LC9 and Judge Ultra Light Review

[skt239]

Hello all,

This weekend I got to shoot two guns I have very little experience with, the Taurus Judge and Ruger LC9. I thought I would share my thoughts on the two handguns.

LC9 - I didn't like this gun from the get go. I found the grip to too narrow and the trigger to be simply awful. I honestly can say it has one of the worst DAO triggers I've ever felt. I've dry fired one in the past but I don't remember it being that bad. However, after a few mags I was banging the metal plate with rapid fire at about 7 yards. While the ergo's and trigger didn't work for me, the LC9 was very accurate. I also like the sites and the way the gun is designed; it seems like it would make a fine carry piece for someone who it worked for. We probably fired 100 round total and didn't have a single malfunction.

Taurus Judge - I never thought I'd get the chance to fire a Judge so I was excited at the opportunity. This was a Taurus Ultra lite with what I believe was a 4 inch barrel. We fired both .410 and 45LC from the same distance as the LC9, 7 yards. Unfortunately, I had the same problems with the Judge as the LC9, grips the trigger. I found the grip on the Judge to be too wide from front to back, if that makes any sense. The odd shaped grips (or maybe my odd shaped hands?) did not allow me to get a good reach on the trigger, as a result I did a lot of single action shooting.

Speaking of triggers, just like the LC9, I did not like the trigger on the Judge. That could be in part to the gun not fitting my hand; however I did do some dry firing and could just feel the weight and grit. The SA portion of the trigger was not bad but still a little stiff.

As for accuracy, there was not much to speak of for the Judge. It was all over the place with both the .410 and the .45LC's. All five shooters, three seasoned and two occasional, had the same issues with accuracy. I was also a bit surprised with the amount of felt recoil from the .410's, it was pretty sharp. Conversely, the .45LC out of the Judge was like shooting wad cutters out of my Vaquero, fairy farts.

Extraction from the Judge was a real hassle. The .410's had to be pried out and the .45LC's would slip under the ejection star. That to me seemed like a serious problem as its not easy to get the shells out once they've slipped underneath the star. The owner of the judge plans on calling Taurus this week about the issue...

We also shot a S&W 422 (another one I've never shot) but that was boring accurate and reliable. All said, it was a fun fathers day shoot. Although the guns did not fit me well I still had a great time shooting them. Here's some pics for your viewing pleasure.

 

[jimbo555]

A rubber sleeve improves the lc9 grip,and the trigger improves the more you use it.The most important thing for me is the reliability of my lc9,it eats anything I feed it which for a subcompact is rare!

 

[husbandofaromanian]

I am probably among a few people who actually like the judge. Mine is a Public Defender. Shooting Federal (000buck X 4) I will hit paper to 25 yards. It also makes an ideal snake gun at point blank range. Therefor, my Judge (Public Defender) is my field personal defense. All of my pleasure shooting is done with a supressed G2 Contender Pistol.

 

[skt239]

A rubber sleeve improves the lc9 grip,and the trigger improves the more you use it.The most important thing for me is the reliability of my lc9,it eats anything I feed it which for a subcompact is rare!

Honestly I think I was too harsh in my words about the trigger. I guess I just don't like it but I don't think it's fair to call it awful. I agree on the Houge hand all, they would correct the grip issue I had. Other than that, seems like the ideal CCW.

As for the judge, maybe the owner just got a lemon? If He sends it back I'll update.

 

[bassdogs]

There are two of us [Judge lovers] so you're not alone. Can't believe these guys couldn't hit the target with the Judge at 7 yards. I also have a Public Defender in stainless and have found it to be reliable and accurate at typical SD ranges. Even my wife [who has very limited shooting experience] has found it easy to hold on target and has had no problems with the recoil.

Don't want to fire up another Judge hater thread, and have said before it's not the Be All gun for everyone. Just had to say I have never had the issues of extraction or accuracy reported by this thread. Also what is a F fart? If thats what you call the 45LC HP's I have backing up the 410 buck, they must be coming from some pretty stout fairys.

 

[skt239]

Bassdogs,

The Judge was just not accurate, I think it's the gun considering how many people shot it. That and the ejection problem is why I thought he should send it back.

When did this become a hate thread? I simply tried out a gun and reported my findings. No big deal. Fairy farts may not be the best term but what I meant was, there was practically no recoil from the .45LC I shot out of the judge, especially compared to the .410 loads we were shooting. Also, no where in my post did i say I had a problem with the recoil. I just found it to be more than I had anticipated and since the gun didnt fit my hand well it was probably more pronounced. Certainly nothing I said was meant to ruffle any feathers, just my honest experience with the gun.

