Taurus 410 "Judge" - good for HD?

pipmaster1971

pipmaster1971

Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
2,842
Likes
98
Location
Nashua, NH
Feedback: 1 / 0 / 0
Is this a good gun for home defence? I don't have a shot-gun, and whilst a shot-gun is best for home defense (powefull, yet doesn't over-penetrate so neighbors and innocents won't get hurt), a shot-gun isn't something I need just yet (no safe place to keep it, and I like to use guns for other purposes too).

This however, seems like a good compromise. Appears to fire 410 shot shells for "safe" close-range (< 10 yards) encounters. And can also fire a pretty effective .45LC rounds if the S really did HTF.

http://www.gunweek.com/2006/feature0620.html

Any thoughts? Effective weapon, or gimick? I held one at Kitery Trading Post this weekend, and seems like a nicely built gun. I would've purchased it there and then -- a word of warning to all of you: Don't go to gun "browsing" with your wife and mother.
 
Looks nice

I wouldnt mind getting one as it looks pretty handy.

Your walking in the woods and a Nasty ol Rattlesnake jumps out. Bang! #8 bird shot and its Snake fritters.

Your Walking in the woods a wounded Bear accosts you. Blam with a .45 Long Colt and it Bear Stew.

You walking in downtown any city and a bad guy jumps ya. Blam, Bang. Its pepper and run or stand and hold your ground.

Your walking in a picturesquie woodlands setting and a Tasty Partrige walks into your path. Boom and its Grilled Road Chicken!


Can you load a .41 mag into the chamber also?

partridge.jpg


Grouse - Ruffed Grouse. Known in Maine as “patridge”; no one from Maine will know what you’re talking about if you say, “Grouse”. Grouse is a verb or adverb in Maine , meaning to complain, as in “What are you grousing about?”
 
Last edited:
I shot one. The accuracy with .45 Colt ammo leaves a lot to be desired - probably because of the excessive free bore required to allow it to chamber a .410 shell.

With .410 loads (I don't remember the shot size, maybe #4 or #6) at 5 yards, only about 8 pellets hit a 2 liter soda bottle (empty). The shot spreads quickly because the barrel is rifled and "slings" it outward as soon as it leaves the muzzle. Those pellets that hit it penetrated the front of the bottle but not the back.

That revolver is a novelty, and in my opinion, not at all suitable for home defense. If you want a shotgun, get a shotgun.

Can you load a .41 mag into the chamber also?
Click to expand...

No!
.41 Magnum = .410" diameter
.45 Long Colt - .452" diameter
 
Last edited:
EddieCoyle said:
I shot one. The accuracy with .45 Colt ammo leaves a lot to be desired - probably because of the excessive free bore required to allow it to chamber a .410 shell.

With .410 loads (I don't remember the shot size, maybe #4 or #6) at 5 yards, only about 8 pellets hit a 2 liter soda bottle (empty). The shot spreads quickly because the barrel is rifled and "slings" it outward as soon as it leaves the muzzle. Those pellets that hit it penetrated the front of the bottle but not the back.

That revolver is a novelty, and in my opinion, not at all suitable for home defense. If you want a shotgun, get a shotgun.



No!
.41 Magnum = .410" diameter
.45 Long Colt - .452" diameter
Click to expand...

I suspected as much. I gave some consideration to one of these as well (More for the novelty than anything else) and didn't bother either. I highly agree with EC, a decent Mossberg or Remington Shotgun is cheap, multi-purpose and fun to shoot, not to mention very effective for HD.

Good luck!
 
Yeah....I might get a shot-gun at some point in the future. But at the moment I have no-where safe to store it at night (I have one of those lock-boxes for a handgun under my bed). For me a handgun is easier for any HD senario -- I was just wondering if this gun is a good compromise between the "splat" factor of a shotgun, the lack of over-penetration of a shot-gun and the size of a handgun.
 
Gun Tests magazine did a test of this one a few issues ago and found it (as I recall) basically worthless.
 
Remember that at home defense ranges there is very little spread on the shot pattern. Get yourself a 9mm, .40, or .45. Or a .357 revolver.
 
I wouldn't use anything Taurus sells for defending myself, unless
it was all I could get my hands on at the time.

Further, I can't imagine that 410 shot out of such a small
barrel is going to be all that lethal to a pissed off human... well, at
least compared to even something like a 12 with trap loads in
it. I'm not saying it won't hurt somebody, but I can't imagine
the shot is going to penetrate extremely far.

.410 slugs would probably do some damage, but at that point why
not just get a regular handgun?

IMO these types of wheelies are probably good for pest control
around one's house (assuming one can legally discharge it on their
property) and not much else.

