Taurus has introduced a handgun that may
just be the ideal trail gun for those of us who live, work, and
play among timber rattlers, cottonmouths, copperheads, and
diamondbacks. It should also prove just as useful for our Western
friends who must contend with the sidewinder and the Western
version of the diamondback. I don’t know which I hate more, as
all are ornery when cornered, but the cottonmouth is the only
snake that I have ever had personally come after me. Most snakes
will slither off if they can, except for maybe the copperhead,
who just lies there quietly grinning and waiting for your
approach. At least the rattlers will sound off and give
you a chance to soil yourself just before he sinks those fangs
into your flesh. However, in my experience, the cottonmouth is
downright mean.
There are those in our society who look with
disdain and loathing upon those of us who kill poisonous snakes
- mostly they live in nice apartments or suburban subdivisions.
If they are really well-heeled they call them
"estates". However, those of us who live in the
Southern woods (forests, for you snake-loving high society
types), for about eight months out of the year, we must keep a
careful eye out for poisonous snakes as we walk amongst the
chiggers, ticks, and poison oak.
I do not kill non-poisonous snakes such as black
snakes and chicken snakes, for they provide a service and do no
harm, unless you happen to step on one at night, at which point
they might cause you to hurt yourself trying to hop around on
one toe without touching the ground, which should probably be an
Olympic sport in itself. However, if I find a poisonous
snake around my house, I will do all that I can to kill it. I
have two young grandchildren that play around here, and a
snakebite could easily kill one of them, or even kill their dear
old Grandpa, and I just will not risk it. Now, if some
short-haired, Volvo-driving, apartment-dwelling,
cappuccino-drinking, Nancy Pelosi fan club chick wants to
send hateful email, let the games begin. However, I really
don’t think that those women read Gunblast, so hopefully, I am
safe.
I always carry a handgun, unless I am flying
what was once termed the "friendly skies". When out
deeper in the woods or down by the creek, I carry one loaded
with shot loads if I am wandering around there during the
itching season. This new Taurus is chambered for the .410
shotshell, and packs a pretty good payload of shot to reliably
dispatch crawling vermin. For the vermin that walk upright on
their hind legs, it also chambers and fires the .45 Colt
cartridge, making this a very versatile handgun. Taurus calls
this five-shot revolver "The Judge", which seems
appropriate, even if the name will most likely offend the type
of person referenced in the preceding paragraph. It weighs in at
just under 36 ounces, and packs rather comfortably holstered on
the hip or across the chest in one of Rob Leahy’s Grizzly
Tuff holsters, with the latter preferred if any riding
or wading is anticipated.
Patterning the .410 shotshells proved that this
revolver is, as I expected, a close range proposition, which is
just fine. Any farther than twelve feet away, the pattern opens
rather quickly. The number 7-½ shot at that range is pretty
sparse. I would have liked to have some number 9 shotshells for
testing, but none was to be found. Anyway, the 7-½ penetrates
better, and at normal "A SNAKE!!!"
range, it does just fine. The spread is wide enough to assure a
good hit, and the pattern tight enough to assure a quick kill.
I also tried some number 4 shot at closer range,
and it is with larger shot such as this that The Judge becomes
better suited for solving social disputes of the most unfriendly
kind. I see this as an ideal weapon to keep on the car seat to
quickly resolve an attempted car-jacking. When a punk jerks the
car door open, a face full of number four shot should rapidly
dissuade the social misfit from wanting anything to do with your
car, and should also render him unable to pass the eye exam for
a driver’s license for the rest of his miserable life. If this
seems cruel, so be it. If someone sneaks into a parking lot and
hot-wires a car, that is one thing, but if he tries to forcibly
take an occupied vehicle at a traffic light, he can learn to
read Braille in prison as far as I’m concerned.
I tested the penetration of the number four shot
loads on some aluminum bottles (no, I did not empty them. I
found them that way) and some tough cured country ham hocks. The
shot completely penetrated both the lightweight bottles and the
tough meat, and would surely do the same on a close range snake
or small game for the pot. Anything farther than about twelve
feet, and the cylinder needs to be stoked with the .45 Colt
loads.
I really had no high expectations of accuracy
using the .45 Colt ammo, considering the long cylinder and fixed
sights with the fiber optic bead front. I was, however, very
pleasantly surprised at the practical accuracy of the weapon,
especially at combat ranges. After shooting the gun offhand, I
wished that I had ordered an insert for my Ransom
Rest to see just how accurate the gun would be without
the handicap of the shooter influencing the outcome. At any
rate, the Judge is not meant to be a paper-punching target
revolver, but rather a practical and versatile fighting weapon.
At seven yards, the five shot cylinder would place the bullets
right at point of aim, and grouped tightly together. The double
action trigger pull was smooth, and measured nine and one-half
pounds. The single action pull measured a crisp four and
three-quarters pounds, and in either mode, the Judge was a
delight to shoot. Recoil was easily controlled, and the Taurus
Ribber grips took any bite out of the Judge’s bark. The grip
is very comfortable, and the backstrap well-padded. The Judge
has the "Taurus Security System" key lock, for those
who like to use it. The test gun wears a three inch barrel, but
longer barrels are offered. However, I think that the three inch
is the better choice for social work. It is just a lot handier.
The Judge also can be purchased with either two and one-half or
three inch chambers, the test gun being the former. You also
have a choice of blued or stainless steel. The test gun was very
well finished, with no visible flaws, and functioned perfectly
with all ammo tested. The barrel/cylinder gap measured
.006 inch. The ejector rod is fully shrouded, and cylinder
lockup was tight. The color casehardened hammer and
trigger contrast nicely with the deep blue-black finish. The
Judge has a nice, business-like appearance.
I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of
the Judge, with both shotshells and solid bullet .45 Colt ammo.
It offers a lot of versatility in snake country, and can be
carried for urban defense loaded with shotshells, heavy .45 Colt
hollowpoints, or a combination of both. A number four shot load
followed by four hollowpoints might be just about ideal for
social work.
For the location of a Taurus dealer near you,
click on the DEALER LOCATOR icon at: www.lipseys.com.
Check out the entire line of Taurus products at:
www.taurususa.com.
To order a Grizzly Tuff holster, go to: www.simplyrugged.com.
Jeff Quinn
UPDATE!
February 24th, 2007
Jeff also tested .410 slugs in the Judge.
However, there is no advantage to using a 96 grain .3995
caliber bullet when the handgun will more accurately fire
.4525 inch bullets weighing over three times as much. The
accuracy with slugs limits the use to around 15 yards, while
the .45 Colt ammo is accurate out to over 100 yards.
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