Taurus Judge or Public defender. opinions??

[Manco]

Ok, in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy used two Hand Ejectors. The one with the nicer looking band sight on the cut down barrel was a .45acp 1917. The other, I think the one that was used in the swordfight scene, was a .455 (as I recall) with a ramp sight attached to the barrel.

It's all explained in the webpage that I linked earlier:

http://www.imfdb.org/index.php?title=Raiders_of_the_Lost_Ark

The Mark II and M1917 (S&W version) are pretty similar in appearance (being essentially the same gun), so I wonder if the main use of the former was as a "hero" prop that gets nice camera exposure while the latter was meant for tossing around more (depends on the availability and value of the props). Either that or Indy liked to carry similar revolvers chambered in different calibers, one loaded by moon clips (unless he wanted to eject the cases individually with a pencil or something).

I love the TV commercial for the Judge...where the lady pulls this behemoth out of her purse.....yeah, right!

The most effective ad for The Judge is the "Max Payne" movie.

 

[atlanticfire]

Yeah. Struck me odd too. A Judge may not be everything it's marketed to be, but I'll take the thing that goes boom five times.

That all depends on how fast you can draw that thing out. Inside of 5 to 6 feet you take your chances. For those who live in states where carry is impossible knife skills can be very useful.

 

[19-3Ben]

Jad- I was hanging out with a law prof of mine who happens to be a gun guy. He has to leave his wife at home in PA during the week while he comes to CT to teach, and then he travels back to PA on the weekends to be with her. He said that he got her a 20 ga. shotgun for HD. He got a couple of birdshot rounds, and opened up the front to pour out the pellets. That way it's just the shell, the wad, and the powder. His logic was that this way SHE wont be afraid to use it because she knows it won't actually kill anyone anyway, but the bad guy is still likely to take off once he thinks he's getting shot at.

I told my wife. She said "if you ever do that to me, I'll hate you forever. I wanna know that if i have to STOP someone, I'm gonna make him STOP."

I love my wife.

 

[highorder]

That way it's just the shell, the wad, and the powder. His logic was that this way SHE wont be afraid to use it because she knows it won't actually kill anyone anyway, but the bad guy is still likely to take off once he thinks he's getting shot at.

Wow.

He'd be better served telling her that's what's loaded, and load a couple of #3 buck instead. Unless of course he's setting her up to get clipped so he can collect insurance.

 

[Blues Brother]

I have never understood the "dutch" loading thing. I mean from a practical standpoint and a legal standpoint. I mean if your life is in danger and you feel the need to put down an attacker and save your life by shooting him, I would think you would want to put him DOWN, not pi$$ them off with birdshot. I mean If my life were in danger, I would figure I might only get ONE chance to protect myself, and I would want the best shot, not something intended to aggrivate an attacker. and from a legal standpoint, I cant see where 4 whimpy shots and 1 major shot can be any good for your defense.

maybe I am wrong......but thats how I think.

 

[highorder]

People that load a "less lethal" round first don't understand lethal force and the ramifications.

 

[Stophel]

Anyone who deserves to be shot, deserves to be dead.

 

[Blues Brother]

IMO if you are in a situation that you fear for your life enough to produce a gun, you darn well better be ready to use it in its full force.

 

[Zundfolge]

People that load a "less lethal" round first don't understand lethal force and the ramifications.

Indeed, anyone that points a gun at someone, even loaded with "less lethal" ammunition, will be charged with "Assault with a DEADLY Weapon".

 

[Blues Brother]

I agree.

 

[mrjohnston]

The judge is a fun toy. I've shot my friends, but I wouldn't own one. I'd rather load my .38 with shot shells for snakes, and be able to load real bullets for self defense.

 

[Stophel]

How are your friends doing after you shot them?

 

[Blues Brother]

How are your friends doing after you shot them?

Thats what I was wondering.

 

[highorder]

Quote:
How are your friends doing after you shot them?
Thats what I was wondering.

Speaks to the effectiveness of the Judge!

I kid, I kid.

