Taurus Judge...

Good revolver but as for a defense round I would use colt rounds and keep the .410 as snake rounds in the woods.
 
Bought a "Judge" a few months ago and have fired a box of Winchester 2 1/2" #7 1/2 shot shells, a box of .410 Lellier & Bellot "Spherical Bullets" which have 3 pieces of 000 Buck, and a few rounds of .45 Colt Magtech 250 gr. flat nose lead through it. As far as the #7 1/2 shot shells, you have to be within 6' of the target to see any pattern what so ever. The spherical loads with 3 pieces of 000 Buck hold a 12" pattern out to ~ 20 feet. The .45 Colt is like any other hand gun load, it hits where you aim it!! I keep it loaded with the .410 Lellier & Bellot 000 Buck shells for home portection, but there is a H&K M1 Super 90 and a S&W 38 backing it up. Felt recoil with the .410 shells is more than the .45 Colt, but not any more than a 357. All in all it is a fun little pistol, but not one I would get as a first purchase or primary defense hand gun.
 
i want one, too bad you cant get one in california. someone in the family has a HR .410 handy gun legally registered in 1934.
 
The .410 is a good choice for home defense if you live in a trailer or an apartment building. Even a field load will kill at point blank range, and with the short barrel you'd get a vicious hallway-peppering spread. .410 for the first 2 shots, and .45 Colt Cor-Bon or Glaser for the rest.
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I hunt squirrels with a .410 shotgun, with a long barrel and a full choke. I use 3" magnum shells loaded with 6 shot. And, while it is very effective on squirrels, the penetration is never very deep. Some pellets (and I believe this would true with any birdshot load) get hung up just under the skin. Others penetrate better and puncture the internal organs- ie the heart and lungs. Some will get stopped by bones, or stuck in muscle. However, getting that sort of penetration on a man would be even more difficult, especially if the perp is wearing heavy clothing. It would be sort of reckless to rely on birdshot for defense against people, when other, more appropriate rounds are available. I wouldn't want to have to wait until the bad guy is right up on top of me (so to speak) to be able to effectively stop him. To much added chance of something going wrong.
 
While I think the .410 with buckshot is fine for defensive use out of a full sized shotgun, out of the short barrel of the judge velocity (and therefore pentration) is significantly reduced.
 
Well guys, I picked one up today. Blued with a 2 and a half inch barrel. $395. Did I do good?
 
Sounds good compared to what I paid, but I got polished SS (would have rather had satin SS, but was not available at that time). You will have a great time experimenting with different loads. It has some kick to it, but is a fun pistol...
 
Not bad, try several loads .410 shot for target/rec shooting. .410 Buckshot get the 3" and cut it down to 2 1/2" for close range. As for defense still go with LC. try several loads until you are comfortable with one with the judge. Have fun, and stay safe.
 
I don't recommend the Judge for self-defense purposes; there are better choices. There are also worse choices.

What I do recommend the Judge for is as a pest control gun.
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I recommend the longer barreled version over the shorter version, especially if you plan to use the shot shell capability. The longer barrel really helps to prevent the shot spread.
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Andy
 
The Box O' Truth tells no lies; go with the .45 LC for defense & skip the bird shot unless you are hunting varmints & snakes.
 
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