Backpacker33
Member
The Taurus Judge comes up a lot on THR, as well it should. It is an attractive concept and offers two cartridges with considerable self-defense power. For the many show-stopper problems I’ve had with their guns, problems I’ve detailed several times on THR, I don’t like Taurus guns, period.
Recently, our professional military son came home on leave and showed us the Judge he now uses as his “truck gun.” He has been shooting since he was five, owned his first gun (a Ruger 10/22) when he was 10, and became proficient with everything I’ve had since.
He has been deployed four times to Iraq and is proficient with quite a range of personal arms. I was, frankly, distressed that he would buy a Taurus, since he knew the problems my employer and I had with them over the years. He has also seen failures of Tauruses (any grammar Nazis out there know if that is the correct way to pluralize the name?) owned by others, and remembers quite well the pieces of crap he and his brothers got me to buy for them years ago.
We took it to the range with his FN SCAR (a gun I plan to steal from him) and a variety of .410 shells and .45 Colt, including two of my handloads. Before coming here, he had put 50 rounds of Winchester .45 Colt and 50 rounds of .410 mixed bird shot and “000” buck shot through it. The birdshot kicked the worst, he said.
The “I told ya so’s” started even before he took it out of the gun rug. “The fiber optic front sight flew off at the fifth round I put through it,” he said. He also said it seemed to be a rather cheap version of that type sight, with an unsupported fiber he could slip his fingernail under. When I looked, sure enough, it was gone. Five rounds. Erk. We had the same problem with a Taurus .22 Magnum revolver years ago, but it was the rear sight that flew off after only a few rounds.
His Judge is the “ULTRA-LITE” with a barrel measuring three inches from cylinder face to muzzle. He added Crimson Trace Laser Grips. For such a large and chunky looking revolver, it is quite light and I think this is the version I’d get if I were so inclined. It is very easy to wield from center console to car door.
Four of us took turns firing it. Our youngest son is a six-foot five-inch LEO, and our middle son is a six-foot four-inch Jujitsu instructor. Like their older brother, they have been shooting since the age of five, owned since the age of 10, and shot everything I’ve ever owned or been issued.
The LEO is issued a Glock 17 and carries a miniature Glock as backup/off duty. He has an AR, and a S&W M&P he previously carried. The middle son owns a Wilson we all drool over, and a mini-Glock .40S&W; and an AR. All three can bounce golf balls out to 75 feet and more with anything in their hands.
Herewith our impressions and experience with the Judge.
Opening the cylinder is difficult. The release is hard to push and the cylinder is difficult to push out. I checked to see if there was something special about the lockup, but there isn’t. Only the cylinder bolt and rear of the cylinder axel hold it. It has only a couple hundred rounds through it, so this may improve. The push button itself does not stay secure, and all but fell off a couple times. Maybe a little Locktite would help, but I just don’t expect or accept this.
Timing is completely suspect. If the trigger is not allowed to move COMPLETELY forward after firing, the next pull will rotate the cylinder but NOT cock the hammer. Very very bad. Then, we found several instances where the hammer DID cock, but the cylinder did not turn. Very very VERY bad! It is also possible, if the trigger is not allowed to go FULLY forward, that the action locks up completely until the trigger is released and pulled again. Very very very VERY bad!
Every time the hammer fell on a live round, it went “BANG.” When we examined the primers, we found quite a range of strike depths. In my experience, this has been a problem with Taurus guns of all stripes since the early ‘80s. I suspect that sooner or later the Judge will not fire due to light primer strikes. I tried the “pencil test” and found no two cylinders hit consistently, only one launching the pencil completely out, the other four ranging from not quite out to barely an inch of travel up the barrel.:banghead:
In the cylinder window there is a stainless steel insert above the barrel/cylinder gap, like you’ll see in the S&W Scandium frame revolvers. The frame is an aluminum alloy and the cylinder is stainless steel. Other aluminum alloy frame guns have a limited life with full-power loads, and are uniformly considered “Carry lots, shot little” guns. I would think the Taurus is in the same class, but I haven’t done detailed measures of the frame over time and use, and don’t intend to.
During clean-up I found the barrel was greatly fouled with lead. When our son brought it here he had cleaned it but pointed out that the barrel was heavily fouled with lead and said he didn’t know if it was from the .45 Colt or the .410 shells. I noted it followed the grooves and was very rough. The lands were relatively free of fouling in their middles. I cleaned it thoroughly before our test, and it looked just as bad when we finished. The chambers were heavily fouled with burned powder. So far as we could tell, there was no degradation of performance, nor any binding or difficulty inserting or removing cartridges and shells. But it was FILTHY!
