Taurus has had amazing success with their
Judge series of revolvers. Ridiculed by some “experts” when
first introduced, folks have really taken to the concept of a
410 shotshell revolver that can also shoot 45 Colt ammunition. I
think that most buyers of the Judge like the idea of a close
range self defense weapon that fires shotshells. It
has now been over three and one-half years since I first fired a
Judge, and I loved the revolver right from the start. When
first introduced, gun store owners told me that folks were
coming in asking for the “carjacker gun”, because the weapon
is ideally suited to such close range defensive work as
carjacker repellant. I received quite a bit of hate-mail for my
comments in that first review about shooting a carjacker in the
face with a load of birdshot. I love getting hate mail. It keeps
thing interesting. Anyway, the Judge revolvers are offered in a
wide variety to suit just about any need that one might have for
a shotshell-firing revolver, and we have also reviewed the UltraLite
Judge and Public Defender
models here. I impatiently await the arrival of the polymer
Public Defender, due to start shipping at any time, but right
now, we are looking at the latest rendering of the Judge design;
the Circuit Judge carbine/shotgun.
The Circuit Judge is pretty much a Judge
handgun with a buttstock and longer barrel. However, the Circuit
Judge is not designed purely for self defense, but also as a
hunting weapon. Revolving carbines are nothing new. Since the
introduction of the revolver over 160 years ago, people have
been putting buttstocks on revolvers. What has kept the concept
from being more popular is that, if not held properly, the
powder gasses and residue escaping from the barrel/cylinder gap
can injure the shooter. Conventional revolving carbines should
be gripped like a handgun, with both hands on the pistol grip,
to prevent serious burns to the shooter’s forearm. Taurus has
solved this problem by placing gas deflector shields on the
Circuit Judge. The ones on the production guns are different
from those shown on the prototype a few months ago, but they
work, and work well. There is a gas deflector on each side of
the Circuit Judge to protect the shooter’s forearms. I
purposely fired the weapon without sleeves, and felt nothing on
my bare forearms while shooting 410 shotshells or 45 Colt
ammunition. I also fired the weapon alongside a large sheet of
clean white paper to detect any residue, and none was found.
Taurus has solved the problem that has forever plagued the idea
of producing a popular revolving carbine. The barrel/cylinder
gap on the Circuit Judge is also held to a tight tolerance,
which contributes to the lack of flash at the barrel/cylinder
gap.
As when any new firearm in introduced that
differs greatly from what is already available, shooters tend to
ask “why”, and “why’ is a fair question, when there are
already several good 410 bore shotguns on the market. What the
Circuit Judge offers foremost is versatility. A pump or
semi-automatic 410 shotgun cannot cycle and fire 45 Colt
ammunition. The Circuit Judge can. I will admit that when I
started testing the Circuit Judge, I had my doubts about the
accuracy that could be achieved using 45 Colt ammunition, and
regarded the revolver as more of a shotgun, with the novelty of
being able to fire the handgun ammunition for purely close range
plinking. I was wrong. I was expecting no better than four inch
groups at twenty-five yards, due to the long cylinder for the
short cartridge, but was very pleasantly surprised with the
excellent accuracy displayed by the Circuit Judge. The little
carbine would cluster five shots of 45 Colt ammo into a one inch
group at twenty-five yards, and do it all day. It would have
probably grouped even tighter with a better shooter pulling the
trigger. For patterning the shotshells, I also set up at
twenty-five yards for testing birdshot patterns, and at that
distance, the patterns were good enough for small game and bird
hunting. Out farther, the patterns spread quickly, but the
Circuit Judge is certainly capable of small game and bird
hunting within its range. For hunting of migratory birds such as
dove, the weapon comes with a double plug, limiting the capacity
of the cylinder to the statutory three shells. I also tested the
Circuit Judge with a variety of defensive type shotshell loads.
More on that later, but first a description of the physical
traits of the revolving carbine/shotgun.
