There have been a few guns over the years that had people looking sideways when they hit the shelves. One of the best examples of that is the Taurus Judge. This unique revolver shoots both .410 shotgun shells as well as .45 Colt rounds. For the rule nerds out there, even though Taurus deliberately designed the Judge to fire shotshells, it does not qualify as a “short-barreled shotgun” under the National Firearms Act, as its rifled barrel makes it a regular handgun.

It is said that it got its name “The Judge” in 2006 when Bob Morrison, Executive Vice President, learned that judges in high-crime areas of Miami, Florida, were purchasing the revolver for personal defense in their courtrooms. Taurus reports that the Judge is their top-selling firearm, and they have continued to evolve the gun. Today they have moved to design a Judge to support the growing demand for optics. The newest Judge in the lineup is the Judge Taurus Optics Ready Option, or T.O.R.O. for short.

Meet Honorable Taurus Judge T.O.R.O.

When Taurus USA launched the first ever optics-ready defensive revolvers, the 856 and 605 T.O.R.O. revolvers, consumers loved them. Now, Taurus launches the first extension to the T.O.R.O. revolver line—the Judge T.O.R.O. The most popular multi-caliber revolver on the market is now optics-ready. The Judge T.O.R.O. is available in several different models, all of which feature a 3-inch barrel, smooth double-action trigger and a fiber-optic front sight if you don’t want to use the included optics plate. The four available models will be a stainless or black model with a cylinder that accepts 2.5-inch .410 shotshells along with stainless and matte black models that accept 3-inch .410 shotshells. The standard Judge T.O.R.O. and Judge T.O.R.O. Magnum optic plates accept sights that fit the Holosun K-series or Shield RMSc footprints.

Designed to Protect

Taurus was kind enough to send me a Judge T.O.R.O. Black Magnum to rock with at my home range. This is a five-round gun and comes in at 9.5 inches in length. Weight-wise, it is 2.3 pounds, which is very manageable. It has a steel barrel with an alloy frame and cylinder, which keeps the weight down. It has a matte black oxide finish and looks good. The sights are a mix of a fixed rear and a fiber-optic front. 

The magic of this gun however is that it is optics-ready. Simply install the included plate and you can easily mount an optic. The trigger is a SA/DA design. In double action, I measured the break at just over 10 pounds. In single action with the hammer cocked, I measured a break at just over 6 pounds. Clearly, trigger pull weights in this range drop the Judge T.O.R.O out of the competition circuit, but that is not what the gun is designed for.

The pistol is designed primarily for personal protection. This is where ammo selection is critical. The first thing that needs to be made clear is that birdshot is not a defensive load. Nor should it be “mixed in.” If the worst happens and you need to bring a gun to bear against a lethal threat, there is no room for warning or “less lethal” shots. So, the .410 side of the Judge equation leaves us with slugs or buckshot. These rounds are certainly capable of penetrating deep enough to stop a man, as plenty of people have used them to drop deer over the years. 

Best Judge Ammo

What is interesting to me is the development of ammunition that I believe is centered around the popularity of the Judge. An example of that is the Winchester PDX1 Defender. This ammo is generally considered to be one of the best defensive .410 loads out there, and it delivers three “Defense Disc” projectiles and 16 BBs at an advertised velocity of 750 fps. Compared to an average example of 12-gauge 000 buckshot with an advertised velocity of 1,325 fps, the difference in power becomes quite apparent. While .410 loads like the Winchester PDX1 absolutely penetrate deeply enough in gel tests to be lethal, keep in mind that they still only have about half the mass and velocity of 12-gauge 000 buckshot. 

Moving up the food chain though, the gun is also capable of firing .45 Colt rounds as well. While there are many options out there, I will always steer people towards rounds specifically designed for personal protection. One of my favorites comes from the folks at Hornady. Their .45 Colt 185-grain FTX Critical Defense is a solid choice. This ammunition is loaded in nickel-plated cases for increased visibility in low-light situations. It has premium low-flash propellants to deliver proven performance, even in very short-barreled handguns, and won’t disrupt your vision. Reliable expansion and dependable terminal performance can be counted on for concealed carry and personal protection.

Holding Court

For this test, I mounted a Vortex Defender-CCW red dot. It has been a solid performer for me on multiple guns. Because I planned on shooting a lot, I chose B&P Upland Game .410 Magnum rounds. The gun I had was designed to run these 3-inch rounds, and I knew it’d be a little more pleasant to run. I also shot the Hornady .45 Colt 185-grain FTX Critical Defense to compare and contrast. 

First up were the .410 rounds. The cylinder on these rounds was snug, to say the least. A quick run of all five rounds on paper just deepened my belief that birdshot is for birds. Extracting the spent shells was a bit of a wrestling match, however. It took a serious punch down on the extractor to drive the shells out and free of the cylinder. This continued through all four boxes of ammunition I tested. I believe that it could be the hulls on this specific round as the cylinders were completely smooth and clean. Regardless, the gun fired all the rounds flawlessly. I was a bit surprised by the amount of recoil the gun provided. I was able to manage it, however, and the Vortex red dot proved to be a great addition to the gun. 

Next up, I ran the .45 Colt rounds. The length of the cylinder versus the length of the rounds made me wonder how accuracy would be affected. Normally a round is almost instantly engaged in the barrel and rifling. With the Judge, there is a small distance the round needs to travel before it actually enters the barrel. What I found was that the gun ran fine with this small gap. My best group at 10 yards was about an inch and a half. Many of you out there may be wincing a bit because this isn’t a sub-MOA group. While the Judge T.O.R.O will not be in the mix at a bullseye competition, it is absolutely capable of shooting solid defensive-sized groups.

CQB Drills

I ran the Judge T.O.R.O. through several close-contact-style drills, and it performed well. While some people will make jokes about .410 slugs or buckshot for personal defense, I have yet to find a volunteer in that crowd willing to let me shoot them in the thigh with one to test it. Long story short, the gun you have is the gun you have. Several well-placed shots in close quarters with .410 slugs or buckshot will take the steam out of any adversary. If you choose to go the .45 Colt route, you are picking a round that has ended bad guys since 1872. 

You Be The Judge

The Judge has been an enormously successful pistol for Taurus and for good reason. Their latest evolution with the T.O.R.O. makes it a 21st-century, personal-defense gun. “What’s better than a Judge? A Judge with a dot on it,” said Caleb Giddings, General Manager of Marketing for Taurus USA. “The Judge is without a doubt our most popular revolver, and adding a red dot to it just enhances its capabilities.” His words are gospel, and Taurus’ commitment to the Judge line is impressive. If you have been looking at the Judge in the past, but have not “pulled the trigger,” now is the time. The Taurus Judge T.O.R.O. is a great advancement in this popular line. For more information, visit taurususa.com.