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 $600. A Taurus rep on day two of SHOT also quoted me the same general numbers.
Update
Since its introduction at the 2009 SHOT Show, the Taurus Public Defender has become one of the more popular handguns in this series of Brazilian revolvers. Â The Public Defender is a more compact version of the Judge and is therefore much easier to carry concealed. Â This gun matched up with some .410 loads specifically designed for these revolvers could be a devastating close-defense firearm.
72 replies on “Taurus Judge Public Defender”
I have recently bought the Public Defender in stainless..459$/ w/out sales tax in MT. I did have some preconceived thoughts of being able to use this for grouse in the mountains but have not found shot that will group well enough to knock a grouse out of the top of the tree. I have found that the gun seems to be a great self defense gun. When I,m talking self defense I look at all threats, from dogs, mountain lions, free range heifers, rattle snakes, moose, bear, and last but not least humans. I live in the mountains in Montana and I love this gun. It gives me a lot of options for defense loads and is small enough to hide inside the pants for concealed carry. Although this gun might be limited in what it can do I find that it is unmatched in what it can do. What I mean is for a self defense gun for ranges under 25 feet it is great, like all weapons a person must know its limits and strengths, and practice practice practice!
I just purchased this firearm and I am impressed with it. Although the hammer is a challenge at first but with practice you can get used to it. It handles as good as any snubbie and with the 410 you can’t miss. This is am impressive piece.
Had 410 jam problem this weekend, too. I DO have 3″ chamber. Appears to be the ribbed shell issue mentioned above. Not only did the shell kick back in the chamber (chamber won’t advance easily to next round), it expanded in the chamber making it difficult to remove. Don’t like having to force it to eject like that, and don’t want to have it come up when SHTF.
Winchester SuperX 000 are awesome. Remington Express Long Range are much LESS than awesome.
i had trouble with mixed of shotgun shells .seams that the brass is thicker,or thiner that causes miss aliment . it would shoot and miss the next brand shoot again and miss. so shoot the same brand of shotgun shells. i love my judge ,its the best snake gun i ever had.