Sangamon County Rifle Association
Right Reason on Second Amendment Rights
Springfield, Illinois


Phil Davis



"The Judge"

Phil Davis
SCRA Meeting - February 7, 2011
April 2011 GunNews







Mr. Phil Daviis gave the low-down on the Taurus Judge line of handguns for the February meeting's audience.

He explained that while the Judge came out in about 2004, it wasn't the first gun like this.  Thunder Five made a heavy, awkward gun many years before and there have been Derringers around a lot longer than that which would shoot .410 shotshells or .45 Colt ammunition.

The first Taurus "Judge" was introduced in about 2004 and has been very popular for Taurus.  It featured a 2.5" barrel and a 2.5" cylinder which limited the owner to the shorter .410 shotshells and buckshot, but soon Taurus lengthened the barrel to 3" so owners could shoot any of the .410 ammo out there.

"The Judge"
It has been such an overwhelming success that many variations have come out and they have cool little names for each one of them.  Davis showed off the compact,  "Public Defender", a two-inch barrel, a two and one-half inch chamber, boot gripped revolver.  This is the most compact of all the Judges but it's still a big gun.  It's not as heavy as the 1911 .45 or a four-inch .357 magnum, but this is not your Airweight Smith & Wesson that weighs about the same as  pack of bubble gum and a Pez dispenser.

Davis brought some of the loads for the Taurus Judge lines.  Of course, they shoot the .45 Long Colt with no shortage of knock-down power.  They also shoot common .410 shotshells, which out of a Judge will work wonderfully for snake control.



Davis has a friend whose sister works with the Agricultural Department in the rice paddies in Arkansas and Mississippi.  She spends a lot of time on a four-wheeler.  She's has a three-inch barrel "Judge" with number four shot, and it's a wonderful thing for copper heads, water moccasins and rattlesnakes. 

The next cartridge Davis brought was a buckshot round.  It has triple ought buck in it.  It's five pellets of triple ought buck in the 3" shell and 3 pells from the 2 1/2 " version.  That is five .36 caliber round ball all hitting your targets simultaneously.  Davis jokingly calls this a 25 shot .38 snub nose and at halitosis-range, it's plenty effective.

Because of the gun's popularity, the mad scientists were unleashed at Federal and Winchester and they have come up with some exotic defense loads.

One has three cylindrical projectiles and a dozen BBs.  Another is a four-fifths ounce slug at 1700fps.  That one's got the ballpark of energy of a .44 magnum round with less recoil.

Davis also noted that the quality of Taurus guns has greatly improved over the last couple of decades or so.  Taurus in particular has been very innovative in the last ten or fifteen years and they just keep getting better.  Today, they've got the popular Judge line that they keep improving based upon feedback from customers and a pretty nice new 1911 with all sorts of extra goodies standard.

They even have a revolving carbine rifle based upon the Judge now.

Davis is impressed with the Judge and says it's a great niche gun.



Out-of-state carry permit holders:  BEWARE coming to IL!
(Guns Save Life) - GunNews - February 2011 -  So you live in one of the forty-eight states that offer carry permits and you're driving along on an interstate about to enter Illinois.  Before you cross into Illinois, make sure you stop, unload your firearm and encase it in some sort of container, ideally so it's inaccessible.

Failure to do so may result in not only the revocation of your existing carry permit(s), but also in you staying as a guest of the State of Illinois for more than the night at a gray bar hotel.

Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation last summer that mandates one to three years in prison for any non-FOID card holder arrested for possessing a loaded firearm or an uncased, unloaded firearm where ammunition is readily accessible.

As an non-resident of Illinois, you are ineligible for a FOID card.

We don't expect most out-of-state residents are going to know about Illinois' new, pernicious law.

Don't be one of those folks who says "Eh, I'll be okay.  I'm just going to drive through without stopping."

Illinois is a big state and things happen.  You could be part of Illinois' supplemental revenue program, often implemented by our State or local police in the form of speeding tickets.  Accidents also happen as do mechanical breakdowns.

Don't risk a mandatory prison term.  Disarm yourself before coming into Illinois.


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