Taurus Public Defender Polymer 45 Colt/410 2.5in 5rd — Superb Lightweight Revolver

Description

The Taurus Public Defender Polymer is the lightest revolver Taurus builds that will still chamber a 410 shotshell. Catalogued as 2-441029TCPLY, it pairs a black polymer frame with a matte stainless cylinder and a black stainless barrel, holds five rounds of 45 Colt or 2-1/2 inch 410, and measures 2.50 inches at the muzzle.

Swapping the steel frame for polymer is the whole design brief. A Judge has to carry a cylinder long enough to swallow a shotshell, and that cylinder is the heaviest single part of the gun. Taking the weight out of everything around it is the only way to make the platform genuinely pocketable, and the Taurus Public Defender Polymer is the result.

MAG5 Firearms has it in stock. Handguns ship to a licensed FFL on a signed 4473, and we coordinate the transfer with your dealer.

What the polymer frame changes

• Weight. The Taurus Public Defender Polymer is noticeably lighter than the steel-framed version of the same revolver.
• A polymer frame flexes slightly under recoil, which takes some of the sharpness out of a 45 Colt load in a small gun.
• The cylinder and barrel are still metal, so the parts that handle pressure are unchanged.
• A ribbed rubber grip runs the full length of the backstrap, spreading recoil rather than concentrating it.
• Nothing about the chambering changes: 45 Colt and 2-1/2 inch 410 both drop straight into the same cylinder.

Sights, action and safety

• Fiber optic front sight, which gathers ambient light and shows as a bright dot indoors or in shade.
• Exposed hammer, so the Taurus Public Defender Polymer can be thumbed back for a single-action press or fired double action.
• Transfer bar safety blocks the firing pin mechanically until the trigger is fully pressed.
• Fixed rear notch with nothing protruding to catch on a pocket seam or holster mouth.
• A 2.50-inch barrel, which is the practical limit for a gun this size and still long enough to be useful.

Taurus Public Defender Polymer specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-441029TCPLY
• Model: Judge Public Defender Polymer, small frame
• Chambering: 45 Colt and 410 bore, 2-1/2 inch shells
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 2.50 in., matte stainless steel
• Cylinder: matte stainless steel
• Frame: black polymer
• Grip: black ribbed rubber
• Action: single and double action, exposed hammer
• Safety: transfer bar
• Front sight: fiber optic
• Rear sight: fixed notch
• Overall length: 7.65 in.
• Overall height: 4.80 in.
• Overall width: 1.50 in.
• Weight: 27 oz. unloaded

Check shell length before you buy a case: this cylinder takes 2-1/2 inch 410 and 3-inch magnum shells do not belong in it. Both chamberings are produced to the dimensional and pressure standards published by SAAMI, so factory ammunition from a reputable maker is appropriate. A light gun and a heavy bullet is a combination worth respecting, so standard-pressure 45 Colt is the sensible place to start. We stock Remington Performance WheelGun 45 Colt and HSM Cowboy Action 45 Colt.

The steel-framed Public Defender is heavier and easier to shoot. For a longer barrel, see the Judge Compact, and for 3-inch shells the Judge Magnum. Browse our other revolvers too.

Why this polymer Judge earns its place

• The Taurus Public Defender Polymer is the only genuinely pocketable revolver that will fire a 410 shell.
• Light enough to be carried every day, which is the only quality that matters in a gun you hope never to need.
• Five rounds of a large-bore cartridge, with no magazine and no slide involved.
• The cylinder and barrel are steel, so nothing structural was given up for the weight saving.
• Taurus backs it with a limited lifetime repair policy that follows the firearm rather than the original buyer.

This suits someone who wanted a Judge but would not actually carry one. The Taurus Public Defender Polymer fits a coat pocket, a console or a bag, and the ability to load a shot cartridge has obvious appeal around livestock, water and outbuildings. Do be honest with yourself about recoil: a light frame and a 45 Colt is a combination that rewards practice with mild loads first.

Ordering is simple. Choose it, tell us which FFL should receive it, and we handle the dealer side. If you have not picked a transfer dealer, call us and we will help you find one nearby.

Shooting the Taurus Public Defender Polymer without regretting it

A 27 ounce revolver firing 45 Colt is a handful, and anybody who tells you otherwise has not shot one past the first cylinder. That is not a criticism of the Taurus Public Defender Polymer. It is what happens when you put a full size cartridge in a gun small enough to disappear under a shirt. The trick is matching the load to the job instead of buying the heaviest thing on the shelf.

• Standard pressure 45 Colt cowboy loads are pleasant in this gun and hit harder than most people expect. They are the right thing for learning the trigger.
• 410 buckshot is the load that makes the Taurus Public Defender Polymer what it is at across-the-room distance. Pattern it on paper at the range you actually care about before you decide what it will do.
• 410 birdshot is a snake and pest load, not a defensive one. It is worth keeping a few in the box if you spend time outdoors.
• Do not feed it 3 inch magnum 410 shells. The cylinder is cut for 2-1/2 inch and the longer hull does not belong in it.
• Heavy 45 Colt +P handloads built for Ruger sized revolvers have no business in a gun this light. Stick to factory ammunition rated for standard pressure.

Who the Taurus Public Defender Polymer is for

This is a short range gun and it is honest about that. The 2.5 inch barrel and the fixed notch rear sight are not a target setup, and the fiber optic front is there so you can find the gun quickly rather than shoot a group with it. Inside a car, across a porch or down a hallway, that is the correct set of compromises.

It suits the person who wants one gun that handles both a defensive problem and a snake on the property line, the truck or nightstand owner who values simplicity over capacity, and anyone who finds a semi-automatic manual of arms more than they want to maintain. It is not a range toy and it is not a first pistol for a recoil sensitive shooter. Every firearm on this page ships to your chosen FFL for transfer.