Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns The Raging Judge

As many here know I own a regular Judge and shoot it and carry it often. Since the "Raging" version of the Judge came out, I have wanted to get ahold of one and wring it out. They are not easy to find and I've seen less than half a dozen of them. Some of them are six shot .454 Casull's but some are seven shot 45 Colts, as opposed to the regular Judge being a five shot.

The new Raging model is actually a completely different gun. The frame is considerably bigger than the Judge's and I've already told about the greater capacity. Like the Judge, it is a .410 rifled pistol which handles cartridges too. Unlike its smaller brother, this pistol doesn't come in a 2 1/2" chambered version. All are 3" chambers and the barrel lengths are 3" or 6 1/2". Finishes are Blued carbon steel or Stainless.

My particular example is a Blued 3" barreled model. For those who are familiar with fairly recent cinema, the Judge looks pretty similar to the revolver in the movie Hellboy. So much so that images from the movie with that gun in it will pull up anytime you do an internet search. Basically the Raging Judge is an elongated frame gun similar to the X frame Smith and Wessons. Mine is the .454 Casull version. With it you can shoot 454 Casull, 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 410 2 1/2" and 410 3" shells.





First shots out of the gun were 300 grain Hornady .454 open tips. This was my first time ever shooting the big Casull magnum, even though it's been out for years now. I did this the day I got it.




Ten shots from 45 Colt 250 grain Cowboy loads. Looks like I was a bit to the right with the first group. This is seven yards offhand, no type of rest. Then the last five were double-action.



300 Grainers, as in the first pic. About twenty yards away offhand, no rest.



250 Grain Hornady 454's from closer in overlaid with some buckshot and birdshot.



300 Grain Magtech FMC from about 15 yards overlaid with Federal #4 high brass 3" .410.

[img]http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m8/kiddglock/000_0780.jpg[/img]

225 grain Winchester JHP personal defense loads, double action overlaid with Remington #5 high brass.

[img]http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m8/kiddglock/000_0779-Copy.jpg[/img]


Obviously I'm not very experienced with the Casull. My impression is that the Raging Judge is more accurate with handgun ammo than the Judge is. It is about the same with birdshot. IMO it leaves something to be desired as you move farther away. I took a couple of shots close-in, at snake distance, and the birdshot should work fine, especially if you use 6's or above, for serpents. I took a few shots with Federal 000 buckshot and it should be fine at typical gunfight distances.

The worst thing about this gun is that the chambers are tight. With certain Federal .410 ammo, it was difficult to push the shotshells in although I accomplished it without forcing them too much. Extraction with these was sticky. Either these or the Remington 5's were difficult to rotate the cylinder, double-action with, for some reason. If you cocked the hammer and shot single action, it was fine, but double action was difficult.

Appearance is fine with a nice, deep blue. Fit and finish is good. I'm not an experienced .454 shooter, but the grips seemed to soak up the recoil pretty good. I haven't had to make a trip to the hospital yet. So far, so good. It's a heavy gun weighing over 5 lbs. I made some comment to the family when I brought it out from the gun dealer, about it weighing like "6 lbs.", thinking I was exaggerating. I think the longer barreled version actually does weigh over 6 lbs.

Recoil ranges from downright mild with Cowboy Colt loads to pretty savage with 454's. In between are the 45 self defense loads and the 410's. I would recommend the fairly heavy 45 Colt JHP's or Open Tips for self defense. Possibly alternate them with some buckshot if it makes you feel better. I'd use Federal Judge specific 2 1/2 inchers.

Overall, I think there might be 75 yard deer hunting accuracy there, but I haven't tried it on a rest. It is so big, you about need a rest for longer ranges. I think it is adequate for self-defense but you need to be strong enough to manipulate it, which is no mean feat. With the right shotshells, extraction isn't bad, but with the wrong ones, it gets hinky. Like the Judge, you need to see where your shot is going before relying on the shotshells for self-defense. The buckshot rounds seem much more powerful than any birdshot. Using the 2 1/2" shotshells seem to mitigate any extraction problems. Winchester high brass birdshot of either length, slides right in.

There are my first impressions of the new Raging Judge. It has its strengths and weaknesses, just like any other gun.

Seems pretty versatile. I used to have a .44 Mag barrel for my TC Contender handgun that had a screw in insert for shot loads that was supposed to nullify the rifling effect for use with shot loads. It guess they had survival application in mind. Shortly after I bought it, the ATF outlawed the insert. Said it made it into a sawed off shotgun. Good old ATF, ey?

I like the looks of that Raging Judge with the snubbie barrel. Good luck with it.

I would really like to get my hnads on one of these with the 6.5 bbl and play with backboring and other choke techniques. Maybe a removeable choke tube with straight rifling to stop the spinning action of any shot charges. That said, looks like yours is doing pretty good as it is, so long as the range is relatively short.

Thanks for the pics and report. I don't have a jdge, but am not a judge hater like some. I just wish they had issued it with some kind of removeable choke tube like T/C does on thier 410 Contenders. then, there is the old "Paradox" rifleing system that a gunsmith freind of mine is resurecting in some Ruger Blackhawks.

Cool report Cole, but you aren't supposed to shoot the red guy, he is the hostage!

Thanks, but no thanks.


Travis

He was a collaborator.

I caught that, too.

I owned a 5lb handgun once. I sold it when I realized that for another pound or less I could gain a couple hundred yards of effective range.

+1......... To both posts

The Raging seris guns with the dual lockup tend to be some of the most accurate revolvers made. I'll put a Taurus Raging Bull up against anything in the accuracy department; including a lot of custom guns.

