I sell them. Aside from the fact that it is a Taurus, and their quality control leaves something to be desired, there’s the ammunition cost, how many ranges will let you fire it, and the effectiveness of the weapon. .45 Colt ammo is stupid expensive right now. Whatever you’re paying for .45 ACP cartridges, add ten bucks. The .410 buckshot and slugs that it can fire cost about $1.40 apiece, or $70.00 for fifty shots.
A good .357 Magnum will give you better durability, choice, and cost of ammunition. If you want some real hot stuff to put in it, Remington sells a 165 grain hunting load for it that has some stones.
I have said (I’m not a complete ‘gun freak’) I want them available to me, but I am not that knowledgeable...But, it some a##hole comes to my front door, I’d love to see the look on his face when I pump the shotgun I have in my hand...However, this handgun just gives me shivers...can’t help it.
That and I know Glaser or some other makers make bullets that fire pellets and give a shotgun-type blast.
I dunno, I have two Taurus guns, a .357 Total Titanium ported snubby and a new PT-1911 and I'm completely satisfied with their performance and durability.
The 1911 is awesome in its' accuracy compared to some others I have had over the years,maybe because of the Laser grips which have helped me with staying on target,or maybe because of the standard Henie sights or the custom fitted barrel and slide...all standard...not bad for $600!
I've owned several of them from the 1980s on and was never unhappy with the QC. This is an old myth that goes back to the 1970s when the brand originated in Brazil, IIRC. Somebody once told me that Brazil nationalized a Beretta and a S&W factory and took them both over which is why early models so closely resembled their better known competition, but I can't verify that tidbit.
I do know that the Judge has a lot going for it in the role for which it has been specifically designed: Anti Car Jacking or dedicated vehicle defense weapon. The rifling in the barrel will cause the shot load to open way faster than would be possible with a smooth bore so you really don't have to be dead centered to a hostile face in the window to keep from becoming dead yourself. The shot load would just blow your face off and I rather doubt that a bad guy is going to be concerned with continuing his criminal act under such conditions.
Somebody mentioned GLASER and MagSafe. I live in South Florida and that is all I have loaded in any of my carry weapons, be they my 9mm Sig P226 "Blackwater Edition" or my Sig P245. But if I lived in a colder climate I'd be using something more conventional. In any case, the magsafe and glaser are still a single projectile. The "shot" really doesn't become a factor until the round has penetrated the body. It still requires good accuracy and shot placement.
"The Judge" really doesn't need excellent accuracy when using the 410 but of course would with the 45 Colt loading. As I understand it, that load is somewhat under-powered in the sense that it was designed to be used in older model guns and therefore the mushroom effect can be problematic. But with hot enough loads they'd be fine. I don't think I'd enjoy getting hit with any 280gr lead object at any velocity.
As for availability, well at all the gun shows I attend each year here in Miami FL I have seen at least a dozen examples all over the show. Gun show prices on them don't seem to improve much over the retail store purchase. However, a better deal can be made in a TRADE I have found. If you've got something that you either don't shoot much or isn't really near and dear to your heart, you might make a good deal.
I have to admit that I haven't stayed current on firearms, but I guess this sort of surprised me, as I had wonderful luck and support on a Taurus PT99 that I bought back around 1989 or so. The construction was terrific, and I really beat the heck out of it in bowling ping and USPSA competition. I even got an "Ernie Hill Speed Leather" rig for it!
I would guess that since then, I figure that I've put well over 75,000 rounds through it, and the only 2 problems I ever had were that the rear sight fell off while I was competing in a match: Talk about focusing on the front sight! I realized that "something" had changed, but I didn't know what it was during the match. And the second problem was that I found these really cool IMI 9mm FMJ Boat Tail bullets (I seem to recall they were 169gr) and some loading data that let me shoot "major power factor" in my 9mm! Well after about 100 rounds, my pistol stopped cycling. One of the locking lugs had sheared off and dropped down, jamming the action. I shipped the gun to Taurus for repairs, and the replaced the locking block and told me that every thing else checked out OK. It wasn't until well later that I found out the loading data I had used was for sub-machinegun loads, well past the +P+ pressures! But it didn't cause any problems, and it's been well over 10 years since Taurus fixed my pistol, and it still shoots great (though I don't shoot it as much, and haven't used SMG loads in it since then!)
I guess I'm just sort of surprised and saddened that Taurus quality control has suffered.
Mark