I have to send my Taurus Judge "Public defender" in for repair :(

badazzelanore · Dec 30, 2009

I have fired 41 rounds through it, 1 .45 colt hollow point, 20 bird shot and 20 000 buck.

The problem is that it doesnt fire every time I pull the trigger... It spins but the firing pin doesnt seem to be making contace every time.

Do any of yall know what could be the problem so I can describe it to taurus?

nwo · Dec 30, 2009

Transfer bar malfunction? That would be my guess.

jordanvraptor · Dec 31, 2009

Does it make any impression on the primer at all when it does not fire a round? If it makes an impression it may be the firing pin partially broke or was out of spec. Also, number the chambers and see if it happens on any specific chamber or randomly. A chamber may have been made out of specification. As stated, the transfer bar system may also be at fault. When or if you send it to Taurus, send it with return receipt requested. Keep all documentation and receipts. I sent back a slide and they lost it. I had to prove they received it. Turns out they had it and sent it back to me and I ended up with two slides after they fixed the pistol. On a positive note, I have a Taurus 94 revolver that I absolutely love and never had any problems with so I won't do a total bash on Taurus.

DootyBeet · Dec 31, 2009

Wow!, I too have sent my Taurus in for almost the same issue. One of the cylinders will not fire a .45, but will fire the .410 shell. I switched ammo to rule out that possiblilty. I did notice a small machining error in the ejector star on that cylinder (using a magnafying glass) and noted that in the narrative when I sent it in. They've had it for 4 weeks but the tracking still shows it as waiting for repair. I'd bet they are short staffed during holiday season.
Taurus has an excellent warranty service so I am not concerned with getting it back correctly fixed. But, now that I see your post, perhaps it's possible this is a systemic issue with design or manufacturing process.

badazzelanore · Dec 31, 2009

seems to be a known flaw on taurus forums.

badazzelanore · Dec 31, 2009

Dooty,

Did you go off of the Taurus website? How did you ship it back to Taurus? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

DootyBeet · Jan 1, 2010

Yes, I used the information from their website and shipped it FedEx to Florida. (Insured, of course) Follow the instructions with all the infomation needed and they ask for a narrative decribing the problem. If the firearm has not been abused or damaged, they repair it for free. When they received it they sent an email stating so. (I also watched the FedEx tracking to make sure it arrived) You can then track the progress of the repair online. Mine says waiting for repair and it's been about 4 weeks. Good luck to you. Keep us informed as to what transpires.

badazzelanore · Jan 3, 2010

I just sold it back to the origional owner since he came into some money over the Christmas Holiday. He is well aware of the issue and was more than Happy to have it back. Thanks for the help.

DootyBeet · Jan 22, 2010

Update: I've received my 'Judge' back from Taurus. It appears they replaced the extractor star and it looks new. The cylinder may be new as well or re-machined. I've loaded and cleared a couple of times and seems smooth but have not taking it to range to fire. Hopefully this weekend.
The tag shipped with the gun just says, "adjusted"

Tom S. · Jan 23, 2010

DootyBeet said:
Update: I've received my 'Judge' back from Taurus. It appears they replaced the extractor star and it looks new. The cylinder may be new as well or re-machined. I've loaded and cleared a couple of times and seems smooth but have not taking it to range to fire. Hopefully this weekend.
The tag shipped with the gun just says, "adjusted"

Looking forward to your next report. Good luck.

badazzelanore said:
seems to be a known flaw on taurus forums.

Got a favorite Taurus forum? Post a link, please.

Taurus 617 CCW · Jan 23, 2010

I repaired a Taurus Judge for a guy last year. Between cylinders 4 and 5 it would bind up when you pulled the trigger or hammer. It turned out to be a couple of problems that were compounding the problem. At the forward end of the cylinder on the inside there was a massive burr left from the machining process that was causing the cylinder to bind. They also didn't polish the ejector rod tube or inside of the cylinder so it was operating very rough.

Foureyes · Jan 23, 2010

Just out of curiosity, as I have been looking at the Judge, how are they to shoot? The grip seems kind of small, which is one reason I haven't looked to seriously. Overall how would you rate them?

DootyBeet · Jan 25, 2010

I took it out yesterday and fired 20, .45's and 20, 410's.
She works good, never a FTF.
On 410's through you can't eject with just the push of the rod, you still need to hand pull out the spent shotgun shells. Would be a problem with a required fast reload.
I don't think this is a gun problem but a condition of shotshell in the chamber expanding.
The 45 colts fully eject. I'm convinced they replace the 'star' ejector and perhaps the entire cylinder.
I now have a fully functioning Judge.

Tyler is the Jury · Mar 18, 2013

DootyBeet said:
I took it out yesterday and fired 20, .45's and 20, 410's.
She works good, never a FTF.
On 410's through you can't eject with just the push of the rod, you still need to hand pull out the spent shotgun shells. Would be a problem with a required fast reload.
I don't think this is a gun problem but a condition of shotshell in the chamber expanding.
The 45 colts fully eject. I'm convinced they replace the 'star' ejector and perhaps the entire cylinder.
I now have a fully functioning Judge.

Hmm I purchased a judge on the 15th of this month, I did a lot of research on the weapon before i bought it and found that many people say the same thing about the ejector star but mine has no problem ejecting rounds that have been fired (Either the .45 colt nor the shotgun shells) I've shot #7 1/2 bird shot, # 4 bird shot, Rifled slugs, Colt .45, PDX1's , and 000 buck without any issues with the ejector. That being said when i first received my judge the ejector rod was rough and stuck when i pushed it, so i put some rem oil in both sides and my ejector rod works great now, I have had nothing but a great experience with my first gun ever The judge, Now you know why Tyler is the jury!