I had my S&W 625 Mountain Gun and put rounds from the same batch through it. I use Lasercast 200 and 250-gr bullets over a bees wax wad and 5.9-grains of Hodgdon Clays and Large Pistol primers. There was NO leading in the S&W. These are the loads I shoot in my Colt Peacemakers, my S&W 25-5s, my S&W 25 Mountain Gun, my Ruger Blackhawk and Redhawk, Marlin Cowboy, and Colt Anaconda. I never see leading.
Accuracy seemed fine for defense. We fired bird shot and “000” commercial .410 shells and my .45 Colt handloads.
At 30 feet, the birdshot made an 18-inch circle. The 000 was all in about a four- to five-inch circle. To my eye, they seemed to hit high at that distance, but I had a hard time being consistent. At 50 feet the .45 Colt loads all went into three to four inches, and none of us was trying to shoot a group. The bullets all struck about five to seven inches up and to the right of point of aim. We are all “windage shooters” and had no problem holding off the desired impact point after the first, ranging round.
When I cleaned the Judge after shooting, I noted the cleaning jag and patch pushed through the barrel rather easily compared to the S&W 625. As with any revolver, the chambers were even looser. Considering the long cylinder the .45 Colt bullet must jump before engaging the rifling in the bore, it may be that the bullet is rattling around and doesn’t really stabilize as it catches the rifling and traverses the barrel. I’d like to hear from people more knowledgeable about that kind of thing.
By the way, our middle son provided “Zombie” targets (www.zombietargets.net), which gave great amusement. I recommend them.
We all have large hands and I, despite being the smallest at a mere six feet tall, have the longest hands. Using the shotshells was painful as the trigger guard slapped my middle finger each time I fired. We all said “OUCH” when firing the shotshells in the lightweight Judge. The .45 Colt was less punishing, but the “Ultra-Lite” Judge is not, in our opinion, a “plinker.” It just hurts too much. Letting the Judge fly up in recoil did not help me. It just plain hurt.
For my money, the Judge gets a “pass.” Our son said he waited over a year for S&W or Ruger or SOME American company to make one, but in the end bought what was on the market. He feels it best addresses his desire for a “truck gun” that he can wield quickly and which delivers a devastating hit. For his needs, the drawbacks described here do not detract from those needs.
-Backpacker
Recently, our professional military son came home on leave and showed us the Judge he now uses as his “truck gun.” He has been shooting since he was five, owned his first gun (a Ruger 10/22) when he was 10, and became proficient with everything I’ve had since.
He has been deployed four times to Iraq and is proficient with quite a range of personal arms. I was, frankly, distressed that he would buy a Taurus, since he knew the problems my employer and I had with them over the years. He has also seen failures of Tauruses (any grammar Nazis out there know if that is the correct way to pluralize the name?) owned by others, and remembers quite well the pieces of crap he and his brothers got me to buy for them years ago.
We took it to the range with his FN SCAR (a gun I plan to steal from him) and a variety of .410 shells and .45 Colt, including two of my handloads. Before coming here, he had put 50 rounds of Winchester .45 Colt and 50 rounds of .410 mixed bird shot and “000” buck shot through it. The birdshot kicked the worst, he said.
The “I told ya so’s” started even before he took it out of the gun rug. “The fiber optic front sight flew off at the fifth round I put through it,” he said. He also said it seemed to be a rather cheap version of that type sight, with an unsupported fiber he could slip his fingernail under. When I looked, sure enough, it was gone. Five rounds. Erk. We had the same problem with a Taurus .22 Magnum revolver years ago, but it was the rear sight that flew off after only a few rounds.
His Judge is the “ULTRA-LITE” with a barrel measuring three inches from cylinder face to muzzle. He added Crimson Trace Laser Grips. For such a large and chunky looking revolver, it is quite light and I think this is the version I’d get if I were so inclined. It is very easy to wield from center console to car door.
Four of us took turns firing it. Our youngest son is a six-foot five-inch LEO, and our middle son is a six-foot four-inch Jujitsu instructor. Like their older brother, they have been shooting since the age of five, owned since the age of 10, and shot everything I’ve ever owned or been issued.
The LEO is issued a Glock 17 and carries a miniature Glock as backup/off duty. He has an AR, and a S&W M&P he previously carried. The middle son owns a Wilson we all drool over, and a mini-Glock .40S&W; and an AR. All three can bounce golf balls out to 75 feet and more with anything in their hands.
