The Taurus Judge got a lot of attention from the firearms community when it was first released several years ago. It was a handgun that could shoot either the 45-long colt or 410 shotgun shells.
Its ability to use different types of ammunition is one reason it is popular as a backpacking gun. The 4/10 is a good choice for snakes and other varmints.
Taurus released the magnum
Shortly after the release of the original Judge, Taurus released the Judge Magnum. The Judge Magnum will shoot the 2 1/2 as well as 3-inch shells.
I bought my Judge Magnum as soon as they came on the market. It is a lot of fun to shoot. The only issues that I’ve had with it is the fire control mechanism locking up. I sent it to Taurus for repair and after a few weeks they returned my gun in perfect working condition.
The recoil of the Judge Magnum is very controllable for the experienced shooter. However, some of the magnum loads have more recoil than others.
Since the introduction of the Judge, several ammo manufacturers have made specialty shells specifically for the Judge. If you keep a Judge for self defense you will want to spend some time studying these different types of ammunition to see which one works best.
Taurus Judge ammo to avoid
The pattern of bird shot spreads so wide it becomes ineffective. The Taurus Judge performs much differently than regular 410 shotguns. The barrel is rifled which causes the pattern spread to be much wider than the smooth bore barrel in most shotguns.
To overcome this problem, you will want to choose either the 45-long colt or 410 shells specifically made for the Taurus Judge.