Taurus Judge for Grizzly Bears?

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Quizcat

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I know the best choice for Grizzly Bears is probablhy a 10mm semi-auto pistol, or a .454 Casul caliber revolver. But, all you guys in those parts of the country that have to consider carrying something that will stop a Grizzly Bear, would a Taurus Judge loaded with .410 slugs be effective? I know they say that a rifle is too long to have it on target in time if you're being charged by a Grizzly, hence the recommendations I've read that recommmend carrying a short barrel pistol or revolver, preferably in a shoulder rig. So, many on the forums, advise that most charging Grizzlys will be in very close proximity, at least to the extent that the shorter barrel will be on target more quickly at such close distances.

They say that you would be lucky to get off more than a shot or two if you're being charged by a Grizzly. So, I assume the round capacity of the Taurus Judge would likely be sufficient. What about if it's loaded with .45LC and .410 slugs? I know 45LC might be considered insufficient for a charging Grizzly...would the .45LC be more effective against a Grizzly than loading the Judge with all .410 slugs?
 
I'd strongly question the assumption that a pistol would be a better choice for getting off a fast, accurate shot at close range than a rifle. .45 Colt has killed bears before. I suppose it would do it again. You can easily compare a .410 slug to a .45 Colt. Look at the weight of the slug and its velocity and see how that stacks up to .45 Colt, but be advised that you may be reading the .410 performance, expected out of a shotgun length barrel. Unless you either have a 45 Colt/410 revolver, or you are sure you'll have use for the shotgun option, I'd take another .45 with a smaller cylinder. It's easier to shoot fast double action.

If you're truly expecting to encounter a bear at close range, carry a 12 gauge.
 
A Judge might save your life with a good .45 Colt load, but.410 slugs would be a poor choice. They are quite light and will not be moving fast from a short-barrelled pistol. Many people I know consider .410 slugs from a full-length shotgun to be marginal for deer, and wouldn't even consider them for bear. .45 Colt has, as has already been mentioned, dropped grizzlies before. I load a 270gr. Kieth bullet loaded fairly hot, but your gun will not thank you for it! The Judge is not well-suited to heavy loads. Carry the Judge if that's all you have, but there are better choices.
 
No... Do not use a .410 slug, don't even use the .45 Colt in that gun. If you have the money for that you have the money to get a .44 mag Taurus tracker or maybe a used Blackhawk. Either would serve you better by being able to handle either .44 mag loads or Ruger only .45 Colt loads. The judge is a gimmick that's only purpose is to steal money from the gun ignorant.
 
There are a few things going on here in this totally not a bear thread.

First, if you can get a long gun, that should be your first choice. 12ga, 45-70, even 30-06.

Second and has already been mentioned, the Judge has a very narrow window of use and bear protection is not within that window.

I would argue a 9mm would be more effective, faster, higher capacity, etc. among many other choices such as 10mm or 44 mag but as has already been stated, if the Judge is all you have then by all means use it....with 45 Colt.
 
Where are all these bears that need shooting? I'm in Texas and we have a very low population in the east of Black Bear I believe it's illegal to kill them. Surrounding observation and woodsmanship will go a long way. If you seriously need a "bear gun" than hot damn I wanna know where these gangs of viscous bears are they need to be stopped!
 
I think a powerful handgun in the holster is faster than a rifle slung over the shoulder in the event you find yourself being charged by a Grizzly. If the rifle is in the hands, that's a different story. But I doubt most people keep a rifle in their hands the entire time they're in the woods. I suppose not having a sling on the gun would make that easier.

If you're going into Grizzly territory and the Judge is the best you've got, get some heavy hardcast .45 Colt loads and see how they shoot from your gun. If you can put shots consistently in the snot-locker, it'll work. If you can't, get something else.
 
Where are all these bears that need shooting? I'm in Texas and we have a very low population in the east of Black Bear I believe it's illegal to kill them. Surrounding observation and woodsmanship will go a long way. If you seriously need a "bear gun" than hot damn I wanna know where these gangs of viscous bears are they need to be stopped!

Grizzly bears live in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska. I don't know how viscous they are.
 
Grizzly bears live in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska. I don't know how viscous they are.
My bad. Lol meant vicious. Yes I know what states the browns are in, still don't see the point of BEAR gun, carry a gun of sufficient caliber for the threats you'll be running into. I have hunting up on Wyoming, damn near perfect for a .41 mag or 10mm.
 
If you're seriously worried about grizzly bear, you need two things:

A rifle... preferably large caliber and high powered.

A pistol...preferably something that can penetrate skull as well as achieve achieve decent body penetration while not seriously hampering your ability to run and climb.

