Ok, the .410 may not be the best defensive round to ever come down the pike. I would have never bought one of my own accord, but my late father in law wanted one which we gave him for Christmas a few years back. I have since inherited it along with all his other guns. Now, you would tell me that this revolver, which spits out 4 triple ought buck at a time is ineffective at the range of a few feet. It's been a few years since I've shot the Judge (2.5" cylinder, 3" barrel), but I distinctly remember seeing a very tight pattern at 10-15', and having the distinct feeling that I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that weapon. My thought is that any shot size smaller than BB is probably a no go except for snakes. Not sure how good it would be on snakes from a safe distance. Never tried any bird shot in it. I have some .45 Colt ammo for it, but I have better choices in that caliber for self defense. My question is, how many of the bashers have actually fired on of these guns? I have other guns on my nightstand as well, but the Judge might be my first choice in the event of an invasion. I don't have room on my nightstand for the riot gun or an AR. Both are available to repel boarders, but there are logistics that need to be overcome.