[powderburn]

Hi all,
A friend of mine is considering buying one of these pistols. Any comments negative or positive are appreciated. I'm not a pistol guy, but just looking at one, it seems they are not on a big enough frame to handle the recoil. Seems they need to be on a beefier frame like a .44 or something. He wants it for s/d at home, and for his 12 yr old daughter to be able to use it. I suggested he get a Mossberg 500 20 ga with a plain field barrel, no rib, and cut it off to a legal length. Told him I would throw a thread out for him and see what happens. Thanks for any suggestions!
-powderburn

 

[635 G]

I have a taurus Judge, definitely not a good gun for a 12 yr old boy or girl.

Phil Berkowitz

 

[skeet_man]

Your suggestion on the Mossberg 20ga is a much better idea than the Judge. The judge is a gimmick. You want a shotgun, get a shotgun, you want a pistol, get a pistol, but don't buy something that isn't as good as either because you want to have both.

 

[635 G]

If you're going with a shotgun, get a 12 ga, a lite home defense 12 ga will not be any more difficult to handle than a 20 ga., 12 ammo much cheaper & the variety of loads will make it worthwhile. When we lived on a boat one of our defense guns was a mossberg mariner stainless,( which pitted )it held 9-23/4" shells.

Phil Berkowitz

 

[tinylo]

My opinion is to avoid all things Taurus. Crappy designs & poor workmanship. They might be better today, but I swore off of their crap years ago and have not been inclined to give them another chance with my hard earned cash. A .410 pistol is a novelty product that will likely not stop an attacker unless you happen to get him in the eyes.

Mossberg pump shotguns are excellent products.

Mossberg even makes a Bantam 20g that would fit the girl very well, has a short barrel and comes with choke tubes so it has a lot of functionality.

This would fit the girl very well, allow her to learn safely and properly, and would make a reliable defensive weapon if needed. It could also be easily sold later, you will take a financial hit by sawing one off.

 

[MTA Tom]

I used to defend Taurus, but their QC has just become too hit or miss by all accounts.

Personally, I bought an 850 CIA revolver when they first came out. It's fit and finish were equal to anything ever made by S&W.

I later bought an ultralite version of the same gun. It looked like it had been made by an Afghan villager with only a file and a hammer. (I now know why lights at gun shows are so dim.) I never could get it to run reliably.

 

[scorpman]

My neighbor bought a Judge. After shooting a few rounds, the front sight started to drift over and was loose in the slot with no way to tighten it. It was also having issues locking up correctly. The extractor was scraping the inside of the frame. It was sent back to Taurus for repairs and when it was returned, it functioned OK, but they didn't fix the sight or reblue the scatches like they were asked to. I shot a few rounds with it and personally thought the grip was too small for my hand, but I'm a big guy. Also, talking to other people, they have had similar issue with the sight and some have had the fiber optic piece fall out.

 

[Catpower]

I had one for a short while, it wouldn't shoot every other pound with a 410, would shoot the 45 LC though,I took it back to Cabela's, they didn't have another one so they gave me my money back, but with the times I shot it with 410, you'd be better off with a sling shot, all it would do with a 410 is piss the perp off more

 

[Savage99Stan]

Quality has been slipping, service has been rather slow...send it in, get a letter when they receive it telling you it will be fixed within eight weeks.

Triggers are uniformly HEAVY, we've sent several revolvers back (new) which would not lock up.

I have a tracker 17 which must have been built before the decline...tight, smooth, and an "incher" at a hundred.

My Bulldog Target with handloaded Speer shotcaps does as well or better than the judge.

 

[Landyn16]

personally i like the 500 S&W

 

[oldgahchamp]

I like my Taurus "Judge". I have shot .410 Personal Defense loads, deer slugs, and .45 Long Colt through it with no problems. The recoil is not that bad, with the deer slugs seeming to kick the most. I take it with me almost every time I go to the woods or mowing on the tractor. Being that it's a 5 shot, the first 2 rounds are either 7-1/2 or 9 shot, the next 2 are 6s or 4s and the last is a 000 buckshot. I think I am in good shape for the occasional possum or raccoon and maybe can eliminate some squirrels that want to take all my English Walnuts and my soft shelled Black Walnuts. Mine is the 2-1/2" variety. Larry Evans

 

[sliverbulletexpress]

While most people wouldn't consider a 410 pump much of a self defense weapon, better than nothing but not near the top of the list, others think a 410 pistol makes a great, no ultimate, man stopper. It certainly proves the power of advertising. That video of blowing holes in a thin paper target at close range did a job on people. I would think real carefully before putting any firearm in the hands of a 12 year old girl to defend herself with. A lot of full grown men have had their guns taken away and used on themselves. She may be tougher than that, just make sure she knows that taking someones life wouldn't be easy.

 

[Landyn16]

i say give her a shotgun with trap loads and tell her if a guy comes in to rape her shoot him in the nuts that will stop him from raping her for sure and he wont be dead.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

All I can see it excelling at is as a snake gun.

If you want a short barreled shotgun (shot pistol), you can get a Mossberg pump with a 14" or shorter barrel and a pistol grip at a reasonable price. The federal transfer tax is only $5 and a wait of three to six months after submitting paperwork. It is the modern version of the old Ithaca Auto-Burglar. Most states allow these.

Google for: mossberg aow

 

[powderburn]

Thank you so much guys! I'll pass on the comments to my friend. I think he is better off with an altered scattergun.
-best fishes, -powderburn