454 / Judge Magnum Questions

[damoc]

This might be the right place to ask this question I want to be able to shoot some high power handgun rounds such as the .454 casull and will buy a new handgun soon.My question is between a straight .454 casull and a raging judge magnum I like to and will continue to shoot mostly .45 colt which the .454 casull should do nicely but the taurus judge although it has the ability to shot .410 shot shells the extra chamber length im worried will give .45 colt and .454 casull to much time to accelerate before hitting rifeling affecting accuracy and handgun lifespan.
Any opinions?

 

[gotboostvr]

I think the 410 handgun thing is all hype. I think you'd be better served with a Ruger Redhawk or Blackhawk among others.

If a shot shell is a necessity I'd rather use the CCI shells in a "normal" gun than 410 from one of those monstrosities.

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

Here it is again. What ungodly reason do you need .410 in a handgun for ? Snakes? CCI makes shotshells in handgun calibers. The ability to use slugs? A conventional slug in .45 caliber will be more effective than any slug out of the same gun. Buckshot? For every one brand that patterns even remotely decent there's a dozen that dont. They make no sense that I can see.

 

[MikeInOr]

I can see how a Judge or Governor might make a good boat gun but the Raging bull is so big I can't see how it is practical for anything, even just a range gun. I too would opt for a Ruger or BFR in 454.

 

[gotboostvr]

I can see how a Judge or Governor might make a good boat gun...

... as an anchor maybe.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

My 460 mag doesn't particularly like several 45 Colt loadings.

Chamber length can be an issue and especially if .410 chambers are involved.

I see no reason to shoot .410 out of a handgun. If you want a gun accurate with 460 mag and 454, get a S&W Xframe. If you want to shoot 454 and 45 Colt, look at a Super Redhawk.

 

[MikeInOr]

... as an anchor maybe.

After hooking a sturgeon once and having no way to bring it on board I bought a little double barrel .410 which is perfect for dispatching a big fish. Just because a .410 handgun doesn't have any use to you doesn't mean it doesn't have any use to anyone else!

P.S. I also have some .410 flares on board if the need ever arises.

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

After hooking a sturgeon once and having no way to bring it on board I bought a little double barrel .410 which is perfect for dispatching a big fish. Just because a .410 handgun doesn't have any use to you doesn't mean it doesn't have any use to anyone else!

P.S. I also have some .410 flares on board if the need ever arises.

Rarely ever having to dispatch a big fish (and yes I fish quite a bit in fact my father was a custom rod builder) theres no reason to not carry a gun that can fire a single projectile. The .410 handgun offers nothing over conventional ammo for ANY task. Flares can be fired out of a dedicated flare gun or an actual shotgun, I wish I could say "it makes no sense to me personally" but it just doesnt "make sense" in general

 

[damoc]

Sorry did not see these replies until today.No I don't feel I need a handgun that can fire shot shells but I do want a high powered handgun if it can shoot .410 shot shell and shorter .454 casul and .45 colt without a penalty to accuracy or firearm lifespan I think that's a bonus but primarily I want a .454 casul /+P .45 colt.I do consider a .410 shot shell out of a handgun to be a great home defense weapon so the Taurus is worth looking at.

 

[hirundo82]

I do consider a .410 shot shell out of a handgun to be a great home defense weapon so the Taurus is worth looking at.

Why would you consider it to be remotely a good home defense weapon? Would you consider a .410 shotgun to be a good HD weapon? The .45 Colt/.410 revolvers have all the disadvantages of a .410 (mainly poor payload) without the advantages of a long arm. The slugs have about the energy of a .380, and even the specialized loads have poor penetration. I’ve seen several people shot with these weapons and none of them had what I would consider serious injuries.

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

Sorry did not see these replies until today.No I don't feel I need a handgun that can fire shot shells but I do want a high powered handgun if it can shoot .410 shot shell and shorter .454 casul and .45 colt without a penalty to accuracy or firearm lifespan I think that's a bonus but primarily I want a .454 casul /+P .45 colt.I do consider a .410 shot shell out of a handgun to be a great home defense weapon so the Taurus is worth looking at.

No such gun exists, the shallow grooves on those types of weapons (the smith governor included) do not lend themselves well to firing both pistol and the .410 shell well. The .410 in a handgun is an abysmal self defense tool, a .45 colt with black powder loads will destroy a target, let alone modern self defense loads with a quality HP. If you want a large bore revolver buy a dedicated one, if .454 is your absolute choice go with the regular Taurus Raging Bull or the Ruger Super Redhawk. They will serve you better (especially the ruger) for the remainder of your life and your great great grandchildrens. Oh, and theyll be able to actually stabilize a round.

 

[damoc]

Thanks for all the replies sounds like what I want is a Ruger Super Redhawk.My thinking behind .410 as a home defense round is based on usage for hunting yes it has lower payload but I could never consider it underpowered at least out of a regular barrel.Also as a home defense weapon I don't want super penetration and I think the extra fast spread out of a rifled barrel at close indoor ranges would be an advantage.But first and foremost I want a accurate shooter in .454 and .45 colt so the Ruger Super Redhawk sounds like what I want.

 

[gotboostvr]

If you want a less penetrating round, a light for caliber JHP driven quickly (say 180gr ~1000 fps) would be much preferred than a few smaller pellets going slower.

For what it's worth, some "personal defense- handgun" marketed 410 loads failed to penetrate ONE water filled milk jug at ten FEET out of my S&W Governor. It was quickly traded off.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I had a Bond Arms Snake Slayer and poor 410 performance was one of the contributing factors that caused me to ditch it in favor of a SA XDs.

Shootability and accuracy beyond 15 feet were the other factors.

I know 410 handguns are popular with several THR members and in the general market, but the performance to me is so mediocre I see no point as a much trimmer 45 caliber revolver will do a better job stopping a target and won't have a stupidly long cylinder and frame and a stupidly short barrel.

@damoc, I think you are making a very good decision on the Ruger Redhawk. I don't want to start down the road of Taurus bashing, but out of 3 Taurus revolvers I've shot, each one had a major quality issue. That's a very small sample size compared to number of Taurus guns out there, but for one person, that's a high failure rate. If you do some online reading also, there are a lot of Taurus horror stories, but also a lot of folks who have really great Taurus revolvers.

That's not to say that Ruger hasn't been having some major issues lately too. There's been a lot of QC issues cropping up there too, but Ruger's track record for fixing defects is much better in my opinion. Either way, post some pics when you bring it home.