Taurus Circuit Judge

T

teeroux

New member
Okay ready for a mind boggler.

It it legally considered a rifle or is it a shotgun?

If a shotgun what would be the legal way (if one exist) of pluging to hunt migratory birds if someone would so choose?

I somehow doubt snapcaps are gonna do the trick for the game wardens.
 
They are .45 caliber rifles. ....they have a rifled bore just like any other .45Colt/.410bore gun.

They wouldn't be legal for Fed. migratory because if you plug two of the 5 chambers you could readily remove the plugs in the field.

In PA they also wouldn't be legal for other small game/birds because of the same reason above.
 
I bet they would be lousy for bird hunting anyway. .410 with a rifled barrel, probably not ideal. Just pulling that out of my you-know-what.

-Internet bird hunter, no experience;)

I have to say though, it looks like it would be fun to shoot. I guess there's a lot of options out there for shooting 45LC rifles, but not too many revolvers. Plus you could shoot 410 shells for fun also.:)
 
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I somehow doubt snapcaps are gonna do the trick for the game wardens.
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It depends how long it takes him to stop laughing. Do you really think anyone is going to shell out $2.50 per round for non-toxic migratory bird loads for the Circuit Judge?
FYI, IIRC, the Judge revolver is sold by Taurus and the Circuit Judge rifle is made by Taurus, but sold under the Rossi brand.
I bet they would be lousy for bird hunting anyway.
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That's a bet I think you'd win.
I suspect it will be a long time before we hear of anyone winning a 25-straight skeet patch with a Circuit Judge.
 
I would call that gun a novelty and should not be used for anything other then fun shooting.

If your wanting to shoot birds buy a nice 20g or 12g.

If you want to shoot large game with a lever action buy a Marlin, Winchester or Browning.
 
looks like they are going to offer 2 different models, a rifled version, & a smooth bore version...

http://www.rossiusa.com/pdf/rossi_ad_circuitjudge.pdf

I do quite alot of rabbit population "culling" with my Contender 16" 45 Colt / .410 ... Thompson Center has a screw in straight rifled choke tube to use with .410 shells shat corrects the doughnut pattern you get from shooting shot out of a rifled barrel...

I think WILDALASKA on this forum has / knows a guy making something similar for the "Judges" if that could be encorporated onto this "rifle" it would make it a pretty versitile "survival gun... even better if they started making them in stainless
 
It is a moot point I'm sure, but the way to make plugs for the judge is to sandwich a 1.5 inch long, .44 cal rubber plug between two .40 cal washers with a nut on one end, and a thin bolt running through the whole thing. I'd use brass components.

When you insert the plug in a chamber, then tighten the nut, the rubber will swell and the plug will be firmly lodged in the chamber. Loosen the nut to remove. I suspect leaving them in for months would invite rust.

Same principal as a boat's drain plug. I do not own a Judge, but I own a boat.
 
I suspect it will be a long time before we hear of anyone winning a 25-straight skeet patch with a Circuit Judge.
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I always thought it would be fun to try as an end of the day gun, but with a 9410
 
In California it's considered a "short barreled" shot gun. 18' is the minimum legal length of a barrel. The judge falls a bit short of that so they are considered as illegal shot guns.
 
I don't think so with the rifled barrel model... TC went through this with the 45 / .410 Contender... it should be considered a rifle ( my 16" Contender is legal ( as a rifle ) even with .410 shells, at 16"...

hmm... makes me wonder if "it" ( my Contender... or the Circuit Judge for that matter ) would be legal ( not that I would hunt big MN deer ) to use during deer shotgun season, if the ATF considers them a rifles ??? for that matter... I wonder about "bird" hunting if they are technically considered "rifles" by the ATF ???
 
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I bet they would be lousy for bird hunting anyway.
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Yep well I know a few folks who have shot ducks on the bayou with a .410.

If you want a for instance on why someone would shoot a .410 over something larger, say for argument you took your nephew on his first hunt out of a pirouge and the judge was all you had to lend him over your only 12ga.


It is a moot point I'm sure, but the way to make plugs for the judge is to sandwich a 1.5 inch long, .44 cal rubber plug between two .40 cal washers with a nut on one end, and a thin bolt running through the whole thing. I'd use brass components.
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Yep I think that would make the definition of a plug. You would just have to make sure the rubber didn't reach the extractor and it would be good to go.
 
I just checked the T/C site, the Contender 45/410 barrels in 12 and 14-in are not available for sale in Calif. IIRC, it's been that way for some time.
 
but the 16" barrels are ??? ( which is still a short barreled shotgun ) if classified as a shotgun ( needing to be 18" without a permit for shotguns )
 
I didn't find a current listing for a 16-in 45/410 barrel. The T/C Encore pistol has a 15-in 45/410 barrel and a footnote,
[SIZE=-1] NOTE: .45/.410 Barrels NOT for sale in California.[/SIZE]
 
Shotguns with rifled slug barrels are still shotguns.

Besides that they are advertised as rifled shotguns(may answer the legal definition) and there is a model that is smooth bore with a briley choke and shotshell only?

I would put money on it that if you are hunting birds with a judge your gonna get fined for not having a plug.

http://www.rossiusa.com/pdf/rossi_ad_circuitjudge.pdf
 
If it has a barrel from the maker under the legal limit, it is a handgun; over it it is a rifle.

The Judge is a handgun that fires 45 Colt, that also happens to chamber a 410 shotshell............it does nothing well but folks like it (like a pump)
 
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The Judge is a handgun that fires 45 Colt, that also happens to chamber a 410 shotshell............it does nothing well but folks like it (like a pump)
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My friend, isn't the world full of impractical, but "I gotta have one" firearms?
 
The circuit judge is a rifle that fires 45 Colt and also happens to chamber the 410 - the principle hasn't changed - just the added stock and longer barrel. With either gun, they are considered centerfire metallic cartridge guns. The shotshell is an added "feature"
 
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