Apple a Day
Member
I finally got hold of a Taurus Judge owned by a buddy and connived him into going to the range with me. He does some contract work serving court papers to nonviolent people. So far they've stayed nonviolent but he totes along his Taurus Judge as insurance (see picture).
I've tested various calibers for penetration versus old books, amassing a short table. Included is data on .410 shells fired from a Rossi break-open with a 23" bbl. I've wanted to shoot the same shells from a Judge to see how much the barrel length affects penetration. Today I got my chance.
The short version: My personal opinion is that I'd avoid the Judge as my personal self defense firearm.
The long version: I set a target out at 15 yards (the closest allowed at the range) and plied it with Winchester PDX-1 rounds, 000 buckshot, #6 shot, and some .45 Long Colt (250 grain cowboy loads).
All shells were 2.5" since that's the longest that version of the Judge could hold.
Results: see picture.
Penetration. You will notice that the copper disks from the PDX-1 shells and two of the 000 pellets are stuck in the cover of the book. Also, the BB's from the PDX-1 and #6 barely stuck into the cover. None made their way into the actual book. The .45LC rounds flattened out nicely into immense gobs of lead, were consistent, but only made it ~270 pages.
For contrast here are some of the results from other calibers below. All handgun/rifle rounds were fired at 25 yards while the shotgun shells were fired at 15. Data below is AFTER passing through the cover.
for reference:
23" barrel .410 PDX1=trio of disks: 1180 pages (through and stop)
single disks: 721 pages, 899 pages (average ~810 pages)
BB's: from 231 to 315 pages (average ~275 pages)
000 Buckshot: ~820 pages
9x19mm FMJ= 900 pages
9x19mm 115 grain HP = 500 pages
.38Spl 125g +P HP=500 pages
9x18 95g FMJ = 700 pages
.22LR 36g HP from 6" bbl= 450 pages
.22LR 36g HP from 16" bbl= 950 pages
7.62x39mm = tore through three catalogues like Obamacare and kept right on going.
Accuracy wasn't impressive, either.
Caveats:
1)I know that 15 yards is a few steps outside the intended engagement envelope for a Judge. It's the best I could do and still leaves it comparable to the conditions under which the other rounds were tested.
2) The .45 LC rounds were cowboy action loads and therefore indended to be mild loads. Stouter loads might produce better penetration but would also throw more flash and boom.
3)I didn't get a chance to try slugs. I brought along some 3" slugs but they didn't fit in his gun. Maybe I'll try some 2.5" slugs another time but at ~100 grains I don't expect they'll do as well as the .45 LCs.
As always, keep in mind that I'm just a wahido what likes to shoot things for fun. My tests are entirely unscientific. YMMV. Caveat Emptor. All statements are succeptible to terms and conditions. etc...
I've tested various calibers for penetration versus old books, amassing a short table. Included is data on .410 shells fired from a Rossi break-open with a 23" bbl. I've wanted to shoot the same shells from a Judge to see how much the barrel length affects penetration. Today I got my chance.
The short version: My personal opinion is that I'd avoid the Judge as my personal self defense firearm.
The long version: I set a target out at 15 yards (the closest allowed at the range) and plied it with Winchester PDX-1 rounds, 000 buckshot, #6 shot, and some .45 Long Colt (250 grain cowboy loads).
All shells were 2.5" since that's the longest that version of the Judge could hold.
Results: see picture.
Penetration. You will notice that the copper disks from the PDX-1 shells and two of the 000 pellets are stuck in the cover of the book. Also, the BB's from the PDX-1 and #6 barely stuck into the cover. None made their way into the actual book. The .45LC rounds flattened out nicely into immense gobs of lead, were consistent, but only made it ~270 pages.
For contrast here are some of the results from other calibers below. All handgun/rifle rounds were fired at 25 yards while the shotgun shells were fired at 15. Data below is AFTER passing through the cover.
for reference:
23" barrel .410 PDX1=trio of disks: 1180 pages (through and stop)
single disks: 721 pages, 899 pages (average ~810 pages)
BB's: from 231 to 315 pages (average ~275 pages)
000 Buckshot: ~820 pages
9x19mm FMJ= 900 pages
9x19mm 115 grain HP = 500 pages
.38Spl 125g +P HP=500 pages
9x18 95g FMJ = 700 pages
.22LR 36g HP from 6" bbl= 450 pages
.22LR 36g HP from 16" bbl= 950 pages
7.62x39mm = tore through three catalogues like Obamacare and kept right on going.
Accuracy wasn't impressive, either.
Caveats:
1)I know that 15 yards is a few steps outside the intended engagement envelope for a Judge. It's the best I could do and still leaves it comparable to the conditions under which the other rounds were tested.
2) The .45 LC rounds were cowboy action loads and therefore indended to be mild loads. Stouter loads might produce better penetration but would also throw more flash and boom.
3)I didn't get a chance to try slugs. I brought along some 3" slugs but they didn't fit in his gun. Maybe I'll try some 2.5" slugs another time but at ~100 grains I don't expect they'll do as well as the .45 LCs.
As always, keep in mind that I'm just a wahido what likes to shoot things for fun. My tests are entirely unscientific. YMMV. Caveat Emptor. All statements are succeptible to terms and conditions. etc...
) YMMV
