Disassembly and Reassembly of Taurus’ “The Judge” Revolver

Once in awhile an existing revolver design with a fine track record takes anew turn that gets me excited. Smith & Wesson did that when they introduced the 500, Colt did it with the Python, Ruger has done it more than once, and now Taurus-USA has joined that list with "The Judge." The Judge, in my opinion, combines a ton of versatility with an unusual combination of awesome firepower and terrorizing flame.

The flame I’m referring to is what spews from its 3-inch barrel, and it doesn’t spew much less fire from the 6-1/2inch barrel on the model I received for this article. By the time you read this, this stainless-steel handgun will have changed a bit, but only for the better. Beginning in late 2007, it will be produced with a titanium cylinder and an aluminum-alloy frame with a stainless barrel insert. This will lighten its present weight of 39 ounces.

The cylinder carries six rounds in any combination of 2-1/ 2-inch .410 gauge and .45 Long Colt. A 2-1/2-inch .410 packs three tripleought bucks, while the Long Colt pushes out a 350-grain slug. Not enough? The Judge is available with a 3-inch cylinder. Each 3-inch .410 hull holds five triple-ought buckshots. That’s the equivalent of five 9mm lead balls leaving the barrel in a big hurry. Or, figured another way, that’s a total of 30 9mm slugs when all chambers are charged with .410.

Scatter a couple of Long Colts in between and you’re holding a major distraction’and the potential for major devastation’in your hand. And for minor annoyances, you can tone down the devastation with something far less lethal but still highly discouraging by loading .410s with up to 68 pellets of #4 shot. That would probably be enough to chase a "pesky wabbit" out of your vegetable garden.

Step-By-Step Disassembly An article on the Taurus .454 "Raging Bull" appeared in the January 02 issue. (I’m told that reprints of that issue are no longer available.) Since all Taurus revolvers, including The Judge, are disassembled in a similar manner, if you have a copy of that issue, you can consider what follows to be a refresher course.

If, however, you’ve joined us since the raging Bull article appeared, you’ll want to keep this issue in your permanent reference files, as it will apply to other Taurus revolvers. Once you’re certain the revolver is unloaded, the first item you’ll want off the gun is the grip (#51). This is a tight-fitting wrap-around piece of rubber held to the grip frame by a single screw (#52). Merely backing out that screw will gain you nothing, particularly with anew gun.

On those, after removing the screw, firmly grasp the grip and pivot it back and forth while tugging it backward. Soon and suddenly it will part from the frame. The yoke-retaining screw (#47) is located forward-most in the sideplate (#46). Within the screw and removed To reduce the total weight, a future version will feature a titanium cylinder, an aluminumalloy frame, and a stainless-steel barrel insert.

4 In this form, the gun can be thoroughly cleaned and lubricated. with it are the yoke-retaining pin spring (#48) and pin (#49). Keep the yoke screw apart from the other two sideplate screws (#50) when you take them out next. There’s a rawhide mallet shown in an accompanying photo. Grab the barrel of the gun tightly and smack the grip frame with the mallet on the opposite side from the plate. If the plate fails to move or moves only slightly, resist the temptation to pry it off.

Get a tighter grip on the barrel and whack the thumb piece. If the plate doesn’t fall off, it will probably separate from the frame enough for you to get a fingertip under it. Push it rearward and lift it away. Be careful with your fingertip, however; with the possible exception of a razor blade, nothing can slash up a digit like the edges of a revolver’s sideplate. Now open the cylinder and tap it towards the muzzle until you can pull 3 2 1 it and the yoke assembly out as a unit. Set this aside until later.

Do you see that paper clip in the photo with the mallet? It’s magic. Straighten it out and put a 1/4-inchlong 90-degree bend in one end. Pull the thumb piece to the rear, cock the hammer, and keep your eyes peeled for a hole to reveal itself in the bottom of the mainspring center pin (#41). The bent end of the paper clip goes in that hole. Move the hammer to its forward (fired) position. Before you lift out the mainspring assembly (#41, 42, and 43) study how it fits into the grip frame.