-Mike
 
A .410 shell just about chambers in my S&W 460. I'm thinking of getting some .410 wads and making up some shot loads using regular .460 brass - maybe capping the thing off with a fiber wad.

I'll have to remove the compensator and replace it with one of the solid plugs that S&W sells though.
 
And it seemed like such a fun gun too. Bah....I guess $400 isn't too bad for a "toy" (still tempted, even to shoot some clays). Seems like for HD my trusted 40S&W Sig P229 will have to do.
 
EddieCoyle said:
A .410 shell just about chambers in my S&W 460. I'm thinking of getting some .410 wads and making up some shot loads using regular .460 brass - maybe capping the thing off with a fiber wad.

I'll have to remove the compensator and replace it with one of the solid plugs that S&W sells though.
Click to expand...

and will we be able to try that at the Pumpkin Shoot? [smile]
 
drgrant said:
I wouldn't use anything Taurus sells for defending myself, unless
it was all I could get my hands on at the time.
Click to expand...

Not for nothing, but even knowing the bad rap that Taurus has quality-wise, I'm very pleased with my Raging Bull revolver. I wouldn't say it's S&W Performance Center quality by any means, but not bad at all in it's own right.

End threadjack. [grin]
 
Fooped said:
Not for nothing, but even knowing the bad rap that Taurus has quality-wise, I'm very pleased with my Raging Bull revolver. I wouldn't say it's S&W Performance Center quality by any means, but not bad at all in it's own right.
Click to expand...

+1.

I have a Taurus Tracker in .357 that I absolutely love.

And at around $425 new it was a great bargain.
 
I have a Taurus Judge with the short barrel configuration. I think that it is a suprising accurate gun with .45LC, and that round would be more than enough to cease any attack. I have measured my 15yd groups with it at 1.0 to 1.5'' range. The sights do however take some getting used to.

Firing shot from it, I would get some buckshot self-defense cartridges. Any shot smaller than that and it is little more than a substantially weaker claymore, due to the incredilbly wide pattern. I shot it a couple of times outside in the snow and I would estimate that the pattern goest out in a 35degree angle from either side of the muzzle. Kind of hard to know your target and beyond with that spray, and only about 5-6 bb's hit the target.

I did have to send it back to the factory after about 3 uses because of a bad latch on the revolver cylinder. I am willing to chalk that up as a fluke, and they replaced it free of charge with free shipping. However it does make me reluctant in the future to buy something of theirs that I may trust my life with.

....it was fun to quick draw on clays thrown up in a sandpit.
 
RKG said:
Gun Tests magazine did a test of this one a few issues ago and found it (as I recall) basically worthless.
Click to expand...


I did a test on "Gun Tests" magazine and found it basically worthless. This month's American Rifleman has an article on the "Judge" that I would place a lot more faith in.
 
drgrant said:
I wouldn't use anything Taurus sells for defending myself, unless
it was all I could get my hands on at the time.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Kind of down on Taurus - why?

My Special Edition Millenium in 40 S&W makes a dandy concealed carry gun and it's quite accurate. Loaded with hollow point ammo it will do quite nicely in the self defense department.
 
I'd stuff the thing with 45 colt before .410. And then since that is the case I would just buy a revolver chambered for the 45 colt cartridge.
 
When I first saw the Judge advertised I thought it would be pretty formidable loaded with buck shot. I think the 410 has a load with 3 in-line lead balls.
 
EddieCoyle said:
If you want a shotgun, get a shotgun.
Click to expand...

+1..
I have to assume that a moss 500 or a used pump of any sort is also going to be far less expensive. Used pumps can be had for $200 or less and will run forever.

Also, if you go 20g, you may actually be able to get your signifgant other to take a few shots through it without a problem. At least enough for her to become familiar and comfortable enough with the gun should a need arise..

And if space is an issue, there are always pistol grip shot guns (probably @ 24" ttl). Or go one step further and go AOW (as you are in the freestate of NH, you could get a Serbu Super shortie only a $5 tax stamp!! And endless jealousy from people like me that can't get one)..
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Looking for custom engraving on O/U shotgun
Replies
5
Views
92
tinhorn
tinhorn
Looking for suppressor storage ideas
Replies
7
Views
143
Tartakovsky
Tartakovsky
Gunsmiths for pistol slide and frame work
Replies
11
Views
418
DW357
DW357
Form 5320 approval times?
Replies
2
Views
49
DW357
DW357
Dont judge. But I bought this monstrosity
2
Replies
56
Views
3K
kingson
kingson
Back
Top Bottom