I stimulated the economy a little today...

Went out and bought a new one.. Got the Judge 2 1/2" cylinder with a 3" barrel... This one:

 

Nice!

We have one, also. FYI, due to the weight absorbing most of the recoil, ladies find them to be a fun gun to shoot.

Are you planning to go with the .410 loads or .45 Colt (a/k/a 45 Long Colt), or a mix of the two?

Just a fun gun; hope you have a great time with it.

 

Now that is what I call a "Stimulus Package"

 

I appreciate your support of the free market!

Cool gun.

 

So did I, buying 600 rounds of .357sig ammo cost me more than my paycheck at the gunshop.

 

My wife has one, with 3" cyl. We've found that lead bullets (cowboy loads) tend to foul the barrel pretty seriously, after about 20 rounds, you're about done. Someone else has told me that firing a copper jacketed round while it is still warm helps clean it out- it looked like a beginner's soldering class had been held in there! Took a lot of brass brush and Hoppe's to clean it. We now keep it loaded with DPX .45LC and the .410 DPX (the Judge load with the 3 tablets and 17 BB's). She loves it. When she first shot it, I loaded it with 45, 410 slug, 45, 410 buck, 410 bird. She picked it up, one-handed, and pulled through all 5 rounds in double-action mode. The next load, I showed her single action, she liked it better, but is good either way.

Enjoy your Judge, they're a cool pistol!

 

It seems like an appealing idea

A pistol that has the flexibility of firing centrefire pistol rounds or .410 shotshell rounds (shot or slugs) as the circumstances require....however....not all seem to be enamoured of this particular solution. Some see it as a novelty, but not particularly accurate. An interesting oddity, but that there are better revolver self defence solutions for the price.

Here is one review on the Taurus Judge.

Taurus Judge .45 Colt/.410 Bore Revolvers

 

Can you have .45 and 410 in at the same time?

 

Plenty accurate when thrust into the badguy's belly and touched off.........

 

That may be... But I've already got all of the other " better revolvers for self defense solutions" ....

And then there's this: The Judge - YouTube

 

Yes... Yes you can.. The video in the above post is a pretty good demo of the weapon..

 

The forcing cone where the round first enters the barrel leads up also.

 

Sounds like it might be a good idea to buy some stock in Hoppes... A lot of cleaning needing to be done... lol..

 

How well does the Judge stack up with the Governer, pard??

If a pistol's effectiveness was dependent on thrusting it into a bad guy's belly to hit it (admittedly the Taurus isn't as bad as that)...then it is entirely possible that one's opponent may have opportunities to make use of the accuracy of their weapon at stand off ranges that make the usefulness of one's own belly thruster somewhat moot.

If that is so...then you are fortunate...and how you choose to spend your money is your own business. I provided the link to the review, mainly for others, who may be looking for something that is value for money, for specific self defence needs.

I have no stake in the matter...and acknowledge that the reviewer may well have a personal bias against Taurus firearms. Even so...he seems to make some valid points which ought be considered. If I was looking at buying a Judge...I'd be looking at a few reviews from different sources. There may well be other Colt .45 calibre pistol variants by other manufacturers that may also have the same characteristics as the Taurus Judge, but with better capabilities. If so...it would be interesting to see how they stack up performance wise with the Taurus Judge.

Further food for thought: NB...YMMV according to who's boosting the product! ; )

Magnum Research BFR - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Magnum Research : BFR

Tactical-Life.com » MAGNUM RESEARCH BFR .45/.410


S&W Governor .410 / .45 Shotgun Revolver | The Firearm Blog

GunsAmerica TV/Blog - Smith & Wesson Governor .410/45LC Revolver - YouTube

Range Report on the Smith and Wesson Governor Revolver - YouTube


I wonder what the practicalities would be of firing a .45 long colt from a .410 shotgun would be.....other than loss of accuracy and range due to the shotgun not being rifled?

 

If it chambers, getting a .452" bullet down a smooth .410 bore would be interesting. The 45 LC's case is about .005-.006 larger in diameter also.

 

That answers what in my case

is an intrigueing academic question. I'm all in favour of exploring the possibilities of extending the versatility of a firearm....but not at the expense of creating destructive mayhem for it...nor in exposing me to the risk of painful personal injury! : O

 

FYI, Lewis Lead Remover: Brownell's buys The Lewis Lead Remover, great pointers when buying a used firearm, working with Norma 201 powder About 1/2 way down the page there is a picture of some round brass screens and pictures of the Lewis Lead Remover.
I wholeheartedly agree with the caption "Lead buildup in the cylinder can ruin the best of loads"


If you have an older revolver which has one tight cylinder; lead is probably the reason.

If it chambers, getting a .452" bullet down a smooth .410 bore would be an educational experience.

The 45 LC's case is about .005-.006 larger in diameter also.

It is a specialty weapon (trout fishermen) which has good potential at close range for snakes; the 45 LC is a value added. The S&W 500 is another example of a weapon which fills a niche.

 

I usually bag my trout fishermen with a 4x2 lump of wood....It's something I don't need a license for....and it tenderises them nicely! : O

 

Only once indeed.

I haven't seen any tests with small shot which would be preferable to buckshot. All of the sites I've surfed have decided the .410 uses either slugs or buckshot for use as a defensive round.
Then, most prove the .410 in a revolver isn't quite a top drawer shtf round which the rest of us sort of already guessed.


I doubt it has much reach; however the 45 LC using modern ammunition sure does. I live in snake country so for me it's best role would be a hiking companion loaded with bird shot and 45 LC.