Quality of the Judge

[Guest hickok]

I've picked up a couple of "Judges" in gun shops over the last month. The cylinders on both of them didn't seem to lock up tightly. Is this typical of the gun, or is it like some Colt revolvers that only lock up tightly when the hammer is cocked and/or the trigger is pulled?

Just curious. Might be a fun toy, but I'm always wary of revolvers with loose cylinders. I think both of these that I looked at were the new "Public Defender," so I've not looked at a wide range of them.

Thanks,

[Guest JHatmaker]

I can't answer from shooting experience, but I've held several different Judge models, and they all seem to be good quality. I haven't read anything negative about them yet.

That'd be a great gun for you to use when you're wanting to put some holes through one of you're rusty barrels

[Guest Rugerman]

I am also curious. My dad really wants one of these and I might gift one to him for Christmas.

[Guest hickok]

YEah, you have to keep the burn barrels well ventilated!

[Luckyforward]

My brother has one, and I have shot it a great deal - great gun!

[Guest tnvolfan]

Hey Lucky, which one does your brother have? I have heard of this gun having cylinder problems, but I thought they had fixed it.

[Guest coldblackwind]

I have never shot one, however my father has shot 4 or 5 (he helps out at a local gun shop, and they have him take home and test any new trades before they sell them, he tried an m1a once that went full auto on him, that was interesting! But that's another story). I asked his opinion a few months ago, and the cylinder was what he came back to. Apparently he's tried 2 that didn't work out of the box, as in were off far enough to not fire. But again, 2nd hand information.

[hkusp40cal]

I had one, it was a fun gun. It did seem to have a loose cylinder, but did lock up tight with the hammer back. Not sure if that is typical or just the one I had.

[TheGrimReaper]

Got one last week. So far so good!!! I have only shot 410's thru it though so far.

[bockey]

I purchased one a couple of months ago. I went with the 3" chamber. Have only got to shoot it about 4 times, no problems so far. I have shot both 410 and 45 through it. I really like the "000" buckshot. My wife prefers the 45s over the 410 shells. Sweet Piece:)

[Sidinman]

I bought one a few months back haven't shot it alot but it is fun to shoot. I've shot the 410 & 45s through mine and found that the accuracy in the 45 to be pretty good even with that short barrel. Haven't had any problems and it locks up tight. I've got the three inch chamber with the three inch barrel with the exposed hammer, didn't like the hammerless model,like to able to shoot it single action part of the time.

[TnEngineer]

I kieep telling people that the .410 out of a Judge is a big loser.

A big loser. The penetration is really poor. Check it out:

The Box O' Truth #41 - The Taurus Judge Vs. The Box O' Truth - Page 1

If you have this gun, by all means shoot 45 colt in it unless you are shooting varmint perhaps.

You will also find that .410 shells are very, very expensive.

[Magiccarpetrides]

Yeah the .410 is a really cool concept, but I really think its more of a toy then the defense pistol they make it out to be.

[Chazmr]

I bought 1 early this year. It's definitely too big and bulky to try to carry concealed. But it is a blast to shoot, and I haven't had any problems out of mine at all. Whether you'll be happy with it probably depends on your expectations and your intended purpose for the gun.

[Guest FiddleDog]

I heard that, with the Federal 00 buckshot (copper plate), the judge is a great close combat weapon.

[Guest heavyd]

even with #7 in 410 at close range you will stop a bg and he more than likely will never pass a drivers eye exam again.

[JeffL]

I'm sure birdshot is great if they're not shooting back, or wearing a heavy jacket. I'd rather have 45LC for bad guys.

[Cherokee Slim]

I've thought about getting one, but it just seems there are a lot of them for sale in the used market. Why are so many people buying them and then selling them at a loss? I haven't even handled one yet but I'm wondering.

Cherokee Slim

[Makiaveli]

I kieep telling people that the .410 out of a Judge is a big loser.

A big loser. The penetration is really poor. Check it out:

The Box O' Truth #41 - The Taurus Judge Vs. The Box O' Truth - Page 1

If you have this gun, by all means shoot 45 colt in it unless you are shooting varmint perhaps.

You will also find that .410 shells are very, very expensive.

Thanks for the link....Looks like lots of good reading there....

[MrBrian]

I got mine used for $459. So far, the worst thing about it is cleaning it. Not because it's hard to clean, but it just gets sooooo dirty when firing it. It is a shotgun shell after all, so that's expected. As far as accuracy, get some 45LC and put it in single action and you won't have any problems hitting near and far (but it does shoot a little high). For me, one of the things I love about the gun is it's versatility... I can load it with anything from 2.5" birdshot up to 3" slugs or self defense loads. And I don't care what people say about the 410 load... if you get good self defense loads... it's gonna stop somebody if need be. I've shot 00Buck and 000Buck some 7.5 and 4's 6's and the Winchester PDX1 (which are awesome) The gun is heavy, could be a plus or a minus depending on use... The trigger on the Judge is a heck of a lot better than on other Taurus guns. My brother in law had one shot that didn't fire the first time, but that was using cheap ammo in double action. The recoil is manageable, of course, I'm 6' 3" 230lbs, but my mom didn't have any problems shooting it either. This is where the weight of the gun comes in handy. After all is said and done, I think it's a good purchase, seeing the versatility. And yes, it's my primary gun for home defense right now (until I get something else) Hope this helps, let me know if you want to know anything else specifically.

[Guest bkelm18]

Zombie thread!!

[Guest biohazardmatthew]

Zombie thread!!

Double-Tap to the head should take care of it.

[EastHipster]

Thanks for the link....Looks like lots of good reading there....

Apparently a 410 slug penetrates just fine

Clarksville Now - Man Accidentally Shoots Himself While Driving

[malacite69]

One of the things that would be a positive to a lack of penetration vs a .45LC is the fact that I would not have to worry about hitting my kids in the next room if something were to happen and I had to use it.

[Guest Kamikaze]

By in large the .410 shotgun shell fired from the judge is a fairly weak load due to to the shortness of the barrel and the lose of muzzle velocity from an already weak round. I did a lot of testing with mine while I had it. With that said you can hardly compare the purpose made rounds that have come on the marked for this pistol to a run of the mill shot gun round, specifically the pdx1 self defense shell. These are loaded with faster burning pistol powder. The "shot" load itself is noticeably heavier than a shotgun load. The recoil is significantly higher from a 2.5" pdx1 than it is from a 3" 000 buck designed for a shotgun. The biggest thing you will notice is the lack of muzzle flash with purpose made .410 pistol rounds. With all of that said, shooting a purpose made ".410 pistol shell" in the judge is no joke. Birdshot is a novelty at best in any situation other than a point blank shot in the face, which was the purpose of the gun (carjacking). Anyway I had one and sold to fund a .45 acp semi to carry as it is far more practical. In a real world situation as a carry it is a liability to fire more than one projectile at one any wear there are people present. Back to the point of lethality, shot a deer carcass with a pdx1 and get back to us on the lethality of the gun....