 

[Nushif]

Seven yards and not hitting something from even a remotely decent shooter in my mind would indicate a bad weapon, too, tbh. The extractor slipping over the ring just reinforces that.

Of the three judges I've shot (hehe, always wanted to say that with a cigar in the corner of my mouth) none of them were what I would call inaccurate or "bad triggered."

I've learned a while ago though, that when people say "bad trigger" in whatever words they're using ... in my own mind I have to temper that with "as compared to the gun I am the most familiar with or a fullsized match grade gun." This may not always be the case but I've heard "bad trigger" and "inaccurate" too often in online reviews to still take it at face value.

Love the lines of the LC9 though ... beautiful gun, but the grip is thin even for my tastes and the first modification to my 1911 was the thin grips. 8(

 

[bassdogs]

skt239 -=- And all I said was I like the weapon and my experience does not mirror your report. As for accuracy, I find it hard to understand how you could have found it to be so accurate as to make the statement that you did when shooting a weapon at 7 yards. Having just watched a SD video that pointed out that SD shooting was not about bull's eye target shooting but rather about hitting a Kill zone at 3 - 7 yards. I again contend that if you can hit the KZ with any other handgun, you would also be able to do the same with the judge. Sorry I can't believe that there are realistic findings in your report.

Then what I said to the other poster is that he is not alone in likeing the Judge. This is not a hate thread, just pointing out that your report seems to repeat the internet buzz that the judge is not accurate and is mechanically defective. Interesting that they [Tarus and S&W] have sold hundreds of thousands of these 410 guns with so few complaints. Is it just that the judge is made by Tarus and the Govnor by the beloved S&W?

I close that my Judge is often to be my SD gun when driving or hiking.

 

[skt239]

Sorry if you think I'm lying but the gun was extremely inaccurate. Maybe the next time I get a chance to shoot it I'll take some video from a rest, that's if he has not sent it back by then.

I'm not surprised by your disbelief. I've seen a lot of people called liars when reporting problems with guns. Especially when it comes to Taurus.

 

[1KPerDay]

Thanks for taking the time to write a report.

 

[tryshoot]

I think that is a good review. Thank you. Everybody has guns that don't shoot average. I've some shoot better, and some shot really bad like you.

 

[skt239]

Thanks guys. I think the Judge I shot was a poor example of what is a very popular gun. I think with a grip change (are there replacement grips for the Judge?) and some repairs and I'd really enjoy it. As for the Ruger, as I said before, I was too harsh in my initial judgement of the trigger. I think with a houge hand all and more shooting time and I'd probably like it. Also, I'm not pro but certainly not a novice either. I have plenty of experience with DAO triggers and large frame revolvers. Again, this is not a bashing thread just my honest experience.

 

[beag_nut]

As I have posted before elsewhere, the LC9 doesn't allow my trigger finger to travel all the way without serious pinching.
As for the Judge, I spoke to someone who has one, and he figures it's only good for the first five or six rounds, without reloading. But those .410 shotshells should make it pretty easy not to miss the target. And for reliability, it is still only a Taurus.

 

[jimmy morocco]

I've got an LC9 and I agree the trigger pull is bad but it has smoothed out a bit and w/a rest I've hit empty 12 gauge shells @ 25yds not every time but damn close. My biggest complaint is carrying the gun. In a pocket or absolutely strong side it's fine, but carried closer to the back of strong side the magazine release has actually released, not causing the mag to drop but enough so that because of the safety system on the gun it would prevent firing. I'm to over weight 5'8" @ 165lbs but that's apparently enough if the gun is in an inside the waist band holster.

 

[skt239]

We are heading back up to the in laws place this weekend and I'll get more trigger time with the two. This time I plan on benching the Taurus, even though I'm certain it's the gun and not the shooters. I also would like to shoot the LC9 some more, I think I can get used to the trigger with some patience. I also will get a chance to shoot a Bond Arms with a load of barrel replacements, a Colt Python (I've shot a few in the past) a Springer TRP and a 3rd generation S&W .45 but not sure of the model. Needless to say, I'm excited for Saturday

 

[skt239]

Well the Judge is off the Miami so I didn't get a chance to shoot it. The LC9 was there and I spent some more time with it. I found a Houge grip sleeve at home that I brought along and what a difference it made. When I has first shot the gun it was brand new, since then the owner and a few of his friends have put close to 1500 rounds through it. That really made a big difference for the trigger. It seemed much easier to pull of quick double and even triple taps. Today really got me thinking about adding a LC9.