rifle or shotgun? got my new circuit judge today!

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hipoint

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Just picked up a rossi circuit judge today, I'm stoked. Couldn't afford any ammo though (pretty expensive little gun), I'll be getting around to that on friday.

I've been looking for a single shot .410/45 for a few years now, but when I saw this I had to have it. Seems like the perfect hunting gun for me. Notice, I said FOR ME. Here on our farm I can take this thing out and pop a squirrel or a deer (within range) just by turning the cylinder to whatever shell I want. Should be good for filling the freezer (better really fill it though, $500 bucks is alot of meat).

I looked around on the internet and couldn't find any video reviews of the thing that I really liked, so I'll zero my scope and go out with a camera and try to get a good review of this thing for anyone interested. I haven't seen what it can do at 100 yards with good ammo yet, as well as I'm very interested to see what the shot pattern is like with the smooth "choke" in it. I found some reviews about it making a donut pattern when using the smooth "choke" on it, but no one actually shooting some paper and showing what that actually is or isn't. I'm gonna get some slightly hotrodded .45lc ammo for it. It's not technically rated for +p ammo, but something around 1,000 fps should be fine, then I'll blast a few rounds of various size shot through the critter with and without the smooth "choke".

My first impressions are very good, the gun is super light which will be great for lugging around the mountains (my rem. 700 is heavy as heck), and for such a small frame gun it seems to fit really well for a quick draw and fire. The iron sights are passable, but I may remove them for something a little finer tuned depending on how it shoots, we'll see how that goes when it's time. It doesn't feel like a super high quality firearm, but the tolerances are nice and there is zero play in the trigger mechanism. It's a little heavy on the trigger (even single action) but it's crisp with barely noticeable travel. The finish on the wood leaves a little to be desired, but that's a moot point for me, I bought it to hunt with, not hang on the wall. It kinda feels like a pellet gun, but I'll bet with the .45lc rounds that feeling will soon go away!
 
this gun is low on my list, but it is on it. I heard its a well built little carbine and takes care of the cylinder gap flash teaaring up your arm. /id love to hear about accuacy out of it, although the 6" judge magnum looks a liyyle more fun imo
 
for fun or HD I would agree without a doubt. depending on accuracy it might be a sweet little brush gun for hunting. Here where I live I've only shot 1 deer at over 100 yards, usually you're lucky to get a 30-50 yard view so this might be just what the doctor ordered. Only time I could see it not being up to snuff is if I see a deer on the far side of the blueberry field from where I'm at, then I'd just shoot to scare and not to hit.

I do think for most of our game though, that this'll be great. It is definitely goofy lookin, but a full freezer sure isn't goofy:)

I'll get some real range reports asap, I'm a mediocre shot, I can keep about a 1.5 - 2 inch group at 100 yards with my remington 700 in 30-06 so it should be a fairly accurate range report for most normal shooters like myself. Probably be saturday before I can get the ammo and spend a day on the back pasture though.
 
Is it true only the last several inches of the barrel are rifled? I also think most of the doughnut conspiracy comes from other shotty tests... Box of truth did the Taurus judge and it exhibited a doughnut pattern if I recall (Edit: gunblast confirms it). Look forward to seeing your vid there. It's one carbine I could really get into.

And I would still kill for a version that could run .454 :cool:
 
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Not true, the entire barrel is rifled. Just the little "choke" in the end is smooth. All I can find around here are the cowboy loads, and the hornady critical defense loads. Neither I would trust to shoot large game with (for a clean kill), but they may be good enough to test accuracy.

I'll look around a bit more today before I give it up and buy what's here and order what I can. I've gotta work 3rd shift tonight, so we'll see how that works out for me getting to do some testing friday... I work in radiology at a very small hospital part-time, and sometimes on 3rd shift I get to sleep all night, just depends on if I have any patients or not....
 
I think it would be fine with some heavier 45 colt loads for deer, just keep your range to about 100 yards or less. Please don't try to use 410 slugs. they are too light for deer in my opinion, only weighing about 100 grains.
 
