First Look: Taurus Judge Home Defender

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Taurus has just announced an enlarged variant of its .410/.45 Long Colt revolver in the form of the Judge Home Defender.

Loved by some, reviled by others, the fact of the matter is that the Taurus Judge is very popular. A 5-shot revolver chambered for .410 and .45 Long Colt, the Judge has been offered in several configurations of various barrel lengths, grip styles and finishes for years. Now, Taurus is adding one more model to the lineup in the form of the Judge Home Defender. Just how much does it differ from past iterations? Not by much, but the new features that it does have will make it a radically more effective home defense option.

Previously, the largest Taurus Judge handgun models featured 6.5-inch barrels, but the Judge Home Defender has a whopping 13-inch barrel. While that might not make it the most wieldy handgun out there, the extra barrel will provide more velocity too. To compensate for the longer barrel, the Home Defender also has a polymer forend for additional support. A new steel blast shield has been added next to the cylinder as well to protect the shooter's support hand. Further, the forend features an accessory rail for mounting a light or laser. Most believe that a good home defense weapon should have a light on it, so this is a crucial addition.

The final new feature of the Judge Home Defender is its top rail for mounting optics. Much like weapon lights, the consensus these days is that a red dot sight is preferable to irons for home defense purposes, so that’s another positive mark for the new Taurus. However, the addition of some sort of sighting system will be required as the Home Defender has no iron sights to speak of.

Other features of the Judge Home Defender are standard to other Judge models, including recoil-cushioning rubber grips, a DA/SA trigger and a matte black finish. The capacity and chambering are the same as well. MSRP is $729.99 and it will be available soon.

For more information, please visit taurususa.com.

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