to kill at more than 8-10 yards there were holes in the pattern plenty big enough for small critters to avoid being hit.
Around the same time I found using CCI shot capsules in 357 and 44 quite effective in the same situation and have used enough of them to have found what velocity and shot works best and to have gone through a 5# bag of #10 shot.
I can tell you that 44/45 shot capsuls at 8-10 yards on wood rats work just as well as a .410/45 with a rifled barrel and no choke.
Now if your happy with your judge thats great I'm happy for ya.
Just be happy and stop tryin' to pee on my leg and convince me it's raining.

If you tell me your 357 and 44 revolvers are shooting patterns just as effective as a 410 load from the judge, I'd say you may spend a lot of time at a keyboard but ZERO actually comparing actual patterned loads at the range.

[ET.]

Bottom line is most Judge owners like the gun for what it is. Most of the bashers have no experience with the gun. A lot of mis-information on this thread from people who have never fired this gun.

[mavracer]

If you tell me your 357 and 44 revolvers are shooting patterns just as effective as a 410 load from the judge, I'd say you may spend a lot of time at a keyboard but ZERO actually comparing actual patterned loads at the range.

read then reread then post.
I said the .357 is quite effective and that 44/45s work just as well out to 10 yards.
now to be fair I didn't reload for .410 so my ammo selection was Factory .410s VS. reloads for the 357/44 and 45. so shot size for .410 was pretty much limited to 6s or 7 1/2 in 3". there are only about 150 #6s and 225 #7 1/2 in a .410 the CCI Factory 44/45 loads carry about 200 #9s and my 44/45reloads have close to 300 #10s and will dispatch medium size rodents with a vengence.I did find a box of 2 1/2" skeet loads that had 1/2 oz of #9 shot they worked good but back then they were prohibativly expensive.
I'd also admit the Judge is probably a better woods carry gun than my Contender was, but I sold the Contender years ago it's been replaced by a battery of guns which all make better guns for the Judges intended purpose IMHO.heck a 3" Judge is the same OAL as my 4" Redhawk (probably longer since I did a round butt conversion on it) and since I reload I can use the 45 shot capsuls in 45 ACP brass and load them in my 3" shorter 21oz Smith 325pd.

[mavracer]

Bottom line is most Judge owners like the gun for what it is. Most of the bashers have no experience with the gun. A lot of mis-information on this thread from people who have never fired this gun.

It would seem to me that you have that quite backward.It seems to me Judge owners either realize they are a novelty and like that or bought the advertizing hype and just haven't tried anything else. The Critics have found something that works better for them.

[P97]

I don't have any desire to own a Judge. I will say this. I have killed many snakes with my CCW and hard bullets. If you can't kill a snake from 2-7 yards with your CCW, then you need a different CCW, or a lot more practice. I know a lot of people that uses their CCW for snakes without shot shells.

[chiefr]

I have never owned of fired a Judge. However, two of the most popular gun shops in my area claim the Judge as their best seller.
Having said that, I have noticed quite a few USED Judges for sale as well.

[Tamara]

The continued sales success of the Taurus Judge and its spinoffs is the harshest possible condemnation of the general firearms and ballistics knowledge level of the average American shooter I have ever seen.

[pax]

Tom Givens got it right when he reviewed the gun for SWAT Magazine. That article is a thing of beauty.

pax

[jimbob86]

KBCraig in comments at the FirearmBlog got it nearly right:

this huge unwieldy lump of marketing.

I think if he had put in "steaming" after "unwieldy" he'd have it summed up pretty well.

[Long Path]

I know exactly ONE (1) person who can show benefit from a Tauras Judge. She is a Farm Mom, who spends a lot of time on the family farm in the SE Colorado plains. There is no shortage of rattlers out there, and she is deathly afraid of snakes. She opencarries that Judge wherever she goes, in a strong-side holster with birdshot loads.

It's not a terribly poor answer to her particular problem.

On the other hand, it's not the only answer to her needs, either.

[TMackey]

The continued sales success of the Taurus Judge and its spinoffs is the harshest possible condemnation of the general firearms and ballistics knowledge level of the average American shooter I have ever seen.

Do you still sell S&W's?

I know exactly ONE (1) person who can show benefit from a Tauras Judge. She is a Farm Mom, who spends a lot of time on the family farm in the SE Colorado plains. There is no shortage of rattlers out there, and she is deathly afraid of snakes. She opencarries that Judge wherever she goes, in a strong-side holster with birdshot loads.

It's not a terribly poor answer to her particular problem.

That goes for a lot of us.

[shurshot]

First and foremost, I like Taurus firearms. I have a mid 1980's vintage model 66 .357 and a model 99 .9MM (adj. sights), both bought new in 86', used HARD for the last 25 years, and still going strong, without ANY issues.

But as far as the "Judge", IMHO it is just a gimmick that appeals to entry level shooters that don't know any better. No insult intended towards anyone, but having fired .410 pistols in the past out of both long and short (snubby) barrels, as far as I am concerned the shot colum spreads out too quickly out of the short barrels to be effective at more than a few feet. A T/C contender or the old Stevens mod 35 Autoshot shotgun pistol (AOW under the 1933 Federal law), in .410 is a great small game weapon out to 20-25 yards and VERY handy. But these short barreled Judges (and single shot clones), are better off with .45 LC ammo.

I have a little single shot (Cobra) .45/.410 (I bought it years ago on a whim, before I knew any better), and quickly found out it was, and still is, "useless". We all go through a learning curve! In fact, you have to stand about 3 feet away from anything to get any "pattern" at all. And at that range, I would prefer my machete or axe if I felt I needed to kill a snake. That Cobra was just a waste of my fifty bucks, and I still kick myself for even looking twice at it. In fact, I think I'll dig that damm thing out and smash it with my old sledge hammer, just for the fun of it...

As far as a "snake gun", a better option might be a good Ruger Single Six, or semi-auto pistol in .22LR, if you are close to home and or have to kill the snake.

That being said, if you want one (Taurus Judge), buy it. Just don't expect the dealer to be thrilled and offer you top dollar when you try to trade it in towards a better weapon in 6 months.