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why aren't they considered SBSes? i mean technically, something like a Judge is just a really itty-bitty one-handed shotgun. or is it not a shotty because it also fires .45LC?
as an afterthought, does anyone know if a normal .410 shotty can fire .45LC?
Most likely because they do not exceed .50 caliber. However, that is a guess without research.
I do not know why one would want to shoot 45 LC through a smoothbore. If you want to waste ammo just send it my way.
All Judges have rifling, which is what makes them legal. As far as a regular .410 shotty firing .45LC, I'd check with the manufacturer, but like Steve said it would just be a waste.
Oh, here is a quote from Wiki.
"Though Taurus deliberately designed The Judge to fire shotshells, The Judge does not qualify as a "short-barreled shotgun" under the National Firearms Act of 1934 as its rifled barrel makes it a regular handgun.[2] The rifling is more shallow than normal, giving single-projectile loads less stabilization than they would receive in other handguns, but reducing the rapid dispersion of the shot from shotshells.[2] Taurus developed the shallow rifling after numerous experiments to find rifling that worked well with both types of ammunition.[3]"
I think I actually first heard about this subject on one of the shows on The Outdoor Channels Wednesday Night at the Range. Hope this helps.
As the other guys have pointed out, it's rifled.
.410 handguns are far from a new thing. T/C's Contender's have been chambered in 45/410 for 30-40 years. American Derringer 45/410's for 20-30 years. FMJ/Cobray/Leniad derringers for 20+ years. Magnum Research BFR's for 10 years. Comanche 45/410 for years. ....the Judge is an infant in the .410 handgun field, and if they had been a SBS all the predecessors would have been flagged by the ATF loooooooooooong ago.
Remember, its not the cartridge that makes it the type of gun - its the gun itself. Otherwise your Ruger 10/22 rifle would be a shotgun if you used shotshells, or your .38/357mag would be a SBS if you shotsells as well - which we all know isn't so.
The main point is, it was not made as a shotgun. One of the federal laws is, you can't cut down a shotgun. Rifled and not made as a longgun makes it legal. Some shotguns are made with a rifled barrel and that's OK. The main thing is how it came from the factory.