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”
I have two chamber for the 3 inch shells and I love them.
I own the judge and I feel it is a great gun to carry on the trail for self-defence , putting one round of .45 Colt followed by a round of .410 buckshot in the cyclinder ! I wish that Taurus would make an interchangable cyclinder in .45 ACP that could be used with the Judge as .45 Colt ammo is expensive and more difficult to obtain than .45 ACP ammo !
Agreed! .45LC is insanely expensive. It’s nice to have that kind of stopping power, but it sure would be cool to have another option for shooting at the range.
I’ve been leaving it at home for my wife with four 2.5″ 000 buck followed by one .45LC. I load it with the 2.5″ because she can’t handle the kick of the 3″ as well (better to have all 13 hits on target than to have 21 off target). When I carry, I simply upgrade to the 3″ 000. At times I will open with a #4 round, just in order to get something on target before using the harder-hitting rounds. Half the fun of this gun is the options in the arrangement of the rounds.
As a side note , why Taurus should make an interchangable .45 ACP cyclinder for the Judge , today I went to one of my local gun stores and the price for a box of .45 Colt was $35 plus tax ! The last time I was at the Walmart when .45 ACP was avilable it was $15 a box ! So this is not ammo (.45 Colt) that a person could afford to shoot several boxes for target practice ! Even lately .410 is becoming rather pricey , ammo that once was $ 6 a box now is $13 a box and up ! I have been lucky in that I have found an individual who sells reloads in the .45 Colt for $15 , but always know the person whom you buy your reloads from , as an amateur unfamiliar with reloading ammo could destroy your weapon or cause you injury or death with a dangerous reload !