Neither fish nor fowl...like many compromises it gives up a lot in effectiveness in either caliber usage. I hope yours works better than the Judges I have seen. My guess would be it would do best with 45 Colt bullets loaded in a brass 410 hull to eliminate a lot of the excessive jump to the rifling.
 
That's exactly what it'll be for, ranges under 100 yards with some decent .45 colt rounds in it, with 1 or 2 6 shot .410 shells for the odd grouse or squirrel that pops up. Might even bump it up to a 4 shot for those critters, just so the pellets are easier to find.

While I think a .410 slug would drop a deer in the proper range, I see absolutely no use for one when I can safely fire a 1,000fps 250 grain hunk of lead.

I'm just killing time today because I have to work 3rd shift tonight, but hopefully tomorrow afternoon or saturday I'll get out with a paycheck and try to hunt down some good .45 shells for it. I might have to order some though, for as many people who own guns around here we sure do have a crappy selection of ammo in our stores. You're lucky if they have your caliber, so a selection of bullets in that caliber is non-existent.
 
Initial range report is spotty at best. I'm using 185 grain hornady critical defense since that's all there is around here...

at 75 yards the grouping was not reliable enough to take a deer, some holes would be touching, then there would be a couple wild fliers. at 60 yards I was getting fairly consistent grouping in the 4 inch range. 25 yards and the holes were touching.

I'm thinking/hoping that it's the ammo, It's much faster and lighter than I wanted to be using considering the twist of the barrel.

Right now I would have no problem shooting a deer at 50 yards, no worries about it there. I guess I've got to order some ammo for this thing, this really drives me nuts because we live in a fairly populated area and everyone around here owns guns and shoots, but trying to get ammo here is pointless. The best gun shop for an hour has maybe 5 types of .308 ammo and that's the biggest selection you get. most everything else is "you're lucky to get ammo for that" even for pretty common rounds...

anyhow, I'm not impressed right now, I want to get some 250 grain ammo pushing around 1,000 fps, then I'll be satisfied that I'm getting the best I can out of this gun. I'll update when I can get the ammo I want and do some photos and a much better report.
 
Im sorry dude, but a 1/4 oz. HP Slug in a 3 in. 410 is faster & has more energy than a .45 LC !
 
It does. But there is much more to terminal ballistics than simply velocity and energy.

A 100 grain 45 soft lead slug does not have the sectional densitity necessary for deer sized game. A 255 grain jacked or cast lead slug does. Not to mention the velocity boost gotten from a rifle length barrel.

A 100 grain bullet going 1600 or 1700 feet per second can be bested by a .357 magnum in a revolver, in fact I have some double tap 125 grain bullets that chrono at 1730 fps out of my smith 686.


A 255 grain flat nosed 45 colt will go right through a deer. I wouldn't count on penetration like that with a 410 rifled slug. In fact, many places do not allow 410, in any flavor for deer, even if they allow .223 or other "marginal" calibers.
 
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I'm certain I'll have no issue with the .45 long, at 1,000 fps it's pretty hefty. There are canadian guide services that use the .45 long as a bear cartridge. I'm just hoping a heavier bullet with a little slower velocity will keep a tad bit tighter groups. I'll be happy with 4 inches at 75 yards, not happy with 4 inches at 60 yards.

we'll see where this goes, 50 yards is still fairly respectable for our area (dense woods) but I hate passing up a shot because my equipment isn't reliable enough.
 
If all else fails, reload your own. For only one caliber to work with, you can do it pretty cheaply and come out with some excellent loads.

Dave :)
 
I like the Rossi judge however I would consider it a 50-75 yard range for hunting, and the 410 slug will kill deer used one as a kid on white tail up to the age of 10 before changing to the all powerful elephant gun the 30-30.:D

My shots were all less then 50 yards with my bolt action 410 that was my limit as set by dad.;)
 
I gave this gun serious consideration. I turned it down because I was worried about losing my front hand and I also wanted a dedicated gun of one type rather than a compromise.
 
