Monday, May 18, 2009

The case for the Judge: Buzzworms

In My opinion one of the more controversial revolvers on the market today is the Taurus Judge .  The Judge is a roughly “ K” framed ( think S&W 13,19,10, ect.. with a 4” barrel ) chambered to .45 LC /.410 shot shell.

It seems everyone has an opinion on the little beast good or bad . I have read posts calling it everything from a gimmick to a boat anchor .  Without a doubt it is a niche pistol which would not be suitable for everyone .  However SWMBO fondled one and promptly issued an edict…. Get Me One! Whereupon I rolled my eyes and hoped she would forget. No such luck . 

So with some soul searching , and the sale of a rifle i did not shoot a lot (a guy has to know both his limitations and his priorities ) She got one . 

Test  shooting the Judge shows  it to be moderate in both recoil and accuracy ( minute of pop can at 20 paces ) with .45  and a close range proposition with shot shells on such targets as barn pidgins .

Yesterday the bride was moving the tractor to till the garden and I went on ahead to get the disk ready .

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The disk had set for a year , tires were flat , bearings dry , and I needed to change the ends on the hydraulic hoses for this brand of tractor .

So there I was…

Climbing over and thro said disk when I dammed near kneeled on a rattlesnake.  Now I am a live and let live sort of fella for the most part but let me tell you , this little legless bastard was way to excited for my good .  I promptly set the county record for the grease gun throw , and hit the end of the air hose (which evilly attacked from its coil beside me  in support of a critter that looked like it ) akin to a dog hitting the end of the chain .  Now I carry a pistol , but  a standard pistol round shot into a maze of that much steel from close range is not the best idea anyone ever had .  To the pickup I went and out came the Judge .

By this time  the sucker had moved a few feet but not far enough .

 

 

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Here is a pic after I pulled him from the new lair

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The Judge went on the belt and I continued on for a bit until about 10 feet away I ran across another one which met a similar fate .

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Yes the heads and rattles are removed , I keep the rattles and bury the heads leaving the rest of the snake for a hungry hawk , badger , or whatever . The reason i bury the head is because of the fangs which are fair sized even on a small prairie rattler,100_0489_resize

and possibly full of venom , not to mention still connected to the venom sacks . Not something you want to step on , or have stock step on .

I have to say that in the niche of a ranch utility pistol  the Judge is hard to beat . It is a nearly immediate off switch for vipers , and in the .45lc  both powerful and accurate enough to put down a bull that has broken his leg as I had to a while back ( no i did not take pics of that ).

We carry the Judge in a Bianchi  #4001 size 5 ( K/L frame 4”) that I had laying around from years ago .

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The Judge is also avalable in a 6.5 inch barrel ( this one belongs to a friend ).

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I would not buy a Judge for a defensive pistol , although I would not feel unarmed if i had to press one into that role with the .45lc option . Its that I simply feel there are a lot better options out there .  The Judge shines where a  person needs both hands free to work and a portable vermin control firearm is desired . Or where a person wants a fun and unusual pistol with a steampunk appeal .

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