Taurus Judge: "Hollywood Justice" by Nutnfancy

With such a narrow application, the Taurus Judge is surprisingly popular. That's because many bought it for the cool factor after seeing it in the movie "Max Payne." Of course this isn't the first time this has happened: "Dirty Harry" Callahan helped popularize the Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver and the powerful .44 Magnum cartridge. However that combination did indeed perform impressively albeit at a substantial weight and size (which was very common in the 1970s). The Taurus Judge in some models has some of the same issues. The Model 4510TKR-3SSMAG weighs a stout 37 ounces. This bobbed hammer Ultra-Lite version (shown) is a more reasonable 25 ounces and others like it list in the Taurus catalog for 23 oz. Don't expect perfection in the design though. Chambered for both .45 Colt and the .410 shotshell, the Judge is a compromise of design in order to accommodate these different loads. The long cylinder is necessary to fit the .410 but sacrifices .45 Colt accuracy in doing so (also the shallow rifling needed to accommodate the shotshell). Overall length of the .410 shell is around 2.5", the .45 colt around 1.6". This length difference necessitates a long "jump" into the rifling and degrades accuracy. Close range accuracy of the pistol round is adequate but there are reports that it degrades quickly past 15 feet. If you can connect, the venerable .45 Colt with 185 gr JHP will do damage as perhaps will a .410 shotshell packing three 000 pellets. Also consider its very limited firepower of just five rounds and the fact that the ammo will be bulky and HEAVY (which negates its backpacking use). For home defense it could serve adequately with alternate loadings of shotshell and centerfire ammunition. But other downsides include inability to regulate the fixed sights (rear sight groove milled in frame), bulkiness in carry, limited holster options, substantial blast and recoil, high cost, and difficulty in concealment. The Taurus Judge then remains a close range weapon only and there are many smarter options that will expand your defensive options. But in the role of snake killer, I think the Taurus would excel providing a close range shotgun capability in pistol form. . /////////////Nutnfancy Likeability Scale: 3 of 10

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• buckshot
• 000
• buck
• shotshell
• snake
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• .45
• colt
• .44
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• .327
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• model
• 4510
• ultra-lite
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• 29
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• lcr
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• 444
• 85
• tnp
• max
• payne
• movie
• dirty
• harry

[mrkm715]

the public defender version is made to carry, the original 3 inch barrel (as shown in the video) was made for a car defense gun, if you're going to "judge" the gun on the ability to carry, you should at least review the carry model, the public defender.. hickok45 had great accuracy with the 45 colt at a long distance, but i guess thats the difference you get, when the reviewer actually shoots the gun before giving a crappy review. Try shooting the gun, and then make a video

[ghostie234]

Is it bad that I think it's incredibly funny when Nutn is just bustin on an item? knoxx shooting stocks, the judge, the black sable, the infidel, he's incredibly funny when an item bugs him!

[Maruader25]

5:46

YOU HAVEN'T SHOT THE GUN YOU ARE REVIEWING!?!?

I like the nutnfancy reviews, but don't rag on a gun and say that it isn't accurate or suited for defense if you haven't tried it out. I come to YOUR reviews because I want YOUR opinion on how the gun works. I do NOT want the collection of reviews that you have read. I'm not even a Judge fan myself, but at least I gave it a fair chance.

[wtg2989]

@cbsmoraine OK so one extreme to the other? Walk off the distance from the doorway to the back of a room in most homes and you will see that it is within effective range of the buckshot and/or PDX1 rounds. Maybe your house is an exception but most houses (don't have to be trailers) have the ideal set up.

[cbsmoraine]

@wtg2989 yes and no, with anything, it depends alot on the situation. if live in a very large open floor plan home, shooting from up stairs to down, probably not to effective. if i live in a single wide trailer, then i souldn't have a problem shooting the bad guy.

[wtg2989]

@cbsmoraine Well, if it's good enough to stop a dude trying to rob your car then it should be good enough to stop a dude trying to rob your house.

[cbsmoraine]

@wtg2989 I would say depends on the situation. For the car, sure. conceal carry or home, probably not. Ive only shot it a few times. It wasnt something that WOW'd me. buck shot, or 45LC are the rounds i personally stick with for personal defence. They serve my needs. but to each thier own.

[Deep13Deep13Deep13]

@mrkm715 Shooting it will tel you how it handles and how accurate it is. It will not affect its POU. .410 is still a bizarre choice for self defense and .45LC is expensive and hard to find. Plus, the .410 capacity makes it unnecessarily big as a .45LC revolver. A .357 Ruger sp101, for example, is half as big and more versatile.

[wtg2989]

@cbsmoraine You think the PDX1 is an adequate self defense round?

[bkitchen0406]

I agree with the post, but a 410 depending on the round won't go through walls as easy, makes for a good home defense gun and maybe ccw. I like the smith and Wesson gov better. In my opinion we often forget bullets go through cars, people, and walls. It might not be a GTW gun, but every tool has a purpose.

[thecntryboy42]

Wtg2989 I more talking about the dudes that use the 45 long colt not 410. Basically all I'm trying to say is I think you have a little more options with a different weapon. That was just an example. I aint saying it's not accurate or a bad gun cuse I have one

[wtg2989]

@thecntryboy42 How is a 44 mag more accurate? The Judge was designed to hit. Hence the shotgun shells.