I stimulated the economy a little today...

I live on the far side of Game Lands & a State Park. The terrain is mountainous steep so very few trek deep into the woods unless they are lost. lol As the area is undisturbed it is great snake country.

As they are lightweight we typically hike with a high capacity 9mm and her trusty +P wheel gun wearing snake boots.
This is bear country; so when there are noises outside at night I lean more towards 870, AR or AK.

To be honest, unless it was all I had I wouldn't consider either of the 45LC/410s as a defensive firearm.
IMO, one of the stand out traits of a good defensive firearm is I don't have to think about how to use it effectively.

 

Cabela's has some .45LCs on sale right now. Although, I must admit, I don't understand how they could charge almost the same amount for half the ammo. There's also $5 shipping.

Cabela's: Magtech® .45 Colt Cowboy Ammo

 

I shot the Judge yesterday for the first time... As far as the .410 shells go.. Wow.. That is cool.. You could fire blindfolded and not miss.. #4 shot shells at 25 yards is a joke.. The shot pattern at that distance was at least a 4 foot dia. But the 000' buck shot was very impressive.. 4 pellets that are somewhere around 9mm in dia ended up in about a 3"-4" spread. Imagine the bottom of a Campbells soup can. Now hold that can over the center of your chest. That's the impact area.. The best however was the PDX1 shells.. Winchester PDX1 .410 Demo - YouTube And the .45 LC is not what I would call "inaccurate".. It's great for it's intended purpose.. At 25 yards a 3" dia. group is the best I would expect with my limited abilities.. An that's about what I got.. As a former Marine, I'm more of a rifleman than a handgun shooter.. As far as concealment, I bought a paddle holster BLACKHAWK! Serpa CQC Belt with Loop and Paddle - BLACKHAWK! and tried it out when a friend came over.. He also carries a concealed pistol, so he is usually looking to see if he can see if anyone else is.. He didn't notice.. It has been cooler outside, so I was able to wear one of my insulated flannel shirt/jackets.. But even as big as the Judge is, I was able to conceal it under a light jacket.. I wouldn't plan on trying to pull that off all day out in the world, but it's good to know that it could be possible - maybe..

I had never heard of the S&W Governor until Chelloveck's post - and I wish I had.. I have other S&W "products" that have really been happy with.. And I probably would have leaned towards that instead of the Taurus Judge.. That being said, I'm not disappointed in what I bought..

 

I bought the Judge with the long barrel,blued finish.I like it.You get tired of yours,let me know.

 

I bought the politician model.

It doesn't work, and I can't fire it.

 

It's probably overpriced and damned finnicky with what it eats too.

 

Yeah, I'll keep that in mind... lol...

CaboWabo5150's Rule #7: Never sell a gun.. Keep them all..