Need your Help - Looking at Changing my Primary Carry Handgun.

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Hello ALL,



I am in need of your help. For the past 2.5 years, my primary handgun of choice has been a Taurus Millennium Pro PT145, two tone model (3rd Generation). This handgun is the only one I carry concealed and inopen carry mode. However I am thinking about a change.

Now that Taurus has released the Judge Public Defender (JPD)I am looking into selling my PT145 and purchasing the JPD. The JPD will than become my primary carry. However, since I do not know a lot about the JPD, I am seeking your help. Would it be worth the switch? Is it a better gun for concealed or open carry?

Any help you can provide with some justification to back up your suggestion, would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to the replies and Thank You all for the help!



Gunny :celebrate

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cabbitone wrote:

What your reasons for wanting the JPD?
Also what is your comfort level with revolvers vs auto loaders?

And unless I'm just wanting a "small" revolver I wouldn't go with the Public Defender, one of the other Judge models would be the way to go imo. Personally it feels very top heavy and wants to roll forward from my hand due to the small grip.

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Just tired of an automatic (20 years USMC MP), just bored would be the best description of why. Why the Judge (Public Defender)? It looks like it has good stopping power and conceal carry would work. Plus it is within my price range ($600.00). What would you recommend if not the JPD?

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I am not familiar with the Judge orthe Public Defender, but the.45 Colt round is a very excellent self-defense round.

Just for the heck of it, I shot a 12 Guage 00 Buckshot round through a rifled barrel to see what it would do. To say that it would not hit the broadside of a barn is an understatement. Apparently the rifling spun the shot around like a pin-wheel. I saw things being hit all over the place except for the target.

I am not sure if the same thing would happen with a .410 buckshot load,but you need to consider that.

Personally, I would opt for a Ruger GP 100 with a 4" barrel.

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I believe the most potent SD .410 loads are by Winchester and the shells are black - I think. I do know that it has three metal discs followed by BBs.

Would I choose it for my carry pistol? No. I don't know if any .410 clips are available and if they were, they would be rather bulky. I've been intriqued by the Judge, but I can't think of a good reason to buy it.

But, if that is what you want to carry, then go for it.

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I had considered the Taurus "Judge" line about a year ago. I decided against it for a couple reasons. 1) 410 shotshell in my opinion (and many others) wasn't sufficient. 2) the weight and size seemed cumbersome 3)capacity.

I have bought many 45acp guns over the last couple years in search of the perfect gun. I like the Taurus PT145 Millenium Pro that I have and use it as my CC gun. I haven't delved into the revolver relm because of capacity. I have been in search of a hi-cap 45acp gun.

There are many guns out there new and used for around $600. If you are looking for one that can be both concealed and OC-ed I would suggest looking at the H&K line. Since I CC the Taurus I usually OC a larger gun like a 1911, USP, Sig P220.

Edited to add: How about the XD or XDm line: http://vaguntrader.com/view_topic.php?id=19021&forum_id=3
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=171044498

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm

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I can see use for the Judge as a brush/field sidearm and, possibly, a home defense weapon, but don't see it working well as aOC or CC firearm. My feeling is that the bulk is a bit off and using .410 buckshotaroundbystanders doesn't seem to make much sense to me.

If I wanted to carry a .45 it would probably be one of the semi-auto, 10+ caps like a Para, CZ, Springfieldor the like.

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Well Thanks Everyone for all of your suggestions. After handling the Judge Public Defender, I realized that I felt more comfortable with a weapon I have been acustomed to. Plus some other factors came into play.

So instead, I opted for the Sig Sauer P250 SubCompact Nitron withSigLite Night Sights. It just felt like it belonged in my hand and I chose the .40SW cal for a change from the .45ACP.

The only problem was I could not find a Blackhawk conceal carry serpa holster for it. The store did not have one and they said this is a new model for them, having just received them within the past month or so. So I purchased the Blackhawk Nylon Hip Holster (#08), to use until I can locate the serpa style I was seeking. Since I am with a totaly new gun and a company I have seeked over the years, I chose to use a new company for ammo, one I have not used in the past. The Hornady (#9136) Custom .40SW 180 gr XTP.

