The Taurus Judge is a double/single action revolver chambered to fire either .45 long colt or .410 shot shells. Taurus introduced the line of Judge revolvers in 2010, and now offer a variety of models, finishes, barrel and cylinder lengths. As of now, 2016, the Judge is available with either a 2.5″ or a 3″ cylinder, and barrel options include 3″, 4″ and 6.5″. The Public Defender variant is available with a polymer or steel frame, and comes standard with a 2″ barrel and a 2.5″ cylinder. Taurus also collaborates with its partner company Rossi to produce the Taurus/Rossi Circuit Judge Carbine.

The Public Defender has very good ergonomics for a revolver of its size. The hammer, while small, has plenty of texturing and operates very smoothly and positively. The grip consists of a series of rubber ribs, which help to soak up a lot of the recoil of the .410 or .45lc. I personally own a Public Defender Poly, while my father owns the steel frame. I have fired an extensive amount of rounds through both, and the only ergonomic difference I have noticed between them is the cylinder release. The cylinder release on the Poly is flush with the frame, while the steel frame’s release sits on the outside of the frame. The trigger pull in double action is quite heavy, coming in at 11 pounds and 4 ounces. Although it is heavy, the pull is smooth and the break is very clean. Single action comes in at 5 pounds and 4 ounces. The single action pull is extremely short and crisp, making longer shots much easier to land on target.

Reliability of the Public Defender is on par with any other revolver. Revolvers in general are inherently reliable due to their simple design. However, this revolver does have a transfer bar between the hammer and firing pin, which is another part that could potentially fail over time. I personally have not experienced this, and do not expect to in the near future, given the build quality. I have experienced one minor reliability issue, however. Certain .410 shot shells, including .410 handgun loads designed specifically for the Judge, tend to stick in the cylinder, and require a pretty good amount of force to extract. This does vary between ammo brands. It is also worth mentioning that I have had to tighten the cylinder release on my Poly, as the recoil of the .410 worked it loose over time.

When you buy a Judge, you essentially get two guns for the price of one. You get a .45 colt revolver for the range, and a .410 shotgun for home defense. Many Judge owners even choose to carry this revolver. There are several different styles of holsters available, in both left and right hand configuration, as well as IWB/OWB. I did find that the Judge is a bit thick for IWB carry, as a result of the cylinder’s overall girth. There are plenty of ammo offerings on the market designed specifically for the Judge revolvers. Winchester PDX1 and Hornady Critical Defense are both very potent .410 rounds that can be found at just about any store that carries a variety of shotgun shells. However, in my experience, .45 Long Colt has been much harder to find locally.

The aftermarket for the Judge is limited to typical revolver-compatible items. This generally includes, holsters, sights, grips, and speedloaders. Pachmyr’s Diamond Pro grip has been a very popular replacement for the very short grip on the Public Defender. Replacement parts are hard to find from anywhere except directly from Taurus.

The Taurus Judge has quickly become a best seller for Taurus, and for good reason. It has the cool factor, the firepower to back it, and serves many different philosophies of use. It can be a range gun, a carry gun, a truck gun, or a home defense gun. In my opinion, the Judge is a gun that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.

Submit your own reviews. Visit the Review Submission Forum.

As far as ergonomics go, FNH nailed the grip angle. It is good, but not so aggressive to the point where it becomes uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time. The decocker, which can be operated from either side of the pistol, is easily reached without shifting the hand. The magazine release can be swapped to either side, and is easily accessible, but the spring is stout enough to prevent accidental magazine ejections. Being a left handed shooter, these commonly overlooked features are much appreciated. The slide release is well placed, and juts out just far enough to be actuated easily from a neutral grip position. The trigger is about on par with most double/single action pistols on the market. Double action is heavy, but smooth and consistent. Single action is quite light, with a bit of take up, and a hair of over travel. My main gripe with the trigger is that it has a very unpredictable break, making it a little difficult to shoot the pistol accurately at longer ranges. The sights are basic, but work quite well. The FNP-9 utilizes the tried and true 3 dot sight arrangement, which allows for quick target acquisition.

