Taurus Public Defender
A .410/.45 Colt Pocket Tool
By now, almost everyone knows about the big revolver from Taurus chambering both the .45 Colt and .410 shotshells. They named it “The Judge” because, according to Taurus, several people who preside in that position adopted it as a last resort in case the defendant or his friends chose to become violent in the courtroom. We’re not sure if that’s the case, but it does make a good story at least!
The first edition of the Judge was chambered for the 2.5″ .410. More recently, Taurus offered a version with a longer cylinder accepting the 3″ version. Both are magnificent beasts, but they are big. Perhaps concealable beneath judicial robes but a bit large for ordinary attire. As a house or car gun, they are still outstanding.
Now we have a more concealable version in the Public Defender. Both the barrel and the grip have been shortened and the extended hammer spur has been eliminated. There are still good serrations on the snub hammer and you can still cock for single action if you like. To keep it compact, Taurus wisely went back to the 2.5″ chambering.
Smaller and handier than full-sized “Judges” the Public Defender could ride in a concealment rig.
The “Ribber” grips, although shorter than on a full-sized Judge, still offer a good grip.
The original 3" and 2.5" Judge and the Public Defender — a major size reduction.
Features Galore
The Public Defender still offers the fiber-optic front sight and integral square-notch rear. The rubber grip is the “Ribber” type, with flexible extensions at the front offering substantial recoil control and comfort. Even with the shortened grip it “holds” well.
In the rear curve of the hammer is the familiar Taurus key-lock. Turned clockwise until it pops out, it stops everything. I’ll never use it, but it would be good for situations where there might be kids around or other people you don’t want messing with the gun.
Internally, a transfer bar firing system allows safe carrying with all the chambers loaded. Speaking of which, one of the great advantages of all three revolvers in this series is that you can load in any sequence you choose: .45 Colt and any .410 from slug to buck to birdshot. At the relatively close range use intended, any of the above would have devastating effect. Even the birdshot load would likely cause an attacker to pause and reconsider the error of his ways.
Last year, when testing the original Judge, I fired a #8 birdshot load through regular wallboard. It went through, but did not penetrate a piece of wallboard placed about 6″ behind it. So it seems, inside a house, family members in the next room would probably escape serious injury from any errant pellets fired.
You can load in any sequence. Here .45 Colt and .410 loads are nestled home.
The 2.5" .410 and .45 Colt are both impressive performers in the Public Defender.
Fun To Shoot
I will note the felt recoil was not unpleasant, even with the .410 slug loads. Also, the trigger surface is smooth, with no annoying vertical ridges. Double action was easy, and single action came in at a crisp 4.7 pounds, with what I’d call minimum over travel.
The Champion targets I use are actually their 100-yard sight-in type with an 8″ black center. I did all my shooting standing with a 2-hand hold. At seven yards, using the 200-grain .45 Colt JHP from Black Hills, 5-shot groups were well-centered with groups more than adequate for self-protection at these sorts of ranges, even when shooting fast.
At three yards, using Winchester #8 shot the pattern was almost 10″! Nineteen of the pellets were in the 8″ black and about 18 others on the 8.5×11″ target. At lower left, a large orange blotch showed where the wad had impacted. I admit I have no idea exactly how many pellets are in this load and was in no mood to try to count them!
At three yards I tried a buckshot load containing three #0000 buckshot (75-grain .375″ balls). It did well, putting one almost dead center and two slightly above. An entry at lower left was likely the over-powder wad. According to the package, this load generates about 1,200 fps, but I would assume that would be from a full-length shotgun barrel. Still, it’s like being hit with three “hot” .380s going 900 fps or so?
Finally, at the same three yards, I fired five rounds of Winchester .410 slug. The slugs were 1/5 ounce, HP designs, advertised as 1,830 fps from a shotgun. On the target, four rounds went into the black for a 3″ well-centered group, and one was an edge-of-the-black flyer. Also, at this close range, a peppering of powder grains was obvious on the target. So you could not only thumb the goblin, you could also singe him.
The 3-yard slug target. Note the powder grain hits.
The #8 birdshot target, shot at three yards. The blotch from the wad is at 8:00.
Near contact distance might prove significant.
And?
Quite often when a maker down-sizes a big gun to make it more concealable you’ll get reduced handling qualities and unpleasant felt-recoil. With the Public Defender this simply didn’t happen. In addition to the matte stainless gun shown here, there is a blued-steel version. There’s also one in blue with a Titanium cylinder, taking about two ounces off the weight. Choose the one you like, and I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
For more info: Taurus USA (305) 624-1115, www.taurususa.com
