Taurus Judge

[MolaKule]

I view the Judge as a niche weapon. Load it with some .410 birdshot, and you’ve got a great weapon for snakes in the woodpile. Beyond that, however, there are some severe limitations.

If you’re worried about over-penetration, then I would just use 5.56. Which doesn’t go through that much drywall before it breaks apart.

Birdshot beats harsh language, but it’s perhaps the least effective choice for self-defense.

.45 colt is a very effective round. It’d be a great choice for home defense, except that it’s got a lot of recoil. In the judge, it’s particularly nasty.

I would not choose a high recoil, low capacity, handgun as my first choice, particularly when there are a great number of high capacity, low recoil handguns on the market.

Looking at the experience of people who have shot one at 7 yards, if half my projectiles are off target at 7 yards, that is not a gun that I would choose. I wouldn’t buy something that requires me to “spray and pray”, hoping for a hit from a wild pattern.

If you do get this thing, and you do choose to use that .410 shotgun ammo, as was said, make certain that it is tailored for this application, so that at least you’ve got some velocity out of it.

The judge could be considered a niche gun but with the improved grips I mentioned before, with .45 colt rounds I find it very manageble, so those are rounds I would use for close defense.

The .45 Colt velocities between 900 fps and 1,100 fps for 160 grain to 250 grain FMJ projectiles deliver about 600J or 450 lb.ft of energy, twice the energy of a .38 special, which within 7 yards, carries a lot of remaining energy with a larger sectional density.

My first gun for home defense is a .40S&W with the .38 Special and the Judge close by, depending on where I am in the house.

Again, go to the indoor firing range, take a class, rent some firearms, and then select a firearm and practice at least once a month.

 

[Astro14]

The judge could be considered a niche gun but with the improved grips I mentioned before, with .45 colt rounds I find it very manageble, so those are rounds I would use for close defense.

The .45 Colt velocities between 900 fps and 1,100 fps for 160 grain to 250 grain FMJ projectiles deliver about 600J or 450 lb.ft of energy, twice the energy of a .38 special, which within 7 yards, carries a lot of remaining energy with a larger sectional density.

My first gun for home defense is a .40S&W with the .38 Special and the Judge close by, depending on where I am in the house.

Again, go to the indoor firing range, take a class, rent some firearms, and then select a firearm and practice at least once a month.

.45 Colt is a great round, and my S&W Model 25 in .45 is a lot of fun. A big pussycat.

I think the challenge, for the OP, is to balance effectiveness with his concerns over drywall penetration.

 

[MolaKule]

.45 Colt is a great round, and my S&W Model 25 in .45 is a lot of fun. A big pussycat.

I think the challenge, for the OP, is to balance effectiveness with his concerns over drywall penetration.

Thanks I guess I missed that point.

Here are some tests of drywall/sheetrock penetration with various calibers.

https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/drywall-ballistics-testing-modern-ammo-performance/

https://www.gun-tests.com/ammo/handgun-bullets-how-do-they-penetrate-in-home-materials-4/

In my view, the cartridges with expanding bullets such as the JHP's in a 0.380 Auto (short 9mm) or the 9mm Luger rounds should offer less drywall penetration.

 

[ripcord]

Agree about the 45 Colt round and would love to own a model 25. It's a superb field round, but it's not at it's best in the Judge. That long free bore hurts velocity and accuracy. Loads that hold less than 3 inches at 25 yards with my Rugers are minute of paper plate with a Judge in my experience. I'd love to know if other folks have had better experiences than me, though.

 

[Pew]

I don't think I hit the paper at all at 10 yards with 45 Colt.

I take this back, it was .410 slug that I couldn't hit the paper with.

 

[oil pan 4]

After extensive testing of short barrel 410 handguns I came to the conclusion that birdshot was almost useless against anything but snakes.
Slugs were pointless compared to any normal gun, at least a normal gun would be more accurate.
Only 410 ammo I found some what useful in short barrel 410s was buckshot and the usefulness and effectiveness peaked at "across the poker table" range and quickly dropped off after that.
Furthermore 410 ammo is expensive, limited availability and sometimes unavailable. You probably won't be able to get 50 rounds of one type of 410 buckshot at one time from one store.

 

[oil pan 4]

I take this back, it was .410 slug that I couldn't hit the paper with.

Yes 410 slugs preform about like buckshot. You never know where the next one will hit. 45colts appeared to be far more consistent.

 

[alarmguy]

Agree - got 3

Any favorite brand?

 

[4WD]

Any favorite brand?

Not really - my wheelers are S&W, Ruger, or Taurus

 

[alarmguy]

Not really - my wheelers are S&W, Ruger, or Taurus

Cool, We have 3 Taurus been totally reliable.
9MM, 380 and 38sp

 

[GMBoy]

Not really - my wheelers are S&W, Ruger, or Taurus

Good choices - my favs as well!