I wouldn't the ones that I shot weren't that accurate and they chrono'ed a bit slow.. All 3 of them

I have tried a few Ruger SA revolvers in .45 Colt. They can be hot-rodded to hit as hard as anyone needs in a hunting handgun for this continent. They also seem to group pretty well with CCI shot loads - better than those that come in other calibers. They weigh 40oz.

I haven't shot one, the the 4" S$W 625 weighs about 42oz. Not currently available new, but I'm sure that Taurus makes something comparable.

Just sayin'.

BTW - I'm not just dissing the Judge here. I have the same dislike for the mega S$W revolvers - including the X-frames. I find them all to be....peculiar.

I think a handgun oughta be "handy". When they get that big, X-frames, Judges, etc. they aren't "handy" any longer. I'll pass them by, without any hesitation.

Have you ever shot anything bigger than a hot 45 Colt? I have, but it had been awhile and I've never shot a .454. It sounds like you just don't like the bigger revolvers, both in scale and power. I can relate.

Basically my thoughts on handgun hunting are that just about any handgun save for stuff like the Bison 45-70's or Contenders in rifle calibers, are way inferior to even "marginal" calibers like the 30-30. That said, I believe it was Maj. Douglass Wesson that took all that game, the biggest in the world such as Polar Bears, with a .357. So a .44 Mag. or hot 45 Colt would probably work for anything you wanted to hunt, which in my case would just be hog-size or so. But, a .454 would be mo-betta.

The .454 out of this gun is pretty vicious and I haven't even looked up different factory loads, but I'm guessing Buffalo Bore or others put out some much heavier or harder-hitting ones than these 300's I've got. This gun may only be 3" but it is a BIG, massive piece. 45 Colt Cowboy loads are like .38 Special target loads in an Officer's Model Colt.

Anyway, I know I can concentrate better and shoot this thing much better if I practice a bit. I haven't decided if I want to though. If I was going to Alaska after bear with a rifle, this might make a great backup, but I have no plans to do that.

I like some things about it and don't like others. Shooting a regular Judge afterwards is...nothing. I don't know, maybe it would be good to keep it around just to shoot once in awhile for comparison so the .44 Mag. and hot 45 Colt's feel wimpy.

I think I've put in three sessions with it in .454 and with the other two it really got me in the wrist, elbow and shoulder, especially that night and the next day. I'm not sore today though.

The .45 Auto in plus P is all the recoil from a handgun I want to handle today. The .44 mag is the most powerful handgun I've ever shot. I figure if I couldn't kill it with that I'd get a rifle.

How is a 454 "mo-betta"?? I have shot shot a lot of game with a 45 Colt in fact my longest kills are with the 45 Colt and a Ruger Bisley

In fact I took this Caribou with a Ruger Bisley in 45 Colt shooting a 310 grain LFN @ 1240 FPS. I killed this one at approximately 150 yards



My longest take with a revolver was altered 218 yards and that was a hog also shot with a Ruger Bisley in 45 Colt. The load was a 325 grain LFN @ 1375 FPS. Both kills were immediate


I strongly dissagree with this statement of yours as well "Basically my thoughts on handgun hunting are that just about any handgun save for stuff like the Bison 45-70's or Contenders in rifle calibers, are way inferior to even "marginal" calibers like the 30-30".
A big bore revolver properly loaded is a hell of a hammer on game. In fact if I had only 1 shot to stop a charging Grizz at bad breath distance I would rather have 1 of my big bores revolvers than my 338.

Yes I have used one on VERY LARGE GAME and speak from experience and not conjecture

lol I wondered how long you could stand it. Okay.

It's more powerful, or do you disagree? You think a hot-loaded 45 Colt is superior to a .454 for very big game, such as Grizzly. Okay, I've never shot one and you have. If I ever go to shoot a Grizzly I'll bear in mind that jwp said a 45 Colt was better than a .454 Casull.

You disagree that those are my thoughts? lol I have to say that you're wrong, they're indeed my thoughts.

Okay, so we've established that you'd rather have a 45 Colt than a .454 Casull. It's safe to extrapolate that you'd rather have the 45 Colt than a .480 or .500 too, right? Or is there something wrong with the .454 that I haven't heard of? Dude, if you'd rather have a 45 Colt to use on hogs or whitetails, than a 30-30 carbine, be my guest. I don't purport to be a handgun hunter on the order that you are. Again, those are my thoughts.

There you go again, Cole. These handguns (save for those Taurus monstrosities) aren't giving anything up to rifles. This moose wasn't feeling like I had used an inferior firearm on it (.500 Linebaugh loaded with 500 grain LFNs at a whopping 1,100 fps).



I too prefer the .45 Colt to the .454. The additional speed generally doesn't buy you anything more than more muzzle blast, recoil, and the potential for crimp pull. No thanks.

Cole, I have 7 454's 6 are FA-83's and the other is a custom RH. The point is the 454 and the 45 Colt shoot the same bullet and yes the 454 can shoot it faster. Once one starts taking game and shooting completely through them (exiting) with a more sedate cartridge and dropping them at the shot there is no more to be gained. I have shot completely through (exited) 1000 pound Bison with a 325 grain LFN flat point hard cast shot from a 45 Colt 6" barrel and blew snow into the air on the off side. I have also done the same thing with the 454

Now you tell me how is it "mo betta"????

IME it ain't it is simply more of the same, nothing wrong with a 454 and neither is there anything wrong with a 45 Colt

Post up the game that you have taken with one



Now to apply to the red portion of your post. That is how you interepted my post? Sad really sad if that is indeed how you took it