The Judge kills like a cheeseburger; most people would prefer a double-cheese with bacon.

 

[Gryffydd]

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

Hit him with what? How do you hit (or miss) someone with blanks?
In any case, that scene was supposed to be an extended fight. Harrison Ford ad-libbed it and shot him.

During the grueling shoot for "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the script called for a extended fight between Jones and a flamboyant swordsman dressed in black. But the actor, ailing from food poisoning, had a better idea: Why not just make a gesture of weary exasperation and shoot him?
...
"Yeah, I guess the black swordsman has become a bit of a Hollywood story," Ford said in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times. "I almost wish it hadn't. I'm not so crazy about the audience having that much awareness of the process that went on. I just want to enjoy the movie and I'm not sure that helps."

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/15/entertainment/et-ford15

 

[Manco]

How are your friends doing after you shot them?

It's moot as I doubt they're his friends anymore. If somebody shot me point-blank with a Judge and it left a bruise, I'd be ticked off, too.

 

[leadcounsel]

The Judge is IMO a novelty. Nearly an quality .38, .357, or .44 would serve as a better home defense or carry piece. The .410 is anemic for self defense and the .45LC is slim in self defense load offerings.

The ONLY thing I could see it useful for is walking on trails where there are many dangerous snakes... and I'm generally opposed to unnecessarily killing snakes. I would just avoid them.

 

[jad0110]

Harrison Ford ad-libbed it and shot him.

And it was one of the most hilarious movie scenes, gun related or not, of all time.

Thank goodness for food poisoning, I guess.

 

[Manco]

The ONLY thing I could see it useful for is walking on trails where there are many dangerous snakes... and I'm generally opposed to unnecessarily killing snakes. I would just avoid them.

I'm sure somebody has mentioned this before in this thread, but there are shotshells available in many handgun calibers that work fine on snakes. The only unique capabilities of The Judge among handguns are buckshot loads (with questionable penetration) and .410 flares, which as far as I can tell are extremely difficult to find. I suppose it might make a decent "survival gun" if you can find any flares for it, but I'm not sure how well such flares perform (they're a big compromise, much like everything else involving this gun).

 

[Snakepit]

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!!!!

Blues Brother: So with all the experts giving you their opinions both for, neutral and against, are you going to buy that Judge. After what you started do not leave us in suspense.

 

[Blues Brother]

Blues Brother: So with all the experts giving you their opinions both for, neutral and against, are you going to buy that Judge. After what you started do not leave us in suspense.

Well, I dont think Indiana Jones would have carried one. so, NO.

at this point, I dont think so. I do not have any need to kill snakes, and I already have better SD guns, so I guess its not the choice for me. However, my friend might buy one. he is into the gimmick of it.

 

[Manco]

The only unique capabilities of The Judge among handguns are buckshot loads (with questionable penetration) and .410 flares, which as far as I can tell are extremely difficult to find.

Oh, I forgot about .410 slugs, which many Judge owners I've talked to online believe has the same .44 Magnum-like performance that it does in full-size shotguns, but in reality doesn't even come close to matching the .45 LC out of the short barrel of a Judge. By the way, even .410 loads designed specifically for the Judge are generally listed on the manufacturers' websites with ballistics from a long (18+") barrel.

 

[Guns and more]

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

I'll bet you would be surprised how many judges carry under their robes.

 

[jad0110]

By the way, even .410 loads designed specifically for the Judge are generally listed on the manufacturers' websites with ballistics from a long (18+") barrel.

I suspected such. The quoted performance figures listed for this new Federal load are so far and above the figures quoted for existing loads fired from the Judge that I figured the barrel lengths must be significantly different.

It would be like a new .45 ACP 230 grain load suddenly achieving 1300 fps.

Kinda like how 22 Magnum performance out of a rifle is very often mistakenly compared to other calibers fired from handguns. Apples and oranges.

 

[Blues Brother]

I'll bet you would be surprised how many judges carry under their robes.

uh.........yea.........umm......I am really not interested in what judges have under their robes.