Taurus introduced the “Public Defender” revolver, another in the line of the Judge revolvers, at the 2009 SHOT Show.
Chambering the same .45 Colt and .410 shotshells as the other handguns in the Judge line, the Public Defender is built on a smaller frame (the 85 series frame), and is clearly designed for concealed carry. The Public Defender still chambers five rounds, yet is smaller and lighter, weighing only 28.2 ounces for the stainless or blued versions, and 26 ounces for the blued steel/titanium cylinder model.
The Public Defender has a three-inch barrel topped with a red fiber optic sight. The rear sight is a fixed notch. The hammer has been reduced, meaning it is less likely to catch on clothing during a draw, but it can still be cocked for a single action, precision shot. The Public Defender wears a set of the Taurus Ribber grips.
The Public Defender felt a touch front-heavy, but that is probably a good thing for helping to manage recoil. While this gun is nowhere near the size of a J-frame snubbie, it is noticeably smaller than the previous Judge models. If you want to carry a .410/.45 Colt, this is the best package to do it concealed.
I spoke with a sales rep on day one of SHOT who said the pricing on the Public Defender would be around $500 for the blued and stainless models. The titanium model will be about $600. A Taurus rep on day two of SHOT also quoted me the same general numbers.
Update
Since its introduction at the 2009 SHOT Show, the Taurus Public Defender has become one of the more popular handguns in this series of Brazilian revolvers. The Public Defender is a more compact version of the Judge and is therefore much easier to carry concealed. This gun matched up with some .410 loads specifically designed for these revolvers could be a devastating close-defense firearm.
72 replies on “Taurus Judge Public Defender”
I own a Taurus 410/45 and it shoots 410 shells fine. It will not revolve every chamber when loaded with Winchester 45 “cowboy loads”. I have sent it to Taurus twice now. Piece of junk..not good for personal defense.
I have a public-defender, with the NUB hammer. I took it to a GOOD gunsmith and had the triger pull adjusted from 10Lbs factoty to 3Lbs and it sooooo nice. It is like a simi-auto.
Just have a GOOD gunsmith do it that you trust.
Hope this helps, HAPPY shotting.
I have have a 2″SS PD model & have fired over 30 45 Colt,as well as Winchester’s PDX1 410 rounds,designed for the Judge,at targets from 3 to 7 yrds.Never a problem.I carry it in a molded Blackhawk hoster (had to cut an 1’off as the holster is designed for the 3″ barrel.
Those of you who want a holster for the Public defender,they are cheap only 7.00 ar WalMart Crossman pistol holster in the sportmans area.They work just fine. I saw it on the Taurus web site.