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A part of thinks this is a versatile platform, but the other thinks "Jack of all trades but master of none".

As I see it, they would be most useful with shotshells.

...stand on your head and read this:

I really like having the Judge with me on when I am on the ranch. I hate snakes, and snakes hate a load of #6's. Works fine for me. Also just in general a fun gun to shoot. Get a good belt and holster, it is a tad heavy stoked with 45LC but it is fun to shoot!

Personally, I like the platform while understanding it is a bit of a niche tool. These guns take a lot of criticism, but I think most of it is unwarranted. They are fun to shoot, and the ability to shoot .410 does open up some possibilities. If you want it for self-defense, .45lc or .45acp will get the job done. I would not put one in my carry rotation, as I have better options, but I would not mind having one in my toolbox. I don't know why a .45acp coming out of a 2 1/2 inch barrel is less effective in the judge than any other brand of compact handgun with the same barrel length. Granted, if I am shooting .45 for self-defense, I would rather be doing it with my Colt or Kimber, but that is my personal opinion.
I have more guns than I need, so when I purchase now "fun factor" is pretty high on my list of requirements, and the Judge/Governor seems like it would fit the bill.

karder wrote: I don't know why a .45acp coming out of a 2 1/2 inch barrel is less effective in the judge than any other brand of compact handgun with the same barrel length.

karder: AFAIK, the Judge can handle .45 Long Colt, but not .45 ACP.

The Taurus Judge and SW Governor are similar, but the SW appears to be the better of the two, due to its being able
to handle 3 calibers (.45 ACP, .45 LC, and .410) instead of the Judge's two calibers (.45 LC and .410).

Also, the Judge has only 5 rounds and the Smith has 6.

IMHO - Yes, this would be a great gun against snakes with the right .410 shells, but for EDC carry against 2 legged
snakes, other handguns with only a 5 or 6 round capacity would be more concealable.

SIA

If you're in my neck of the woods you can take my Judge for a spin. They are fun to shoot and do have a place in this world.

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:karder: AFAIK, the Judge can handle .45 Long Colt, but not .45 ACP.

You are correct. I should have said Governor as that one shoots the .45acp with moon clips. I would not mind trying out the S&W version as I have heard the fit and finish is a bit better than the Taurus, but I don't know if that is true or not. If I were to buy one, I would go for the Governor as I have a lot of .45acp stock on hand.

karder wrote: I have more guns than I need,

Please never use those words again

FWIW, we have a Taurus Public Defender (2" barrel version of the judge) and it is the gun my wife trusts the most for her car gun. We special designed (redneck engineered) a special pouch on the side of her center console for it and she carries it with .410 personal defense rounds.

in my opnion the .410 wouldnt have the stoping power I would want in a Personal Defense gun. that being said I have shot one and it was a fun toy and would probably be hell on snakes

Here is a review I read from a site I typically trust
http://theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think either would be a fun gun to shoot and I think also might be a good gun in snake country but as a primary defensive gun, well any gun is better than a rock but it would be very far down on my list.

One thing I think I'd really love to have one far is close range aerial target shooting. I'd think this would be a huge boon in learning point shooting and shooting at moving targets - plus a heck of a lot of fun.

1. Fun to shoot
2. VERY fun to shoot
3. Snakes

... that's about it

The Taurus Judge will shoot .45ACP.
http://www.taurususa.com/accesories-stellarclips.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.taurususa.com/product-detail ... umbseries=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have the Public Defender model. Its primary job is to dispatch snakes and for that function it preforms very well. We do have self-defense ammo for it but it is not our go to platform should the need arise. Like every tool, it does have limitations but for the function that we wanted--snake killer--it does a fantastic job.

macattac wrote:I really like having the Judge with me on when I am on the ranch. I hate snakes, and snakes hate a load of #6's. Works fine for me. Also just in general a fun gun to shoot. Get a good belt and holster, it is a tad heavy stoked with 45LC but it is fun to shoot!

Any 38/357/44 revolver with shot shells will do just as much damage to a snake. Regular ammo will do much better against two legged critters than a 410 will.

No use making a bigger heavier gun to do the same thing.

while I don't own a Judge and am not planning on getting one. I like the concept of keeping it as a console gun. Lots of us are moving to smaller and more concealable guns. They are just about useless if needed while strapped on a hip while seatbelted in the car. A big ole gun that one can find easily in a door panel or console has a certain tactical advantage. I always have 2 guns when traveling, one in the door panel and one tied onto my person. Currently the car gun is puny Beretta 92 but something like the Judge would be pretty nice.

They would be pretty nice for open carry hiking. In places like the Arizona desert

rp_photo wrote:A part of thinks this is a versatile platform, but the other thinks "Jack of all trades but master of none".

As I see it, they would be most useful with shotshells.

I think it's a good choice for eliminating pests but there are better self defense revolvers.