Taurus / Rossi Circuit Judge
The November issue of Shooting Illustrated published a letter from a reader who suggested Taurus make a carbine version of their Judge revolver and name it the "Supreme Court Judge". Gary from Oklahoma has had his wish come true. The new Taurus Circuit Judge is a revolver carbine that can chamber .410 shotshells (2.5" and 3") and .45 Long Colt.
The design is very similar to the Russian KBP MTs 225 revolver shotgun. The Circuit has a very attractive Monte Carlo stock (I guess a synthetic stock will be introduced at a later date). A cylinder guard on the left side of the gun prevents gas and flames from scorching your arm.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .45 Long Colt, .410 2.5" and 3" shells |
| Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Action | SA/DA |
| Finish | Wood / Blue |
| Barrel | 18.5" |
| Overall Length | 38" |
| Weight | 4.75 lbs |
| Front Sight | Fiber optics |
| Rear Sight | Fiber optic |
| MSRP (Price) | Not yet announced. |
The Circut Judge will be avalible with either a rifled barrel or a smoothbore barrel. The smoothbore version will only be able to fire .410 rounds.
I really look forward to shooting the new Judge. It looks nice, feels nice and I am sure is a lot of fun to shoot.
Only 5 rounds? I guess that way they can use the same cylinders as the Judge. I’d prefer a larger cylinder though.
I’d be curious to know the rifling twist rate. Any shotgunners with a Judge out there who can speak to how it patterns? That aside, in .45 Colt (or better yet .454!) this will make a great alternative for pistol caliber carbines. Ideally I’d like to see them offer .44 Mag and .357 Mag versions as well.
I agree about the .357 and .44 idea. I was just going to post the same thing.
Looks great I think this is going on my want list. I think it looks lot’s better than the Saiga .410 I was looking at.
“A cylinder guard on the left side of the gun prevents gas and flames from scorching your arm.”
…Unless you happen to be left-handed.
Maybe the “Supreme Court Judge” suggested name is being reserved for a .454 Casull version (ala the “Raging Judge” noted in the nex post).
(Is a “Hanging Judge” in the works?
-
I kinda want one… it’s just dripping with Steampunk Wildwestness.
This is an illegal assault weapon in California. I’d like to see the argument justifying THAT.
to Paul_in_Houston
there is a “Hanging Judge” in the works, but it’s a rope……………
The .410 shell is like a shape shifting demon from hell! The only action I’ve never seen it in is a bolt action!
I like it. It’s so weird as to be desirable. It should also be relatively short compared to a pump action or a semi, most of which also only hold five rounds (with exceptions like the AT-14). Hopefully it doesn’t cost too much.
Tony: Yeah I was just reading that.
Shame. As if ambidextrous safeties aren’t enough to worry about.
Huh… so there’s a limit to how far “judge style” rifling can go. Though it would be very embarrassing to keyhole using a 18.5 in barrel.
One wonders how easily it would be to change the barrels. That could be a neat version. Have the gun and both barrels.
I am holding out until the Raging Judge is put in a similar carbine configuration.
.454 Casull + .45LC + .410 shotgun + 16.5″ barrel = the most versatile get ‘r done gun out there
The stock seems a bit low, but knowing Taurus the price will be too good to pass up
Anyway, Supreme Court “judges” are technically “Justices,” so the name doesn’t really work.
Henry, good point!
When are we going to see a folding stock version of this rifle. In the .454 Casull, .45LC, and .410 configuration, I would have a perfect truck gun for roaming around the hills in my area.
“The .410 shell is like a shape shifting demon from hell! The only action I’ve never seen it in is a bolt action!”
In the old days, bolt action 410s were made by Savage, Stevens, Mossberg, and probably others. (search ‘bolt .410′ on gunbroker). Also, worn out Enfields were sometimes converted to shoot brass 2″ 410 shotshells for back line troops.
Cymond, thats right. I believe India (or their British overlords) invented their own .410 shotshell (not compatible with the standard .410) for the police’s Enfield rifles.
From what I understand, the Taurus Judge handgun is illegal in California because it’s classified as a “short barreled shotgun”; this might not fall into that category because it has a legal 18.5′ bbl. Anyone know for sure?
Heh. I meant 18.5″, not eighteen and a half feet ^_^
Would the rifled version constitute a shotgun under Commifornia law? The AWB bans all ’shotguns’ with cylinders, but I think that it defined ’shotgun’ as smooth-bore.
It is not hyperbole to say that buying this will be the single greatest moment of my life.
Very nice, I’ve looked at the Judge for a while now, always liked the concept, just not the pistol format. This is definitely going on my wishlist.
I do wish those in the business would answer a few questions
like what chokes are available in the .410? Are the barrels
readily interchangeable? What sights are available? Is the
rifle tapped for a scope? Is there protection for both hands/arms from being burned by cylinder gap gasses? If so, how is this accomplished. I’d kill for the .410 shotgun
setup. What does the piece weigh? Help please!