Is a used Taurus Poly Public Defender worth it?

I would much rather have the .45 Colt (or equivalent), without the compromised required by the .410 capability.
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The only compromise for my PD Poly is a bit extra length. But certainly no compromise in accuracy using 45 Colt.
 
The warranty change is no big deal because Taurus's lifetime warranty is worthless. Taurus makes some good guns (I assume they do, I've never seen one) and they make crap. If you get a crappy one, take it to a good gunsmith and maybe they can fix it; Taurus can't or won't.

As far as a used Taurus, the thing I would be worried about is why is the original purchaser selling it?
 
zxcvbob said:
The warranty change is no big deal because Taurus's lifetime warranty is worthless. Taurus makes some good guns (I assume they do, I've never seen one) and they make crap. If you get a crappy one, take it to a good gunsmith and maybe they can fix it; Taurus can't or won't.

As far as a used Taurus, the thing I would be worried about is why is the original purchaser selling it?
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When it comes to the Judge, it's usually people don't like the recoil with .410, the price of the ammo, or the way it patterns past a certain distance.
 
When it comes to the Judge, it's usually people don't like the recoil with .410, the price of the ammo, or the way it patterns past a certain distance.
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When it comes to the Judge, if it had been introduced by a company approved by the American Society of Gun Snobbery like S&W or Ruger it would have been heralded as one of the greatest innovations in firearms design in the 21st century!

I don't find the recoil with 410 from my lightest of the Judges, Public Defender Poly, to be that objectionable. Yes, 410 shells can be a bit pricey compared to 12, or 20 guage. But on-line, and sales can help.
I'm not at all concerned with the pattern of the Federal OOO buck out to a range probably well past any self defence would require. @10 yards it's about 3" . Maybe 5 or 6 @ 15. I seriously doubt a carjacker is going to shout at me to get out of my truck from thirty to forty five feet away. The main use other than just fun blasting I have for my Poly.
The non-legged slithering snakes encountered while picking berries, or searching for mushrooms don't concern me past 10-15 feet. A distance that a load of #8 shot holds a snake stopping density should one present itself as a threat.
Keep in mind that these patterns are from the 2 1/2 barrel of a Public Defender Poly
 
Cheapshooter said:
When it comes to the Judge, if it had been introduced by a company approved by the American Society of Gun Snobbery like S&W or Ruger it would have been heralded as one of the greatest innovations in firearms design in the 21st century!

I don't find the recoil with 410 from my lightest of the Judges, Public Defender Poly, to be that objectionable. Yes, 410 shells can be a bit pricey compared to 12, or 20 guage. But on-line, and sales can help.
I'm not at all concerned with the pattern of the Federal OOO buck out to a range probably well past any self defence would require. @10 yards it's about 3" . Maybe 5 or 6 @ 15. I seriously doubt a carjacker is going to shout at me to get out of my truck from thirty to forty five feet away. The main use other than just fun blasting I have for my Poly.
The non-legged slithering snakes encountered while picking berries, or searching for mushrooms don't concern me past 10-15 feet. A distance that a load of #8 shot holds a snake stopping density should one present itself as a threat.
Keep in mind that these patterns are from the 2 1/2 barrel of a Public Defender Poly
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It depends on the model Judge bought. The Public Defender has a very small grip and weighs less than the standard Judge does, so recoil is more, too much for some. Recoil is subjective to the shooter and I can say in a Cobray derringer, it is STIFF. In a steel frame Judge, I think it will be fine.

Ammo price is especially apparent with the .410/.45 Colt's because that ammo is not cheap. The cheapest .45 Colt is something like $30/50 rds, but nobody buys the Judge to shoot .45, they buy it to shoot .410 and the price for 000 buck is more per round than .45 Colt.

I reload .45 Colt and have thought about doing .410 if I bought a Judge. Would be interesting for sure.

Accuracy is subjective, but I agree that for a gun that's meant for distances under 50 feet, the Judge is fine in regards to accuracy.
 
