JUDGE ?

[SHOOTALL]

I got to ask what is so great about a gun that seems to contain many of the problems most gun makers try to avoid .
Just to mention a few,is there any hand gun with more freebore ? How could anyone expect accy from it with 45 Colt loads ? A cyl. that is as long as the bbl in some cases . Its way to big and heavy for conceled carry . Its at best a close range weapon . With a cyl bbl gap what is the FPS loss with buck shot ? At any range where it would be effective with buck shot a 45 slug would be as good . and if your attacker gets his hand on that steam roller size cyl he has as much gripping surface as you do on the grip , with the flutes he might have the advantage .
So whats the draw ?

[JimF1969]

I too have had ?s about its acry with 45s.  A guy at work just orded the raging judge, 454 , 45 , 410. he thinks I should get one to hunt deer with. I would like a Raging bull in 44 or 454 for deer. Can someone ( who has one) let us know if this thing can shoot a 45 very well.

[mcwoodduck]

I too have had ?s about its acry with 45s.  A guy at work just orded the raging judge, 454 , 45 , 410. he thinks I should get one to hunt deer with. I would like a Raging bull in 44 or 454 for deer. Can someone ( who has one) let us know if this thing can shoot a 45 very well.

I think the questions you need to ask are:
A)  Is this a side arm for hunting?
B)  Is this a primary Hunting hand gun?
C)  What else do you want to do with it?

A) side arm is not a primary hunting gun but you will use it to dispatch a wounded animal, take a shot if the animal is close enough, security blanket.
B) Primary hunting hand gun is designed to take shots out to 75 Yards and take Big game.
C) other uses like taking small game around camp or on the way back.

Side arm - either will work.
If you answers are Primary I would look at the raging bull.
What else - either would work. (or a 22LR may be a better choice) 
I have a T/C 45 -410 and the 45 is not hunting accurate but side arm accurate. (to take a deer at 20 Yards or less, Dispatch a wounded ____, or take small game on the way back to camp or around camp.)  If I were looking to hunt it would be another barrel or one of my smiths (M29 or M686Sil)

[steg]

Just a fun gun to shoot, I have a blast with it at the local dump with the buckshot, wouldn't even consider trying to get accuracy out of the 45 Long Colt, and with shot it;s a doughnut pattern, but I bought it just for buckshot, BTW it's a great nightstand piece also............steg

[SHOOTALL]

I can think of many better night stand guns

[EMC45]

Marketing gimmick....

[NickSS]

I too have questioned the sanity of anyone buying a Judge of any length barrel.  I have seen several at my club and no one who had one could reliably keep the shots in the black of a 25 yard pistol target at 15 yards.  Most groups at 15 yards with 45 colt loads went into around 8 inches with some signs if instability.  I also had time to fire a friend of mine's 4 inch barreled one with bird shot. beyound 10 feet you get blown patterns that will not reliably kill a snake or anything else you are shooting at.  As for buckshot; The few rounds I fired were producing 6 to 8 inch spreads at 15 yards and most were not centered where the sights were.  In my opinion the gun is a sales gimmick that does not lead me to spending my money on.  Now if Taurus would fit a choke to be screwed into the barrel that would straiten out the blown bird shot patterns I could see some value as a small game getter.

[Squib]

that would make it a class two firearm, no short barreled shotguns without a special tax stamp and all

[SHOOTALL]

no it would not , thompson center has just such a choke for its 45/410 bbls. It would be a class 2 if it were a smooth bore not rifled the reason it has the 45 Colt option to start with .

[Squib]

how would a choke work if the barrel is rifled?  I guess you're right but who would choke a rifled barrel?  I've heard that makes it even worse...

[mcwoodduck]

how would a choke work if the barrel is rifled?  I guess you're right but who would choke a rifled barrel?  I've heard that makes it even worse...

I have a T/C in 45 / 410.
There is a choke tube for shooting the 410.
It has very heavy rifleing that is strait.
As the wad hit it it straitens out and stops the spinning from the rifeling in the rest of the barrel.

[Squib]

would it work like that in a short barrel on a judge like it does on a t/c?  just curious because this got me thinking of a judge I let go a few years back (my first handgun if I remember correctly).

[steg]

It's not easy to admit that enthusiasm outweighed doing a thorough job of checking something out before you buy, it, but I did. I sat down and sort of made a plus and a minus list on the Judge, On the plus side it makes a loud noise when you pull the trigger, on the minus side, forget shot, It shoots doughnut patterns, you have to miss to hit something, basicially the same thing with the 000 buck, had a box of long colts and took them along to the shop where I bought it, had to get rid of it that way, if I told the truth about the gun I would never be able to sell it, and I wouldn't lie to someone just to sell it, swallowed a bitter pill, but I'll get over it, LOL...............................steg

[Squib]

I had one and for me it was shooting two holes touching pretty well center and one off to the left usually with a 3 ball 410 load, as for 45 colt it shot alright.  it was back in june/july of 07 and it was a six inch- might be different now, and I think most people get the short ones (to conceal them better    )

i liked it fine but wanted a blackhawk, so it went to the blackhawk fund, which went to a snub fund later on (the snub might go to a db380 fund?)

[oldandslow]

I just can't see any reason for the thing. Plus it's so ugly that I get queasy just looking at one.   Not really but it's a #10 on the ugly scale to me. Of course I see a lot of ugly things every day that other people just love. The Honda Element comes to mind.   My local gunshop sells the things as fast as he can get them so what do I know. I've never felt the need to carry a gun for snakes and if I did I would just carry a .22 pistol and I've lived in the middle of rattlesnake country all my life. I'll probably get bit the next time I'm out coyote hunting just because I bragged about not worrying about snakes.   It doesn't do it as a self defense gun for me either. I would take one if someone gave it to me but I would immediately be on my way to use it for trading material.

