Taurus Judge or Public defender. opinions??

[Blues Brother]

I am thinking of buying a Taurus Judge. I have never shot one and I am interested peoples opinions that have used them. I might carry it for SD, but most likely not. I will probably stick with my LCP for SD. but I just thought it would be another option. I like the "gimmick" or novelty of it.

How is the recoil? with 45 and with .410


has anyone used the magnum model chambered for 3" shells??? recoil?

I understand that Federal makes a shotshell specifically for the Judge......any opinions on that???

I just thought it sounded intesting. I have pretty much every caliber except a .40 and .45 now. So it sounded like a fun gun. I realize its not the best choice for game hunting, but man it would be fun and sporting trying to shoot grouse with it as I am sure the pattern spreads out pretty fast.

I would welcome any ideas, opinions, suggestions, experiences anyone might have.

thanks!!!!

 

[jfrey]

I got mine a couple of years ago and haven't really shot it a lot but it is fun when you do. The recoil isn't bad at all and it is surprizingly accurate with .45 LC loads. I keep #4 shot in mine and that seems to be a good inhome defense load. Big enough to get your attention but won't over penetrate walls and such. It is a little large and heavy for concealed carry but fits nicely in the concole of my pickup.
I haven't seen a used one on anyone's shelves so far. Folks seem to keep them once they buy one.

 

[gbran]

Geez, man, a nuther Judge thread? Expect many to be along shortly to berate both you and the Judge.

 

[Blues Brother]

berate me? why is that? did I do something wrong? Sorry if I did.

and berate the judge......why? is it not a good gun?? that is what I am trying to find out. sorry if I am doing wrong here.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Taurus is considered by lots to be sub-par for quality. The Judge is considered an oddity. I have thought about getting one for the sole reason that it's odd. There seems to be a market for the thing as Federal has introduced special shells.

On the otherhand, my 7 shot, Taurus .357 snubbie was great right out of the box, and I really like it. So..., IF you just want one 'cause they look like fun shooting, why not?

LD

 

[AirForceShooter]

Do you know how BIG a judge is?
That's a lot of steel to carry around

AFS

 

[Blues Brother]

I have heard that Taurus' revolvers arent bad quality at all, its the autos that are the sub-par quality. I have a friend with a .357 Taurus,and it seems to be a decent gun. I know a few other guys that have them as well and are happy with them. beats me. I realize they aren't a s&w revolver or a ruger, but I didnt think they were bad quality either.

Its just the concept of the gun. but maybe its not for me......I dont know. thats why I am asking here to see what people think of them.

 

[blkbrd666]

I remember reading one post here where someone shot their new Judge and the barrel came off. Could be a fluke but I have never even considered one since reading that post. Especially since the barrel missed the target.

 

[19-3Ben]

and berate the judge......why?

If you do a search for the judge, you'll see the threads where it is bashed. Generally the consensus goes as follows:

75% of people look at it as a gimmick. the .410 is already not exactly confidence inspiring for SD as shotgun shells go, and that's out of a shotgun. When you kill any velocity it might have by putting it in a short barrel revolver, it becomes even less so. Penetration is terribly lacking, shot spreads out too quickly for useful SD, it leaves the 'donut hole' in the pattern so that you ensure that the one thing you are aiming at is the one thing that is not hit. But, because of great marketing, the uneducated see it as a way to have 'shotgun power in a handgun,' thereby making it the ultimate SD gun. Oh, and if you are going to load it with .45LC (the best way to actually make it a good SD gun) then you might as well just buy a real .45LC revolver because it'll have better accuracy.

another 25% of the crowd will say that it is indeed good enough becausde 95% of the time having a gun at all (even a .22lr) is enough to deter a bad guy and getting hit with multiple pellets from a .410 tends to be a deterrent for whatever you had previously planned to do. And they say it is wonderful if you plan to have fun with it rather than use it for SD.

I believe both. I would never use for SD but could be interesting just as an oddity as Loyalist Dave Pointed out.

Oh, and quality seems to be pretty good on these. Taurus really hit one out of the park.

 

[Blues Brother]

So here is another question.... The Taurus website says its called the Judge because so many Judges carry them in the court room for protection......... uh.......how do they know this??? and everytime I see a court room on TV there are plenty of police officers and security there. I guess I see this gun as a fun gun for sporting and stuff, but not really for SD. Is this a marketing strategy?? I know 4 judges personally, and none of them carry a gun, at any time. It just sounds like a tuff name for a gun.

 

[19-3Ben]

I work in a court house (Public Defenders office). Courthouse personnel are forbidden from carrying weapons, judges included.