My Judge is the 2 1/2" chambered, 2 1 /2" barreled , polymer framed Public Defender Poly. With the original Gripper grips it wasn't bad at all. But I can see someone who is recoil shy would have a different opinion. I replaced the small Grippers with Pachmayr Diamond Pro grips which gave it a much fuller feel.
For my purpose as a "truck gun" I do have it loaded with a combination of Federal Premium Handgun 000 buck and Winchester PDX1 225 gr. 45 Colt. First three up, buckshot. Followed by two rounds of 45 Colt if there still exists a threat at further than at my window distance.
Yes, premium ammo in both 45 Colt and 410 is quite pricey. But although still a lot higher than 12 or 20, you can get some birdshot for fun and practice for less than 50¢ per round.
 
I too have poly taurus . . .

I have a poly public defender. (Used to have all metal. Mistake to sell it.) Anyway given where I live (rural town right across the street from the police station) it's my choice for my HD gun. It runs just fine, but was a little stiff before break in. It does have some recoil but it's not out of control. I take it to the range and shoot 45 colt at close range. While it's in the home (quick access) safe it's loaded with a variety of the specialty handgun 410 ammo. First two chambers are disks and smaller shot. Next two are larger buck shot. Final chamber is a slug on top of buck shot.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
I reload .45 Colt and have thought about doing .410 if I bought a Judge. Would be interesting for sure.
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I reload 410 shells because of the silly price they want for them. I made my own 410 reloader set up. I use a Mec resized die to resize the base. I thought I was a genius when I made my own reloader set up. That is until I ran across this site. They are doing the same thing I am doing almost exactly except they use a Mec crimp folder to refold the case and I use a roll crimp on my cases.

I don't shoot enough 410 to merit the cost of a $150+ Mec reloader. So this makes all the rounds I need and they ever it as well as the factory loads.

http://fromthetrenchesworldreport.com/homemade-410-reloading-kit/60500
 
I traded into a used Poly Public Defender. I have no illusions of ever carrying it for self defense. I don't even use it for hd. I will be taking it with me when I travel both as a car gun and sometimes woods carry gun. I too added the Pachmayr Diamond Pro grips. I bought a Fobus owb paddle holster for the occasional woods carry I mentioned.
 
Cheapshooter said:
When it comes to the Judge, if it had been introduced by a company approved by the American Society of Gun Snobbery like S&W or Ruger it would have been heralded as one of the greatest innovations in firearms design in the 21st century!
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Some people bought a new Taurus (thinking they couldn't possibly screw up a 150 year old design SA revolver) only to get a lemon, and when they called Taurus to get it repaired under warranty, Taurus hung up on them. So FU about the snobbery.
 
You have documented proof of either of your internet rumor claims.
Warranty repairs mught take more time than some people think they should, but Taurus probably sells more guns worldwide than anybody. So they have an equally greater number of warranty claims. I have never heard that they hung up on any callers. Only that a call to CS may take some time. Again, a lot of volume.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
S&W DID jump on the .410 revolver bandwagon very quickly.
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They wanted market share and it's easy to get market share when you're S&W and the only other brand in competition is... Taurus.

The Governor has been around for 7 years, but S&W haven't added any new models of it since. No smaller Public Defender like model, no long barrel model, no 3 inch chambered model. At least Taurus kept building on the Judge platform.
 
They hung on me when I called because my brand new .357 Gaucho (single action army revolver) didn't work. I don't recall exactly what the issue was; it was caused by a faulty base pin. I think it would jam after 2 or 3 shots. I repaired the gun myself (bought a replacement part for a Colt and filed it down to fit) but I don't trust now it so I don't shoot it much. I'd sell it, but it's a Taurus and used Taurus are not worth much (I wonder why?)

You had to call them to get a return authorization, and when I tried to do that they wouldn't even talk to me.

So it's just a sample of one, which is not statistically meaningful, but it's a first hand account and it's meaningful to me :mad:
 
Did you call back?
I have had phone calls dropped when calling all sorts of businesses. Cable companies, other utilities, credit card companies. Customer service call or not. I've lost more than a few personnel calls as well. Be it land line, or cell. How are you so sure that they hung up on you?
 
