Taurus Judge For The Wife to use??

You know, if she is not going to be carrying this gun, I'd give the S&W 686+ some serious consideration. 7 rounds are better than 5, and a little extra weight will help with recoil. Not that 38's have much to begin with though. With the right grip, a K frame may be a good option.

I just want to share. The story I mentioned above, about the cylinder falling off my buddy"s Judge was on the second Judge he owned. The first one had such a bad timing issue that one of the chambers wouldn't fire at all. Another friend had a 6" Taurus .357. His timing was off so bad that the gun was close to binding up. 4 chambers had super loose lock up, and 2 of them there was almost no cylinder gap at all.

Two different people, three different bad Taurus revolvers. All of them have been resold. I have heard that there semi-autos are much better quality, but after my own first hand experience (3 x over), and all the bad stories I've read about Taurus customer service makes that a "Never Buy" company for me.

Thesae are guns that I handled, and shot first hand. This is not a "friend of a friend's cousin told me" story. If you really want a .45/.410 revolver, spend tha money and get a S&W Govenor. JMO

Since it will be for Home defence and not conceal carry

Get a 4" 357 or 38 that fits her hand and she likes it to start with

Doesn't matter how much it weighs sitting in a drawer. People seem to want the smallest and lightest hard hitting firearm for a drawer gun. It recoils hard the first time they take it out, get scared of it, don't practice.

4" will have a better sight radius (longer barrel) and less felt recoil (weight absorbs some recoil)

She will shoot it better (feel more confindent) and shoot more often (more training)

As she shoots better, she will want to shoot more (hopefully) that's when you get her something a little smaller and lighter for carry.

Just went through this with my daughter. She doesn't do well under stress and was having difficulty with handguns. We bought her a short barreled pump 12 ga. and she's doing very well with it. We continue working on the handguns, but until her proficiency improves she will depend on the pump for HD.

We bought her a short barreled pump 12 ga. and she's doing very well with it.

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Excellent!!!

I second the nomination for a K frame 38 Special. Mine is a model 67 that has a 4" barrel. My hands are not large or particularly strong, and this thing feels like it is pointing itself.

My suggestion; if your budget allows for it get a solid 38 special (trade in if necessary) and spend the rest of your money on the lightest ammo you can find. Don't shoot at targets; shoot at steel. It's pass/fail and that pinging noise is satisfying. Oh, and bring it in as close as you need to for her to get half her shots on the plate. When she can do that, move it back a little.

Good grief, when I read the first post I mentally put in 4 INCHES at 10 yards. Here I'm reading down through the posts and everyone is saying that if she's shooting that bad that a Judge won't help any. Had to go back and re-read.

First things first. JekiKnight, you need to get her some lessons to stop her from clutching at the gun. With that sort of spread she's obvoiusly got a QUEEN SIZE flinch or is clutching at the gun as though she's literally squeezing the bullets out herself instead of letting the powder do its job... She needs to read and practice the factors related to shooting accurately in terms of proper and stable grip and how to build pressure on the trigger rather than snap at it.

As for the gun forget about the Judge. It's a heavy gun. Worse than that it's got a very muzzle heavy feel. She's far, far better off with something like the SP101 or a K frame S&W with a 4 inch barrel.

From the way she's reacting to shooting by the size of the groups it doesn't sound like it's something she is enjoying all that much. Or maybe she's not comfortable with all the noise and shock yet. If she's commited to becoming a decent shot then I agree with the other folks that a .22 for the two of you to share for a practice gun would be a nice way to go.

In addition it may be worth finding and watching and IDPA match in your area. If she thinks it looks like a style of shooting that she would enjoy then it'll give her goals to work towards in terms of safe handling of the gun along with a good blend of accuracy and speed in her shooting.

I'm a big believer in the idea that you react like you practice. And if all she ever does is shoot at a fixed alley at a range and handle the gun in a certain way then that is how she'll shoot all the time. And for a home situation that's not always a good thing. Something like IDPA puts us into a little pressure from the need to perform, makes us a lot more aware of safety in handling the gun and to make decently good decisions in terms of shoot or don't (no shoots and the like). It also encourages accurate shooting from a variety of stances and positions. There's even the possibility of some darker indoor flashlight lit practice depending on the clubs you find.

Most of all though she needs to get a low recoiling gun and work on the basics. With the way she's shooting now even the "bagel spread" of a Judge woudn't do much for hitting and disabling a bad guy. And then there's the risk that a round would travel past the bad guy and out of the house. Unless you've got brick outside walls this is a very real risk.