The rifle will give you the serious power you need for defending against a grizzly.

The pistol will give you something that will stay attached to your hip if you have to abandon your rifle and run like a bat outta hades and find a tree sturdy enough to climb and make your last stand in.

My opinion. Take it for what it's worth.
 
Forget the .410 slugs, find some hardcast 250 grain 45 colt and load em up to about 900 fps. Perfectly adequate for grizzly, and better than a 10mm in my opinion. Theres been a few documented brown bear attacks stopped with .45 acp and 9mm. A good hardcast 45 colt load at moderate speeds exceeds either of those cartridges. My wifes house gun is a judge, its been a good pistol, enjoy yours.
 
Wouldn't trust anything less than 44mag. Would prefer bit longer barrel for control. If I was in bear country on regular basis my preference would be something heavy enough to assist controling recoil raise, even ported. My choice would be Desert Eagle in 45LC, 44 Mag or 50 shooting jsp.
 
I just found this article Tuesday. Frankly, I couldn't believe what the numbers report.
https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/de...s-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#axzz5wjlboogP
I won't click-bait you so I'll sum it up. Basically, anything is better than nothing. 37 documentable reports broken down by caliber. So I'm thinking a S&W 625 with 230 Gr. hard cast flat nose would be pretty damn good. Easy to shoot and reload.
 
Thanks for your replies...I wasn't sure about the .410 slug idea, I know a 12 gauge slug is the second best defense. I understand that bear repellent is actually the most effective, apparently. But, that having been said, relying on bear repellent alone isn't something I would want to rely upon 100%, without something to back it up.

I have had close encounters with brown bears in New Mexico in the past. I also know that Black bears are considerably easier to kill with lesser caliber rounds than Brown Bears or Grizzlys. If you're in the woods in the Western States, where the truly difficult to stop bears are (grizzlys and brown bear) it's a wise decision to at least be prepared for a bear attack by no less than the equivalent of a freight train "bearing" down on you. They can be on you in a matter of seconds, and if you unknowingly get between a mamma Grizzy or Brown Bear and her cubs, you could be toast in a matter of seconds.

I read something from rangers in the Western States that claimed that most bodies found after a bear attack, had their rifles slung over their shoulders. They never had a chance, hence the reason I believe in shoulder holstered pistols of adequate caliber to kill a charging grizzly. You are likely to "bearly" have time to get your firearm in position to deliver a shot, much less two or three in rapid succession. The other option that I've considered is the 10mm Glock, lighter, more rounds in the magazine. But, I do like the mechanical reliability of a revolver, mechanically, they just offer less to go wrong.

In addition, it would seem to me that perhaps the rifle you're carrying to hunt is more suited for a different kind of prey. For example, hunting sheep, deer, elk, etc...If you are carrying a 45-70 rifle (a 45-70 is considered one of the very best rifle calibers for Grizzlys), or something even hotter, but you actually want to hunt sheep, deer, elk, or even moose, the 45-70 is going to be really heavy, it's going to hurt when you fire it, and it might just be too much gun for the prey you're wanting to hunt.

So, you might want to use a different caliber for whatever prey you're hunting, and you're likely to have the hunting rifle slung over your shoulder should a bear attack occur. You just might likely need very quick access to an adequate firearm to kill a charging grizzly, and you'll hopefully have the time to get off a couple of rounds.

After reading your responses, I've settled on .454 Casull revolver, or maybe the 10mm Glock, as my caliber of choice for stopping a charging Grizzly, probably with a 4" barrel, carried in a shoulder holster. I can either load the revolver with hot .45LC or .454 Casull cartridges, or even .410 slugs if I wanted to, for other kinds of prey. Unfortunately, the model I've chosen will only have 5 rounds in the cylinder, but that caliber should be enough to get the job done if even a couple rounds hit their mark.
 
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There are a few things going on here in this totally not a bear thread.

First, if you can get a long gun, that should be your first choice. 12ga, 45-70, even 30-06.

Second and has already been mentioned, the Judge has a very narrow window of use and bear protection is not within that window.

I would argue a 9mm would be more effective, faster, higher capacity, etc. among many other choices such as 10mm or 44 mag but as has already been stated, if the Judge is all you have then by all means use it....with 45 Colt.

Why? I concede that most folks can shoot a rifle better than a large caliber handgun, but I'm not sure that's the case under duress. Personally, I think with practice, a revolver (single- or double-action) can be emptied into a target faster than a rifle or shotgun.

Caliber arguments aside, the bullet is the critical factor here. Your bullet needs to track straight and deep and stay together. I have experienced many hardcast failures so I lean more towards monolithic solids and even some expanding bullets that are exceedingly tough like the Swift A-frame.

