Taurus Judge 3" Chamber

[MrBrian]

I just picked up a Judge in the 3" Chamber and I was wondering if it can shoot 2 1/2" shotshells or if it is only suppose to shoot 3" shotshells? I know 2 1/2" shells would fit, but is it safe to do so?

[Bubbas]

They will only work if you are shooting at zombies

[Ramjo]

To me, it would make sense that they would also work. Just as a 3" 12ga also shoots 2 3/4" shells, the 3" should also shoot the 2 1/2" in the judge.

[Westwindmike]

Read the owners manual and see what Taurus says.

[Jonnin]

You may have to clean it afterwards before longer rounds will go in, but it should work. Seems like a case of 44 sp in 44 mag, 38 in 357, etc, where the only issue is gunking up the last fraction of an inch of the cylinder to the point that bigger rounds won't go in until the gunk is wiped out (or get stuck somewhat after firing if they did go in). Im not a fan of the 410 shotshell pistol stuff, but I got to shoot a long barrel judge with some 45s and it 1) was very comfortable, accurate at short range, and a nice gun and 2) was oddly quiet, the quietest gun I have shot over a .22

Edited July 22, 2011 by Jonnin

[MrBrian]

The owners manual is just a generic one and it didn't say... but I asked hickok45 and he said it will shoot both. It made sense that it would shoot both, I just wanted to make sure it was safe before I blew my hand off :-)

[dickenscpa]

I have the Judge Magnum and you can indeed shoot 2 1/2 and 3' shells. For a while the personal defense shells only came in 2.5". I've never had a problem with a dirty chamber going from 2.5 to 3" shells. However, if I shoot a lot 45Colt and then go to shells, I can tell a tiny bit of difference. This is after going thru 75-100 45Colts though.

[vontar]

I shoot both 3 inch and 2.5 inch in mine.

However, you make find some .410 shells don't like it as much. I found some that when the brass expands after firing they they needed help to extract.

Federal Premium for .410 hand gun personal Defense work well, as do the Winchester PDX1 which are really made just for it.

I really recommend picking up a box of Winchester PDX1 3 copper disc and 18 bbs.

I know mine does not like Remington .410 shotgun shells, I found some of them less then perfect, one would be tight in a cylinder, remove it, put another one it and it would go in right. After firing the cheap brass on them expanded more and they tried to get hung.

Edited July 24, 2011 by vontar

[MrBrian]

The Winchester PDX1 work very well, especially when shooting watermelon :-)

[Will Carry]

MrBrian,

I would like to here your opinion on the Judge. I have heard so many people bash this firearm but I have never heard anyone who actually owns one say anything bad about it. Most Judge owners seem to love them.

[Guest Victor9er]

MrBrian,

I would like to here your opinion on the Judge. I have heard so many people bash this firearm but I have never heard anyone who actually owns one say anything bad about it. Most Judge owners seem to love them.

Not to highjack the thread, but I have a friend that is interested in getting a Judge and while looking around for info about them found out that Smith & Wesson recently came out with their own version:

Smith and Wesson Governor (VIDEO) - Guns News and Guns Reviews at Guns.com

Like you said, people who actually own the Judge tend to love them, others not so much. The review on the link pretty much echos that sentiment as well.

[MrBrian]

I leaned toward the Judge over the Governor mainly because of the price difference... I got mine used for $459, and the Governor is aroun 800 i think. 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.

[tnhawk]

Gun Tests has an article comparing the Judge and Governor in their lastest edition.

[Guest bdenny]

I shot one of the Judges Public Defender and I have to say I was very disappointed.First the recoil was really bad they really need bigger grips second I shot a coke bottle and the shot wouldn't even penetrate Third the bobbed trigger was very uncomfortable to release .I suppose even that would stop a zombie.The one I had the trigger was extremly hard to pull and it didn't seem to index the cylinder very well.Overall I decided to return and get a another handgun