Taurus Judge: What's the Verdict?

[M&PVolk]

You know, a gun doesn't have to have a specific purpose to be desirable. A gun doesn't have to do any one particular thing well to be desirable, either. If you find shooting a specific gun enjoyable, that is reason enough to add it to your stable. Myself, I haven't shot one yet. I have shot a single shot and a Bond Arms chambered in the same, and had tons of fun with them. I presume I would likely really enjoy the Judge.

 

[fase3]

Among other things I have been a skeet shooter for almost 30yrs. The shell for .410 in skeet is 2 1/2" long. I have over 5k of them loaded for shooting as I write and none of them were cut down from 3" shells. Someone needs to read up on shot shell use. NUFF SAID!

 

[Nicodemus38]

getting a verdict on a gun is like asking for a verdict on say, "is julys playmate of the month better looking then ms april?' or "is 9mm better then 32 mag?". we can ask all we want but it comes down to this;

is it easy to shoot? do the bullets go were you aim? is the recoil easy to manage? hows the trigger feel? any quirks that appear when loading or unloading? is it small or big enough for your intended use? is it reliable, ie doesnt seperate into components with every shot fired.

if a gun meets those simple criteria, buy it and use it. if not, get it fixed.

 

[Virginian]

I would rather have a Smith Mountain Gun in 45 or a Ruger Blackhawk in 45. I will admit it was with #8 shot, but I get as good a snake load with my 44s and CCI shot capsules. I have shot several quail and 2 Woodcock with them as well (and while the "legality" may be in question, they were in season).

 

[mgkdrgn]

didn't like the fact that the shallow rifling would not stabilize a lead bullet. It may work better on a jacketed round, which I did not get to try.

My lead bullets seem to stabilize just fine, thank you. 255 gr semi-wad cutters over 6.8gr of green dot.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Uh, you don't know anything about handloading shotshells, I guess.

Ya, in the 30+ years I've been doing it I haven't learned jack.

Have you ever tried firing it sideways, with the cylinder/forcing cone gap in front of your face?

No, and I don't poke sharp things in my eyes, or put my head over the ejection port of my Glock 26 either.

Beyond that, though, my real concern with a multi-projectile weapon with a large spread like the Judge has, would be a greater possibility of hitting innocent bystanders.

Ya, they will be much better off being hit by a stray 9mm or .45 slug. You make it sound like you get a 180 deg pattern from the Judge straight from the end of the barrel. Nothing could be further from the truth ... but then if you had ever actually shot one, you would know that.

True. And place you at the risk of losing everything you own in court, especially when it also hits people in the eye 50 yards away. Yes, it will still blind someone 50 yards away. A friend was hit with #6 birdshot at 80 yards, and it had to be surgically removed from his face. Only luck saved his eye - one pellet was in his eyelid.

Lucky for him it =was= shot. If it had been a 9mm, 45, 357 mag, etc, etc, he'd be pushing up daisies. Also, you don't see many SD shootings at a 30deg or better up angle ... which is pretty much what you would have to do to get #6 shot to travel 80 yards.

Spray and pray is best suited for pepper spray, not lead shot in a populated area.

NOW I know why all the police have their shotguns loaded with pepper spray! Thanks!

 

[Virginian]

Also, you don't see many SD shootings at a 30deg or better up angle ... which is pretty much what you would have to do to get #6 shot to travel 80 yards.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but that statement is just downright incorrect. Using rough numbers I figure it will drop less than a foot at 80 yards, and the compensation required would only be about 0.2 degrees.
Sorry, I was figuring a shotgun. Maybe 0.5 degrees out of a Judge then.

 

[ArmedBear]

Yeah, I've shot trap targets at close to 80 yards with 7 1/2 or 8 shot, and didn't have to hold noticeably high.

#6 shot fired flat will still hit someone at 80 yards.

That said, the "carjack" scenario with the Judge holstered between your legs? I'd say that 30 degrees sounds about right.

Isn't the whole idea to be able to draw and fire immediately, before the BG shoots you? Given that a carjacker may well have a gun pointed at you, with his finger on the trigger, you really don't have much time.

So many imagined self-defense scenarios don't take reality into account.

 

[DougDubya]

Something about the Judge just makes me smile. Maybe because it looks like a cartoon revolver, or it's just BIG and SHINY.