Circuit Judge

I don't shoot paper or phone books, so I don't know what kind of pattern or groups, or penetration it has, but after a few initial misses at some birds and rabbits, I now consistantly bag squirrels, quail, grouse, and rabbits with .410 game loads and took an 8 point buck and three does last year with my Circuit Judge using the cheapest .45LC 255gr soft lead factory loads I could find at the time. Bought one of these after trying one out last year. Got my legs and shoulder busted up in a work accident a couple of years ago and didn't think I'd ever be able to shoot a long gun again, let alone hunt. Got messed up wrist too, so I can't shoot anything over .22 in a pistol. This little brush gun bearly kicks and I can stand to pack it while I mosey through the woods and thickets. Granted, the deer I downed were less than 50 yrds., probably closer to 25 or 30 yrds., and you couldn't put your fist in the exit wound, but I figure dead is dead. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty impressed at the knockdown power of this little rifle/shotgun, especially considering all the bad stuff I've read about the .45 LC being underpowered. The deer I shot dropped in their tracks like I hit them with a sledgehammer. Seems to kill anything else I shoot with it easily enough too, including coyotes. Leaves some lead that I have to clean out after shooting it a bunch, but it's not caused a bit of trouble up to this point. Then again, better take that with a grain of salt. I'm just a broken down old man, fool enough to buy what some other folks seem to consider to be a worthless toy.
 
My father in law recently purchased the circuit judge. We took it out shooting 20oz gatorade bottles at 5, 10, 25, and 50 yards. For home defense with winchester pdx1 it would be devastating. A 1 gallon jug full of water exploded and was torn to shreds.

Shotshells are pretty much worthless past 10 yards. I found some american eagle at cabelas for around $36 for 50 rounds. Also got some hornaday $25 0r $26 for 20 rounds. Both performed superb up to 50 yards. 6 bottles exploded in 7 shots the first time with hornaday. Second round was 6 bottles in 6 rounds with the american eagle. The only thing is reloding after 5 rounds. It sucks. But it is a very light gun and felt recoil was very little. The one miss was a jitters or exitement pull. All in all a great gun in my opinion.
 
just got some different ammo for it too bad it's raining today :-( I got some cheap "cowboy" loads, and some leverevolution 225gr. 950 fps stuff. I hope this works out a little better. still not giving up on it, I think with the right load it'll be a good 75 yard gun.

I'll keep this thread updated as I try different loads. Hopefully it'll work out and I won't have to get rid of it...

I rarely get a shot over 75 yards around here anyhow, and it would be nice to have one that is capable of taking whatever I see.

One thing is for sure though, the 185 grain 1200 fps hornady critical defense ammo is NOT worth a flip in this gun... Held a decent enough pattern up to 50 yards, but after that it went so large that it was a toss up if I would even hit the box I had the target taped to.
 
so 225 grain 950fps bullets aren't much better. They're a tad bit better, but the gun still isn't capable of anything over 50 yards, 75 yards and things are still going all to heck.... This is with a scope too, I just wanted to use the scope for a bit to make sure that it wasn't me.

It's a darn fine 50 yard gun, but so is a .22 long rifle. It's a shame they didn't put more effort into this thing, it could have been such a perfect hunting weapon.

so... anyone wanna buy it? :rolleyes:

it's time for it to move on it's way. I could see it being a possible collector piece one day in the future, since there probably won't be too many of them made, but I'm just going to get something else I guess. A nice over and under might be what I need...
 
if you can get them give some slugs a try maybe? might help since they wont have to bump down the chambers?. I got to shoot one of these last time i went shooting, it did pretty well with 255s at 30yds or so, i only fired one full cylinder tho.
 
30 yards is great in mine, no complaint at all, I could nail a deer right between the eyes at 30 yards, at 50 yards it's marginally acceptable and at 75 yards, just forget about it. If I can make it do well at 75 yards I'll keep it, but for now it's not looking like it's possible. I even fired a couple 300 grain cowboy loads this afternoon with the grouping not noticeably better...

I'm definitely open to suggestions here, do yall think a .410 slug would do worth a poop at 75 yards?
 
I'd sell it now. A successful purposeful design would have been carried through for many years, which it hasn't.
 
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