I am currently looking to purchase a handgun and cannot decide which style or caliber to buy. I have been considering getting the Taurus Judge for a couple of reasons. First, I frequent alaska quite often and thought it would be nice to have the 410 capability for shooting large halibut, and the .45 would also be great for a back-up while hunting black bears and is small enough for personal protection and concealment. These are my thoughts but I don't own a handgun, this will be my first and I would really like some input from people who know something about them. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.[
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The judge definately provides a wide variety of uses. Not to mention how fun they are to shoot.
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.45 are very very expensive to shoot when you compare it to a 9mm. If you want a gun to just enjoy shooting get a 9mm. They also work as a personal protection gun (in the 1:10000000000 chance you actually need it) but if you want more power and still have the portability get a .40. Much more power but still much cheaper than a .45 and would be a fine gun for black bears. A .45 is HUGE and most likely overkill for whatever you are doing with it. It will be heavier and bulkier than a 9 or 40 and much more expensive to just enjoy shooting.
Revolvers are fun but when I can load 17 into my XD9 instead of the 6 a .45 cal revolver for less money, i'm apt to use it more. My cousin has a ruger gp-161, a .357 which is a riot to shoot and probably my next pistol.
I've shot just about every semi auto pistol out there and for the price I really believe you can't do better than an XD or XDM. If you've got the money the Sig 229 is a phenomenal gun, the best you could buy or if you've got lots to spend a Kimber 1911 is a beautiful piece of machinery. The 1911s are kind of the O/U of the pistol world, you pay a lot for pretty. Springfield also makes 1911s with one of the best triggers on the market and is a lot cheaper than a Kimber. Most 1911s are chambered in a .45 too.
Thats just my two cents from my own research, hope it helps
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[
]Thanks for the great feedback Fish or Die and Bearclaw, I was beginning to think no one was out there with any info. I appreciate your help and now I'm not really sure about the judge other than the option to use it on halibut. I will take a look at the XD40 and try to decide from there. I definitely don't want to spend a lot of money but need something reliable and user friendly. Thanks again guys.
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if you go to Get Some Guns and Ammo you can get an unlimited gun rental for around 30 bucks and then buy some ammo and shoot anything you want, they have just about everything. While you're there rent a fully auto and have some fun [
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The first is a buddy shooting a UPC40, the second is the ruger .357 and the third is me and my xd9
the first two need to be opened in quicktime to get sound
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I would recommend the Judge. I've had one for several years now. Several manufacturers are making personal defense .410 loads for them now. I carry it when I'm not planning on doing alot of walking- it's pretty heavy. If you get one there is a shop in Alaska called Simply Rugged that makes a fantastic pancake holster for the judge. I carry a Ruger LCR the rest of the time, it's a sweet little gun.
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Thanks for the comments and confidence in the Judge. Does this simply rugged place in alaska have an online store for ordering their products.[cool][
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simplyrugged.com
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[
]Awesome, I checked their site and they sure have a quality product. Looks like something I'd be interested in for sure. Thanks again everyone for all your help!!!!
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To give another quick opinion:
I personally don't care much for the 9mm. It's just too small for my taste.
I have had 2 different 40's and loved both. One was the XD40 and the other was a CZ75B in 40 cal. (CZ75 is the gun carried by most East-European police and military forces, a great gun). I kept the CZ because it was previously used by a guy that used it for competition shooting and did some great work on it. I also got the CZ kadet conversion kit for it, which converts the gun from a 40 to a .22.
I don't think I would want to carry any of the semi-autos if I'm going to need them for a bear. The loads are just too small. For that I would go with a revolver like the 357 or the 44 mag. You can't load as many or as fast, but they have a LOT more knock-down than any of the semi-autos.
I have a 44 mag revolver and a 44 mag Browning lever action rifle (traded my XD for this rifle). A great pair.
In my opinion - different guns for different purposes. There really isn't a great gun that will be a good carry gun that would double as a good gun to knock down a bear.
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[
]Thanks for the feedback, makes a lot of sense about the personal carry and something to take down a bear. I haven't owned any handguns and all input from knowledgeable folks is what I need before I make my purchase. With all this said I think I'm going to get the Raging Judge due to the fact that it shoots the 454 casull, 45 ACP and the 410. I think this will be a very versital handgun for me. Thanks everyone for your advice.
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I don't know anything about that gun, but it sounds very versatile being able to shoot that many different rounds. The 454 is quite a heavy round, so I'm guessing it's a pretty heavy, bulky gun, but sounds very fun. If you can't afford to (or don't want to) have two separate guns, that sounds like about the best choice.
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