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How much FUN is a Taurus Judge?

4K views 13 replies 12 participants last post by  JimB120 
#1 ·
I have $375 in “toy“ money to spend from Christmas. The local Sportsman’s Wharehouse has the Taurus Judge Public Defender on sale for $369.

I am just looking for a fun plinking gun to shoot around the farm. Put a hurting on the stumps in the pond.
I love single action revolvers and reload for 45 colt already.
I have SD and CC covered (ruger sp101, kel tec p3at & p11).

Is $369 a good deal? So how much fun is the Judge? How bad is recoil (i figure it can not be worse than a full house 357 out of the sp101)? How expensive is 410 shot?

Basically is it accurate enough and is recoil tame enough for it to be a fun shooting gun.
 
#2 · (Edited)
It is a decent, if not great deal at that price.

I can't speak for the accuracy or recoil of that particular model, but I'd imagine that a 2.5 inch barrel in plastic frame would be significantly less accurate and significantly more noticeable recoil than my 3 inch steel one... You could use low power 'cowboy action loads' for taming it somewhat., but I find .45 Colt much more pleasant to shoot than a .357.

The Public Defender isn't really meant for target shooting or plinking. It is meant for 'social interactions' up close and personal, and I wouldn't expect much satisfaction with it beyond 15 -20 feet.

I find mine kind of fun... 'YMMV'

as to the price of .410 ammo, this will give you an idea:

410 Bore 2-1/2" | Shotgun Ammunition | Ammunition |
 
#3 ·
If you're the guy who posted this same thing at The High Road.Org gun forum then you'll find the answer there of sorts. :)

If not then here's THR - Powered by vBulletin to go to to take a look at the thread there. It has the same title. :) It's in the "Handguns:General Discussion" board.
 
#4 ·
Shooting the Taurus Judge is about as much fun as a guy can have with his clothes on. :yipee:















Wait...wait! Don't report me to the cyber-censors! I was talking about taking a bubble bath, guys!:angel:
 
#9 ·
The Judge is fun to shoot, I think the 45 Long Colt has much less recoil than the 410 shots. I have only shot the 2" steel version and I think the poly version will have more recoil due to the fact that it has less weight. As Gulch stated above, it is only accurate at relatively short distances but again it is fun to shoot.
 
#11 ·
For me its a GREAT FUN GUN... I really like my wheel guns but the judge PD is really fun. And be it just shreading paper or dispatching a snake, the right 410 loads will do the job. The 45 colts have a little recoil but not so much as to make it a big concern.
I vote GO FOR IT!!!!
 
#12 ·
I have the Raging Judge. I always thought that the 45lc had a good controlable recoil to it. But, after shooting some of the 454 Casull the 45lc feels down right tame.
As for being a fun gun to shoot, to me it is ok. I have others that I prefer to spend time with. The Judge was built with a purpose and it fills that purpose as a close encounter firearm. Now the Raging Judge is a different story due to the 454 loads it will fire.
But, to each their own. That is why there are so many choices out there.
 
#14 ·
Jed I answered this on the TGO forum, but I'll repeat it here.

Heck yeah it's fun! :yeahbaby01:

I personally can't tell a lot of difference between the felt recoil in my full size SS Judge and the Poly PD, quite opposite of what I expected. Both are controlable and IMO not as punishing as 357 in the SP101. The ribber grips make a big difference.

Stumps, water jugs and watermelons will fear you, and despite all the naysayers and penetration statisticians, I wouldn't want to be facing a face full of 000 buck, much less five 45LC.

May not be the backbone of a self defense arsenal, but it won't hurt and you'll have some fun with it.

Not the cheapest thing you can shoot, but not outrageous. .410, until you get into some of the exotic SD rounds, is about the same price to shoot as a 45 auto. 45LC will be almost double that however.

May not make sense as your only gun, but certainly has a place as one of your guns. You'll have to decide if that makes it worth the price.
 
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