Five rounds of .45 Colt isn't anything to sneeze at either, if the intimidation factor of such a monster-size revolver isn't enough.

And yes, I liked the looks of the old Thunder Five.

Besides, who said all handguns had to be practical?

 

[ArmedBear]

First you write:

I think it is an excellent car/anti carjack gun. Close range, spray of lead, limited effective range, revolver so you are not dodging empty hot casings in an enclosed space. I carry mine in a holster mounted between my legs on the front of my drivers seat.

Then your response to my question about whether you've fired it with the forcing cone gap in front of your face is:

No, and I don't poke sharp things in my eyes, or put my head over the ejection port of my Glock 26 either.

Sorry, but these two statements contradict each other. You want to pull it out from between your legs, and shoot it at a carjacker from the driver's seat, apparently. But you expect to do that without being to the side of the gun? And that you wouldn't put your head over the ejection port of an auto, yet that's the reason you'd use the Judge?

That doesn't add up.

Ya, in the 30+ years I've been doing it I haven't learned jack.

Well, evidently you haven't learned that cutting 3" .410 hulls when you want 2 1/2" shells isn't uncommon, nor does it imply that the results are bad.

You make it sound like you get a 180 deg pattern from the Judge straight from the end of the barrel. Nothing could be further from the truth ... but then if you had ever actually shot one, you would know that.

No. Again, your own words:

Is a face full of #4 shot at 10 feet

This picture is a pattern of #4 shot from a Judge at 5 feet.

Source: http://www.gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO_GA/Story_C/Judging+The+Judge?packedargs=pagenum=2

At 10 feet, you will have a good number of pellets that fly past the target, even if, in a defensive situation, you shoot DEAD CENTER -- not something I'd count on.

Again, read your own words. That's what I was responding to.

 

[Hollowdweller]

To anybody who owns one:


Would it be possible for the average shooter to keep the majority of .45LC rounds on a paper plate shooting without a rest at 25 yards??

 

[m2steven]

Tinman357: I have to say the biggest selling point for me (after shooting it) was how much fun it was to shoot. It was a blast - no pun intended. The thing kicks, but the grip is so spongy that it doesn't hurt. You WANT to keep pulling the trigger. I was shooting at a burm at 25 yards and the spread (from 410 shells) was anywhere between 4 and 8 feet, but it was hitting the burm hard. I certainly would not want to be hit with it. I noticed that 2 of the shot shells would hit pretty close together, and 1 was always a few feet to the right. I shot 5 shots and I messed up a pretty big size chunk of hard alabama clay.

But the thing that got me was how much fun it was to shoot. I was lucky enough to shoot the 4 inch barrel version. It's a very nicely finished gun with a very nice trigger. I've mentioned this before, but i've a taurus 22 magnum pistol that takes the old joke "pull my finger" to a whole different level. It's almost easier to throw the gun than fire it in double action.

 

[m2steven]

HollowDweller: based upon my limited shooting of 45 thru the Taurus, i'd say the "average" shooter might be able to do this with fine ammo. With cheap ammo, you're going to be hard pressed to keep within a defined limit. The barrel is multi-purpose. you can find ammo (according to the guy to let me shoot his judge) that will shoot extremely well, but some of it tends to appear to have a mind of it's own. Although I think you could hit a human pretty much every time you pulled the trigger. Just aim for the center. I was able to acceptably shoot 45's, but it was not like shooting my 9mm CZ75.

 

[General Geoff]

It's a fun gun, just not my cup of tea (I'd rather just buy a 4" Ruger Redhawk in .45 Colt).

 

[bedwards1]

Hollowdweller, I have no problem keeping it on paper at 25 yards, now, which ring, well thats a little different. I'm shooting a fairly hot 45 colt reload with a 250gr cast bullet. I have some gold dots but haven't shot them from it yet. It's not a target gun and I didn't buy it thinking it was.

be

 

[Double Naught Spy]

No, 5 rounds of 45 LC isn't anything to sneeze at, but I think if I wanted a .45 LC revolver for SD purposes, I would get a more traditional revolver.

