Taurus Judge 3" Chamber: Practical? Reliable?

[allaroundhunter]

Okay, a guy that works out on the farm owns one, and I traded him for 2 days.

Pros:
Great on snakes
.45 LC will put down a feral dog with more authority than a 9mm

Cons:
Big and bulky when open carrying (read not for CC)
Aside from killing snakes, the .410 load isn't good for much
It is only accurate with the .45 LC loads out to around 35 yards (pie plate accurate, for me)

For what you are asking of it, I would skip it. It might sound good on paper, but it is really quite a lackluster performer.

 

[Huntolive]

Ok, Judge is Judged.

Got it. Purists and any interested in a real cc or accurate centerfire revolver should not consider Judge.
Role is more a fun toy, or interesting last ditch survival gun.

I am still confident 5 balls of buckshot or 45LC at close range typical of most emergency situations would ruin any agressor's week.
Perhaps not stop a bear.
Great on snakes, but do we really NEED to kill snakes? You never know...

For CC I am now deciding between: sp 101 357 in 3 or 4" (only reason for 4" would be so I could use it occassionally to take a deer at close range, is it capable of that?);
Ruger LCR 357; or
44sp, such as Charter Arms or light weight S+W.
Thoughts?

 

[jrdolall]

My neighbor bought one a few years back for his new snake gun and I have shot it a few times. Where we live there are two main concerns, snakes and armadillos. The 410 shell is more than adequate at 20 feet for either of those pests. The gun is much more bulky than i need for what I might encounter on a logging road or fire break. You can get snakeshot in just about any handgun round and it should be just as effective for MY needs.
As far as it being impractical goes I for one cannot cast stones at people who buy one. Every gun collector I know has several "impractical" guns that they bought for a variety of reasons. Why do I have 4 scoped rifles in 30-06? Or 18 .22 rifles? This hobby is not always about being practical and if you think a Judge is "cool" then by all means buy one.

 

[MCgunner]

If I was in a "last ditch survival" situation, I'd rather have an accurate .22 than a Judge.

"so what is the legitimate role of the Judge?"
watermelons and pumpkins

Can't improve on that response. I own a TC Contender and have an older .45/.410 barrel for it and it's fun to fart around with. But, the free bore on the thing insures lack luster accuracy with .45 and it leads the bore pretty bad even with mild cast loads due to that free bore. With the choke screwed on (the Judge does not have a choke) it will reach out 20 yards on small game and birds, but if I'm actually HUNTING, I'll take my 20 gauge or one of my 12s or if the bird is big enough, my 10 gauge. .410 is pretty wimpy even out of a REAL shotgun.