Okay, at first glance this is a weird one:
Now before everyone starts falling about with laughter, let’s just look at what this piece brings to the party.
One of the problems with the similarly-chambered Taurus “Judge” revolver is its size:
I mean, that lo-o-o-o-ng cylinder makes it a monster, which makes it problematic in terms of its utility. You can’t carry it comfortably and frankly, the shorty barrel makes it unpleasant to shoot. (Ask me how I know this.)
While the little .410 shotgun shell is a weeny compared to its larger cousins in 12-, 16-, 20- or even 28ga, it still announces its ignition with a very meaty slam into your wrist if chambered in a handgun. (I once owned a Bond Arms Derringer in .45 LC/.410ga, and shooting it was an ummm interesting experience.)
Frankly, therefore, a handgun chambered in .410ga is not really a viable or even pleasant proposition.
Now let’s look at that Rossi Circuit Judge again.
In a stroke, it does away with all the disadvantages of the .45/.410 revolver by adding a longer barrel (helps with recoil and ballistics) and the shoulder stock turns it into a handy little carbine.
Ignoring the .45 Colt part for a moment — because we all know and love the old cartridge for its deadliness — what this Circuit Judge brings you is a tiny and manageable .410 shotgun, with six rounds capacity. Find me another .410 shotgun that compares.
Would I want a Circuit Judge for myself? No, because I have no real need for it. But if I lived in an area where potting crows and rabbits and such is part of an early evening’s entertainment with friends while sitting around a fire pit with a glass or two of single malt at the elbow, such as at Free Market Towers in Hardy Country…
…I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
“I have no real need for it.”
============
???
Since when was “need” a requirement to own stuff?
If that was the case, it could be said a person only “needs” 1 gun, and I will argue against that til I die.
for just a couple hundred more, you can get a nice blued steel and wood Henry lever action in .410, also with 6 rounds on tap. Not sure I’d need or even want one, I’m not much for shotgunning, and that Rossi above just doesn’t scratch any itch I’ll ever have. I guess it would be ok for shooting snakes and armadillos, but that’s about it.
Now, you take a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 mag, add a 16 inch barrel with handguard, a shoulder stock, and various options for sights and scopes, and I’m in.
I’m glad they make that firearm because someone out there will enjoy it. In this case, that person is not me.
That circuit judge only has 5 rounds. Look at the cylinder – the bolt stops are between the chambers, directly over the cylinder cutouts. You don’t get that with an even number of chambers.
To make matters worse, the circuit judge gets terrible ballistics with slugs, barely better than a handgun and nowhere nearly as good as a dedicated lever action rifle, plus it has the patterning problem of any rifled shotgun firing pellets.
And that’s without considering the Taurus/Rossi QC.
Get one if you like it by all means, but it’s a terrible firearm.
This was meant to me in reply to the main post, sorry.
I’ve always been mildly curious what the shot pattern looks like from a rifled barrel.
If my experience shooting .38 and .45 caliber “shot shells” thru a normal pistol are any indication, the shot pattern looks like a wide ring with zero hits in the center. The shot spirals out and anything beyond 3 feet is pretty much worthless.
That was my suspicion. Thanks.
My buddy has the Taurus “Judge” that can shoot the 454 Casull. I shot it once. No thank you. That is a one shot gun as I have to switch hands to fire it again. Too painful.