I don't have any complaint about Taurus either. I have a Gaucho, 24/7, and PT1911 that are great guns.

[gatersb]

just my .02 cents i shot my brothers today for the first time at 25 yards it will stay on a man size target ( maybe better with a better shooter) and the 410 slugs out to 15 yards are just impressive.  I like it but i doubt it would ever replace my taurus 445 ultra lite 44 special. My favorite so far although a 22lr would be alot more cost effective to shoot these days

[saddlebum]

I already gave my opinion on the Judge in another thread, and it wasn't pretty. I don't feel like going there again so I'll leave you with this instead.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/taurus_judge.htm

[DDZ]

I had never handled or shot a Judge until recently my father bought the public defender model. I wish he would have asked me about it before going out and buying one. He said he wanted something small and handy for dispatching small varmints around the house and garden. 
After a couple of weeks he said that he couldn't hit anything with it, so I shot it on cardboard at 10 feet. Unbelievable how much the shot pattern spreads out at that distance. I figure you would have to be a couple of feet away to kill anything with it. I shot a few .45's out of it also. In my opinion of the Judge, it ain't barely worth the steel its made out of. I wouldn't pay $50 for one unless I could sell it for $75. I have to hand it to Taurus though, they sure have the gimmick working.

[gatersb]

oh well i had fun   

[mrussel]

I too have questioned the sanity of anyone buying a Judge of any length barrel.  I have seen several at my club and no one who had one could reliably keep the shots in the black of a 25 yard pistol target at 15 yards.  Most groups at 15 yards with 45 colt loads went into around 8 inches with some signs if instability.  I also had time to fire a friend of mine's 4 inch barreled one with bird shot. beyound 10 feet you get blown patterns that will not reliably kill a snake or anything else you are shooting at.  As for buckshot; The few rounds I fired were producing 6 to 8 inch spreads at 15 yards and most were not centered where the sights were.  In my opinion the gun is a sales gimmick that does not lead me to spending my money on.  Now if Taurus would fit a choke to be screwed into the barrel that would straiten out the blown bird shot patterns I could see some value as a small game getter.

Ive heard of people loading 45 colt bullets into longer brass for the long guns in 45lc/410. The same might work for a Judge. I think they used 9.3x73R cases. I assume the thing to remember is,its still a Taurus chambered for 45LC even if it does have a huge case so you couldn't load full and expect to have a hand left after pulling the trigger. The larger cartridge would be more for getting rid of the free-bore and less for loading heavier charges.

[SHOOTALL]

large case small charge , powder could be anywhere in the case when shot goes off . it could work fine or not . You may find you need filler to keep powder in correct relation to primer. And it would be easy to double charge.

[Kal52]

This past weekend I picked up some federal Handgun ammo, and let me tell you, its night and day.

The #4 shot, worked well, at 20yds (just random distance, paced out) I could shoot a soda bottle, and make it dance, 2 of the 3 wads were left inside the bottle. Pretty decent pattern considering.


The buckshot loads were very nice, I set up a plywood board at 25yds, 2 holes touching..one almost touching and the fourth about half inch away. This seemed to be the pattern, pretty much the same result all 5 shots.  I could cover them easily with my skoal tin.

Im not saying im going to keep mine, as I have no more use for it (origionally used as a snake gun), other than a really fun gun to shoot, but this new specialty ammo really does work, Ive heard good things about the new winchester elite defense but its sold out around town here.
Mine also tends to shoot slugs VERY well, and 45colt ok, at defensive distance Id say itll do its job, but not my first choice.
Still fun to shoot. 
Dave

[Oldshooter]

When I first heard about the "judge" I thought I had to get one. Then I shot one with shot, then buck shot, then 45 colt. I also read what "the box o truth" said about it. I decided I could live without one. If you could get a SS for under $200.00 I put one in my taclke box or glove compartment for snakes at close range! 

[saddlebum]

I can think of about a million ways to waste 400.00, and all of them would be better than wasting it on a Judge!   

[SHOOTALL]

I can think of about a million ways to waste 400.00, and all of them would be better than wasting it on a Judge!   

unless its to get out of trouble 

[mrussel]

I can think of about a million ways to waste 400.00, and all of them would be better than wasting it on a Judge!   

 You could buy three Hi-Points.

[gtv]

I can think of about a million ways to waste 400.00, and all of them would be better than wasting it on a Judge!   

 You could buy three Hi-Points.

After having shot my friend's Judge this past weekend, I think I would take the three Hi-Points.  About the only thing I found it useful for was busting hand-thrown clays, which I have to admit was pretty fun.  Beyond that, it just seemed mediocre.  I was able to keep the .45s in the chest cavity on a silhouette, but at 25 yards, I got what appeared to be some key-holing.  It would certainly do the job at "conversational" distances, but my Lord, I think I can shoot my Seecamp more accurately than the Judge...

OK, maybe not, but it would be close...

[mrussel]

large case small charge , powder could be anywhere in the case when shot goes off . it could work fine or not . You may find you need filler to keep powder in correct relation to primer. And it would be easy to double charge.

 What about a case full of Trailboss?

[hunt-m-up]

I agree that it is a helluva marketing gimmick and it worked. It has also sold a lot of .410 and .45 Colt ammo. I never understood it to be a hunting firearm, solely for self defense against humans. I guess I don't understand the 25 yard benchmark or even 15 yards as I understood most self-defense situations to be at shorter ranges. I can see the value as a deterrent and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end at 15-20 feet.
Having said that, to me it's ugly, over-priced and I'll never own one.

[Oldshooter]

I agree with your assesment hunt em up!