Taurus Public Defender 45 Colt / 410 Bore 2.5 in. Polymer Frame 5-Shot Revolver – Superb Close-Range Defense

Description

The Taurus Public Defender is the small-frame Judge: five chambers that take .45 Colt cartridges or 2-1/2 inch .410 shotshells, on a polymer frame that keeps the weight down to something you will actually carry. The barrel is 2.50 inches, the cylinder is matte black oxide, and the front sight is a bright fiber-optic pipe that picks up light the moment you bring the gun onto target.

This Taurus Public Defender is the all-black version with the black Ribber grip. It is the most practical of the Judge family, because the polymer frame takes several ounces off a design that is otherwise heavy for its size.

What the Taurus Public Defender does

• The Taurus Public Defender takes five chambers of .45 Colt or 2-1/2 inch .410 shotshells, loaded in any combination you like
• 2.50-inch barrel on a small frame, which is the shortest and handiest version Taurus builds of the Judge
• Polymer frame with a steel insert, taking real weight off compared with the all-steel Judges
• Fiber-optic front sight, genuinely faster to find than the plain ramp on the older guns
• Black Ribber grip that cushions what is a sharp recoil impulse for the size of the gun
• Matte black oxide cylinder and black steel barrel, with nothing shiny to catch light
• Transfer bar safety and an exposed hammer, so it can be thumbed back for a deliberate shot

Read this before you buy .410 for it

• This cylinder is chambered for 2-1/2 inch .410 shells. Do not attempt to load 3-inch magnum shells — they will not chamber properly and the gun is not built for them
• The barrel is rifled, which is what makes it legal as a handgun. Rifling also spins a shot charge outward, so the pattern opens fast
• At across-the-room distance a .410 defensive load does what it is meant to. At twenty-five yards the pattern is too wide to count on
• Buckshot loads made specifically for the Judge pattern far better than birdshot, which is a pest load and nothing more
• The .45 Colt side is the serious one. A 250-grain lead bullet out of the Taurus Public Defender is an old and very effective cartridge
• Stick to standard-pressure .45 Colt. Heavy “Ruger only” and +P loads are built for much stronger guns and do not belong in this one

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-441021PFS
• Caliber: .45 Colt and 2-1/2 in. .410 bore
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 2.50 in., black steel, rifled
• Cylinder: matte black oxide
• Frame: black polymer, small frame
• Grip: black Ribber
• Action: single and double action, exposed hammer
• Safety: transfer bar
• Sights: fiber-optic front
• UPC: 725327610694

.45 Colt dates to 1873 and .410 bore is older than most shotgun gauges in use today. Both are standardized, with dimensions and pressure limits published by SAAMI, which is exactly why the same chamber can safely take a rimmed revolver cartridge and a shotshell of the same case diameter.

An honest word about what this gun is. The Taurus Public Defender is a specialist close-range tool, not a general-purpose handgun. It holds five rounds, the sight radius is short, and recoil with full .45 Colt loads in a light polymer frame is brisk. What it offers in exchange is versatility no semi-automatic can match and a level of intimidation that is hard to quantify but real.

Why this revolver earns its place

• Two entirely different ammunition types out of one cylinder, chosen to suit the situation
• The polymer frame makes the Taurus Public Defender several ounces lighter than the steel Judges
• A fiber-optic front sight that works in the low light where a defensive handgun is most likely to be needed
• Simple revolver reliability, with no magazine, no slide and nothing to short-stroke under pressure
• Small enough for a truck console, a nightstand or a large-pocket holster
• .45 Colt cowboy loads make practice affordable and pleasant

Home defenders, rural property owners, boat and truck owners, and anyone who wants a close-range gun that does not demand much practice to be useful. The Taurus Public Defender is popular for good reasons and misunderstood for equally good ones; buy it knowing it is a twenty-five-foot gun, and it will not disappoint you.

If you prefer a stainless cylinder on the same polymer frame, the two-tone Public Defender Polymer is the direct alternative. In flat dark earth, look at the FDE version; in all stainless, the stainless Public Defender.

For a longer barrel and the option of 3-inch shells, the Judge Compact steps up in size. If you want an optic cut, the Judge TORO in stainless takes a red dot straight from the box. And for .45 Colt alone in a traditional single action, the Taurus Deputy is the classic answer.

Every Taurus Public Defender ships with the factory case, the manual and a lock. Transfers go through your FFL and we complete our end of the paperwork the same day.