So thats what I decided on. Anyone have any thoughts?

Gunny:celebrate

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As long as it puts holes in the target where you want them , what else can be said? I think you have a good combination. As for the ammo , I use the same stuff in my .45 ACP and the critical defense load in my 9 mm.

I have never owned nor fired a sig but I have handled them in the store and they look and feel good to me.

Let us know how it shoots.

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Although I would ideally like to carry a 10mm or .45, I also decided on .40. I didn't switch to it for a change, but rather for more rounds in the magazine. I also prefer a Serpa in level II. I also prefer a laser. Sometimes my preferred gun doesn't have a Serpa holster yet, or if I use a rail laser, it is even harder to find a Serpa II.

Have you checked on-line for a Serpa holster? I buy all of my holsters on-line as the local gun stores have a pathetic selection.

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What ever fits your hand and you are comfortable shooting is best for you. Sigs are great guns so I don't think you can go wrong. For me I like 45acp but I understand capacity is a big issue. That is why I have been buying bigger guns with 12-15+1 in 45. The taurus is a nice 10+1 gun that fits in my pocket so it is a good CC gun.

Good luck with your purchase and happy shooting!:celebrate

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Sounds like a reasonable choice. Had a chance to shoot it yet? With the P-250 you can always change caliber at relatively low cost if .40 is not to your liking. The Sig has to be more concealable than the Judge would have been.

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Again, Thanks for ALL of the input! While online doing a search for a holster to fit my P250 Subcompact, I realized that this gun must be pretty new, since almost every where I went, no one carried a holster for it. Than I went and checked out my old time favorite (Have bought many in the years) FOBUS. Well, let me tell you, they had a holster for my gun, but only in one of their styles, which was fine by me. The one they have is the "Evolution Series". So I went and checked them out, good looking and very low profile for conceal carry. I than placed an order for the "Roto-Paddle" holster. But here is the kicker, the holster had FREE shipping, No Tax and was on sale for $10.00! The normal price is $35.99, so I saved over $25.99!

Anyway you slice it, that is one heck of a deal! So my order got shipped today via USPS first class mail. I figure I should have it some time in the latter part of next week. Until than my nylon Blackhawk will do just fine.

So anyone looking for a FOBUS style holster may want to check them out. They have some great sales happening...

Again, Thanks ALL for the input! I will be heading to the range tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Semper Fi ~~ Gunny



Evolution Roto-Paddle

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I actually have the same setup. Bought my P250 subcompact back in January and i love it. It took some time to get used to the trigger but now i can kill the heck out of some paper! The Fobus evolution holster is great. It's pretty comfortable. Anyway congrats on your purchase.

ps............ HOOAH!

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Gunny5821 wrote:

...It just felt like it belonged in my hand...

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One of the best reasons to get one. You can't go wrong with Sig either. I have one of their "other" plastic pistols, the Sig Pro. It's a good pistol.



-Gruu

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Glock 19.

Its big enough to fight with and small enough to carry.

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I have a derringer with .22 over .45/.410 barrels. The lower barrel has about one-half inch of rifling at the muzzle and it throws wildly erratic shot patterns. I bought it to shoot copperheads on the creek where I lived, so the pattern was okay for the purpose at close range, but I'd really hate to rely upon it for self defense. JMHO, YMMV. Accuracy with .45 rounds wasn't anything to brag about either, perhaps because the short section of rifling was insufficient to stabilize the bullet (or maybe just because the gun isn't all that great). The .22 barrel is pretty accurate, though, and it makes a cool conversation piece.

The Taurus is certainly a higher level of workmanship than my cheapo derringer, so it might be more accurate, but I suspect the rifling plays the devil with shot patterns in it as well.

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Gunny, first thank you for your service, next I want to say is that for CC I carry a PT140, nice little weapon. I have not fired the PT145 but would like to try it. I have a Springfield XD.45 I'm extremely fond of but it is very bulky, and I've never tried to CC it. Good luck with your new pistol, hope it serves you well.