TexasCHLforum.com

http://www.taurususa.com/product-detail ... bseries=41

The above link is to one of the Taurus Judge variants.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... 7751_image

The above link is to the Smith and Wesson "Governor".

The Taurus Judge has been available for some time. It is a 5 shot revolver, capable of chambering either .45 Long Colt or 2.5" .410 shotgun shells.
Although it seems to sell well, and Wal-Mart always has both ammos for it, there doesn't seem to be much "noise" about it here on the board.
I don't fault any members who may own one, but a 5 shot revolver which is large doesn't seem to be most people's cup of tea when it comes to an EDC.
If I walked in snake-infested areas, I could see having one, loaded with 5 rounds of .410, rather than some other pistol with snakeshot.

Surprisingly to me, Smith and Wesson has now come out with a similar revolver known as The Governor.
They have improved upon the Judge by making it 6 rounds instead of 5.
A further improvement they have made is allowing it to use .45 Long Colt, .45 ACP, and .410 shotgun shells.

Please comment on your experiences/perceptions of the Judge/Governor style of revolvers.
Have the Judge sales stats been so good that SW had to come up with the Governor to take market share?

A .357 revolver can take both .357 and .38 Special rounds.
Is it that big of an engineering deal for the Governor to accept both .45 LC and .45 ACP?

TIA / SIA

"Who's the buyers?"

1. suckers
2. people who don't understand ballistics.

For snakes, yeah, ok, but you can get snakeshot for almost any revolver. Those revolvers are better as regular revolvers too.

Bullwhip wrote:"Who's the buyers?"

1. suckers
2. people who don't understand ballistics.

For snakes, yeah, ok, but you can get snakeshot for almost any revolver. Those revolvers are better as regular revolvers too.

Really? What makes you an expert?

Yes, I have a Judge. I have dispatched ~10 rattlesnakes this year alone. I carry my EDC AND the Judge when working on my property. I do not wish to have to remember to change the ammo in my EDC every time I leave the property or come back.

Bullwhip wrote:Those revolvers are better as regular revolvers too.

Why are all other revolvers better than the Judge? Since you apparently claim to be an expert in ballistics, how is a .45 round coming out of any other revolver superior to the Judge? I would really like to know as it my change my opinion of the Judge. THANKS!

I'm going to leave the 2nd comment alone. Yes I own a Judge, 3" Magnum version. I did not buy this for snakes as legless snakes in the 'burbs are not a big problem. Nor did I buy this as an EDC. I bought this for my wifes night stand because she does not like to go to the range and practice.

As for .45LC and .45ACP the cylinder just needs to be cut for moon type clips.

SIA if you want to shoot the "Judge" just let me know.

Cosmo9:

Thanks for the invite. Scheduling for future may be covered in a PM.
Do you still have that AK-47?

SIA

Going to be out of town 6/18 to 6/26 we can work something out when I return.
Judge, XD9, P95DC, PM9, AK47, CETME. Father in law has many others if we can work with his schedule.

I don't own either the Judge or Governor, but I think I would enjoy having one in my collection. I do own a bond arms .45lc/.410 so I will probably draw a few snickers, as I have the same load as the Judge minus 3 shots!
I think that these revolvers have their own niche. They offer the shooter some options and are effective in the environment they are designed for. Very close quarters self defense.
Most of the folks on this board really like guns. We shoot 'em, collect 'em, take 'em apart and put 'em back together, and so on. We shoot better, and know more about guns than 98% of the population.
Don't forget that there are a lot of people who don't care that much about guns, but still want a weapon to carry in their car or keep in their nightstand. The Judge can fill that role really well IMO. A wide spread of .410 shot may well be the best option for the person who bought a gun, loaded it, and then never even test fired it. Believe me, there are a lot of folks out there like that.
I don't imagine any SWAT teams or special ops units will be moving over to a .410 revolver, but I think the gun has its place both as a self defense weapon and as a fun gun for the range.

Aside from the debate on the criminal charges, didn't that Oklahoma pharmacist (effectively) use a judge? I've been interested in one for a while, but I have 3 Glocks for CHL/Self defense already... and can't justify it over other things.

"Admitted into evidence Tuesday were both guns Ersland fired inside the pharmacy: a Taurus Judge revolver and a semi-automatic Kel-Tec handgun. District Attorney David Prater held up the unloaded weapons one at time and walked in front of jurors so they could get a closer look."

Read more: http://newsok.com/doctor-at-pharmacists ... z1PNDGyDX1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There you go. The above quote was from http://www.newsok.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, which is "The Oklahoman" newspaper's website.

IIRC, the pharmacist started his defense with the Kel-Tec, then switched to the Taurus, but I'm not positive of this sequence.

SIA

i think with the new line of .410 ammo like the pdx1. i too am starting to look at this gun. now i'm no expert in ballistics but after i saw those watermelons.... how fun!!
i'm kinda leaning towards the governor though. "mixsix"

can2boy wrote:i think with the new line of .410 ammo like the pdx1. i too am starting to look at this gun. now i'm no expert in ballistics but after i saw those watermelons.... how fun!!
i'm kinda leaning towards the governor though. "mixsix"

Yep, "But this one goes one higher!!"

I bought the Judge a while back when Academy had them on sale for $450 I think. I have my carry guns and this ain't one of them. It is either by the bed, in the backpack when I go camping or in my other bag when I go fishing. Depending on where it is I think I have about 6 different loads I keep on hand. When I hunt I have 2 rounds of .45LC just in case that hog ain't dead. And 3 .410's for snakes. It has it limitations and purposes just like any other weapon. Sometimes the right tool makes a job easier. So I will hang on to mine.

Is it that big of an engineering deal for the Governor to accept both .45 LC and .45 ACP?

A few more details:
.45 colt has a rim like most revolver cartridges (.38, .357, etc.) .45 ACP does not have a rim. There is nothing for the extractor to catch on and the cartidge may well go right through the cylinder. (I don't know.)
Moon clips clip onto the rebated rim of the ACP cartridge and give the extractor something to hang onto.
They come in full moon (6 round) half moon (3 round) and 2 moon (2 round) sizes.
When the cartridges are to be ejected, all six come out at once. The empties are all held in the clip.

I don't know how difficult the engineering is to have the cylinder function with and without moon clips, but it has been available for decades on other revolvers.

I carry my Judge when I take my dog out in the fields. Its really too big to carry anywhere else but it sure is fun to shoot, especially .410s.
Its a nice pistol for the proper place and use, I bought more for a toy than anything else.

i8godzilla wrote:
Yes, I have a Judge. I have dispatched ~10 rattlesnakes this year alone. I carry my EDC AND the Judge when working on my property. I do not wish to have to remember to change the ammo in my EDC every time I leave the property or come back.

I agree with your thinking.....but I think this is a case where a Bond Arms .410 Derringer makes more sense....not quite as bulky as the Judge and can be carried in a back pocket easily....in fact, I'm considering getting one for just that purpose....