JediKnight said:

So my wife and I have been discussing getting her a home defense gun for about a year now. She doesn't like my semi-autos so we've been looking at different revolvers. We've pretty much been set on the Ruger SP101 so she could use .38 specials or 357's whatever she felt more comfortable shooting. Last weekend we went shooting and I had her practice with my 9mm glock and she was making about 4 foot groups at maybe 10 yards. I'm wondering if maybe I ought to get her a taurus judge. Would the spread from that be adequate to compensate for her shooting ability at all. I want to use straight buckshot either 000 or 0000. What kind of groups could I expect at 3-5 yards. I'm guessing it will be almost insignificant. She likes the sp101 a lot more. If I'm not going to get any spread from the judge at these ranges I'd prbably just go with the ruger.

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If she's looking for a carry gun, then forget the Judge. If she's looking for a gun for serious self defense, then forget the Judge. The Ruger SP101 or GP100 is the way to go; they're rock solid guns, super accurate, are easy to carry, and handle recoil better than most revolvers.

Also, some practicing wouldn't help. If she's getting 4' groups with a 9mm Glock, the spread from .410 buckshot isn't going to help her in the slightest, if she can't even hit the target.

If your wife stinks with a handgun, then don't give her a handgun for self defense. It's really that simple. My wife is in the same boat in terms of proficiency. You need to either improve her proficiency with pistols or go with something else like a longarm.

Also the Judge is kind of an answer for a question no one asked. .410 out of a pistol is not likely to be a manstopper. If you use slugs, then you'd do better with .45 colt out of a revolver dedicated to that chambering.

I second the nomination for a K frame 38 Special.

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Definitely a viable option. You can pick up a descent model 10 for under $300. The k-frame in 38 has a great balance, feel, trigger, and manageable recoil.

If she is grouping 4 feet at 10 yards with a standard centerfire, throwing the rather unpredictable patterning of the Judge into the mix will likely turn that in to a 6 to 7' group over a cylinder full at the same distance. With groups like that, at the moment, she is probably better served by a Louisville Slugger. And I'm not saying that to be nasty, it's just my opinion.

But that can be corrected. It sounds to me like she is flinching and possibly also closing her eyes for each shot. That is a relatively common newbie habit, particularly for those that might be more than a little gun shy, pardon the pun. The first few times my mother fired a gun (a .22 Heritage Rough Rider) she scrunched her eyes shut, grimaced, and craned her head and neck away from the gun as far as possible.

All in all, a .22 is the absolute best place to start. If someone is having trouble learning to drive a stick shift, it'd probably be a piss poor idea to start them out on a '70 Olds 442 with a torque monster, teeth rattling Rocket 455, wouldn't it? The SP101 is a nice little gun, and as another pointed out, it is also available in .22 again. She could start with the .22, then pick up a .38 or .357 later as her skills and confidence grow. With a .22 and good training, she'll likely be achieving quite respectable groups within an hour or so. As for .357 Magnum, I'm rather confident with my revolver shooting abilities, but I still stick to .38 Special for reduced blast and kick, which result in easier, faster (for me) follow-up shots.

The only reservation I have with current SP101s is that the triggers on most are fairly lousy (rough and gritty). They can be cleaned up by a competent gunsmith though. She might also consider S&W J and K Frames.

Another possibility is the long gun option. Shotgun or carbine, most folks will find a shoulder fired weapon easier to manage good, solid hits with. Granted, many don't care for 12 gauge kick, so maybe something in a 20 (let her try, of course). Or a rifle with only mild kick, like an M-1 Carbine or 5.56 AR. These may not be viable options for her, but it's something to at least ponder.

.410 handguns beat pepper spray hands down. I also suspect they may produce a whole lot of pain, but I don't think they would incapacitate as well as most centerfire defensive rounds.

I own a Taurus Judge and the Ruger SP-101 357 model. Also the Ruger LCR 38+P model. My wife can use all of them and has shot them all. Her choice for self defense, the Ruger LCR.

If you haven't already traded your wife for a judge, I'd recommend investing in some handgun training for her. Sounds like she's jerking the gun off target and excessive amount.

Most folks can at least group within a 2" area at ten yards after training.

Don't do it...

