Best 410 Ammo for a Taurus Judge: At-Home Defense

I fell in love with the Taurus Judge revolver the moment I saw it. How cool is it, that you can fire 45 Colt and 410 Bore ammo without changing anything about the gun? (That's a rhetorical question. Obviously, it is very cool.)

The Judge altered public perception of the 410 Bore shotshell. It used to be regarded exclusively as a hunting shell. But now that revolvers can chamber 410, the petite shell is increasingly favored for its defensive capabilities.

The best 410 ammo for a Taurus Judge is Winchester Defender, which is loaded with 12 pellets of BB shot and three plated defense discs: hard and hard-hitting copper-plated projectiles which wreak havoc on their target at close range. We'll talk about it at length below, as well as recommend our top 410 selections for other worthwhile applications.

Top 5 410 Ammo for the Taurus Judge

Winchester Defender Plated Defense Disc - Best Overall

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Winchester 410 Ammo - 10 Rounds of PDX1 Plated Disc Buck Ammunition

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Why I Chose It

Winchester Defender (also occasionally known as "PDX1") 410 Bore ammunition is loaded with a truly unique shot column. One shell is loaded with twelve BB shot pellets, each 0.18" in diameter (compare that to 00 buck, which is 0.33"), as well as three "Defense Discs," which are shaped a bit like button batteries (or perhaps tins of cat food).

All the projectiles are copper plated. This hardens them, which promotes deeper penetration through body mass. The narrow BB pellets enter deeply, inflicting multiple wound channels to cause heavy bleeding. The awkwardly shaped Defense Discs tumble about in soft tissue, tearing out wider wound channels as a result. Combine these terminal ballistics with the shell's wide range of effect, which compensates for poor/hasty aim, and you've got a real potent solution for self-defense on your hands.

Doesn't hurt that it's made by Winchester, which is one of America's greatest ammo producers, so much so that it even manages the U.S. government's largest ammo factory.

When it comes to the best 410 ammo for a Taurus Judge, Winchester Defender reigns supreme. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better self-defense round, though Hornady Critical Defense deserves its mention as well. So too does Remington 1/5 oz. rifled slug: cheaper, and able to deliver more energy on target over farther distances (although there are good reasons to prefer 45 Colt over slugs for defense).

Winchester Super-X 000 Buck - Best Home Defense Ammo for Taurus Judge

Specs

Winchester Super-X 410 Ammo - 5 Rounds of 000 Buck Ammunition

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Why I Chose It

Winchester Super-X 000 buckshot: another swell option for defense. It's designed for hunting, but has ample power to neutralize a threat as well.

Winchester loads this shell with five pellets of 000 buckshot. Each lead projectile is 0.36" in diameter and weighs ~70 grains. Compare that to 00 buck (0.33" diameter, ~53.8 grains), and it's easy to see why triple-aught can do even more damage. Its girth gouges out a wider wound cavity. Its higher mass enables it to penetrate deeper into flesh as well (noting that the 410 is a weaker shell, and cannot accelerate nearly as much shot as the more popular 12 or 20 Gauge).

Does your revolver only have 2.5" chambers? Tough cookies. No five-pellet load for you. You can choose a round loaded with three pieces of 000 buck instead. It may prove less effective, although one well-placed shot would instantly end a violent altercation between two (and possibly more) opponents.

Winchester Super-X 000 buckshot ammo is also a hoot for target practice. If you have recyclables, a garden hose, this ammo, and a Judge, then I promise you can have yourself a good time.

Winchester Super-X 11/16 oz. #7-1/2 Shot - Best Ammo for Shooting Range

Specs

Winchester Super-X 410 Bore Ammo - 250 Rounds of 11/16 oz. #7-1/2 Shot Ammunition

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Why I Chose It

I've fired a lot of Winchester Super-X 11/16 oz. #7-1/2 shot ammo while skeet shooting and dove hunting as a kid. It's NEVER failed me.

This ammo's lower price and reduced recoil (compared to heavier loads) make it perfect for a day at the range, as well as hunting small game such as dove, quail, and rabbit. I've even taken care of a few venomous snakes and other pests with these shells. I'm always happy to give the possums a free meal.

These rounds don't have much recoil, even when using a double-action five-shot wheelgun like the Judge.

Their hulls are also reloadable, though you may find yourself wishing you had smaller fingers if you attempt to handload 410.

While Winchester Super-X #7.5 shot is excellent ammo for the range, it's terrible in terms of defense. Those little shot pellets just don't conserve enough momentum to penetrate soft tissue very deeply. That's not to say this ammo couldn't neutralize a threat. There are just way too many better alternatives available.

