The Judge and other .410s stink, right? Ummmm...maybe not?

They are and always will be hybrid gimmicks that really aren't good for much at all.
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Somebody didn't get the memo, because these guns have made .410 and .45 Colt ammo, brass, and bullets rather challenging to buy. I enjoy my 3" SS Judge and am keeping it, thank you.

I wonder if the dissing often comes from those who have never tried one of these guns.

Stories of shotshell pattern expansion and the hazards to bystanders are exaggerated. If a bystander is close enough for pie plate sized spread, one should not have taken the shot with any caliber.
 
I wonder if the dissing often comes from those who have never tried one of these guns.
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That, along with being made by Taurus.
Had the Governer been introduced first, It would have been heralded by many of the same as one of the greatest, most inovative gun designs of the century.
Of course, they will deny It now.
 
The "energy transfer" is no more than any other cartridge that doesn't exit, and expansion without adequate penetration is worthless
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Another victim of the FBI protocol FlavorAid!

Energy transfer is part of the equation, bleed out is another. This slug will substantially increase the likely hood of quicker bleed out. It would seriously shred someones internals with that 4 bladed buzz saw going thorugh.

but add a layer of denim, or a leather jacket, a winter coat, & I bet the penetration would be marginal
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Usually penetration goes up and expansion goes down. In this case I doubt it would make much of a difference due to the cavernous depth of the cavity. I would really like to see the test though.
 
One thing I noticed in the video, and would like to see added. The test was done with bare ballistic gel. I wonder what effect a few layers of denim like in most other tests would have?
 
I wonder if the dissing often comes from those who have never tried one of these guns
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Nah - a lot of us were soured on the Thunder Five...

That thing proved about as useless in the real world as the Stevens 35......

Which, BTW I once shot!
Wicked recoil and muzzle climb due to the light weight.

It was a novelty more than anything else.
 
Nah - a lot of us were soured on the Thunder Five...

That thing proved about as useless in the real world
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The Thunder Five was a strange design with a manual safety. Manual safety on a revolver? Strike #1
Because of the success of the Judge, ammo manufacturers are now making quality, handgun specific 410 bore ammo for the Judge, and Governor
In the day of the Thunder Five, 1992-1998, you had what ammo you had. Mostly bird shot. Buckshot rounds were few and far between. Strike #2
As styrange as the safety was the sights. No front sight on the barrel. They were in a grove along the top of the frame. Strike #3, You're OUT!
OOPS, the catcher dropped the last strike. Tag the Thunder Five out with not being produced by a large multi-national corporation.

(Can ya tell I'm ready for Cardinal's Baseball!:D:D:D)
 
You could make a long cartridge like that to fit a Judge, but you'll need to use something like a .303 British die (just a guess) to put a long taper on the end. Then I don't know what kind of bullet will work best because it'll be undersized... maybe a hollow based .45 Miníe ball?
 
Well, nothing earth shattering, but I love my Circuit Judge - the rifle like version. Great gun and I really like that you can use .410 and .45 long colt. Brilliant idea and I think a great idea of a scatter shot when you would be in the moment and not aiming, and then follow with a cleaner .45 shot. In theory as I have not tried it..yet.
 
Had the Governer been introduced first, It would have been heralded by many of the same as one of the greatest, most inovative gun designs of the century.
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As a 6-shot gun, the Governor is quite bulky and odd looking. I think my 3" barrel SS Judge with the shorter 5-shot cylinder and "compact frame" is a bit of a caricature but not totally goofy looking. I like it and don't need universal admiration for owning one. I shoot exclusively 410 buckshot and #4 shot. I have better guns for 45 Colt.

The new glass bead finish SS version from S&W, while 6 shot, is comparable in weight to the Taurus SS version in 5 shot, 2 1/2" chamber, thanks to a scandium frame. However, its MSRP is $150 higher. I don't see any question about the quality of my Judge, but have had real issues with recent S&W guns. There are no black versus white answers with these guns except the extra bulk of the 6 shot cylinder. Would many really carry one?

Including 45 ACP in the S&W kind of changes the whole concept, because you are forced into accommodating common moonclip sizes, perhaps making it 6- shot and bulky just for moonclips.
 
I had a Judge that the trigger wouldn't reset after firing. That's the second Taurus that's failed on me. I'll never buy another Taurus.

The 6-round cylinder, 45 Auto capability, and the far better fit and finish are worth far more than the extra that I paid. I love being able to reload in seconds via the moon clips.
 
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