The front latch (B) is key to the positive lockup of a Taurus. The spring and pin might pop loose right about now. If they don’t, fish them out and make sure you’ll be able to find them when you get around to reassembly. The hand (#45) is attached to the rear of the trigger assembly (#33, 34, and 35). Swing it back through its frame slot and lift out the assembly. Take sometime now to examine the sear (#29) and hammer (#24) engagement with the hammer at rest. Do the same with the hammer cocked.

Don’t give up the examination until you’ve burned a picture of those relationships into your brain (or taken a photo with your digital camera). After that, pull the trigger just enough to gain some "play" with the hammer so you can lift it off its frame stud. Leave the sear assembly (#29, 30, and 31) on the hammer. Doing trigger work on a Taurus is every bit as demanding as it is with an S&W.

You don’t mess with the sear/trigger engagement without a precise road map and a few years of experience doing it successfully. For those of you interested in acquiring such a road map, it appears in Jerry Kuhnhausen’s Shop Manuals for Smith & Wesson Revolvers (available from Brownells). Fortunately, adjustments that can safely be made on Smiths are similar enough to apply to Taurus revolvers, so Jerry’s instructions can be applied to either.

Now pull the trigger until you can see the hole in the end of the triggerspring center pin (#37). Put a 1/4-inch long 90-degree bend in the other end of the paper clip, and insert it into that hole. With long-nose pliers (preferably with the jaws padded with duct tape), pull the trigger-spring swivel (#39) from the frame. See what you’ve gone and done? You have a paper clip with a mainspring assembly trapped B A

The revolver in this article is identical except for its 6-1/2-inch barrel. on one end and a trigger-spring assembly captured on the other. Leave it as is to prevent loss of the parts. The trigger assembly (#35) can be prepped for removal from its frame pivot with some wiggling. Once the assembly’s out of the way, push the cylinder stop (#44) down and out of its lower frame slot. Turn the frame over. Remove the thumb-piece screw (#18) and the thumbpiece (#17).

Usually, the cylinder bolt (#22) and its spring (#23) will drop out now, but if they don’t, turn the frame over once more and help them on their way. Above where the bolt used to be is the firing-pin retaining pin (#21). Gently drift it left to right until you can pinch it between the tips of your long-nose pliers and pull it clear. This will give you access to the firing pin (#19) and its spring (#20). Let’s go back to the cylinder/yoke group.

The cylinderstop plunger and spring (#12) should Ruger "The Judge" .410/.45 LC Revolver (Specifications subject to change without notice) 1 Extractor 2 Cylinder Retaining Bushing 3 Center Pin 4 Center Pin Spring 5 Extractor Spring 6 Extractor Rod Collar 7 Extractor Rod Spring 8 Cylinder (includes #1, 2) 9 Yoke 10 Front Latch 11 Front Latch Spring 12 Cylinder Stop Plunger w/Spring 13 Front Latch Pin 14 Extractor Rod 15 Barrel 16 Frame 17 Thumb Piece 18 Thumb Piece Screw 19 Firing Pin 20 Firing Pin Spring 21 Firing Pin Retaining Pin 22 Bolt 23 Bolt Spring 24 Hammer Assembly (#24 thru 31) 25 Key Lock 26 Key Lock Spring 27 Key Lock Ball 28 Key Lock Pin 29 Sear 30 Sear Spring 31 Sear Pin 32 Transfer Bar 33 Hand Spring 34 Hand Pin 35 Trigger Assembly (#33, 34) 36 Trigger Spring Assembly (#37, 38, 39) 37 Trigger Spring Center Pin 38 Trigger Spring 39 Trigger Spring Swivel 40 Main Spring Assembly (#41, 42, 43) 41 Main Spring Center Pin 42 Main Spring 43 Main Spring Plate 44 Cylinder Stop 45 Hand 46 Sideplate 47 Yoke Screw (includes #48, 49) 48 Yoke Retaining Pin Spring 49 Yoke Retaining Pin 50 Side Plate Screw (2) 51 Rubber Grip 52 Grip Screw 53 Rear Sight Assembly (#53, 54, 55, if present) 54 Rear Sight Spring 55 Rear Sight Pin 56 Front Sight 57 Front Sight Pin 58 Stock Pin (if present) 60 Firing Pin Bushing 61 Center Pin Bushing 63 Rear Sight Screw 69 Cylinder Distance Bushing

