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taurus judge 6 1/2 in barell
wvduece
Member Posts: 272 ✭✭✭
do any of you guys have any experince with the 45/410 long barell judge like the recoil and distance of shots and trigger pull im wanting to use it for rabbit hunting any help will be greatly appreciated jb
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do any of you guys have any experince with the 45/410 long barell judge like the recoil and distance of shots and trigger pull im wanting to use it for rabbit hunting any help will be greatly appreciated jb
No. The Judge is not made for rabbit hunting.
do any of you guys have any experince with the 45/410 long barell judge like the recoil and distance of shots and trigger pull im wanting to use it for rabbit hunting any help will be greatly appreciated jb
Recoil isn't "nothing", but its certainly not something that any experienced shooter needs to be concerned about.
I agree 100% with the earlier posters.
The shot pattern is pretty weak, and you'll probably never get close enough to a rabbit with it to make a good shot with the .410 shells.
If you HAD to shoot a rabbit with one of these, you're better off using .45 LC rounds.
By the way, you didn't ask, but in my opinion, the "Judge" is nothing but a conversation piece or novelty/toy for adults.
While the shotshells could be effective on small game or targets at VERY short ranges (eg less than 7 yards), the poor shot pattern makes it an unsuitable replacement for a "real" shotgun for any serious hunting or sporting application.
Further, despite the transparently false ad copy about judges carrying these guns in their courtrooms, .410 shot is a pretty questionable choice for a defensive round, in my opinion. Again, you're likely better off with .45LC rounds.
So if you can't use it for hunting, and its sub-optimal for defense, ask yourself why exactly you need a .410 shot-pistol. ("For fun" is a good answer, by the way).
I think the most obvious practical use of the "Judge" is as a combination defensive gun against snakes and humans.
The problem is, IMO that doesn't merit buying the gun, because you can get mostly the same effect by loading ANY big bore revolver with shot loads, and those will likely be more accurate, and more versatile than the judge.
Just an observation & a thought: I am highly surprised that "The Judge" has caught on like a forest fire. Afterall, the Thunder Five seemed like a good idea, but it fizzled. In case you have not seen a Thunder Five, here is one of them:
The problem with rifled barrels is they cause the shot from the .410 shell to spin. This opens up a hole in the pattern, which winds up looking like a doughnut.
-A much nicer appearance. The Taurus more or less looks like a conventional revolver, but thunder five is just butt-ugly. I've never had the "pleasure" of shooting one of the Thunder-Fives but I've heard that the double action trigger pull is absolutely lousy.
-Taurus has a far bigger brand presence and a national distribution chain. That's a HUGE difference. Lots of gunshops will carry Taurus guns. Convincing them to carry an off-brand gun of questionable appearance is a hard sell.
-Taurus has FAR better marketing, including the ad-copy about judges carrying this thing. The gun is heavily advertised (eg in gun mags, for example). I don't think this model sold nearly so well back when it was just called the ".44-10".
In terms of accuracy, the Judge has deliberately shallow rifling. I think that's to enhance the pattern. . .or more accurately put, not screw it up quite so much. The downside is that the shallow rifling plus extremely long bullet-throat gap lead to pretty poor accuracy with ordinary 45 LC rounds.
With the option of the 4-ball 000 buck loads and the .45 Colt Silvertip type rounds staggered in the cylinder this is a decent short range pistol. Bird shot or rabbit hunting? I'd suggest forget it.