# Taurus "Judge"



## goblue

I am thinking about buying a new hangun for my wife. Obviously this will serve as a good gun for self defense from things on two legs, however how will it work on the four-legged varieties (specifically bears)?


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## hagfan72

Are we talking browns or blacks? Bears i mean. hehehe Anyway, the answer may mean the difference between life and death. IS she a good shooter? Can she handle .45 LC loads? Personally, I would not go into brown/griz country with anything less than a .44 Mag. I wouldn't even worry about loading .410 shells in bear country.


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## Plainsman

If you handload the 45LC can equal or surpass factory 44 mag. If you don't hand load the 45LC is not much of a bear load. Slightly better than a 45ACP. Black bear close range perfect shot maybe. Brown bear, get your 45LC without a front sight, it wont hurt so bad when the bear shoves it up your rear.


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## hagfan72

LOL, i think that would be the LEAST of your concerns in an encounter with an angry brown bear that had just been shot with a 45LC. He probably would be having you over for dinner...

Look into the big boys Smith and Wesson is making. I am not sure they would be much fun to fire, but they make a .460 and a .500 in short barrel versions. Hell, even if you missed, the muzzle report probably would deafen him.


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## darkgael

This pistol is reviewed in the August issue of the American Rifleman.
Be careful about that idea that you can load the 45LC to 44Mag levels - you can... but you can't shoot those loads safely in every gun chambered for the .45LC. I'm not sure that "The Judge" qualifies. Maybe. The usuals are Ruger BH and Vaquero, T/C Contender, Dan Wesson, Freedom Arms, newer Colts.
Handguns and bears - an old and ongoing discussion. A handgun is what you use when you are running for the rifle that you should never have put down.
Stay with the rifle; keep it close.
Pete


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## Plainsman

darkgael

Your right I should have mentioned that you can't shoot hot 45 colt loads in just any handgun. Thanks for pointing that out. I wouldn't want to see anyone hurt themselves with a smoking load in a weak firearm. 
My friend (hunt1) always says a handgun is used to fight your way to a shotgun or rifle.


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## gentleman4561

you would have to empty the whole gun even with buck shot a to scare a bear. i would get a 44. mag or something like that.


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## gstewart

Here is a link to the new Taurus Judge. It say's the barrell is rifled?

http://www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-t ... -video.cfm


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## hagfan72

Yes, the barrel is rifled. OTherwise, it would be an illegally short shotgun. ALso, they claim the rifling helps to open the .410 pattern faster for close quarters shooting.


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## Hardsell

Get a .44 Smith & Wesson in L frame with a four inch barrel. Then have the barrel Magna-ported.


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## hagfan72

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm

This sheds a lot of light on this gun.


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## jimbob357

Thanks for that link hagfan, that is an interesting read.  
My 22 YO nephew just bought the exact same model as in the article.


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## wyocarp

The previous link pretty much tells it like it is. I bought one of these guns and it is only a toy. It is not a defense gun as it is claimed by a lot of people. For most people, it will be a waste of money.


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## usmarine0352

Good Rule:

*Never take a pistol to a bear fight.*

I saw a hunting show where the hunter was using his rifle, but as back up the guide was using a .44 mag.

Not that a .44 mag can't take a bear down. But if I have a customer who wounded, or ****** of a 1,000 grizzly, I'd want a shotgun or heavy gun to take him down.

:sniper:


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## wyocarp

I have no problem taking pistols to a bear fight. I have! It would be better to say, "bring enough gun" to a bear fight. I'll take my .500's to a bear fight any day.


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## Kaiser

I own a Taurus Raging Bull .44 mag. It is a heck of a gun and a stopper for sure, but for bears? I asked your same question to my brother who lives in Alaska when I was planning a backcountry trip a few years ago. He asked friends, guides, and bushman about having a .44 mag for bear defense. The general consensus was if you plan to use this gun for bear defense, you should file the sights completely off; it will hurt less when the bear shoves the gun up your...you get the idea. They all recommended a shotgun for bears.


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## wyocarp

I don't know that I agree with the .44 bashing as a bear defense gun. Would I carry one, probably not because there are better ones to choose from, but I think that if the person was careful in ammo selection, I think the .44 would work.


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## tthordarson

i'm with wyocarp on this one.bring on the s&w 500.stop animal walking planet earth.........


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## goatspeed

wyocarp said:


> The previous link pretty much tells it like it is. I bought one of these guns and it is only a toy. It is not a defense gun as it is claimed by a lot of people. For most people, it will be a waste of money.


The short version of the gun was used in that test. I wonder what kind of difference the 6" barrel would yield. I'm pretty interested in this type of gun...but I don't want to waste my money.


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## wyocarp

Some of the biggest problems I see with this gun wouldn't be solved with the longer barrel. It wouldn't solve the cylinder turn problems with the .410 shells in it, or the ejection of those shells if the casing is of the smooth variety, or the fact that ammo selection is poor for the 2 1/2" .410 shells at most stores, or the fact that it is made by Taurus.


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## vpboat

Hey I really appreciate this discussion! I usually don't buy a gun without firing a like model . However, I bought one of these Judge models without firing one. After what I've read, I will be much more critical of my assesment. I do have some ideas for rounds not mentioned so far here. I'll fire it and let you know. I had some really high hopes for this model. Hopefully, I can find some better use for this pistol than what I've read so far.


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## vpboat

One more point..................the Judge I just bought will fire 3" 410 shells.


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## goatspeed

Yeah the 3" 410 model is the one I'm looking for. I haven't found a gun store in Metro MPLS that has them in stock!


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## ranger7

I have the 2.5 in. cylinder 3 in. barrel Judge. It's definitely not the perfect all-around revolver but I do think it's an adequate short range defense gun especially with buckshot. I ordered 1/2 a case of Winchester buck from Cheaper Than Dirt so I have an adequate supply. The Winchester rounds load, fire and eject reliably. My tests show the buck penetrates 5-6 inches in wet phone books. (I know, if you need protection from wet phone books, you'll get a Judge.) Don't think I'll see anyone ignoring three 36 caliber pellets per trigger pull.

I also found some Estate birdshot rounds load and eject well in my Judge. They were relatively cheap - $10 for a 25 round box. It's a fun short range round, good for snakes and other small animals at 7 yards or less. While not ideal for SD, I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't ruin an attacking human's day, if he got a face full.

Again, I agree that it might not be ideal for everyone, but it's a fun gun with some secondary SD applications.


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## ringoblood

sniper: this is for all of the morons out there bashing the taurus judge. for all of those who keep talking about the limited penetration of the shot shells i offer this. i have worked in an emergency room for over 16 years and let me just say that no matter how hopped up a perp is on whatever drug from meth to coke if ya take out his eyes he aint gonna do much harm. do you doubters have any idea what 3 inches of penetration does to an eyeball. at 10 to 12 feet it is really hard not to take out the eyes with #' 4, 6, or 7 shot. a few years ago i had a guy come into the er after being shot with a .44 mag, and the guy who did the shooting came out a lot worse than him. sometimes to much penetration is worse than when the lead actually stays in the body.


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## shopmax

were do I buy a new grip for my judge? Thank you


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