A buddy of mine has one and loves it. As he notes, it is an excellent skunk handgun, which is what he uses it for with the .410 shells. It seems that skunks get in and around the out buildings and into places where a long barreled shotgun just won't go very well, but a handgun will.

There are a lot of guns out there in a lot of good calibers, but that does not make those guns ideal for a lot of circumstances. No doubt the Judge can be used for self defense. I just don't see it as being an optimal handgun for self defense purposes, not as compared to other options available to people. Few of us are in situations where we regularly need to transition between .45 LC and .410.

That isn't to say the Judge is a bad or unnecessary gun. I really can't think of a production gun that doesn't have its own place or niche. The Judge is a fun gun in my opinion and there is nothing wrong with fun guns. I just don't see one being part of my SD needs.

 

[Stainz]

The BFR .45/.410 is huge. The Thunder-Five was bulky/blocky and hard to find. The 'Judge' is widely available - and the least expensive. I was entertaining the prospect of buying one in SS over two years ago - actually went to the pusher's with moola to do so. When I got there, the display SS Judge was being boxed - it had been sold. Fortune often works in weird ways. I was at the range the next day when a day shooter with a long barrel blued Judge presented to shoot same. Having my shooter/Jeep gun 625MG in .45 Colt - and 255gr LSWC @ 850 fps homebrews, we sawpped for a cylinder or two. He hated the wood grips and recoil mine had - loved the trigger. I got my interest in the Judge quickly quelled. The novelty wore off quickly - it was inaccurate, blocky, and 'rough' - and had 'gooey' grips. It was a Taurus. Not for me! I can always buy shot shells for one of my 625MGs in .45 Colt - a far better way to launch 'real' .45 Colts, too. The Judge is a novelty to me - and I am 'over' it!

Stainz

 

[fxstchewy]

I think it is a good weapon but i know some don't like it because it's not what they want it to be.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I can always buy shot shells for one of my 625MGs in .45 Colt - a far better way to launch 'real' .45 Colts, too.

That's how I see it -- I have 2 Ruger Blackhawks and a Colt New Service, and if I need shot loads, I can hand load them easily enough.

Nobody wants to be shot with one

Nobody wants to be shot with a .22 short, either. But that doesn't make the .22 short a good choice for self-defense.

 

[M&PVolk]

Comparing a .22 short against a .410/.45 is a bit much. My guess is that your chance of stopping an assailant with .410 or .45 are probably just as good as with any 9mm or larger auto cartridge. Remember, they don't always stop everything, either.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Comparing a .22 short against a .410/.45 is a bit much.

My point is, someone always comes out and says, "Nobody wants to be shot with <insert cartridge of your choice here>."

Nobody wants to be shot with any cartridge, so such an approach doesn't add anything to the discussion.

 

[ArmedBear]

My guess is that your chance of stopping an assailant with .410 or .45 are probably just as good as with any 9mm or larger auto cartridge.

That's my guess, too.

But I can and do walk around with a 5-round .357 in my pocket...

And my high-capacity .45ACP is still easier to carry than the Judge, despite having one shy of three times as many rounds in it -- with far more excellent readily-available self-defense ammo choices.

Again, the Judge is an interesting camp-defense gun, for snakes and larger animals.

However, a regular old N-frame or Redhawk .44 is more accurate, offers far better ammo choices, carries better without that enormous cylinder, holds 6 instead of 5, and works just fine with snake loads.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Quote:
My guess is that your chance of stopping an assailant with .410 or .45 are probably just as good as with any 9mm or larger auto cartridge.

That's my guess, too.

But I can and do walk around with a 5-round .357 in my pocket...

And let's remember the first rule of gunfighting is to have a gun -- with you.

 

[m2steven]

Having put a 100 rounds of shotgun shells through it and about 20 45's I can say the gun really puts a smile upon my face. It's pretty accurate with the 45's, and is actually accurate with #1 and #4 shot. It was a wet rainy day in Alabama this past saturday, but that allowed huge puddles of water co accumulate. I spent a lot of time shooting water puddles and having a blast (literally). Everytime I pulled the trigger it put a smile on my face. It shoots great.

However, one of the funniest things i've seen is a taurus judge with laser sights. Think about that for a while

 

[Guillermo]

The Judge is the answer to a question that I am not asking...but I got to admit...using it as a skeet gun would be fun. Really fun.