I know one judge who was cauht with a .357mag in the court. She was nearly disbarred over it.

As you say, it's just a tough sounding name.

 

[Blues Brother]

Same here. Judges cannot carry firearms in court. they are not police. only police can carry them.

 

[19-3Ben]

I'll add that when you see a courtroom on TV it's not the usual way that the court runs. Usually the only cases that make it on TV are high-profile cases, or ones where the defendant committed a particularly brutal crime. So they have higher security for those. Usually, at least in CT, the courts are only secured by marshals, whos only weapons are pepper spray and a collapsable baton. The really bad guys are always in jail (bail is set high enough that they can't get out) so they have dept. of corrections come in with them for added security.

 

[blkbrd666]

If they said it was short for Taurus Judge, Jury and Executioner, it would hurt sales.

 

[Snakepit]

Taurus Judge

I really enjoy my Taurus Judge and one on the main reasons is the flexibility it allows me in the type of ammunition and type of targets/uses. I found a Fanny Pack that works perfectly with my Judge and also allows me to carry plently of extra shells, both 410 and 45LC. I do not think it feels any heavier as compared to many other SS large caliber pistols including my 9MM Auto. They also make a light alloy verison which does cost more but is lighter. For defense I keep it loaded with a mix of the defensive 410 loads of 000 Buckshot (a 2 1/2" defensive 410 shell has 4 of them) and 45 LC.
Normally my first three shells are the 000 Buck followed by two 45LC Hollow Point. You can load it to fit your situation. Winchester is coming out with a new defensive 410 round in Feb or Mar 2010 which will have three 380 diamenter disk with 12 BB sized shot loaded behind them. I have used my judge to kill snakes and squirrels usually using #4 shot, and got rid of some troublesome birds using #8 shot. The flexibility and power of the Judge has made it my favorite pistol and I have a lot of Pistols.

Snakepit

 

[Manco]

For defense I keep it loaded with a mix of the defensive 410 loads of 000buckshot (a 2 1/2" defensive 410 shell has 4 of them) and 45 LC.
Normally my first three shells are the 000 Buck followed by two 45LC Hollow Point.

It seems that nearly every Judge owner or advocate prefers a mixed or "Dutch" load, but I don't see the point. Why save the best self-defense cartridge--which everybody seems to correctly realize is .45 LC--for last? It's like those Japanese cartoon shows where the good guys always use the puniest weapons they have against immensely powerful enemies, and just when our heroes have been beaten to within an inch of their lives, they pull some big honking sword or something out of nowhere and kill the bad guys with one slice. Well, why didn't they just whip that sucker out to begin with? What do people want out of The Judge? Suspense? Melodrama? For cryin' out loud, just load every chamber of that puppy with .45 LC and skip to the ending already!

Yeah, I know somebody's going to bring up concerns about overpenetration or the penetration of interior walls, but that should always be accounted for in your tactical doctrine--if you're not sure of your target and what's behind it, then don't fire (additionally, 000 buckshot penetrates walls readily enough, and even birdshot can). Then there are those who would attempt to make a less-than-lethal stop first, but I think it's a bad idea for most people to give a bad guy such a reprieve if the situation is dire enough for one to draw and aim their handgun in the first place--if you're not prepared to kill somebody, then don't point a gun at them. Maybe I'm just old-school, but sometimes the old rules continue to exist for good reasons, regardless of how tempting it might be to utilize the full flexibility of a weapon. I also have to wonder how, in the event of an actual shooting, a district attorney might view a person loading a carefully designed "cocktail" of rounds instead of a single type of round like most people do.

 

[Blues Brother]

Manco, I agree, just like Indiana Jones did. he didnt mess around with the guy flinging hte sword around, he just pulled out the .357 and BANG!

 

[wrs840]

I have owned two Judges for about a year now, one steel, one Ultralite, both 2-1/2" chamber, both 3" barrel. I bought them mostly because I believe(d) they would be banned as a "hand-held shotgun".

The 410 - capability is only "well-suited" to snakes. It has a 8" pattern at 10 feet. I'm using those Federal "Handgun Loads" in #4. The .45 Colt function is not nearly as accurate as my New Vaquero... I've tried 255gr cowboy loads, and 225gr hollowpoints in Speer GD and Winchester Silvertip.

I carry the Ultralite version in a leather belt-holster for around the farm, and I suppose it's OK for that. I think I would be way better off with a more common revolver in .357 or .44 mag (or even a .45 Colt I suppose) with a couple of shot-loads handy for the occasional Copperhead. The Judge is a gimmic, not particularly well suited to anything serious (especially self-defense, IMO), and really not worth having unless you consider it an attractive oddity. The "fun" part wears off real quick when you realize it's considerable shortcomings in both 410 and .45 Colt performance.

edit to add: I'm not a Taurus basher. I've had no problems with the quality of either of my Judges, or with the two other Taurus revolvers I have owned.

