Revolvers that shoot shotgun shells

So who is reloading for this and what kind of tests have you done? Most of the comments seem to be based on factory loads. Is anyone thinking outside the box as far as shot goes?

My hunch is that the guys dismissing this load would not want to stand fifteen feet in front of the muzzle. Is that fair?

Indeed...
 
I bought the press and supplies for reloading 410 if I ever had to. I bought a mold for #4 buck, which differs from #4 shot. I would have to look but think I bought slugs too.I am supporting both a Judge and a .410 coach gun. Mine are 2 1/2". The shotgun will take up to 3".
 
Without having anything else in 410 bore, I doubt that I will set up to load just for my Judge. The factory offerings, especially since many are now including loads specifically designed for handguns, meet all my needs.
I do have dies, and molds for that matter, for 45 Colt, and will load up some easy shooting range cast bullet ammo for just blasting. But I doubt that I could improve on the Winchester PDX1 225 grain bonded offering for a 45 Colt SD round.
 
I started another thread that talks about why I bought the Governor. It has nothing to do with .410's. I had some .45acp ammo that absolutely would not feed or cycle in any of my autos and it would not fit the cylinder of my Blackhawk. With the Governor I can load the moonclips with anything and it works. Half my time at the range is spent picking up brass so with the moonclips there is no hunting for brass. It's all right there at my feet in 6 round packages. Slick and simple.

I'm not a great shot. I'm as accurate or inaccurate with the Governor as I am with any other handgun. I shoot mainly .45Colt or .45acp out of the Governor but I have loaded it with #4 birdshot to get rid of a pesky woodpecker and at 40 feet it did the job quite well. I have shot some 000 buckshot through it and I wouldn't want to be anywhere downrange when that goes off. In close range defense work it would be very effective with .410 defense loads, .45acp, or .45Colt.

I don't understand the negativity. I enjoy shooting anything. The Governor is just another tool in my arsenal.
 
Not a revolver but somebody made a .45/410 Derringer at one time also. I can only imagine it would not be pleasureable to shoot.
 
I don't understand the negativity. I enjoy shooting anything. The Governor is just another tool in my arsenal.
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I like my Judge and its coach gun mate, but am keeping them in terms of a collection of sorts. The point was well made that some have good reason to be concerned about implications that these shotshell shooters are recommended as primary self defense weapons. Whatever caliber or form of projectile one uses, the person should be aware of the more or less certified performance expectations.

If one is going to be melodramatic about it, then I think there should be more push back on little guns, down to even 22ss, that are carried just because it is comfortable to do so. A false sense of security is dangerous, regardless. Penetration isn't everything.

It wouldn't be right to dust off ones outrage only for shotshell revolvers.
 
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Speaking only for myself, what irks me is the advertising promoting the guns as premier self defense guns, because they shoot shotshells.

Get one because they are an omnivore, shooting two, or three, or more different kinds of ammo, fine with me.

Get a short barreled one, because they are easier to pack, or store, fine with me.

Because they have a utility as a field gun, and can be used for personal defense, fine with me. But get one thinking it is a good self defense gun because it fires the .410? No. Not in my opinion.

While the smallest and lightest of the shotguns, out of a handgun the .410 exceeds most handgun rounds until you get to the big bore/magnum class. .410 slugs are pretty peppy out of my Contender, and while I have no personal experience with the new defense buckshot loads, I'm quite willing to accept they have the mass and the punch to be effective within reasonable range.

It's not a question of "will it work?" its a matter of "is this the best tool for the job?" Jack of all trades and master of none comes to mind, but there are situation where the ability to handle different things acceptably well is the primary concern.

Cheapshooter (and thank you for the info) tells us he gets a 3" spread at 10yds, and 2-3" groups with .45 Colt ammo at the same distance. This I think, cancels the myth of a shot shell's large advantage due to a wide pattern. At close "repel boarders!" range, that little spread doesn't seem like much of an advantage over a single projectile round, to me.

People that know guns, and know the .410 know what they are getting with one of these revolvers. I feel that the marketing of these guns as defense guns is playing on the general misconception of "shotgun" effectiveness in the minds of less experienced people.

I think a lot of people hear "shotgun shells" and think of the 12ga, and especially what they see on TV and in the movies. That isn't what the .410 is. And that's not the maker's fault, now is it?
 
Well said, 44 AMP. I guess that's why you are staff. Let's not forget that most people think a 12-gauge will launch a person through the air...
 
that little spread doesn't seem like much of an advantage over a single projectile round, to me.
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My thinking on that is more holes, more damage. Also, with the gel tests showing penetration over the magic (supposedly) 12", there are 4 times the chance of getting to the spine, the surest instant stopping hit on an assailant.
But some of the other factors that can cause an instant stop is shock from severe pain. With one pull of the trigger, four very painful holes. With two quick pulls, eight very painful, leaking holes.
In fact, for my SD purpose, where a potential character would be within a few feet, not yards, I'm thinking the Federal Handgun 000 Buck would make one very large, painful, several leaking hole with each pull of the trigger.
But I agree, a Hollywood style Doc Holiday 12 guage double barrel blowing people off their feet it isn't. But neither is a Doc Holiday 12 gauge double barrel.:D
I have to say similar advertising of a little red dot negating the need to learn to shoot is just as misleading to new shooters.
 