If you're headed to the range for a fun day of shooting or training, Winchester Super-X 11/16 oz. #7-1/2 shot is the way to go!

Sterling 1/4 oz. Rifled Slug - Honorable Mention

Specs

Sterling 410 Bore Ammo - 25 Rounds of 1/4 oz. Rifled Slug Ammunition

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Why I Chose It

Sterling 1/4 oz. Rifled slug costs substantially less than most other 410 slugs on the market. But a slug doesn't have to be especially fancy in order to be effective.

Sterling recorded this shell's muzzle velocity with a shotgun-length barrel. It is certain to exhibit a lower muzzle velocity in conjunction with a Judge's much shorter barrel, so you should not anticipate 500+ ft lbs striking energy (which is on par with what a 357 Mag can do) at close range. With that in mind, the shell's quarter-ounce cylinder of lead still leaps out of a Judge with more than sufficient energy to wound big.

Sterling does a decent job of loading these shells, in my experience. Some shooters have noted that the Turkish brand is a little less reliable (when compared to reputable American ones, at least). Fortunately, clearing a dud in a revolver is as easy as squeezing the trigger.

If you're willing to spend more per trigger pull, then I'd recommend stepping up to Federal 1/4 oz. rifled slugs. The larger investment goes toward better accuracy and reliability, as well as securing your countrymen's gainful employment (specifically those in Anoka, MN).

Hornady 410 Triple Defense - Honorable Mention

Specs

Hornady 410 Ammo - 20 Rounds of Slug Ammunition

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• Shot Type: One FTX Slug; two .35 Caliber Lead Balls
• Projectile Weight: ~1/2 oz.
• Muzzle Velocity: 750 fps

Why I Chose It

Many shooters love Hornady’s Critical Defense line of ammunition. I load it in several different firearms because it’s designed for defense and reasonably priced.

I trust Hornady ammo for nearly all my personal defense needs because it’s reliable (in most firearms). It always goes bang when I pull the trigger and hits where I’m aiming. The FTX Slug aids in accuracy because it engages the rifling in the barrel, and the two .35 caliber lead balls provide extra stopping power.

I am glad Hornady prices these defense rounds within reason. Some other defense loads are double the price of this round, and 410 ammo generally isn’t cheap to begin with.

The biggest complaint about this ammo is that it doesn’t always fit in a Judge’s cylinder. Customers have complained about it locking up the cylinder on a Circuit Judge. These complaints came in over a year ago, so maybe Hornady has addressed the problem.

How to Choose Ammo for 410 Taurus Judge

Choosing the right ammo can be daunting – especially when you know very little about the firearm. Fortunately, buying ammo for a Glock, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, or Taurus, is easy if you keep things simple.

Since the Taurus Judge is primarily used for concealed carry and home defense, those are the scenarios we will consider purchasing ammo for. (Don't let that dissuade you from hunting with a Judge, though. Upland game is no match for a well-aimed Judge.)

Self-Defense

If you choose a shotgun for defense, then you want shotshells loaded with one of two types of projectiles: buckshot, or slug.

The Judge, which fires shotshells, is no exception. But here's the thing. While you could load slug ammo in the revolver, I'd argue that you'd be better off going with 45 Colt ammo instead. There are many highly effective 45 Colt self-defense loads on the market, each of which has a bullet that expands to inflict a wide wound channel (as well as reduce the risk of over-penetration that could threaten an innocent bystander).

To that end, try sticking with buckshot shells – or, barring that, specialized shells that are loaded with multiple types of hard-hitting projectiles. A slug is a single projectile. It doesn't deliver a stark performance advangage over a metallic cartridge's bullet. But a buckshot shell? It can inflict multiple wound channels with a single trigger squeeze, as well as increase the chance of striking the target with as less than perfectly aimed shot. It lets your Judge do what makes it so special in the first place: namely, pepper its target with more projectiles than it has chambers.

Training

When buying training ammo, I tend to go with the cheapest stuff I can find. That way, I can shoot more often and not feel bad about blowing through a few boxes.

However, that has backfired on me in the past, because cheap rounds rarely have ballistic performance similar to self-defense ammo. And when I'm training, I want to get as close to a real feel as possible.

Parting Shots

I hope all of that gave you some valuable ammo insights. If you don't want to put any more thought into it, then just go ahead and order yourself some Winchester Defender and be done with it. It's the best shell you can choose for a Judge that you might use for defense.

Written by

Wes Littlefield