Taurus Judge?

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dontcatchmany

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For those of you who have the Taurus Judge, what do you think of it for personal/home defense?

Also what 410 ammo and 45 long colt ammo do you use?

I am researching the possibility of getting one even though I have other revolvers/semis that are probably very good for ther defensive situations.

If you do not have one or you want to run them down the river or think you are a innernet gun guru, please do not reply...… too much of that here.

I just would like to get owner's experiences and suggestions on that gun only.

Thanks!
 
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Glenn E. Meyer

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I might suggest you search on the topic here as there have been numerous threads on the Judge. It brings up quite diverse opinions - are they worth repeating?

I already know who will say they are stupid and those who will say they are fantastic.
 
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zxcvbob

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I have one that I won in a raffle. Have not fired it yet :eek:

I've bought several boxes each of high-brass #4 shot and 00 buckshot. I think either would be adequate at close range, with the buckshot being a lot better. My HD gun is a .38 Special, and a Mini-14 for zombies ;)
 
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Ricklin

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Taurus fan

Am a fan of Taurus, as I am a fan of good value. Some might call me cheap, I prefer fiscally conservative.

That said, It's not a Judge, It's a joke and a bad one at that. In addition to being fiscally conservative I am a salesman by trade. Taurus is selling perception, not reality.

Typically purchased by first time or inexperienced buyers. The appeal is of course not having to put in the work to become proficient with a handgun. I don't have to aim, it's a shotgun And hey I can put .45 Colt in it if I want to target shoot, if I ever do.

That's why they sell a crap ton of em.
 
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tallball

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I have one. I bought it for grins. With 45 colt it's probably no worse than some other snubby revolver in that caliber. To me it's just a range toy, or for plinking, or maybe for snakes. If you're out at the farm you can sure have fun with rotten melons or squash or whatever.

Mine shoots the 3" magnum shells. IIRC, five rounds of 00 3"magnum buckshot is thirty 32-caliber slugs. That's a lot of lead. I don't consider it to be one of my SD firearms, but I wouldn't feel unarmed with it.
 
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Targa

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I certainly wouldn’t want to carry it for personal protection but it is a good home defense firearm and very fun at the range.
 
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TruthTellers

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Won't speak to what I think of the Judge because I've never shot one, but for .410 ammo I think the best choice is the Federal 4 pellet 000 Buck, the Hornady Critical Defense is second. Don't buy the Winchester, unless they dump the stupid BB's that fly all over the place and can't penetrate worth a crap with more of the disks, that ammo is not superior to the others mentioned.

For .45 Colt, I'd take a look at the Lehigh Defense Maximum Expansion. The bullet is all copper and expands out to over an inch in diameter.

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/20...igh-defense-grabs-ttags-readers-choice-award/
 
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dontcatchmany

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Thanks for the input folks!

I know nothing about 410 or 45 long Colt. Never fired either one.

I have 45 acp, 40 S&W, 9mm, 357 Sig, 357 mag and 44 mag (and their specials), as well as AR and AK rifles and pistols. Also have a Remington 870 Express Magnum (would have gotten a short barrel for it and been satisfied, but my shotgun is left handed and no short barrels to fit it).

Most rifles and the shotgun I can not use in recent years without much pain because I had a shoulder replaced 2 times on back to back days in 2000.

I probably have enough good home defense/truck defense weapons, but am investigating the Judge and the S&W Governor as well the short barreled Remington and the Shockwave 590. 12 ga and 410 ga. Actually fondled the 590 in 410 and liked the fact that it is much lighter than the 12 ga Shockwave.

Having been in combat almost 50 years ago I know that with stress that shots can be erratic and go places not intended. I am too old and disabled to have the speed of movement and my backyard range shooting is proving the finite accuracy has been greatly diminished.

The shotgun(short barreled) approach intrigues me at short range, but I still may stick with 16 round FNX 45 acp or 15 round 40 S&W. My 870 is loaded with 4/0 buckshot and can be fired from the hip, but is unwieldy in a tight situation.

Oh, a good dog is also in the thoughts but I do not know if can exercise it well enough and if my wife likes it, it is bound to become a dog that will just lick an intruder to death. I spend a lot of time in doctor's offices so will have to leave the dog at home very often.

Thanks again for all your replies. Some of the videos I had seen but some were enlightening.
 
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Targa

New member
I might get good.^^^. Here is how I see it in reference to the Judge and Governor. You have people posting with experience on them that like it and some with experience that don’t, then you have those blasting the gun with no experience and parroting others negative responses on the gun from others who have no experience as well. Actually you can apply this to just about anything..:)
 
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Prof Young

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It's all relative . . . but . . .

How good any particular gun is for a given situation is all relative, but I think the 410/45C guns are a great choice for HD. Bulk may work against them as an SD gun. I posted a couple times about my choice of a poly Public Defender as my HD gun. Look back for posts on Oct. 1 and 5 of 2017.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
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indie_rocker

New member
Aren't there issues with the 45C brass getting stretched out in the chambers because the .410 and 45C aren't actually the same size? Not a problem for people who one and dump their brass, but if you're a reloader, the brass is trashed.

Other than that, the Judge and Governor have always had an allure to me.
 
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TruthTellers

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indie rocker

The .45 Colt brass does usually get blown out more in a .410 chamber than just a .45 Colt chamber. I've noticed that in a .410 derringer I have. I think I have reloaded the case, so it can be done with new cases, but the case life will definitely be reduced if it's done over and over again.
 
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indie_rocker

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TruthTellers said:
indie rocker

The .45 Colt brass does usually get blown out more in a .410 chamber than just a .45 Colt chamber. I've noticed that in a .410 derringer I have. I think I have reloaded the case, so it can be done with new cases, but the case life will definitely be reduced if it's done over and over again.
Click to expand...
Noted, thanks for the response.
 
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Cheapshooter

New member
Here is how I see it in reference to the Judge and Governor. You have people posting with experience on them that like it and some with experience that don’t, then you have those blasting the gun with no experience and parroting others negative responses on the gun from others who have no experience as well.
Click to expand...
Excellent point. To add to it, the vast majority of those blasting it are those with minimal, or absolutely no experience with it.
The handgun specific ammo has greatly improved the performance of the Judge.
The one big hurdle to begin with was the original manufacturer. Had the Governor, made by the gun snob approved manufacturer Smith & Wesson been introduced first it would have been heralded as one of the greatest ideas in modern firearms history.
 
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DWFan

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If I could afford a novelty weapon, I'd like to have a 2.5" cylinder/ 6" barrel Judge just to chamber it for the .45 Black Powder Magnum.
 
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the Black Spot

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I am looking at the poly defender myself. It seems no one bothers to test this gun with 45 colt. Its seems when someone says "judge" the automatic "410" hits the brain process.
I am more interested in how they perform in 45 colt.
I dont think they would be harder to conceal than my xds.
Guess i will have to get one and test for myself.
 
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Glenn E. Meyer

New member
Same old, same old. The greatest idea in modern firearms history?

We do have some standards at TFL for the quality of our discussion.

Closed.
 
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