Sorry,
Les

 

[Manco]

Manco, I agree, just like Indiana Jones did. he didnt mess around with the guy flinging hte sword around, he just pulled out the .357 and BANG!

My thought exactly, although judging by the length of its cylinder and size of its bore, Indy's Smith & Wesson Mk II Hand Ejector was most likely chambered in .455 Webley/Eley (although .357 Magnum would have been around for a couple of years already).

 

[Blues Brother]

this is all good info. thanks people!!! keep it coming. Good interesting read here.

 

[Snakepit]

It seems that nearly every Judge owner or advocate prefers a mixed or "Dutch" load, but I don't see the point. Why save the best self-defense cartridge--which everybody seems to correctly realize is .45 LC--for last? It's like those Japanese cartoon shows where the good guys always use the puniest weapons they have against immensely powerful enemies, and just when our heroes have been beaten to within an inch of their lives, they pull some big honking sword or something out of nowhere and kill the bad guys with one slice. Well, why didn't they just whip that sucker out to begin with? What do people want out of The Judge? Suspense? Melodrama? For cryin' out loud, just load every chamber of that puppy with .45 LC and skip to the ending already!

Yeah, I know somebody's going to bring up concerns about overpenetration or the penetration of interior walls, but that should always be accounted for in your tactical doctrine--if you're not sure of your target and what's behind it, then don't fire (additionally, 000 buckshot penetrates walls readily enough, and even birdshot can). Then there are those who would attempt to make a less-than-lethal stop first, but I think it's a bad idea for most people to give a bad guy such a reprieve if the situation is dire enough for one to draw and aim their handgun in the first place--if you're not prepared to kill somebody, then don't point a gun at them. Maybe I'm just old-school, but sometimes the old rules continue to exist for good reasons, regardless of how tempting it might be to utilize the full flexibility of a weapon. I also have to wonder how, in the event of an actual shooting, a district attorney might view a person loading a carefully designed "cocktail" of rounds instead of a single type of round like most people do.

I guess I will tune in those Japanese Cartoon Shows next time I need help in my Gun selection.

Snakepit

 

[Snakepit]

Manco, I agree, just like Indiana Jones did. he didnt mess around with the guy flinging hte sword around, he just pulled out the .357 and BANG!

I heard it took Indiana Jones three retakes in the filiming to hit the guy flinging the sword.

Snakepit

 

[Snakepit]

I have owned two Judges for about a year now, one steel, one Ultralite, both 2-1/2" chamber, both 3" barrel. I bought them mostly because I believe(d) they would be banned as a "hand-held shotgun".

The 410 - capability is only "well-suited" to snakes. It has a 8" pattern at 10 feet. I'm using those Federal "Handgun Loads" in #4. The .45 Colt function is not nearly as accurate as my New Vaquero... I've tried 255gr cowboy loads, and 225gr hollowpoints in Speer GD and Winchester Silvertip.

I carry the Ultralite version in a leather belt-holster for around the farm, and I suppose it's OK for that. I think I would be way better off with a more common revolver in .357 or .44 mag (or even a .45 Colt I suppose) with a couple of shot-loads handy for the occasional Copperhead. The Judge is a gimmic, not particularly well suited to anything serious (especially self-defense, IMO), and really not worth having unless you consider it an attractive oddity. The "fun" part wears off real quick when you realize it's considerable shortcomings in both 410 and .45 Colt performance.

edit to add: I'm not a Taurus basher. I've had no problems with the quality of either of my Judges, or with the two other Taurus revolvers I have owned.

Sorry,
Les

Why do you carry the Judge on you around the farm if you consider it a Gimmic? If you think the 357 or 44 Mag with a couple of shot loads are better then that is what you should carry. Time to sell those Judges?

Snakepit

 

[Blues Brother]

I have heard its effective against snakes. but I dont have poisonous snakes where I live. not an issue here.

 

[wrs840]

Why do you carry the Judge on you around the farm if you consider it a Gimmic? If you think the 357 or 44 Mag with a couple of shot loads are better then that is what you should carry. Time to sell those Judges?

I don't currently own a .357 or .44 that I'm willing to scuff-up while doing farm work. I plan to remedy that, probably with the purchase of a Taurus Tracker model 44C 44mag blue 4" ported adj sight 5-shot. Then I'll likely sell one of the Judges, likely the steel one, which is still as new, fired maybe 50 rounds.

Les