# General > General Guns & Ammo >  Taurus "JUDGE".....Your experience and grips available....?

## Sourdough

I was going to reincarnate a older thread about the "Judge" but elected to start fresh.

I bought the Stainless 3" barrel, 3" chamber model yesterday. I have decided I don't like the sponge'bob grips, and wonder if anyone knows of aftermarket grips for the mid-size Taurus.

So, I see some of you own this tool, does anyone have any experience with it, good, bad or ugly......?

Yes, I know Taurus has a hit or miss quality reputation.

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## Sparky93

My aunt has one, I haven't got to shoot it yet, but my brother has. She has the Winchester PDX1 .410 shells in it for home defense, and the are bad arse. I'm going to get my turn to get my hands on it over the summer...

Here is a video of the Winchester ammo

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## hunter63

I own the Circuit Judge, and did a review on it.
Cool,.... but not real practical for my uses.

But a lot of peopel like them, I guess. ......although we didn't sell out a deck of cards at the last D.U.Dinner, so we gave people their money back and returned the Judge to the store.

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## Sourdough

I am not thinking of it for rogue humans. More for harvesting Spruce Hens, Ptarmigan and Hares......With a bear in the tent option.

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## shaner

i had the public defender model,  fun as heck to shoot but the sights  arent very accurate ,with colt loads , patterns on the 410 were very open and lots of holes in them,  10-15 ft was like the best 410 range even with #8 skeet loads, as for grips i seen some awhile back on ebay and gunbroker, they were  wooden  grips

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## natertot

A tool is only great for which it was designed. The judge was intended for close quarter protection, basically self defense within 20yds. As such, for a home defense gun to keep in the side table or a side arm for hiking/camping to use against snakes and coyotes, it is a great gun! If you are looking to harvest game with it, I would suggest learning to get very close. Just my $.02.

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## hunter63

> A tool is only great for which it was designed. The judge was intended for close quarter protection, basically self defense within 20yds. As such, for a home defense gun to keep in the side table or a side arm for hiking/camping to use against snakes and coyotes, it is a great gun! If you are looking to harvest game with it, I would suggest learning to get very close. Just my $.02.


I'm thinking that Taurus/Rossi, are making their niche in the market but making "cool' , "what if",and "wish they still made....' products.....that actually have nothing to do with real thought to 'use".........Or makeing knock-offs of others designs.

That being said, some one making something 'cool" is kinda fun, instead of the "same old thing"........Gotta give them credit for that.

P.S. If your shooting at a snake, with a .410 loaded Judge, make sure he out in front of you a ways, so you don't hit your foot........

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## Wildthang

Just my opinion, but the Judge appears to me to be a gun for people that are not marksmen, but still want protection. I always invisioned a non shooting type person firing a .410 shot on the first round, then a .45 round after the attacker has been adled by the buckshot. 
I think it is a great weapon for people that do not shoot on a regular basis, or even with bad eyesight and needs the spread of the buckshot to ward off an attacker.
I have never shot one, so I could be wrong, but this is the impression I get!

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## shaner

wildthang i think u got it , the point and shot, i did carry mine as yu said i had #6 loads first and the a handloaded 45colt 185gr XTP bullet  for the next 4loads,

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## hunter63

How bad did the .45 key-hole?

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## Wildthang

> How bad did the .45 key-hole?


It probably looked like a steel banana hit the target :Scared:

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## hunter63

I can honestly say the the Circuit Judge....carbine version, longer barrel shoots pretty good...but the .410 derringer, short barrel like the Judge,..... I don't think it ever shot a round hole.

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## Wildthang

> I can honestly say the the Circuit Judge....carbine version, longer barrel shoots pretty good...but the .410 derringer, short barrel like the Judge,..... I don't think it ever shot a round hole.


Yeah it probably just has enough barrel to stabilize the bullet until it just clears the end!

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## Rick

The Japanese used wooden bullets in their Arisaka rifles. The would loblolly when they left the barrel. My uncle was on the receiving end of one. They were okay for about 50 yards but would burn up after that. You probably couldn't shoot a round hole with one of those either.

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## Wildthang

> The Japanese used wooden bullets in their Arisaka rifles. The would loblolly when they left the barrel. My uncle was on the receiving end of one. They were okay for about 50 yards but would burn up after that. You probably couldn't shoot a round hole with one of those either.


I bet they started friction fires a lot!

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## Rick

They would ignite and burn up after being fired. A lot of armies used them for training but, to my knowledge, the Japanese are the only ones that used them in combat. So, yeah, they really did start friction fires.

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## natertot

I wonder how many received purple hearts because of "splinters"?!

That is a whole new definition of a "Cork Gun"!

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## Rick

That was my uncle's complaint. He actually was wounded three times. Twice with lead and once with wood. He said the wood was the worst because of the splinters or tiny bits of wood as it were.

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## Wingman

I wish we could own that out here in Kalifornia.. I love that gun.