Cheapshooter (and thank you for the info) tells us he gets a 3" spread at 10yds, and 2-3" groups with .45 Colt ammo at the same distance. This I think, cancels the myth of a shot shell's large advantage due to a wide pattern. At close "repel boarders!" range, that little spread doesn't seem like much of an advantage over a single projectile round, to me.
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The better pattern is supposedly #4 buck (not #4 shot). I have used #4 shot at the range, boxes marked 'Defense" by Federal, and the close range spread (7-10 yards) is excellent and as one would like to expect. But that's just little BBs that would hurt like hell. There are plenty of them. On the other hand, my #4 buck reloading supply is about 1/4" diameter.
 
I'm one of the people who think the .410 revolvers are a gimmick, and there are better guns for self defense.

My question is about the long barrel Circuit Judge, why did they rifle the barrel? Why not make a true revolving smoothbore shotgun? That can shoot .45lc in a pinch. Because it is a gimmick too, these guns are all marketing, aimed at newbies.

Maybe useless is too strong, they will get the job done, but there are better options.
 
I'm one of the people who think the .410 revolvers are a gimmick, and there are better guns for self defense.

My question is about the long barrel Circuit Judge, why did they rifle the barrel? Why not make a true revolving smoothbore shotgun? That can shoot .45lc in a pinch. Because it is a gimmick too, these guns are all marketing, aimed at newbies.

Maybe useless is too strong, they will get the job done, but there are better options.
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It's one thing to not respect the gun and the company that marketed it, but quite something else to imply disrespect for the owners, or newbies as you called them.

We continually have the problem of cynicism from people who typically have never shot the guns. My experience at the range tells me that one would not want to stand in front of one of these things.

I grant that I have better 45 Colts but not a revolver that will fire shotgun shells, whether shot, hoping for a spread, or slugs.

In terms of shot, the gun can use any size for the purpose intended. As with any shotgun firing the smaller shot, it is the safest revolver to fire into the air. That makes it a squirrel gun or even for small fowl in flight. then there's the snake thing.

Mostly though it's fun to shoot and an interesting gun to have in a collection.

As jack of all trades and master of none, there will always be better choices for relying upon 45 Colt capabilities, but it is more than adequate in that regard for self defense.

The debate ensues with how one plans to rely upon firing shot shells. Seems to me that specialty rounds designed for the gun can do serious damage to a threatening person.

It is not my choice for self defense, given a choice in a collection, but if it was the only gun I had, I would feel pretty well armed.
 
My question is about the long barrel Circuit Judge, why did they rifle the barrel? Why not make a true revolving smoothbore shotgun? That can shoot .45lc in a pinch. Because it is a gimmick too, these guns are all marketing, aimed at newbies.
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I'm guessing they didn't use a smooth bore because it would then be required to have an 18" barrel.

The one I fired belongs to a 58 year old retired Army Special Forces officer. He has CCW and carries a .40 on his person, but he carries the Judge in his car as his "anti car-jack" piece loaded with #4 shot (squirrel loads). Don't underestimate the lethality of 1/2 oz. of even small shot at 3-5 feet. The short, rifled barrel makes little diffference at that range.
 
Eveled asked--Why not make a true revolving smoothbore shotgun?
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TimSR above answered this and a more complete answer was in 44amp post #10.

Short answer - legal stuff.

And at this point in my life trying to get my head around the reasoning behind some of this stuff (my pet peeve is not allowing an attachable butt stock on a hand gun) just makes my head hurt. I'd as soon try to do the newspaper crossword puzzle as to try to make sense out of some of this legal stuff-I'll leave it to younger minds that are still flexible.

This has been another very interesting and mostly civil thread.

I'm still wondering about Bella's claim of 18 inch penetration in post #32. (No offense Bella.) Does everybody agree there's a load out there that does this? That would an impressive load.
 
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I think one would be a good snake gun. I'd like to have one with a 6 inch barrel. I think their only real purpose is that and a novelty. I have a Circuit Judge and it's an excellent gun. Shoots .45 Colts well and patterns 000 tight. I tried deer hunting with it but no luck that day.
Don't forget there's more than just the Judge series and the Thompson single shots. S&W has the Governor which also shoots .45 ACP and is a 6 shot. Magnum Research has a BFR in .45 Colt/.410 as well. Plus there's countless derringers, even side by side ones.
Taurus needs to make the raging judge in a 6 inch barrel. I'd be interested.
Don't forget the Taurus concept that never got past legal barriers, the 28 gauge Judge. They did make a 28 gauge Circuit Judge, which would be a great SBS if you put a pistol grip on it and cut the barrel to 8 inches.
 
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I think one would be a good snake gun. I'd like to have one with a 6 inch barrel. I think their only real purpose is that and a novelty.
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Guess you didn't see these videos.:D
Accurate with 45 Colt, accurate, and powerfully with the right 410 ammo.
As stated in the video, most of the criticism was due to the ammo available when they were introduced. Now that companies are loading handgun specific 410 bore defensive shot shells it's a whole new ballgame!

http://www.diy-review.com/EtJapHowT...efender-Review-Part-1:-Claims-vs-Reality.html
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=872E9CC8F53C05FEA125872E9CC8F53C05FEA125
 
I know the Federal 3 inch 000 through a Circuit a Judge will bust frozen gallon jugs. No doubt a .410 is a bad close range defense round to me, and I am a fan, but I'd prefer a different gun. I haven't shot the handgun one yet. I started to buy a 3 inch cylindered one with a 6 inch barrel used once but the same place had the Circuit Judge when it first came out so I have one of those instead.
 
I woman in my hometown shot her boyfriend 5 times with .410 shot from out of a Judge...she pistol-whipped him when she ran out. He survived with minor injuries.
 
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