Low prices on the Rossi Curcuit Judge start at Champion Firearms- The Circuit Judge is pretty much a Taurus Judge handgun outfitted with a buttstock and longer barrel. Since Taurus ownes Rossi, the Circuit Judge was a natural fit into Rossi's aleady outstanding long-gun lineup. The Circuit Judge was not designed purely for self defense, but also as a hunting weapon.
Revolving carbines are nothing new. Since the introduction of the revolver, people have been putting buttstocks on them. What has kept the concept from being more popular is the fact that, if not held properly, the hot gasses escaping from the cylinder gap can injure the shooter. Conventional revolving carbines should be gripped like a handgun, with both hands on the pistol grip to prevent serious burns to the shooter’s forearm. Taurus has solved this problem by placing gas deflector shields on the Circuit Judge. The cylinder gap on the Circuit Judge is also held to tighter tolerances, which contributes to the lack of flash at the cylinder gap.
The Circuit Judge offers versatility. A pump or semi-automatic 410 shotgun cannot readily cycle .45LC ammunition, where the Circuit Judge can. Moreover, loading, reloading or unloading the cylinder on a Circuit Judge is much simpler and faster than the magazine tube on a traditional shotgun. For small game and bird hunting, the Circuit Judge has a choke pattern sufficient for shots up to 25- yards. When hunting of migratory birds such as dove, the weapon comes with a double plug, limiting the capacity of the cylinder to the required three shells. In addition, the Circuit Judge displays excellent accuracy when firing defensive or hunting .45LC cartridges at shorter distances-- capable of holding 1' groups at 50- yards.
The muzzle is fitted with tubes for greater cartridge diversity, depending upon the load being fired. Even though they appear to be traditional choke tubes, they are anything but. The smoothbore tube is a thread protector for use with solid-bullet 45 Colt ammunition. The other tube has straight rifling and does not cause the shot column to constrict, but rather is designed to stop the shot load from spinning when using 410 shotshells. This makes the shot pattern tighter.
The buttstock on the Circuit Judge has a high comb, for better use with the fiber-optic sights or scopes. The pistol grip is very comfortable. The forend is of a semi-beavertail style, and is easy to grip and comfortable to use. Sling loops are provided to accommodate a one-inch sling. A Weaver-type scope mount is also provided. The Circuit Judge has a three inch cylinder, and can shoot any 410 shotshells, whether shot or slug. Please Note: only standard pressure 45 Colt ammunition should be fired through the Circuit Judge and it is NOT RATED for any of the 45 Colt Magnum type ammo available on the market.
