This is a “Gun Digest Review of the Taurus?Rossi Circuit Judge. Be sure to subscribe to their video links as Gun Digest is a great source for firearms reviews.
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Dedicated to the Smallbore Shotgun 
Does any one have a load for the circut judge in a rifled slug ?
Jim,
I do not have a “Slug” load for that because the .45 colt is the slug load. Any slug smaller than .45 would not engage the rifling of the barrel. I do have a load for “Two” .410 mini balls that is excellent in my Leinad 45/410. The .410 balls come from “Track of the Wolf” and are cast lead. Load them into a 3″ shell with a 10 grain start load of Alliant 2400 and a Fed. 209 primer. Use 1/2″ fiber wads to get the proper height for the load (2 does it for me) and finish with a roll-crimp. Make sure your roll crimps are not overdone. Too many guys over roll their crimps and create pressure issues. A proper roll crimp will turn a 3″ shell into a 2 3/4″ shell in length. I like a little less, but that is my preference. At close range (25-30ft) these are 2 – 110gr. mini balls traveling 1100fps! Better than a single slug as they typically enter 2-3″ apart at that distance from a pistol.
On the slug for the Circuit Judge, It is a rifled barrel and a rifled slug will potentially mess up the riflings in the barrel. You will have to use the Sabot slugs if you can find them. Technically, the .45LC IS the slug.
Though the .410 slug has more velocity out of the barrel, the Long Colt has better accuracy out of the judge. This is what im reading from other people anyway. I haven’t had a chance to test it yet myself. Though I did get a chance to take it hunting with me and do some practice shooting. I do enjoy this little carbine.
Great point Dennis! All of the .45/.410 family of shotguns does not need a .410 slug. It will not work. The .45 Colt IS the slug. A .45 slug is .454 in diameter and a .410 slug is .410 in diameter. You cannot fire a .45 slug in a .410 or you will blow up your gun and you. A .410 slug fired from a .45 will not engage the rifling and will have no accuracy and very little punch.
I have reloaded .45 iong colt shell with with an .41 caliper 250 grain rifle bullet and 410 win.wad and 14 gr.green dot powder and it worked great in my 410 singleshot and my mossberg bolt and pump and 45 revoler. I also tried this with 350 grain 408 rifle bullet and loved it. Makes 410 slug at 95 grain low
AH! I just happened to think as of why one would use a .410 slug in the Circuit Judge: There are some areas that are designated as “shotgun only” during hunting season. That being said, some woujld argue to go ahead and use a 20 guage or 12 gauge for slugs. I would say “Why would you when you have a gun that already covers most bases?”.
What is the “Bore Diameter” of the Circuit Judge? Is the Circuit Judge considered a
shotgun or a rifle?
Two birds with one stone here. The bore diameter of a Circuit Judge is .451-.452 to accommodate the .45 Colt rounds. The JHP rounds you are talking about I have not tried. Basically for two reasons. 1. It is a round-nose bullet and when turned around to fit into a wad carrier it does not mate well. 2. There is a certain amount of swaging that takes place with non-jacketed rounds. Like pushing a marshmallow through a tube. When you apply pressure the marshmallow expands to fill the tube. Cast bullets do the same and that swaging affect helps to seal the bore and provide stability to the round for the length of the bore. The round must be mated to the carrier so that the two function as one when they leave the tube and this helps accuracy as the shotgun bore is smooth and therefore there is no “Spin” to the round to stabilize it.
As for the Circuit Judge question, it is a .45 Colt Carbine (Rifle).
We just aquired ” The Curcuit Judge” for Christmas. We have cronied the 1/5 oz.( 87.5 grain) slug 2 1/2 in Remengton shell, 1800 plus fps. Now we have found Brass hulls for the .410. I’m looking to load a bullit for the brass casing and load data. I know I can shoot a 1/4 oz (109.374) grain slug. But thats all the info I have. I’m trying to build a brass casing load that won’t blow up the gun and me. Sabot loads looks like the only way to go. HELP?
Oh, something else. Will ” The Curcuit Judge” handle The Golden Bear 3″ Mag 97 grain slugs?
The circuit Judge is a carbine rifle that shoots .410 shotgun. It can do this because the .410 shotgun shell carries a load that will exit a bore diameter between .395 and .410. The 45 Colt has a barrel that is .451-.453 and therefore large enough to handle a .410 load of birdshot. .410 slugs will be too small. A Sabot round IS the best way to go if you attempt to shhot smalled slugs/bullets but the plastic fouling will be messy. The .45 Colt round is your best slug round for the Rossi Judge or Circuit Judge. If you do try for a smaller projectile held by a Sabot let me know as the readers would be interested to hear about it.
The Circuit Judge will handle the Golden Bear rounds – how well is the question. I have found the recoil to be quite stout when firing rounds that are encased in plastic through rifling.
Thanks and any more questions just let me know,
Brent
Thanks for your quick response Brent. Midway sells Brass casings for the .410. We want to develope a round from these brass casings. The 220 grain bullits seem a little heavy. I guess we will start with 45 colt powder loads and work our way up. Just wish there were ready made light bullits in these calibhers that are 87 to 110 grains. We like the muzzle volocity. We are trying to do what Jim is from above but with a brass casing. Hope I’m making sence here. So, Jim, please keep us all informed? As we will you. thanks again Brent.
Have you loaded that 3″ brass yet with 45 colt load ?