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. Â The Public Defender is a more compact version of the Judge and is therefore much easier to carry concealed. Â 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”
My son and I have Judges. No problems/issues with either one. We really enjoy them. You do have to careful with brands of 410 ammo. Remington, Federal, and Winchester do best.
The shop where I work has sold several of these over the past few months. We have had one come back with a “locked up cylinder”. Apparently, it is a common occurance as a quick explaination to the gunsnith revealed the problem and the fix. “Oh yeah? You used 3″inch shells, didn’t you? You’re gonna need one of the really thin razorblades and a couple pair of pliers…” The 3″ shell will just fit into the cylinder unfortunately the crimped portion of the 3″ .410 shell expands into the forcing cone bridging the gap from the cylinder to the barrel locking the action.
Did you just cut the end of the shell off? same thing happened to me today. i used 3# Renington shells. it fired once and then the cylinder locked up. i finally got it open enough to remove 3 shells. one of the shells has a small part of the crimped end stuck where the cylinder meets the barrel. i think i can slice it off with a thin razor.
Sorry 3″ Remington. Mine is chambered for 3″ shells but some appear to be almost a 1/4 inch too long. Once i free it up i will not use 3″ shells again
I bought the 3 inch barrel Judge and 3 inch shells and they do not fit. Why?
Greg,
The barrel length has nothing to do with the chamber length. Not knowing which model you have, I would guess your Judge is chambered for the 2 1/2″ .410 shells.
Taurus does make a Judge that will chamber the 3″ shells, but many of them chamber only the 2 1/2″ shot shells. The specs should be in your user manual.
Good luck,
Richard