JMHO
 
Wouldn't trust anything less than 44mag. Would prefer bit longer barrel for control. If I was in bear country on regular basis my preference would be something heavy enough to assist controling recoil raise, even ported. My choice would be Desert Eagle in 45LC, 44 Mag or 50 shooting jsp.

Are you talking BFRs?
 
Thanks for your replies...I wasn't sure about the .410 slug idea, I know a 12 gauge slug is the second best defense. I understand that bear repellent is actually the most effective, apparently. But, that having been said, relying on bear repellent alone isn't something I would want to rely upon 100%, without something to back it up.

I have had close encounters with brown bears in New Mexico in the past. I also know that Black bears are considerably easier to kill with lesser caliber rounds than Brown Bears or Grizzlys. If you're in the woods in the Western States, where the truly difficult to stop bears are (grizzlys and brown bear) it's a wise decision to at least be prepared for a bear attack by no less than the equivalent of a freight train "bearing" down on you. They can be on you in a matter of seconds, and if you unknowingly get between a mamma Grizzy or Brown Bear and her cubs, you could be toast in a matter of seconds.

I read something from rangers in the Western States that claimed that most bodies found after a bear attack, had their rifles slung over their shoulders. They never had a chance, hence the reason I believe in shoulder holstered pistols of adequate caliber to kill a charging grizzly. You are likely to "bearly" have time to get your firearm in position to deliver a shot, much less two or three in rapid succession. The other option that I've considered is the 10mm Glock, lighter, more rounds in the magazine. But, I do like the mechanical reliability of a revolver, mechanically, they just offer less to go wrong.

In addition, it would seem to me that perhaps the rifle you're carrying to hunt is more suited for a different kind of prey. For example, hunting sheep, deer, elk, etc...If you are carrying a 45-70 rifle (a 45-70 is considered one of the very best rifle calibers for Grizzlys), or something even hotter, but you actually want to hunt sheep, deer, elk, or even moose, the 45-70 is going to be really heavy, it's going to hurt when you fire it, and it might just be too much gun for the prey you're wanting to hunt.

So, you might want to use a different caliber for whatever prey you're hunting, and you're likely to have the hunting rifle slung over your shoulder should a bear attack occur. You just might likely need very quick access to an adequate firearm to kill a charging grizzly, and you'll hopefully have the time to get off a couple of rounds.

After reading your responses, I've settled on .454 Casull revolver, or maybe the 10mm Glock, as my caliber of choice for stopping a charging Grizzly, probably with a 4" barrel, carried in a shoulder holster. I can either load the revolver with hot .45LC or .454 Casull cartridges, or even .410 slugs if I wanted to, for other kinds of prey. Unfortunately, the model I've chosen will only have 5 rounds in the cylinder, but that caliber should be enough to get the job done if even a couple rounds hit their mark.

I would steer clear of the Judge as they are neither fish nor foul. I wouldn't rely on the .410 against an attacking bear and if you are going to use the revolver round capability only, then there are better, more compact and better balanced options available. A Ruger Toklat would be a good choice in .454 if you want a double-action revolver. I prefer single-actions myself.

New Mexico?????????????????
 
First hand report:
I have a short barrel 45/410 just for kicks, it's a tiny SxS shotgun replica with 4" barrels.

I shot 410 shells at the plywood backer at the range from 10 yards and the pellets bounced back and but me. If the 410 from a short barrel can't penetrate plywood the Grizzly won't even know you shot at it unless you hit him in the eyes. Maybe
 
@MaxP
Yeah, I ran into brown bear in the Sangre De Cristo mountains, a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains that extends between Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico, ran into multiple brown bear...
 
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.410 slugs are not enough for deer, out of a shotgun. Even 12ga slugs are not as effective as people seem to think. They're oft-recommended because 12ga pumps are cheap and most people already have one. Not because they're the best tool for the job. A good heavy cast bullet out of a .40+ revolver will penetrate double that of even the best slugs.

The 10mm is popular because semi-auto pistols are popular. Popularity doesn't equal effectiveness, even when coupled with copious amounts of wishful thinking. The cartridge just doesn't have the capacity to launch heavy enough bullets at velocities sufficient for adequate penetration.
 
Where are all these bears that need shooting? I'm in Texas and we have a very low population in the east of Black Bear I believe it's illegal to kill them. Surrounding observation and woodsmanship will go a long way. If you seriously need a "bear gun" than hot damn I wanna know where these gangs of viscous bears are they need to be stopped!

Go to Glacier National Park and you'll see.
 
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