The Taurus judge is not an effective home defense weapon. In fact, I would say it’s very poor in this area but obviously better then nothing. A .410 gauge shotgun shell is not an effective man-stopper and if you’re going to go with 45LC than just but a gun designed for that round and lose the unneeded cylinder length and weight.
In my opinion, the value of The Judge is for someone hiking or backpacking in snake territory. However, it is an excellent case study in the power of marketing.
They make a personal defense round just for the judge that is a short-range defense shell that is loaded with three metal discs and 12 BB size pellets. This round will blow a watermelon to pieces at 10 yards, where as your garden variety handgun load will pass right through a watermelon clean in and out. The Judge with the Winchester PDX1 ammo will stop a man inside a house. Being a handgun, the Judge is much easier to wield in a house than a long barrel shotgun and, being a multiple projectile load, gives you the security of getting a point and shoot hit in the dark. You can also buy a 000 buckshot load that has three pellets in it if you are more confident in your aim.
That is not correct. I know of a guy who shot a perp with the .410 Bond Arms .45/.410 round. The perp dropped to the ground and died within two minutes.
The penetration of the .410 round from the Taurus in ballistic gelatin is 15 inches by test. Four 000 buckshot rounds in the body is quite lethal.
As to the difference between the Taurus and the Derringers the question I have been asked is: “Well, just how many triple ought buckshot rounds do you need?.” Answer: One.
Cobra has just come out with a .45/.410 derringer and it looks quite nice. These are very legitimate defense guns.
.410s are used in many states for deer and they work quite well.