Taurus Judge for home defense

[PLM2001]

I am thinking about getting a Taurus Judge for home protection. Looking for opinions on whether or not you think this is a good choice. I have a fairly small house and thought that the .410 ammo would work great. Thoughts?

 

[Hammer]

There is not a whole lot of love on INGO for the Judge, but IMO the Judge is a decent HD gun in the right conditions.

Number one, I would only suggest this for a single person. With the spread of the shot in this gun I would not be comfortable in a hostage type situation or shooting precise shots with loved one near the intended target.

The farthest shot must not be over 20' due to the shot spread and reduced lethality because of it.

But the PDX1 ammo is pretty impressive for it.

 

[Cestep72]

I don't have one but I thought about getting one my self for home defense.

 

[chezuki]

It all depends on how much you value your family/home. Personally, I have an "870 loaded w/ 00 buckshot and slugs on the saddle- backed up with a whole bunch of 7.63x39" type family/home. Perhaps you only have a "Judge" type family/home.

Someone will be along shortly to comment on how I should let them shoot me with their Judge if I think they're so inadequate.

 

[mbills2223]

It all depends on how much you value your family/home. Personally, I have an "870 loaded w/ 00 buckshot and slugs on the saddle- backed up with a whole bunch of 7.63x39" type family/home. Perhaps you only have a "Judge" type family/home.

Someone will be along shortly to comment on how I should let them shoot me with their Judge if I think they're so inadequate.

But why was that last part in purple?

In regards to the OP, I ask the question why? I think the Judge is a novel concept, and pretty interesting. However, if you're gonna shoot .410 out of a handgun, why not just get a 12 gauge with far superior firepower? You can get yourself a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500 (my preference) for the price of a new Judge, and they've proven themselves time and again. I'm with the guy above me who wants to be shot with a Judge , I prefer to protect myself and my loved ones with a whole lot of 00 buck and some big ol' chunks of lead if necessary.

 

[Bapak2ja]

I do not own or want a Judge, and I do own an 870. But I can understand the value of a Judge over the 870. The size of the 870 makes it very cumbersome for use inside the house. Hallways and stairways are narrow and can make bring the long gun to bear a challenge. Using a handgun reduces this problem.

The problem of the spread (in the event of a hostage or loved one in close proximity) is the same with a Judge or an 870 loaded with 00 buckshot. Of course, the spread is one of the advantages of the shotgun. It increases the chances of a hit when marksmanship is reduce by adrenalin, movement, return fire and/or all the other complications that can occur. The Judge, therefore, has similar advantages/disadvantages to the 870, recognizing the difference between .410 and larger gauges.

I have opted for a hand gun over a shotgun for home defense. Having made that choice, a Judge could be a useful tool.

 

[Hammer]

The problem of the spread (in the event of a hostage or loved one in close proximity) is the same with a Judge or an 870 loaded with 00 buckshot. Of course, the spread is one of the advantages of the shotgun. It increases the chances of a hit when marksmanship is reduce by adrenalin, movement, return fire and/or all the other complications that can occur. The Judge, therefore, has similar advantages/disadvantages to the 870, recognizing the difference between .410 and larger gauges.

I think you need to shoot one or do a little research on shooting shot out of a rifled barrel and rethink your statement. Shot out of a rifled barrel spreads much more than out of a smooth bore long gun.

 

[killshot500]

taurus sucks i had one and it was unreliable so i didnt trust it when i needed it cuz it always jammed on the first bullet so i got rid of my taurus for a remington 870

 

[chezuki]

The problem of the spread (in the event of a hostage or loved one in close proximity) is the same with a Judge or an 870 loaded with 00 buckshot. Of course, the spread is one of the advantages of the shotgun.

My 870 with a 18 1/2" cylinder bore smooth barrel shooting Winchester Military buckshot makes one jagged fist-sized hole at 25ft and puts all nine pellets on a 12" steel plate at 25 yards.

Adding spin to the shot column from a the short, rifled barrel of a revolver will yield a quite different result...

 

[possum_128]

Works great if you are defending your home against snakes. I love it when people ask if .410 is good because they live in a small home, I guess only small bad guys invade small homes.

.410 works well against snakes and small game, would not want to use it on a bad guy, unless it was all I had. By the way I love the little .410, was my first gun and I have three of them in my gun room.

 

[jgreiner]

I am thinking about getting a Taurus Judge for home protection. Looking for opinions on whether or not you think this is a good choice. I have a fairly small house and thought that the .410 ammo would work great. Thoughts?