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## Wildthang

> I wish we could own that out here in Kalifornia.. I love that gun.


I would not live in a state where I couldn't own a gun, but I bet the criminals have them though!

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## Wingman

Man I want one but I can't in Kalifornia... bummer.

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## crashdive123

Why are those restricted?

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## natertot

> Why are those restricted?


If I were to geuss, it would be because it was designed for "self defense" and you can't have that ya know!

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## natertot

Actually, I just looked it up. In Kalifornia, it is illegal to own a "short barreled shotgun" and since the Judge is designed to fire "shotshells", it too falls under that part of the law.

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## lucznik

> ...but the .410 derringer... I don't think it ever shot a round hole.


My dad had a Bond Arms .410/.45LC derringer.  A friend and I took it out to the range one day.  The backstops at my local outdoor range are thick pieces of rubber.  We shot some birdshot from this gun and from 5 yards the pellets were actually rebounding off the rubber and striking us!

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## VAgrunt

I shot one of these with the short barrel and if you plan on hitting anything over 10ft away I would recommend something smaller and more accurate. This is a hoot to shoot but not practical imho.

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## Rick

That's why most indoor ranges won't allow shotguns. The pellets can come home to roost.

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## hunter63

> My dad had a Bond Arms .410/.45LC derringer.  A friend and I took it out to the range one day.  The backstops at my local outdoor range are thick pieces of rubber.  We shot some birdshot from this gun and from 5 yards the pellets were actually rebounding off the rubber and striking us!


Does it on thin plywood as well.......wasn't fastened to anything, just propped up, and springy....wear your saftey glasses, shot bounced right off and came back....yeah about 15 ft.
That's the range I was getting "key holes", with the .45 colt
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## COWBOYSURVIVAL

> Does it on thin plywood as well.......wasn't fastened to anything, just propped up, and springy....wear your saftey glasses, shot bounced right off and came back....yeah about 15 ft.
> That's the range I was getting "key holes", with the .45 colt
> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.


Hunter, you had to go and post that little gun again! I want one bad! I inquired at the gun shop and the owner wouldn't sell me one even if he could get one. He wanted to push the over and under and over 400$ bucks!

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## hunter63

Going to  gun show today, I'll keep my eyes open......OK?
It is a cool tackle box tool......for the snakes that drop in the canoe, w/#6 shot.....

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## COWBOYSURVIVAL

> Going to  gun show today, I'll keep my eyes open......OK?
> It is a cool tackle box tool......for the snakes that drop in the canoe, w/#6 shot.....


Yes sir! I'll hold up my end!

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## hunter63

I need to look for some cannon fuse(did I just say that?)....check out the loading dies, and look over the junk boxes....never know.....

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## COWBOYSURVIVAL

> I need to look for some cannon fuse(did I just say that?)....check out the loading dies, and look over the junk boxes....never know.....


Have we seen the cannon? I don't recall that post....

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## hunter63

> Have we seen the cannon? I don't recall that post....


No haven't posted it yet, still in a wood crate....no carriage for it, yet cannon carriage makes are rare these days, the wood wheels are PITA to find.....modeled after a field piece, shoots Coors can full of C-ment.

Fuse guy was at the show, picked up 60ft of 30 per foot green fuse.

No Cobray DD derringers, several O/U Bond models, ( $400 to $500 ones) and not in .410/45lc.

Lots of tactical stuff.

Did find a H&R .22 929 in good shape (looks new) for under $200 and a couple of old LEO .38 black holsters for $5 bucks each.
Not many other deals, same guys selling mostly the same merchandise.

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## COWBOYSURVIVAL

> No haven't posted it yet, still in a wood crate....no carriage for it, yet cannon carriage makes are rare these days, the wood wheels are PITA to find.....modeled after a field piece, shoots Coors can full of C-ment.
> 
> Fuse guy was at the show, picked up 60ft of 30 per foot green fuse.
> 
> No Cobray DD derringers, several O/U Bond models, ( $400 to $500 ones) and not in .410/45lc.
> 
> Lots of tactical stuff.
> 
> Did find a H&R .22 929 in good shape (looks new) for under $200 and a couple of old LEO .38 black holsters for $5 bucks each.
> Not many other deals, same guys selling mostly the same merchandise.


Thanks for trying Hunter! I have my eye on some mechanical tubing to make my own mini cannon, should be fun!

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## hunter63

> Thanks for trying Hunter! I have my eye on some mechanical tubing to make my own mini cannon, should be fun!


I'll keep my eye open, you find stuff when you aren't looking.

Few Judges for sale, most with the real short 2-1/2 in barrels.....might be considered longer as I believe they consider the cylinder as part of the barrel length, so that would make it 5-1/2 " I guess.

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## swampratbillybob

This thread was started from a guy looking for grips better than the stock gummy bear ones. I too am looking for better grips. Thus far I've only seen these lasergrips.lasergrip crimson trace.jpg 

Hope this helps.

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