Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Judge for protection

Have any of you carried the Judge with heavy grain bullets for bear protection ? I know everybody says carry the biggest you can shoot but this is the biggest that I already have .

No, nor would I ever consider buying one.

Honestly bear attacks are very uncommon and many times I've come across bears when I've been unarmed and not felt threatened.

No. The only use I would have for a Judge would be if I lived in snake country, and Jake NoShoulders don't live here.

Besides, a Judge can't take the pressures that both .45 Colt +p factory ammo and my handloads generate.

Thanks guys that kind of what I figured .

OTOH, if its all he had, and the biggest he had... I'd carry it for defense from any living thing, carrying the biggest load it would safely shoot.

personally for self defense I won't carry a heavy handgun anyway, all ours are Ti versions... so that we carry them EVERY time out. That way I expect we'll never need em.

Don't use the judge for bear protection. Like said earlier it won't handle the loads that you would want to use for bears.

Just a quick update, The Judge can be had in 454 Casull.

RAGING JUDGE M513 REVOLVER .454 CASULL, .45 COLT, .410 GA - 6 SHOTS
http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=702&category=Revolver

Adirondack69

been lucky to spend a fair amount of time in bear country


have had a handful of close encounters of the questionable type with a few bears.


I'm not a bow hunter, so when hunting I have a rifle at hand.

I'd rather have my 7mm-'08 than dang near any handgun.

Largest handgun we have is a .44mag, (S&W 629, 4 bbl.) it's mom's berry picking gun.


if I'm not hunting, my walkabout, hiking, snowmachining, boat rifle is a GG in .45/70

had some Jap tourists ask me why I was carrying a rifle on the outskirts of Valdez, pointed up on the hillside, handed them my binocs and showed them a sow grizzly and her two cubs, told them if they were down here feeding and you happened to round a bend and there they were, I kinda like having this rifle handy, have a nice day.

but we also have a .44 mag trapper and .30-30 in same setup which I'd prefer over a handgun


I've got plenty of pards up here that carry a handgun as a "backup" for bear protection

but I don't, rifle is my primary mode and just what gives me the warm fuzzies.


I'd take having the judge or our 629 vs. being totally unarmed, but they both would be low on my list of firearms and I'd personally rather have the 629


but truthfully, I'm not sure, but having bear trouble is probably only slightly more likely than getting hit by lightning!


most dangerous activity will probably be driving to the airport to get here.

I agree, especially the driving part...

My buddy hates flying.. we keep telling him the 1-2 hour drive to the airport is more dangerous than about 99.9% of flights.

the judges suck I shot 4 times at a known snake. before I killed it. I knew the snake was there. shot 45 lc and it was ok. sold it and bought a 357. missed 6 ruffed grouse with the judge. I;ve hunted with a 10" contender for 20 years hunting snowshoe rabbits only pistol that I found that shoots both well

IMO if you want a 454 then buy a 454. The Judge is neither accurate with pistol rounds nor does it pattern well with shot loads. Ad to that it's a tank!

Reeboks work well...as long as your's are faster than the slowest...

Reeboks are uber cool!

I'm told the bears find them a bit chewy, and regard them as toys. But then there is that "slowest" thingy....