I have had zero reliability issues with this pistol. I have fired several brands of 9mm through the FNH, including both steel case and brass case ammunition with flawless reliability. The only issue I have ever had was a failure to feed, due to my middle finger depressing the mag release, resulting in the magazine dropping down a few centimeters in the mag well. This was partially my fault, as I was shooting left handed, but I had not swapped the magazine release to the proper side.

The possibilities are endless with the FNH. It is a lightweight, full sized, polymer frame, double stack 9mm that can fill just about any possible role. It is small enough to carry concealed under a jacket, but large enough to provide a stable firing platform. This pistol can be found in a few configurations, including decocker only, or a safety/decocker similar to the HK USP. This pistol can also be found in a number of different color/finish combinations.

Magazines can be hard to find for the FNP-9, and they aren’t exactly cheap. My particular pistol came with California compliant 10 round magazines, but I have been reluctant to replace them with the proper capacity 16 rounders due to the fact that the factory magazines cost around $40 a piece. I have not been able to find third-party magazines for this pistol either. Replacement parts are hard to find, and purpose made holsters are also hard to come by.

The going rate for the FNP-9 on the used market is around $500-$600. This is an absolute steal when comparing to other single/double action pistols of similar specs, the most direct comparison being the Sig Sauer P226, which sells for $900 and up depending on the configuration. The functionality is similar,  but the most noticeable difference is the trigger.

All in all, the FNP-9 is a great contender for those searching for a single/double action 9mm. It would serve well as a “poor man’s P226” of sorts, and that is the very reason it will remain in my collection for many years to come.

Submit your own reviews. Visit the Review Submission Forum.

As far as appearance goes, I find the STG-556 to be quite an attractive piece. It is quite obvious that this rifle draws inspiration from the Steyr AUG, although most parts are not compatible between the two.

Being a southpaw, I was most attracted to the MSAR due to its ambidextrous design. I was disappointed however, to discover that this bullpup needs a left handed bolt in order for a lefty to comfortably shoot without catching brass to the teeth. After installing the left handed bolt, the ejection port cover can easily be swapped to the opposite side.

Due to the fact that MSAR closed up shop last year, parts are hard to come by. A company by the name of RatWorx does produce left handed bolts and other replacement MSAR parts, but they produce them in limited quantities and at $125, they aren’t exactly cheap. I phoned RatWorx to inquire about their left handed bolts, and they informed me that they were currently producing a batch, and it would be a few weeks until they would be up for sale on the site. For the time being, I have been using a Manticore Arms Brass Buster, a snap-on brass deflector for off-hand shooting.

Although most parts for the STG-556 are on the pricier side, I was able to find 42 round magazines for $18.99 at CDNN Sports. I did a bit of research hoping to find out if AUG magazines would function in the MSAR, however I found conflicting reports. Some said they function flawlessly, some said the magazine won’t even seat fully in the magwell.

One of the STG-556’s best features in my opinion, is the quick change barrel. Simply depress the lever on the left of the foregrip, rotate the barrel counter-clockwise, and out it comes. Takedown is just as easy, there is a self-retaining pin just in front of the magwell which holds the stock and forend together. Once this pin is pushed through, the stock and forend separate, allowing the bolt carrier group to be removed. The trigger group is easily accessed by removing the buttplate retaining pin, removing the buttplate, and sliding the trigger group out the rear of the stock.

The STG-556 features a non-reciprocating charging handle mounted on the left side, on the fore end of the receiver. I ended up swapping the stock charging handle for a Manticore Arms Raptor charging handle, as I found myself scraping my knuckles against the picatinny rail atop the receiver. The Raptor both extends the charging handle, and modifies the angle, making it possible for the shooter to get two fingers on the charging handle, and avoid busting knuckles on the rail.

Although the STG-556 has its flaws, it certainly shines when it comes to ergonomics. I found the length of pull to be perfect for me, the stock is supremely comfortable, and the integrated folding foregrip is a huge plus for me personally, but the lack of a real forend limits your options when it comes to grip techniques, (sorry, Chris Costa!). The recoil impulse is like nothing I’ve ever fired. You hear and feel the muzzle blast of the 5.56, but there is so little felt recoil, and no muzzle rise. Follow-up shots are effortless.

I tend to view guns like this the same way I view exotic cars. They are expensive to buy and maintain, but the experience is well worth it.

Submit your own reviews. Visit the Review Submission Forum.