I don't own a S&W Governor, but I do own a Taurus Judge Magnum which serves as my bedside Home Defense firearm. (I would have gotten a Governor, but sadly S&W doesn't offer a "Magnum" variant with a 3" Cylinder.)

Anyone who calls the Judge or Governor a gimmick or a novelty hasn't seen what they can do when loaded with proper ammo like Federal Premium .410 Handgun 000 Buck...


No other handgun can launch 4 (5 in 3" shells) 9mm/.36 caliber projectiles in a tight pattern with each pull of the trigger for a grand total of 24 (20 out of the Judge, 25 out of the Judge Magnum in 3" shells) with a full cylinder dump.
That's why I always laugh at the Mall Ninjas who try to put down the Judge/Governor by arguing that 5 rounds is insufficient and that a double stack semiautomatic pistol is better. You can't put out that many projectiles anywhere near as fast as you can with a Judge/Governor, much less hope to equal the odds of a one shot stop.