be pulled from the lower yoke barrel. Fingertips will do. On the upper surface of the yoke (where the extractor rod enters), you’ll note a protrusion. This is a vital contributor to the positive lockup of a Taurus revolver. The front latch (#10) is tensioned by its spring (#11) and retained by its pin (#13). If part replacement is needed for any reason, remember that part #13 is a roll pin, and requires the use of a roll-pin punch to drift it out. The two remaining plate screws (B) are next.

Like all sideplates, this one has edges as sharp as a straight razor. Secure the cylinder in a padded vise with the extractor rod extending to the right. Add a couple layers of padding to the jaws of a pair of pliers and trap the extractor rod between them. Turn the rod clockwise until you can back it out all the way with your fingers. The extractor star (#1) will be freed up by this and can be pulled from the cylinder.

You can separate the yoke from the cylinder without much trouble’but with some The S&W employs a rebound design that rides on the frame aft of the trigger. degree of caution. Tap the end of the lower yoke barrel with a wooden dowel or tool handle to start it away from the front of the cylinder. Once you’ve completely cleared the yoke from the cylinder, remove the extractor spring (#5) and its collar (#6) from the upper yoke barrel.

Oh, I almost forgot: When you pulled the extractor star, the center pin (#3) and its spring (#4) may have stayed at home. In that case, carefully tap them to the front and out of the cylinder. The rod of the extractor star in The Judge has no groove. That tells you the retaining bushing (#2) is a press fit. It stays in the cylinder. If there were a groove, the bushing could be drifted out to the rear. Since The Judge is not a target gun, it has no adjustable rear sight.

That doesn’t mean there won’t someday be a Judge equipped with an adjustable sight for paper busting or for silhouettes. But thus far, there isn’t. If and when there is, it will probably remove like all Taurus factory adjustable sights: Turn in the elevation screw (continued on page 21)

until you can turn it no more, drift the sight-retaining pin right to left with a 1/16-inch punch, back out the elevation screw, and remove the sight and its spring. Reassembly Tips/Conclusions Pick up the magic paper clip with its assorted parts attached. Pull the trigger to the rear a little, insert the center pin into it and the trigger-spring swivel into its left side frame hole. When you pull the trigger back farther, you can detach the paper clip and release the trigger forward under spring pressure.

Set the paper clip aside but close at hand. You’re not through with it yet. Close the cylinder. Center the hammer over its frame stud and wiggle it down into place. Reach for the magic clip. After seating the mainspring plate (#43) into its grip-frame slot, steer the center pin into its recess in the rear of the hammer. Draw the hammer to the rear, pull the pin, and ease the hammer forward.

Use your fingers to hold the hammer and trigger in place while you cycle the revolver a few times to confirm everything is working smoothly. It’s better to discover a goof now than after the sideplate has been screwed back on. Ah yes, the sideplate. The upper edge of it nearest the hammer has a small flange. This flange has to be the first part of the plate to be fitted back into the frame before the plate is lowered over all three of its rear screw holes and tapped down flush.

Introduce the flange to the frame at an angle. If you do it properly, you’ll meet no resistance when the plate is lowered. Do it improperly and use force, and I guarantee you’ll damage the plate. Though this Judge is all stainless steel, it is destined to be replaced by a model with a titanium cylinder and aluminum-alloy frame. My advice to you is: Never attempt or accept the job of removing a barrel from a Taurus with a barrel insert. The insert is steel; what it’s attached to isn’t. You’ll end up with wreckage.

Also, be careful if you ever take in more than one Taurus wheelgun of the same caliber simultaneously. They’ll each have a numbered frame, sideplate, and yoke. Get these numbered parts of same caliber guns mixed up in your shop and you’ll never get the guns back together. Finally, while there are no dedicated numbers on the extractor star and cylinder, they have been happily married at the factory and cannot be parted. If it’s necessary to replace either, you’ll have to replace both with another happy couple. I