Kahr-Ruger-Sig Sauer-Kimber-Kel Tec

[Geoff]

I'll stand up for taurus. i have a PT1911 and its a fantastic gun. Seen several hundreds of rounds thru it and it hasnt hickuped at all.

[brittsnbirds]

Reading all the comments about the different preferances brings to mind the term "Practice, Practice, Practice".

As far as one gun over another, a lot of your ability to hit what you are aiming at is confidence. If you are not confident that your weapon will go POW or not, then you should not be putting yourself into a position where you need it. If you are not proficient with your weapon and you do not trust it, then don't carry it until you are. Again "Practice, Practice, Practice". Not only does it make you a better shot, it builds confidence both in your ability and the weapons performance. All guns (unless they have been worked) need a break in period. I have shot thousands of rounds through my Sigs and they did not start performing properly until they finally got broke in. I recently picked up a Glock 36 and am reluctant to carry it (off-duty) until I put a few hundred rounds through it.

As far as caliber, (IMO) the best round that I use to carry was the .357 mag in a wheel gun. If I had the money to burn for ammo I would dump my .45's and go to the .357 Sig round. I have heard and read that it is a very good little round. As well as a .38 super for my back up!!

[Gatorjet]

Taurus had a good idea with the Judge, S&W has the Governor now, even shoots 45acp. Taurus is a piece of junk, we ship many of them back to the factory and they have poor customer service.

The Governor

A lot of controversy on various gun forums about the Judge. Mostly about Taurus's advertising it as the ultimate self defense gun. Most opinions are that it isn't very accurate as a 45 LC, and 410 is far from the best self defense round. I stay out of that argument. I only want one for the "cool factor" anyhow.

Now I've read of the 28ga. Raging Judge coming out. It has a rifled barrel so it isn't classified as a short barreled shotgun by BATF. But how are they getting around the 50 caliber limit when the 28ga is 55 caliber?

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2011/01/19/taurus-28-gauge-raging-judge-revolver/

Geoff, I think most of the problems with Taurus is in their revolvers. It appears that there is about a 50/50 chance of getting a good one. They do have a lifetime guarantee, but I've heard of guys spending their lifetime sending them back for repairs!

[jdmidwest]

The problem is the customer service when you have a problem and most of it stemmed from the Judge.

I would not suggest a Judge as a personal defense weapon. It does have a good purpose, on the farm you can carry a few rounds of .410 and the rest 45lc for snakes, stray dogs, or other things you run across daily on a working farm or ranch. Either of the rounds will kill an man for defense if needed, but there are other, more compact and lethal solutions for that.

Smith just introduced the Governor, which takes .410, 45 acp, and 45 lc. It has a scandium frame and is probably twice the price, but is American Made from a first class quality company. I have been looking for a 45 revolver and it may just fit the bill instead of a 625.

Britts, that little Kel Tec was a chore to put the 400 rounds thru, more brutal to shoot than any pistol I have shot. I did it in 20 to 30 round sessions. Banging on keyboards has given me some carpel tunnel that gets aggravated when shooting pistols. Any gun needs to be shot to proficiency to trust it fully with your life. Every manufacturer makes a lemon from time to time.

[Gatorjet]

At least nobody mentioned Taurus!

And Oh No! To top it off, I JUST BOUGHT ONE TODAY Judge Public Defender Poly. Firet time I have seen the polymer Judge. 23.6 ounces of bad news!

It's a Taurus though, just hope I got a good one! LOL

[Danoinark]

that little Kel Tec was a chore to put the 400 rounds thru, more brutal to shoot than any pistol I have shot.

Agreed, my PF9 beat me to death. There are factory fixes for the early releases at no charge. I traded the Kel Tec

to my Police Detective son in law for a .40 cal Taurus.

Dano

[flyfshn]

Had a Taurus 709pt slim that I bought new. Never could get it sighted in and had to send it back to Taurus for repair. They returned it to me in approx 10 days along with a target advising me they adjusted it. Took it to the range and it was still all over the place, so I traded it for a Springfield XD9 subcompact. Maybe I didnt give it enough time or shoot enough rounds to break it in, but I kept thinking what good is a gun if it is shooting all over the place. I own a Taurus .357 SS revolver and I love it.

[Gatorjet]

so I traded it for a Springfield XD9 subcompact.

I have a Springfield XD40 Sub. I think you made a good choice.

[RSBreth]

Just make sure you're careful with a chambered round in a pocket auto. They really need a good holster - that's why I'm pretty fond of small J-frame revolvers for pocket carry. Hold up to getting bumped around and lint a little better than most auto's do.

I know a couple of people who have Kel-Tec's and have no problems.

Personally - I'd let the "new" wear off anything first to get the bugs out before I'd stake my life on it - no matter what it costs.

[flyfshn]

Well, I picked up a LC9 last night. The gun dealer I buy from got one in and knew I was interested, so he called me. I checked it out and couldn't resist. If it shoots as good as it looks, it will be a hit. Will let you know when I get time to run a few boxes thru it.