Taurus Judge for self defence?

[Brownie 56]

I am looking for opinions on the Taurus Judge as a home defense weapon. I like the new Winchester PDX 1 410 ammo for it. I live in a duplex with block walls and brick. I own many Kimber 45's and have my fair share of 9mm as well. I am always concerened about missed shots and over penetration if the bad guy comes to visit. I live in the city and have carried for 20+ years with lots of training. Just looking for opinons.

[ar15jules]

While I wouldn't want to be shot by one, I think there are better options. The marketing for these has been fantastic. I will even admit, that if I wasn't in search of a grail gun now, I may even have one. For nothing more than the novelty of shooting pumpkins at camp....
Jules

[wrencher]

I am looking for opinions on the Taurus Judge as a home defense weapon. I like the new Winchester PDX 1 410 ammo for it. I live in a duplex with block walls and brick. I own many Kimber 45's and have my fair share of 9mm as well. I am always concerened about missed shots and over penetration if the bad guy comes to visit. I live in the city and have carried for 20+ years with lots of training. Just looking for opinons.

I have a Judge, and I recently picked up that ammo. I shot it a few weeks ago in our backyard range, a paper target stapled to mine belting. The discs left impressions in the belting from about 7 yards. They would definatly do the trick, if ever used.

ETA: I CC'd the judge before I got my XD, but with 45LC rounds. When I carry it now its when I go fishing, the first three rounds are .410 and the last two are 45LC.

[Steve_NEPhila]

The Judge is all hype and no performance. The 410 is not a reasonable defensive round, even when Winchester has tried to maximize it. A .38 special easily outguns a 410 all of the days ending with "y."

If you do not believe me, check out the box of truth website...

Bullets only incapacitate and kill through two processes, hydraulic or electrical. Hydraulic meaning that the blood pressure in a target is dropped quickly enough and low enough to make that person lose consciousness (death follows quickly as the brain is not supplied with oxygen). Electrical when the central nervous system is physically disrupted (brain, spinal cord) to shut off nerve signals to the body.

The only way to achieve either the hydraulic or electrical impact is from deep penetration and lacerations, in a sense cutting deep into your target. The 410 penetrates poorly, yet looks great on a target or paper plate at close range. The Judge is the most over hyped piece of shit around. Want proof? A 420 slug weighs 90-96 grains!!! This is projected at about 750 fps!!! Thus it is less "powerful" then the .38 special which usually launches a 130 grain projectile at about 850 fps in standard pressure loads. Considering that the absurd size (2.5 to 3 inch chamber) of the Judge makes the Judge without a barrel larger then a snubnose .38!!!

In short, the Judge is all sizzle and no steak. The .410 is great for squirrels at short range, and that is about all. If I am throwing lead at someone who might be doing the same to me I would happily take the .38 (which today has fantastic bullets and loads a la Hornady that makes it generation ahead of this shotgun shite) over the .410 anyday.

[rwb1500]

The Judge is all hype and no performance. The 410 is not a reasonable defensive round, even when Winchester has tried to maximize it. A .38 special easily outguns a 410 all of the days ending with "y."

If you do not believe me, check out the box of truth website...

Bullets only incapacitate and kill through two processes, hydraulic or electrical. Hydraulic meaning that the blood pressure in a target is dropped quickly enough and low enough to make that person lose consciousness (death follows quickly as the brain is not supplied with oxygen). Electrical when the central nervous system is physically disrupted (brain, spinal cord) to shut off nerve signals to the body.

The only way to achieve either the hydraulic or electrical impact is from deep penetration and lacerations, in a sense cutting deep into your target. The 410 penetrates poorly, yet looks great on a target or paper plate at close range. The Judge is the most over hyped piece of shit around. Want proof? A 420 slug weighs 90-96 grains!!! This is projected at about 750 fps!!! Thus it is less "powerful" then the .38 special which usually launches a 130 grain projectile at about 850 fps in standard pressure loads. Considering that the absurd size (2.5 to 3 inch chamber) of the Judge makes the Judge without a barrel larger then a snubnose .38!!!

In short, the Judge is all sizzle and no steak. The .410 is great for squirrels at short range, and that is about all. If I am throwing lead at someone who might be doing the same to me I would happily take the .38 (which today has fantastic bullets and loads a la Hornady that makes it generation ahead of this shotgun shite) over the .410 anyday.

Word.
If I could get one for 100 bucks I might, just for fun. I wouldn't use it for SD though. It's about as impractical as it gets.





OP:Surch noob!

[Brownie 56]

The Judge is all hype and no performance. The 410 is not a reasonable defensive round, even when Winchester has tried to maximize it. A .38 special easily outguns a 410 all of the days ending with "y."

If you do not believe me, check out the box of truth website...

Bullets only incapacitate and kill through two processes, hydraulic or electrical. Hydraulic meaning that the blood pressure in a target is dropped quickly enough and low enough to make that person lose consciousness (death follows quickly as the brain is not supplied with oxygen). Electrical when the central nervous system is physically disrupted (brain, spinal cord) to shut off nerve signals to the body.

The only way to achieve either the hydraulic or electrical impact is from deep penetration and lacerations, in a sense cutting deep into your target. The 410 penetrates poorly, yet looks great on a target or paper plate at close range. The Judge is the most over hyped piece of shit around. Want proof? A 420 slug weighs 90-96 grains!!! This is projected at about 750 fps!!! Thus it is less "powerful" then the .38 special which usually launches a 130 grain projectile at about 850 fps in standard pressure loads. Considering that the absurd size (2.5 to 3 inch chamber) of the Judge makes the Judge without a barrel larger then a snubnose .38!!!

In short, the Judge is all sizzle and no steak. The .410 is great for squirrels at short range, and that is about all. If I am throwing lead at someone who might be doing the same to me I would happily take the .38 (which today has fantastic bullets and loads a la Hornady that makes it generation ahead of this shotgun shite) over the .410 anyday.

Thanks for the info. I am still going to caryy my trusty old 45ACP and my 38 Airweight. I agree with you on the hype. I did watch the box of truth video and was not impressed by the performance of the Judge at all. I do have one and it is a hoot to break clay birds with. I will just keep it for that. If I do carry it sometime, it will be loaded with 45 colt rounds.

[wellcraft]

i think the judge is better than nothing when it comes to self defense and while the .410 may be lacking compared to other calibers i'm sure no one would want to get shot by one. if you're concerned with overpenetration then maybe the judge is a good option but a better option would be to load one of your 45's or 9mm's with frangible ammo that has been specifically designed not to penetrate walls. one day i plan on getting a judge because i think it's a cool gun and will make a good addition to any collection but it won't be my first choice for self defense. they do make the judge in barrel lengths greater than 3", I've seen 6" barrel judges at several shops in my area.

[Stooperzero]

IMHO Great for SD range IE: 7-15ft.





I wouldnt want shot with one , would you??

[JoeyBones]

I wouldn't want to be shot with one of THESE either



Doesn't mean I would choose it for self-defence.

Amen...

Same goes for spitballs, bird shit, and golf balls:

I don't want to get hit with any of the above - But I wouldn't count on any of them to deter someone else...

(I know my examples are over the top; It was by design)

I'm not saying "Don't buy a Judge." I'm saying there are much better options for SD.

Regards,

Bones

[Steve_NEPhila]

I wouldn't want to be shot with one of THESE either



Doesn't mean I would choose it for self-defence.

I want to point out that the above is a firearm according to New Jersey law.