The Taurus "Judge" 3" Magnum
This is the pistol I have chosen for home defense. The "Judge" can fire either .45 cal. Long Colt cartridges or .410 3" shotshells, preferably loaded with either 00 or 000 buckshot. It will also accomodate 2˝" shotshells, of course. Being a 5-shot revolver, it can accomodate mixed loads of Long Colt cartridges and .410 shotshells, if desired.
The 3" .410 shotshell holds either 3 #000 or 4 #00 pellets. The #00 pellet is 0.32" (8mm.) in diameter, and the #000 pellet is ~0.35" (~9mm.) in diameter. I suspect that these loads have more stopping power than a .45 Long Colt.
The Judge 3" Magnum is available with either a 3" or a 6" barrel . With the 6" barrel, it is about 13" long, which I consider very unwieldy. I bought the one with the 3" barrel. Remember that the chambers of the cylinder are 3" deep.
Therefore, when shooting the .45 Long Colt cartridge one has an effective barrel length, counting the chamber, of nearly 5˝ inches.
Of course, the important question is "How is it to shoot ?" When shooting .45 Long Colt, it must be held with both hands or God only knows what you'll hit.
At 30 feet, I got everything within the 7-ring and two rounds within the 9-ring
This is less a reflection on the pistol than on me. I don't claim to be a very good pistol shot.
With the 3" .410 shotshells, the recoil is fierce. At around 25 feet, I got most of the pellets inside the paper. A younger and stronger man could probably do much better. Surely, even with me at the trigger, an intruder would find the number of perforations in his epidermis most disconcerting !
Like all Taurus pistols, this one is made in Brazil. It sells for about $530.