Judge Help

[SSGOldfart]

I did reach out and learned a little more about the situation. I'll leave it up to the OP to give details, If he wants too

[Half Dog]

I want to thank you for your input and time it took. This group has given me options to consider and weigh the pros and cons. My biggest concern is that a single projectile might not meet the target and I now have different perspectives.

[Milky Duck]

ok..so supposedly they are comfortable with idea of .410 and dont want a long arm...so dont use one.ASSUMABLY its legal to do so...saw off a side by side you get the reliability of two barrels.and action that is easy to open and load /reload.... still light and easy to poke at target.... the load options are endless from light #9 clay target loads-----#4 shot 3" rabbit loads that will keep shot inside the plastic wad at 3 yards ---buckshot loads are vastly under rated and if reload the options there are endless.a 5 ball 3" load is easy to do,not hard to open up a bought birdshot load and replace payload and reclose crimp.... solids give no advantage over buckshot at spitting range.

[GhostHawk]

The problem Milky is that a sawed off shotgun is NOT legal.
A .410 round fired in a handgun chambered for .45 colt however is. Shakes head, I know, strange breed those in government.

In my reply above I was going to include a black powder double barrel howdah gun. Short barrels but because they are black powder and slow to load they are legal.
For now at least. Probably not his worst option.

[Milky Duck]

WOW that is just plain dumb..... like suppressor laws...
so will need to find shortest legally made SxS ...coachgun length deal....will be MUCH MUCH easier for shakey hands to use,even if used from hip or with buttplate tucked under arm
thanks for clarification GhostHawk...... the only consistancy in lawmakers is the inconsistancy and outright braindead thinking at times.
over here we opposite..can saw barrels off willy nilly as long as overall length stays above 762mm but are extremely restricted on handgun use....certified range only and lots of hoops to jump through,expensive licence and security measures.

[Delkal]

WOW that is just plain dumb..... like suppressor laws...
so will need to find shortest legally made SxS ...coachgun length deal....will be MUCH MUCH easier for shakey hands to use,even if used from hip or with buttplate tucked under arm
thanks for clarification GhostHawk...... the only consistancy in lawmakers is the inconsistancy and outright braindead thinking at times.
over here we opposite..can saw barrels off willy nilly as long as overall length stays above 762mm but are extremely restricted on handgun use....certified range only and lots of hoops to jump through,expensive licence and security measures.

In the US the minimum barrel length for a shotgun is 18 inches. It is legal to shorten a shotgun barrel but most people cut it at 18 1/4 inches just to be safe since if it was accidentally cut at 17 7/8 it would be a felony.

With the short action of a double barrel and an 18 inch barrel the shotgun would be very compact and easy to handle. Could be a good option for the OP. Simple to use, and extremely effective even with reduced loads.

[45workhorse]

My two cents!
The Taurus Judge is a good call with Winchester PDX1 Defender .410ammo. No need to reload for it. (Even if set up for it)
"Old and shaky" he/she is not going to the range a whole bunch of times, once maybe to see how it shoots. It will sit in a drawer till needed (Model 10/good call)
We ain't shooting a national match.
The range inside the house, will be sufficient to do damage to bad guy
90% of the time, first round goes off, and bad guy is running!!!!!!
We are over thinking this.

POLICE HAVE BEEN CALLED AND I HAVE A GUN! That may be enough!
Plus is the individual capable of taking another persons life!

Good luck!

[Barry54]

[Tall]

I would say neither fish nor fowl. You want either a good 410 or a good 45 - the Judge is neither.

[racepres]

I would say neither fish nor fowl. You want either a good 410 or a good 45 - the Judge is neither.

Not for you maybe...me neither at this juncture...but the 410 Contender is about as effective as the bolt action 410 here!!
Both are Slow, and Clumsy..not a Bedside Buddy!! The Double is worser!!
I would Not step in front of a Judge loaded with Any decent 410 shell...certainly Not one of the 2-1/2 with 7-1/2, that we load!!
And that "defender".... IDK..Looks Bad to the Bone!!
As Said...we ain't target shootin...We aint even showin off!!!

[Half Dog]

Oops. I posted the same post twice.

[Half Dog]

I’m watching videos showing the Win PDX1 defense ammo being shot from a Judge. That combination looks like a great defensive combination for home use. I didn’t see a grouping of the BB’s but that might be a benefit if the sights aren’t exactly on target. If a person has a house full of family it might not be the best choice but for 2 people who sleep in the same room it deserves more investigation.

Here’s a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff-BizqTaOA

[FergusonTO35]

We sell a ton of Judges at my side job shop but always to folks who seem less than knowledgeable about guns and ammo. I imagine most of them think they are getting full length barrel .410 shotgun performance in a handgun. With the .410 handgun specific loads, maybe it has a niche. We actually get those in alot more than regular .410 shotshells.

[HWooldridge]

My daughter-in-law's dad has a "Judge" - we fired a few .45 rounds out of it one Sunday afternoon. I did not care for the balance and can think of a dozen other options I'd rather have - especially at night in a home defense situation. But I reckon somebody is buying them...

[racepres]

OK Now we are looking at a Judge for someone to keep on the Nightstand... Correct?
With Win PDX1 defense ammo??? Correct... if we stay within the prescribed parameters... what is the Ups and Downs???
Put yer Manikin in the doorway...shoot the thing!!! Results????
Why does this need to be so darn Difficult....???

[pettypace]

Anyone seriously considering the Judge for self-defense should seriously watch these two videos by Shooting the Bull:

Judging The Judge: Public Defender Review, Part 1: Claims vs Reality

Judging The Judge: Public Defender Review, Part 2: as a shotgun

(Note that testing with Clear Ballistic gel likely over-states penetration by approximately 20%. So, the 18"-20" penetration in the second video is probably closer to 15"-16" in real 10% ordnance gelatin.)

For a nightstand self-defense gun, you could do a lot worse than that snubby Judge loaded with the Federal 000 buckshot load.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that an old guy with the shakes and limited experience with firearms could or should depend on one.

[racepres]

Anyone seriously considering the Judge for self-defense should seriously watch these two videos by Shooting the Bull:

Judging The Judge: Public Defender Review, Part 1: Claims vs Reality

Judging The Judge: Public Defender Review, Part 2: as a shotgun

(Note that testing with Clear Ballistic gel likely over-states penetration by approximately 20%. So, the 18"-20" penetration in the second video is probably closer to 15"-16" in real 10% ordnance gelatin.)

For a nightstand self-defense gun, you could do a lot worse than that snubby Judge loaded with the Federal 000 buckshot load.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that an old guy with the shakes and limited experience with firearms could or should depend on one.

IMO, It beats the pants off of calling 911 and Pray!!!! Put it in a Gun Box that calls 911 for ya when ya remove the Firearm!!!!
gots Both...

[FergusonTO35]

I wonder if there have been any real life shootings with the .410 handgun specific loads? My MIL has a single shot .410 shotgun as her only gun and I bought her some Hornady CD to keep with it.

[Half Dog]

I’ve seen several recent tests and the Judge seems like a great home defense pistol. As long as the shooter understands the limitations it should perform. Now I must get/borrow one to shoot it myself.

[35remington]

Might want to get the person this is intended for to shoot it before you buy it for his use. And contrast it with other possibilities as well. What you think is suitable may not be his judgement.

Just sayin.’

Easy to get the cart before the horse.