Taurus Judge Laser 45 Colt / 410 3 in. Matte Black 5-Shot with Viridian Grip – Superb Home Defense Package

Description

The Taurus Judge Laser is the compact Judge with a Viridian laser built into the grip rather than bolted onto a rail. Nothing hangs off the frame, nothing needs a special holster, and the activation button sits where your middle finger already is. For a gun that is bought almost entirely for close-range defence, that is the right way to fit a laser.

The Taurus Judge Laser has five chambers taking .45 Colt or .410 shotshells, a 3-inch barrel, matte black alloy steel throughout and a fibre-optic front sight. Importantly, this one has the 3-inch chamber.

What the Taurus Judge Laser brings

• Viridian laser integrated into the grip, so the gun still fits a standard Judge holster
• 3-inch chamber, which means both 2-1/2 inch and 3-inch .410 shells are usable in this model
• Five chambers taking .45 Colt cartridges or .410 shotshells, in any mix you load
• 3-inch matte black barrel with a fibre-optic front sight, on a matte black alloy steel frame and cylinder
• Instinctive activation: the laser switch falls under the firing grip rather than needing a separate movement
• Transfer bar safety and an exposed hammer for a deliberate single-action shot
• The rifled barrel keeps this a handgun in law, which is why the Judge exists at all

Using a laser on a defensive revolver

• The Taurus Judge Laser is at its most useful in the dark and at close range, which is exactly where a Judge is used
• It also lets you shoot accurately from positions where you cannot get the sights in front of your eye
• It is not a substitute for the sights. Batteries die, lenses fog and lasers wash out in daylight
• Practise with the irons as well. A Taurus Judge Laser that has only ever been shot with the dot on is half-learned
• Check and replace the battery on a schedule rather than when you remember. Write the date on the box
• Zero it at the distance you expect to use it. Seven yards is a sensible default for a defensive revolver

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-441031MAGVL
• Caliber: .45 Colt and .410 bore
• Chamber: 3 in., so both 2-1/2 in. and 3 in. shells are usable
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 3 in., matte black alloy steel, rifled
• Cylinder and frame: matte black alloy steel
• Grip: Viridian laser grip
• Action: single and double action, exposed hammer
• Safety: transfer bar
• Sights: fibre-optic front
• UPC: 725327942955

.45 Colt dates to 1873 and .410 bore is older than most shotgun gauges in use today. Both are standardised, with dimensions and pressures published by SAAMI, and the shared case diameter is what allows one cylinder to chamber a revolver cartridge and a shotshell.

Two honest notes. The barrel is rifled, so a shot charge spins outward and the pattern opens much faster than it would from a smoothbore: this is a room-distance proposition whatever shell you load. And stick to standard-pressure .45 Colt. Heavy “Ruger only” and +P loads are built for far stronger guns and have no place in a Taurus Judge Laser.

Why this revolver earns its place

• A laser that is part of the gun rather than an accessory hanging off it
• The 3-inch chamber, which the compact Judges do not all have
• Two entirely different ammunition types from one cylinder
• The Taurus Judge Laser needs no manual of arms: point, press, repeat
• Compact enough for a nightstand drawer or a truck console
• Fibre-optic front sight that works in the low light this gun is intended for

Home defenders, people who want a nightstand gun that is simple to operate half asleep, and anyone who has found iron sights hard to pick up in poor light. The Taurus Judge Laser is a close-range specialist and it is very good inside that range.

If you do not want a laser, the Judge Compact and the black 3-inch Judge are the plain versions. For a factory optic cut instead, the Judge TORO takes a red dot.

For something smaller, the Judge Public Defender in Flat Dark Earth and the black polymer Public Defender are the pocket-sized versions, both with the shorter 2-1/2 inch chamber.

Every Taurus Judge Laser ships with the factory case, the manual and a lock. Transfers go to your FFL and our end of the paperwork is done the same day.