My take is the Judge (and the S&W Governor) are decent enough for certain applied situations. Both are great to prevent car jackings. I could see carrying one on the motorcycle. They are great when you encounter snakes. They are fun to shoot.

but there are far better guns for most applications. for home defense, a 12 gauge with 00 buckshot is great. On my motorcycle, I PREFER my .357 magnum.

I would sweep my house with my 1911 before i would use a Judge. But then, my 1911 has night sights, and is far more accurate.

 

[dyerwatcher]

I had the Governor for a short time. I too, thought of it as a nightstand gun. My problem is I keep my guns very secure. Either it a safe, an accessible location if I am home or on my person. Since it was not my EDC, I found it a pain to rotate at least twice a day. My EDC is exactly that - although the gun may change depending on the task at hand, the Governor never fit the bill. Just my opinion.

 

[tom1025]

taurus sucks i had one and it was unreliable so i didnt trust it when i needed it cuz it always jammed on the first bullet so i got rid of my taurus for a remington 870

You had a Taurus Judge that jammed? Please tell us your story.

 

[kludge]

.410 ballistics from a long shotgun barrel suck.

A 1/5 oz slug (~87 grains) at ~1700fps. Some loads have a 1/4 oz slug (~109 grains). It might be good out to 25 yards.

.410 ballistics from a 3" barrel suck a lot more.

At ~900fps (and that's probably generous) you have the ballistics of a .380 ACP.

OK what about buck shot? 000 buck at ~900 fps give you .32 ACP ballistics. But you get 3 or 4 "shots" with each pull of the trigger! So what, it's still .32 ACP ballistics.

Now what about that new super duper Winchester PDX ammo just for the The Judge? ...OK lets take a look...

http://www.winchester.com/Products/...e/PDX1-Defender-Shotshell/Pages/S413PDX1.aspx

750fps

That's WORSE than a .32 ACP.

What about .45 Colt for home defense? Perfectly adequate. But you can find much better guns in .45 Colt for the same/similar price. (I paid $609 for a Ruger Redhawk 4" - new.) Or keep your eyes open for a S&W Model 25. I would recommend Federal 225gr LSWCHP for HD. It goes ~1000fps from my 4".

ETA:

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot53.htm

 

[Bailey06]

This may be a good gun for home defense. A friend has one and swears by it. I figure a 12ga. Remington 870 works good for me.

 

[Max Volume]

Just make sure you are extremely close. See the range results.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3YYDgDUXs[/ame]

 

[SSGSAD]

You had a Taurus Judge that jammed? Please tell us your story.

Thank you, this is what I was going to say, iI will subscribe to this thread, and WAIT, for an answer..... I have a 3" Taurus, .38 and keep it loaded with +p, and I have NOT had one problem, out of it ..... Bought it in 1988 .....

 

[cosermann]

Kludge is spot on.

If you're comfortable with a 5 shot 380 ACP for home defense, then you're all set with a Judge (using shot shells, or .410 slugs).

If you're comfortable with a 5 shot 45 Colt for home defense, then you might be satisfied with a Judge, but there are better choices in 45 Colt imho.

If none of the above, then look elsewhere. IMHO there are much better options available.

 

[Zoub]

thought that the .410 ammo would work great. Thoughts?

At work when you have a technical question (IT, product, production, Quality, whatever), do you go to the Marketing Department for answers?

If Yes, then buy a Judge.

If No, then buy something else and not in .410.

For most people it is a very short decision tree. .45 Colt is not why 99% of the owners buy a Judge.

 

[jgreiner]

.410 ballistics from a long shotgun barrel suck.

A 1/5 oz slug (~87 grains) at ~1700fps. Some loads have a 1/4 oz slug (~109 grains). It might be good out to 25 yards.

.410 ballistics from a 3" barrel suck a lot more.

At ~900fps (and that's probably generous) you have the ballistics of a .380 ACP.

OK what about buck shot? 000 buck at ~900 fps give you .32 ACP ballistics. But you get 3 or 4 "shots" with each pull of the trigger! So what, it's still .32 ACP ballistics.

Now what about that new super duper Winchester PDX ammo just for the The Judge? ...OK lets take a look...

http://www.winchester.com/Products/...e/PDX1-Defender-Shotshell/Pages/S413PDX1.aspx

750fps

That's WORSE than a .32 ACP.

What about .45 Colt for home defense? Perfectly adequate. But you can find much better guns in .45 Colt for the same/similar price. (I paid $609 for a Ruger Redhawk 4" - new.) Or keep your eyes open for a S&W Model 25. I would recommend Federal 225gr LSWCHP for HD. It goes ~1000fps from my 4".

ETA:

The Box O' Truth #53 - The Taurus Judge, Revisited - Page 1

Did you ever read the Box of Truth piece on .45 long colt penetration? It blew a hole clear through the back of their test box.