I would not recommend the Judge. I owned a Taurus Judge for a few months. The gun spent more time in their repair shop than it did in my home--and they never did get it to work reliably. That, combined with my frustration with their condescending and obnoxious representatives convinced me to trade the gun at my first opportunity and vow to never buy another Taurus product.

nelson133 said:

Hitting a bad guy with one buckshot pellet somewhere is not something I would want anyone I cared about to depend on.

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If you only manage to hit them with ONE buckshot pellet, you would have most likely missed them entirely with a single projectile firearm (ie, pistol). And if you train to do better, you'll likely hit them with all 3 or 4 or 5, depending on the load.

One beats none any day of the week. 2, 3, 4, 5? Just icing on the cake.

I would have to disagree with most of the responses. My wife owns a judge, practices with it, knows it 's limitations and stays within the typical attacker range of 15 ft. During my CCW course our inrstructor told us 12' and charging keep pulling till they stop charging. My expectations are that the bad guy suspect approaches, either in car or on foot, means get gun in hand still concealed but as the distance closed start point toward him/her (got to be PC with our senarios). Statistically, self-defense ranges are 5-12 feet for CCW, but more for LE. It is two levels of gun responsibility. Her Judge will put all 4 or 5 tripple "0"s on a man size target at that range. If half the load is of a bit there are more coming in rapid fire succession with repeated trigger pulls.

There is just no way to compare a Judge in a test with a typical pistol. It is more of a point and shoot gun. With a bit of practice and muscle memory, works for close up social work.

I might add the gun she buys should fit what see feels is her needs, is not afraid of, and will practice with. The recoil on our Judge with 2/12 inch loads is easily managed. I think if we had it to do over again, the 2/12 inch chamber would be easier to handle.

Judges are also available a laser to help close up sighting, especially at night.

Buy the SP101. Clean the factory crap out of it and lube it. Dry fire the living crap out of it. Then dry fire it some more. I dry fire my revolvers at least 2000 times before I ever shoot them. When ever I get the chance I dry fire in between range times. Then load it with ammo she can control and hit with. Forget about the Judge.

I find it amusing that people are such Internet Experts on everything, especially on guns that they, themselves, have never owned, or shot. Then, to make it even more ludicrous, they recommend the Governor over the Judge, even though it does the EXACT same thing.

All of the 686s, Judges, Governor's, and so on discussed, will only teach the woman to flinch.

Start her in a .22, but move up to a more powerful round, unless she cannot physically handle them. Forget the .22 Magnum, it has the same priming system as the .22 long rifle, and misfires are just as likely.

The Ruger SP101 is the best choice mentioned so far. Or another gun in that frame-size. Even an over-priced S&W, if you don't know any better, might be reliable enough to trust her life to.

In the end, let her make the choice. Ownership by choice will make practice more attractive to her.

Buy her the SP 101 and a bunch of 38 wadcutters low noise, low recoil and often very accurate. Later step up to more hyper rounds.
The Judge is a solution to a nonexisting problem. I see no reason for over sized Judge. My .02 worth.

My wife of 51 years has been a long time shooter and understands firearms very well. She is 70 years old and still reloads her own ammo and has several personal handguns.

About a year ago she bought her a Judge with 3" cylinder and it is her home and car defense weapon of choice. When she goes to bed at night, she places it within easy reach and in the exact same position so there is no guessing in the dark.


On a man size paper target, in just a couple seconds and DA, she can unleash 25 triple ought buck (.36 caliber balls) into center mass of target at 20 feet.

I find it amusing that people are such Internet Experts on everything, especially on guns that they, themselves, have never owned, or shot.

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one does not need to own a blunderbuss to know that it is not an effective weapon beyond a very short range.

Profesional Defensive TRAINING, not by you. After that I'd look at some TRAINING. Followed by some more TRAINING.

I like revolvers but, semi-auto's have less recoil. If she had some TRAINING she should could handle either one. Let her develop some skills before you settle on a gun.

Don't forget long guns. These too, require Training.

Of course, we as men, are natural born shooters and hunters and lovers of women. We don't need any training!

If it's not a carry gun, don't go small. A mid to full size gun is easier to shoot well and handles recoil better. Why sacrifice these things, if you don't have to?

The Judge is novel. It would make an incredible snake gun...

one does not need to own a blunderbuss to know that it is not an effective weapon beyond a very short range.

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Only because others have actually tested, without Internet pontification.

Only because others have actually tested, without Internet pontification

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Absolutely

That and an understanding of physics.