The Taurus Judge is a five shot revolver designed and produced by Taurus International, chambered
for .410 bore shot shells and the .45 Colt cartridge.
Taurus promotes the Judge as a self-defense tool against carjacking and for home protection.
History
There have been two model number designations for this firearm, the 4410 and the 4510.
Both model numbers are essentially the same revolver, and any 4410 or 4510 will yield
basically the same performance.
It got its name "The Judge" in 2006 when Bob Morrison, Executive Vice President, learned
that judges in high-crime areas of Miami, Florida were purchasing the revolver for personal
defense in their courtrooms, and after Morrison investigated further, the model designation
was changed from 4410 to 4510 to more accurately reflect the revolver's versatility.
Taurus International reports that the Judge is their top-selling firearm.
Though Taurus deliberately designed the Judge to fire shotshells, the Judge does not qualify
as a "short-barreled shotgun" under the National Firearms Act of 1934 as its rifled barrel
makes it a regular handgun.
However, the Judge is considered a short-barreled shotgun under California state law, which
has a broader definition of "short-barreled shotgun," and the Judge is thus illegal to
possess in that state.
The rifling is shallower than normal, giving single-projectile loads less stabilization
than they would receive in other handguns while reducing the rapid dispersion of the
shot from shotshells.
Taurus developed the shallow rifling after numerous experiments to find rifling that
worked well with both types of ammunition.
Models
The Judge, a derivative of the Taurus Tracker, comes in three barrel lengths, two cylinder
lengths, and two finishes.
The 3" barrel model also comes in two weight classes, the standard steel construction and
alloy-based "Ultra-Lite".
Felt recoil can be significant with the Ultra-Lite series, due to its light weight, especially
with .45 Colt rounds.
As of December 2008, spur-less hammers remain available with all short-barrel lengths of
The Judge.
Crimson Trace laser grips are available for standard models of this firearm.
At the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show in January 2009, Taurus introduced several
new models of the Judge.
These have been labeled the Public Defender series and are based on the Taurus Model 85
frame.
As with the original Judge, these shoot five rounds of either .45 Colt or .410 shot.
Taurus is positioning the Public Defender series as a concealed carry piece.
Taurus also introduced the tactical R Ported.
The Taurus 4510TKR-3SSR and 4510TKR-3BR offer a 3″ ported barrel with a Picatinny rail.
In 2010 Taurus introduced the Raging Judge which is chambered for .454 Casull as well
.45 Colt and 3" .410 shot shells.
In 2011 at SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada Taurus introduced the Raging Judge XXVIII
chambered for 28 gauge shot shells.
After much confusion of whether or not the Raging Judge 28 would be considered an ATF
regulated firearm, Taurus International President and CEO Bob Morrison stated that the Taurus
Raging Judge XXVIII would be available in the U.S. sometime in late 2012.
Carbine
Taurus makes an 18.5in barrelled carbine variant of the Taurus Judge revolver along with its
partner company, Rossi.
The carbine is known as the Taurus/Rossi Circuit Judge.
It comes in the original combination chambering of .410 bore and .45 Long Colt, as well as
the .454 Remington Magnum chambering.
The Taurus/Rossi Circuit Judge has small blast shields attached to the cylinder to protect
the shooter from hot gases escaping between the cylinder and barrel.
The carbine has a butt stock and forend made of either Brazilian hardwood or plastic and
uses a fiber optic front sight.
An optional Picatinny scope mount base allows the user to mount a sight on the top of the
frame and a choke is included for turkey hunting.
Effectiveness Shot shells in .410 bore are not considered
especially effective in personal defense; for instance, there are only three or five
pellets in 000 buckshot, a common defense round; this compared to nine in the more common
12 gauge shell.
However as of 2008 Taurus has addressed this concern with the release of the Judge Magnum
which can fire 3" shot shells.
The 3" shot shell 000 buckshot version contains 5 pellets, which makes it more effective as
a self-defense round.
Federal offers ammo specifically designed for the Judge.
The 21⁄2" 000 Buckshot contains 4 pellets.
While the Judge's cylinder bore is adequate for higher-powered single-projectile loadings
such as the .44 Magnum or .454 Casull, the gun is not designed for the high chamber pressures
that these cartridges generate and thus could explode if they are used with it.
To prevent this, the cylinder bores are choked to prevent successful chambering of rounds
larger in diameter than the .410 shotshell and longer than the .45 Colt.
Taurus introduced the Raging Judge Magnum based on their Raging Bull model to address
this issue; the Raging Judge Magnum safely chambers .454 Casull as well as .45 Colt cartidges.
Gallery
References
External links North Carolina Sportsman Review
Gun Blast Review Box of Truth Review
Guns, Holsters, and Gear first look at Taurus Judge "Public Defender" series
Federal's .410 Handgun ammo.