Judge debate

[dyerwatcher]

I have been thinking about the Taurus Judge fir home defense as well as pure fun. My question is......how is the recoil compared to a snubby .357 or a four inch 44 mag. I would think it is somewhere between the two with .410's. This question is for the fun factor.....more= better.

 

[goinggreyfast]

A buddy of mine has one and after putting a few 410 shells through it, I wasn't that impressed. But that's probably just me.

 

[dom1104]

There are umpteen dozens of judge models, the recoil will be different with each one.

The lighter, the more recoil.

 

[dice dealer]

The Public Defender Judge (A.K.A. the littile one ).
Has recoil similar to that of a .357 snub nose .

The 3 inch and 6 1/2 inch barrel variety has the recoil of a 4 inch 357 or a 38 snub nose .

Neither is all that bad , My wife has the public defender and Loves it.


The Perfect home defense gun IMHO .

 

[drgnrobo]

Me & my wife "share" a Judge Public Defender ,the recoil isnt to bad .My wife is 5 '4" small hands & has no problem shooting it.

 

[jgreiner]

I have been thinking about the Taurus Judge fir home defense as well as pure fun. My question is......how is the recoil compared to a snubby .357 or a four inch 44 mag. I would think it is somewhere between the two with .410's. This question is for the fun factor.....more= better.

For home defense I don't like the judge. Give me a good old 12 gauge pump with 00 buckshot.

I could see carrying a judge in my truck to prevent car jackings.

 

[Zoub]

I have been thinking about the Taurus Judge fir home defense as well as pure fun. My question is......how is the recoil compared to a snubby .357 or a four inch 44 mag. I would think it is somewhere between the two with .410's. This question is for the fun factor.....more= better.

Define more. More equals fun, ammo, recoil?

Recoil is not bad with any .410 load compared to a .44mag.

Birdshot from a handgun, not as entertaining as you might think. Go ahead and shoot .410 100 to 500 times in one day. Then you tell us how fun that was? Not cheap either. If you can afford it, so be it but for me more ammo = more shooting = more fun and a better use of my practice time.

If I am combining fun with HD then simple fact is you need 1000-2000 rounds practice up front. A lack of fun and high cost can quickly cut into accomplishing that goal. I have yet to see someone say they shot a Judge 250 times or more in one session.

 

[actaeon277]

Just remember, the pattern is very wide on a Judge. From about 10 feet, the pellets covered the entire target in my test. OK if that's what you want. Bad if a loved one or innocent bystander is near. A regular shottie doesn't spread nearly so much.

 

[silkpoet]

I like my Judge a lot. It is the gun I keep on me in the yard and when I take walks. My rationale is that if I have to use it on an animal, bird shot won't likely riccochet and result in a secondary issue. If you need it for personal protection, lets face it, the LC45 and 00 buck that are after the first two rounds will deal with most anything. Just my $0.02

 

[tradertator]

I find it to be more of a novelty. The short barrel doesn't allow the round enough velocity for good penetration, and the rifling in the barrel spreads the shot all over the place.

If you want one to play with, I agree 100% that they are fun and pretty damn cool. If you want it for HD, I suggest looking elsewhere.

 

[DRob]

Take note

Our Judge is intended for snakes and is just fine for that with #4 or #6 shot. Bear in mind that 2.5" .410 ammo suited for self defense is pretty limited. As stated, the shot disperses rapidly. The 2.5" 000 buck loads I have were widely dispersed at 10'. You'd be lucky to get more than one pellet on a BG. The next option is #4 shot which would probably be a deterrent but not much more. Stretch the distance farther than that and you may not have enough gun. I have some slugs but haven't had a chance to shoot them yet. There is #4 buck load (much larger than #4 shot) available in 3".

Cliff Notes version: If you're thinking self or home defense get the 3" chamber model.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Never fired one, but I've read a lot. Use the .45LC. I've seen a lot of cases where shotshells patterned in a ring around the aimpoint. YMMV, but I'd do a lot of testing before I expected it to save my bacon.

 

[kyotekilr]

I'm surprised they market it towards women so much. That thing must kick like a mule!

 

[redpitbull44]

I really, REALLY did not like my 2.5" chamber 3" barrel Judge I had. I thought it was very weak. I shot everything through it. .45acp cowboy and self defense, .410 bird, buck and slug. Just was not very impressed. It's all hype in my opinion. If I am going to handicap myself to 5 rounds with that long of a chamber, I am shooting something in the .454 casull to .500 S&W range.

 

[redpitbull44]

I'm surprised they market it towards women so much. That thing must kick like a mule!

It really doesn't. Epic weak sauce bro. Seriously.

 

[kyotekilr]

It really doesn't. Epic weak sauce bro. Seriously.

I'm surprised. it is kinda counter intuitive. however, i am no firearm expert and i'm sure there is more to it than the obvious.

 

[Chapparal]

I am not a fan of large calibers in small frames. Bad things can happen.

 

[PoormansMachinegun]

I got to shoot one the other day. It might make it way into my collection.

 

[BillyT]

I like mine

1). Diverse caliber selection to suit various purposes
2). Wheel gun
3). Size

This gun would be very intimidating to be on the receiving end. I'm sure once it talks just once that'll be more than enough to secure the situation. I've linked numerous stories of this firearm being used with the effect desired in a hostile situation.

However when I do carry outside the home I bring more than one just because distance is not a friend so pick which role you want this to play into.

 

[Stryker Action]

I carry the Taurus Poly Judge and love it. Love to shoot it. I carry it with winchester PDX-1 and it patterns great even at distances greater than 10 feet like some are saying on here. I can tell you this, I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it at any distance. Also aren't you more likely to need a gun for protection at very close distances? Either way more than one bullet is coming at you with one trigger pull.