Carry "the judge"

**clhaberle** · February 2nd, 2009, 11:33 PM

I was asked a question today and I was unsure of the answer, so please help. If you carry the "judge" with some or all 410 shot shells loaded is it or why is not a shotgun with a short barrel... I guess it is the same as what makes a shotgun a shotgun if not for the ammo...

**knight0334** · February 2nd, 2009, 11:35 PM

Rifling.

"shotguns" are smoothbore. The judge is a 45 caliber handgun with rifling that has a long chamber to hold a .410 shotgun shell.

With the shell type arguement a 22 revolver with shotshells, or a 357mag with CCI shotshells would be a "shotgun", which they are NOT.

**nepawolf** · February 3rd, 2009, 05:25 AM

The main difference is because it's under .5 caliber. The judge isn't the only 410 shotgun pistol out there. It just happens to be the best publicized and otherwise well known one out there. Technically a firearm over .5 caliber with a rifled barrel is a destructive device. For some reason the ATF has decided that that usually doesn't apply to shotguns. The ATF has allowed shotguns under .5 caliber to be labeled as pistols instead of an AOW or SBS for now, but there is no telling how long something like that will last. The more popular pistols like the Judge become, the more likely they are to change their stance on the classification of this type of pistol.

**Bigrepp61** · February 3rd, 2009, 05:57 AM

lenght of barrel... if its under a certain lenght its considered a pistol/handgun

**Ten*K** · February 3rd, 2009, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by Bigrepp61

length of barrel... if its under a certain lenght its considered a pistol/handgun

no, Knight has it with the rifling. which, by the way, is designed not only to keep that .45 colt on target, but also disperse the shot pattern at close range.