Have an Opinion on the Judge/Govenor?

[Hammer]

With ammunition difficult to come by today I am considering a shotgun for home protection. Then I came across the Tarus Judge and S&W Govenor. Loads .45 and Shotgun shells. Any opinons or experiance with these firearms?

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[thekinetic]

Yes sir I do own one. First don't read reviews as they're usually written by people who blame the gun fo their own inaccuracy. From my experiance with my judge (which is the 6" barrel model) it is just as accurate with .45s as most guns that I shot that use that caliber, but due to the cylinder length are a little dirty and hard to find and expenisve. Now with shot shells I did test slugs through it and they did far better than the .45s BUT they are expensive, so unless you reload they are not that viable unless you want to spend a lot to practice. I have also put some bird shot through it and at 5 yards none of the pellets missed the target, but unless you're sadistic enough to shoot a crook with them (which would probably just pepper them and leave him in a buttload of pain) I wouldn't consider them for home defense.

Now we come to what I prefer. Before you go running to the store to buy .410 defense rounds, don't. I bought 000 buck shot that would do more damage and cost less money.

So is it accurate? I wouldn't expect to win any long shot competitions but yes it is accurate enough. Are the rounds hard to find? Yes to .45s, No to the 410s. Overall I like the gun, but my opinion aside I would give it:

6/10 for accuracy
5/10 for ammo availability
9/10 for versatility

[Hammer]

Thank you sir. I apprieciate your input.

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[JustinCase]

410 shotgun, short of slug... is a pathetic excuse for a protection firearm, and 410 slug is not all that and a bag of chips either.

Since it can chamber 45LC, THAT would be the round to chamber.

Though, with such a short barrel (2"?) I cant think it would have great accuracy or ballistics.

IMHO, bare minimum for home security, 9mm auto or my fav would be a 4" 357mag.

I dont own one, because I view them as a novelty piece.

I dont want to step on the toes of anyone that owns one, and I in now way intend to be disrespectful, however I am making the statements above as a matter of my personal opinion. That is all.

JC

[BertMacklin]

If your looking for cheap ammo consider that the S&W Governor can use 45. ACP, with moon clips which come supplied with the gun new, while the Judge does not have this ability as of yet, or didn't last I checked.

45 LC seems less plentiful and more expensive so you can practice cheaper and have a third option for ammo.

A lot of people give these a bad rap because that large cylinder makes CC hard but for home defense it is most definitely capable.

[Hammer]

We were looking at it for home protection only and a firean alternative firearm to practice with; ammo versatility being key so that we should always be able to find some shelf stock. Not sure that I'm sold at this time. Trigger took stock of our supplies and we're still looking in good supply of .380 and 9 MM. Not so good with .45 Auto. Last check our Walmart had .45 Colt on the shelf which is what got me to start inquiring.

Thank you to all who are providing input.

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[ratherfish]

The Judge is a great snake gun, and at the "oh shite" distance is devistating on the slithering beasts. I often carry mine progressively loaded with a #4 up front, then 2 000 buck, then 2 45 LC, in the swamps in Florida while fishing. Federal premium 000 buck has great penetration and should disuade any 2 or 4 legged animal at close range. They are amazingly accurate with 45 LC.

[Remington]

It is a good tool. They come in many different sizes and finishes. Mine is a Taurus Public Defender with a two inch barrel and 2 1/2 inch cylinder. That's built on the "smaller" Taurus model 85 frame. You can carry it concealed but it's still a lot of gun to carry, size and weight wise, and it doesn't have the higher capacity of smaller semi autos. It's all you need for home defense though. It's a beast. Mine holds the place of honor by my bedside. You have to do your homework on ammunition choices but you have a lot of good options and new ammunition is hitting the market now. The better 45 Colt ammunition is still pricier than some of the acp ammo. At the other end of the spectrum, you have the "raging" models on large frames that can handle 3" magnum .410 ammo, .45 Colt, and .454 Cassull. Keep looking, you might find something you like. If you are available on Thursday or Friday and would like to shoot some .45 Colt through it we could meet at one of the local ranges. We have an ok facility here in Stafford but they won't allow us to shoot the .410 ammo at that range. Let us know if you decide to take the plunge.

Here's a review of some of the new ammunition being offered:
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/judge ... eview.html

The Judge forum at Taurusarmed.net is a good place to talk with other owners for more perspectives and information.

[vaeevictiss]

I bought one a while back thinking it would make a good truck gun.

It stayed in my center console and I will admit was fun. After a while the novelty wore off and I just wanted something better.

The judge seemed to take the worst parts of both cartridges and put them into one gun.

What I'll say good about it, was it was great for snakes while mowing the yard. Also, amazingly being a Taurus, I never had a single problem.

Ultimately, the judge was my first revolver, but it made me want something bigger. The result was me selling it and buying something that no longer would fit into a center console lol, a 454 ruger super redhawk.

So that is the good and bad of it in my opinion.

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[graybeard321]

I have had my Taurus Judge for a long time, Some members even shot it when we had our Meet and greet in Culpepper a few years back. 6/10 for accuracy is being nice. But I keep mine at the house for home defense. and since I will be shooting less then 7 yards both the 410 and 45 LC or more them accurate enough. The first camber is 410 to warn them the rest is 45 LC to drop them. I have enjoyed shooting my Judge it is a fun gun just not a work gun.