The Circuit Judge wears an eighteen and
one-half inch barrel, keeping it both legal and handy for use in
the United States. The muzzle is fitted with tubes for use
depending upon the load being fired. They appear to be just like
any shotgun choke, but are not really chokes, as they have no
constriction for patterning of shot. First, please note that
these tubes have left-hand threads, so removing and inserting
them into the barrel is directly opposite the procedure for
installing chokes in any other shotgun. Turn backwards (left) to
install, and right to remove. Taurus supplies a wrench with the
weapon for the installation and removal of the tubes. The
smoothbore tube is a thread protector for use with solid-bullet
45 Colt ammunition. The other tube has straight rifling, to stop
the shot load from spinning when using 410 shotshells. This
makes the shot pattern tighter, as a spinning shot load will
spread quickly, making a “donut” pattern. I tried shot loads
alternating between the straight-rifled tube and the smooth
tube, and shot definitely patterns tighter with the
straight-rifled tube in place. The buttstock on the Circuit
Judge has a high comb, for better use with the fiber-optic
sights or an optical sight. Atop the frame is a scope mount that
will accept any Weaver-type scope ring, but is not 1913
Picatinny compatible. The buttstock is of a plain straight-grain
hardwood, and finished off with a recoil pad. The pistol grip is
very comfortable. The forend is of a semi-beavertail style, and
is easy to grip and comfortable to use. Sling loops are provided
to accommodate a one-inch sling. The frame, barrel, and cylinder
are nicely polished and blued. The Circuit Judge has a three
inch cylinder, and can shoot any 410 bore shotshell, whether
loaded with shot or solid slug. Use only standard pressure 45
Colt ammunition in the Circuit Judge. Do not use any of the 45
Colt Magnum type ammo on the market. If you need a good heavy 45
Colt load, Buffalo Bore makes a very good standard pressure
heavy bullet load. If in doubt, always ask the ammunition maker.
The overall length of the weapon measures 37.625 inches, and my
sample gun weighs in at four pounds, fifteen ounces. Rossi lists
the weight at four and one-half pounds, but the weight can vary
a bit with the density of the wood. Speaking of Rossi, the
Circuit Judge is branded “Taurus”, and does not have “Rossi”
anywhere on the gun, but the box is labeled “Rossi”, as is
the owner’s manual, and the Circuit Judge is on Rossi’s
website. ‘Braztech” is on the side plate of the weapon,
under the Taurus bull logo. Anyway, they are all the same
corporation, but for details on the Circuit Judge, go to the
Rossi USA website.
The trigger pull on the Circuit Judge is very
smooth, and the weapon is capable of both single-action
(manually thumb-cock the weapon) and double-action (just pull
the trigger) modes of fire. The double-action pull measured
slightly over ten pounds on the test gun, and the single action
a crisp five pounds, seven ounces. For accurate rifle fire, the
single-action pull capability is helpful, but for defensive
work, being able to rapidly fire the weapon in double-action
mode is of benefit. The Circuit Judge proved to be one-hundred
percent reliable with every type of ammunition tried. Ejection
was smooth and positive.
While on the subject of defensive use of this
weapon, we come to what I believe is the best use of the Circuit
Judge. Loaded with a three inch 000 buck load, this weapon can
deliver a lot of damage quickly to the target. The Winchester
five-pellet loads puts five of these 000 buckshot on the target
with every pull of the trigger, allowing the shooter to put
twenty-five 36 caliber holes into the target in about three
seconds. Another fine load for defense is the Winchester PDX1.
This two and one-half inch 410 load was developed especially for
use in the Taurus Judge and other 410 bore handguns, but it is
now offered in 12 gauge as well. In 410 bore, it has three
flattened full-caliber disks, with twelve BB-sized pellets,
making for a very versatile defensive round. I have talked with
a couple of smaller ammo makers about making a similar round
since the Judge was first introduced, and am glad to see a large
ammunition manufacturer like Winchester stepping up and
producing such a load. At twenty-five yards, the Circuit Judge
can keep all five of the 000 buckshot from the three-inch
Winchester load on a human-sized silhouette, and at seven yards
keep them all on the head area. Same with the PDX1 load. Across
a typical household room, either load is devastating. This
Circuit Judge would be a fine weapon for home defense. Many
people have a hard time controlling a powerful handgun, but
shooting the Circuit Judge effectively is very easy to do. The
weapon points well, and having a non-magnifying optical sight
atop the weapon, such as the superb Leupold Deltapoint makes
hitting the target in any lighting condition much easier to do.
The Deltapoint is easy to see, and allows the user to leave both
eyes wide open and focused upon the target. There is no switch
to manipulate. The slightest movement activates the sight, and
it shuts off on its own.
As with its little brother, the Judge
handgun, Taurus has produced a very unique and useful firearm in
the Circuit Judge. It would make for a very effective weapon for
home defense, and would also serve as a dandy camp gun, able to
harvest birds and small game for the pot with shotshells,
effectively take a deer or wild boar with 45 Colt ammunition,
and protect the campsite from predators at night with buckshot
or the Winchester PDX1 load, all in one light and handy weapon.
Check out the Circuit Judge online at www.rossiusa.com.
For the location of a Taurus/Rossi dealer
near you, click on the DEALER FINDER at www.lipseys.com.
To order the Circuit Judge online, go to www.galleryofguns.com.
To look at the extensive line of Winchester
ammunition, including the new PDX1 410 shotgun defensive load,
go to www.winchester.com.
Jeff Quinn
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