I wouldn't buy a used Taurus of any model unless it were the only gun for sale and I needed it NOW. Sorry, that's just the truth. Plus, I don't get the appeal of the 45/410 revolver to begin with.
 
Just a couple myth defying videos.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yNVXuspaJtE
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDMDd4eAQO0&t=297s
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The size comparison with the semi-auto was questionable because he really downplayed the grip. When it comes to concealed carry, which is the market for both guns in the video, that grip sticking way out could be a big deal. Beyond shrink-wrapping these for a volume measurement, I recommend getting them in your hands for a personal comparison. The semi-auto is a lot smaller!

Comparing it to a semi-auto firing .45acp raises some other issues too. Did he not have a Bulldog available? That would have been better. Comparing the Judge to self-defense weapons in general, it should have been compared with what people carry in general. Heck, why not compare it to compact high-capacity 9mm handguns?

Part 2 was more interesting. Yes, special rounds have been developed for the Judge and those do better. That helps. Is it enough to make it more useful than a high-capacity compact semi-auto (or even a full-sized semi-auto in some cases) that you could probably carry with more ease? When considering the demands of EDC, is it enough to make it more useful than a five or six shot J-frame or LCR?

The reviewer seems to agree with me on concealed carry but somehow concludes that the Public Defender would be a good nightstand gun. I'd agree that it could be. Then again, so could a lot of guns. You could put something like the 15-shot FNX-45 in your nightstand just as easily. Personally, I'd prefer that or many other handgun choices, maybe including the full-sized Judge, over the Public Defender as a nightstand gun.
 
Cosmodragoon said:
The size comparison with the semi-auto was questionable because he really downplayed the grip. When it comes to concealed carry, which is the market for both guns in the video, that grip sticking way out could be a big deal. Beyond shrink-wrapping these for a volume measurement, I recommend getting them in your hands for a personal comparison. The semi-auto is a lot smaller!

Comparing it to a semi-auto firing .45acp raises some other issues too. Did he not have a Bulldog available? That would have been better. Comparing the Judge to self-defense weapons in general, it should have been compared with what people carry in general. Heck, why not compare it to compact high-capacity 9mm handguns?

Part 2 was more interesting. Yes, special rounds have been developed for the Judge and those do better. That helps. Is it enough to make it more useful than a high-capacity compact semi-auto (or even a full-sized semi-auto in some cases) that you could probably carry with more ease? When considering the demands of EDC, is it enough to make it more useful than a five or six shot J-frame or LCR?

The reviewer seems to agree with me on concealed carry but somehow concludes that the Public Defender would be a good nightstand gun. I'd agree that it could be. Then again, so could a lot of guns. You could put something like the 15-shot FNX-45 in your nightstand just as easily. Personally, I'd prefer that or many other handgun choices, maybe including the full-sized Judge, over the Public Defender as a nightstand gun.
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Thing is that with a revolver it doesn't have magazines to deal with, so you can keep it loaded for decades without an issue. I've never tried keeping a magazine loaded to full capacity for longer than a couple months, so Idk how a mag would hold up over years.

It's one of the reasons I mostly keep revolvers around the house.

I agree on the CCW aspect vs a J frame/LCR. I don't think the PD shines as a CCW choice, but it can work in the role.
 
Thing is that with a revolver it doesn't have magazines to deal with, so you can keep it loaded for decades without an issue. I've never tried keeping a magazine loaded to full capacity for longer than a couple months, so Idk how a mag would hold up over years.

It's one of the reasons I mostly keep revolvers around the house.

I agree on the CCW aspect vs a J frame/LCR. I don't think the PD shines as a CCW choice, but it can work in the role.
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(I haven't figured out how to do a proper quote when I reply on this new version of the forum software) Loading a magazine to its full capacity and leaving it that way for years should be less stress on the springs than loading and unloading it all the time. *If* the springs are properly made, that should be the least of your worries.
 
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