Herewith our impressions and experience with the Judge.
Opening the cylinder is difficult. The release is hard to push and the cylinder is difficult to push out. I checked to see if there was something special about the lockup, but there isn’t. Only the cylinder bolt and rear of the cylinder axel hold it. It has only a couple hundred rounds through it, so this may improve. The push button itself does not stay secure, and all but fell off a couple times. Maybe a little Locktite would help, but I just don’t expect or accept this.
Timing is completely suspect. If the trigger is not allowed to move COMPLETELY forward after firing, the next pull will rotate the cylinder but NOT cock the hammer. Very very bad. Then, we found several instances where the hammer DID cock, but the cylinder did not turn. Very very VERY bad! It is also possible, if the trigger is not allowed to go FULLY forward, that the action locks up completely until the trigger is released and pulled again. Very very very VERY bad!
Every time the hammer fell on a live round, it went “BANG.” When we examined the primers, we found quite a range of strike depths. In my experience, this has been a problem with Taurus guns of all stripes since the early ‘80s. I suspect that sooner or later the Judge will not fire due to light primer strikes. I tried the “pencil test” and found no two cylinders hit consistently, only one launching the pencil completely out, the other four ranging from not quite out to barely an inch of travel up the barrel.:banghead:
In the cylinder window there is a stainless steel insert above the barrel/cylinder gap, like you’ll see in the S&W Scandium frame revolvers. The frame is an aluminum alloy and the cylinder is stainless steel. Other aluminum alloy frame guns have a limited life with full-power loads, and are uniformly considered “Carry lots, shot little” guns. I would think the Taurus is in the same class, but I haven’t done detailed measures of the frame over time and use, and don’t intend to.
During clean-up I found the barrel was greatly fouled with lead. When our son brought it here he had cleaned it but pointed out that the barrel was heavily fouled with lead and said he didn’t know if it was from the .45 Colt or the .410 shells. I noted it followed the grooves and was very rough. The lands were relatively free of fouling in their middles. I cleaned it thoroughly before our test, and it looked just as bad when we finished. The chambers were heavily fouled with burned powder. So far as we could tell, there was no degradation of performance, nor any binding or difficulty inserting or removing cartridges and shells. But it was FILTHY!
I had my S&W 625 Mountain Gun and put rounds from the same batch through it. I use Lasercast 200 and 250-gr bullets over a bees wax wad and 5.9-grains of Hodgdon Clays and Large Pistol primers. There was NO leading in the S&W. These are the loads I shoot in my Colt Peacemakers, my S&W 25-5s, my S&W 25 Mountain Gun, my Ruger Blackhawk and Redhawk, Marlin Cowboy, and Colt Anaconda. I never see leading.
Accuracy seemed fine for defense. We fired bird shot and “000” commercial .410 shells and my .45 Colt handloads.
At 30 feet, the birdshot made an 18-inch circle. The 000 was all in about a four- to five-inch circle. To my eye, they seemed to hit high at that distance, but I had a hard time being consistent. At 50 feet the .45 Colt loads all went into three to four inches, and none of us was trying to shoot a group. The bullets all struck about five to seven inches up and to the right of point of aim. We are all “windage shooters” and had no problem holding off the desired impact point after the first, ranging round.
When I cleaned the Judge after shooting, I noted the cleaning jag and patch pushed through the barrel rather easily compared to the S&W 625. As with any revolver, the chambers were even looser. Considering the long cylinder the .45 Colt bullet must jump before engaging the rifling in the bore, it may be that the bullet is rattling around and doesn’t really stabilize as it catches the rifling and traverses the barrel. I’d like to hear from people more knowledgeable about that kind of thing.
By the way, our middle son provided “Zombie” targets (www.zombietargets.net), which gave great amusement. I recommend them.
We all have large hands and I, despite being the smallest at a mere six feet tall, have the longest hands. Using the shotshells was painful as the trigger guard slapped my middle finger each time I fired. We all said “OUCH” when firing the shotshells in the lightweight Judge. The .45 Colt was less punishing, but the “Ultra-Lite” Judge is not, in our opinion, a “plinker.” It just hurts too much. Letting the Judge fly up in recoil did not help me. It just plain hurt.
For my money, the Judge gets a “pass.” Our son said he waited over a year for S&W or Ruger or SOME American company to make one, but in the end bought what was on the market. He feels it best addresses his desire for a “truck gun” that he can wield quickly and which delivers a devastating hit. For his needs, the drawbacks described here do not detract from those needs.
-Backpacker
