I have a new Gov in scandium silver on the way I think it will make a good ATV and truck gun . I live out so I have a gun on most of the time . I think it will fill this role , do you ?????????? . I had a blue one and traded for a WW2 45

Pics please.
I think it will work fine as it's capable of filling different roles. But probably not as well as something for a specific role. If you've read many post on this subject, you will find it's a love/hate thing. I had the black version but sold to a bud that wanted it more than I did. If I run across another deal on one, I'd buy it.
Did I mention we like pics and range report if possible???
ETA:
I spent more time and effort finding the preferred shotshells and holster than anything.

I will get the Desantis open top leather holster rig , was looking at Kydex also . I have been picking Rem number 6 shot , and Fed buck the cheap Win stuff with the low silver base seems to stick in most shot guns so I will stay away from it .

I’d get the shells made specifically for a handgun. The long barrel loads don’t seem to perform as well from a handgun.
Good luck with your Governor

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I told you not to use Lifebuoy

I just picked this to night . will lube and take out on Sat .

I'm sure that someone will be along shortly to inform you of just how worthless it is while unironically admitting that they've never shot one, bonus points if they link to decade-old slated articles/ammo tests and/or refer to it as a toy/doorstop/paperweight/etc.

However, rest assured that their opinion on the matter is every bit as valid as you'd expect.

The S&W Governor is a fine gun so long as you're aware of its obvious limitations and don't attempt to work it into a specialist role despite the fact that it's clearly a generalist firearm.
It's an excellent multi-purpose firearm for Home Defense, Vehicle Defense, and Wilderness Carry.

.45 Long Colt is a legendary round which has remained relevant since 1873 for good reason. Designed for cavalry use, it wasn't strictly designed as a man-stopper, but also to drop horses as well, and with a 255gr hardcast SWC it will easily make short work of anything in North America.
.410 Bore shotshells, while obviously smaller and less powerful than 20 Gauge or 12 Gauge, is still capable of delivering a barrage of four .36cal/9mm projectiles per trigger pull, and with enough power to penetrate up to 17" in Ballistics Gel out of a handgun.
In other words, it's definitely effective, regardless of what the haters say.

The best advice I can give you as an owner of a Taurus Judge, (which served as the basis for the Governor) is to only use 000 buckshot for Self-Defense against anything larger than a snake, favor specialty .410 loads designed specifically for handguns, and avoid shooting overpressure .45LC ammo out of it.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I thought on this gun for a while and have other L frames and old Smith 27`s Ruger but this seemed like it would fill a niche . I picked up some Win PDX 410 stuff and some fact Cowboy 45 Colt stuff 250 gr stuff . I did not need this but wanted it I guess . That 45 Colt stuff is a slug, it would get the job done .

I love mine. It's an intimidating form factor. Having one pointed at you, with whatever the gun is loaded with, would certainly give one pause.

It shoots just fine.

Unless used for a snake gun, I would never use it for hunting though.

Here's the point where someone usually comes in just to say that any gun pointed at you would be intimidating, as if you were saying that ONLY a Governor could be intimidating.
Bonus points if they completely overdo it and make themselves look cowardly in the process by making an absurd comment like; "I'd be intimidated by a squirt gun if it were pointed at me!"

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I know what he meant , that getting a look from this things business end would make you think . I have rattle snakes around in the summer and Copper heads , blk snakes . and I do not kill every time I see one most encounters are up on the ridge and mountain and I look and keep going . when I worked up on the gas well jobs I saw big fat Rattle snakes every day . No man walked for hundred years up in some of those places .

What's not to like?

A wheel gun that can fire 45ACP, 45 LC, and 410 2.5"

I swapped out the grips on mine and put a Hogue Monogrip on it. Mine came with a tiny set of Laser grips

On occasion I’ve contemplated getting a governor, but couldn’t get past the novelty aspect. A jack of all trades, master of none. I decided carrying a Mountain Gun in .45 Colt or .44 mag with a mix of HP, solid lead bullets and CCI shot shells would give me more flexibility in the woods. That said I’d still buy or trade into one if the price made sense.

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213th FBINA

CH4 that is how I looked at , I can load up a 686 4in or a 28 the same combo . but I got the Gov any way . I like the idea of different grips ,might put Hogue on it .

The S&W Governor is an interesting Concept. Very effective Revolver.

The Racoons Skucks Squirrels Gophers would enjoy it. The .410
would work great in confinds of the Grainaries.

The .45 if need be could take a Deer, or occasional incurable sick/injuried
Farm Animal.

Would be fun for plinking tin cans and paper targets.

Would work just fine out at the Farm.

Attached Images

Smile.JPG (42.5 KB, 38 views)

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SD social distanc'n since 1889

While it most certainly is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none has always struck me as a bit of an overstatement, because while it isn't the best for specialist roles, as a generalist firearm it is arguably the best. So in a sense, it's the master of being a jack-of-all-trades, because all of the things that it can do it does very well. Not the best, but extremely well, nonetheless.

Honestly, not to put down the Model 29 or 25 Mountain Gun, which are obviously excellent firearms, but I would honestly choose the Governor over either of them for Wilderness Carry.
While the Governor obviously won't be quite as accurate as the 29 or 25 Mountain Gun due to the shallow rifling, shorter barrel, and the freebore provided by the distance between the bullet and the forcing cone in the cylinder, the loss in accuracy honestly isn't nearly as substantial as some theorize, not enough to matter for defensive use anyway. Besides, the utility of being able to chamber and fire 3 different cartridges more than makes up for it.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I was hitting every thing I aimed at so far , 10 20 yards or so . I could hit a bad guy at 50 with the 45 stuff . I shoot all the time . some days I hit good some not so good . its a good all around gun for our trips up Northern Potter and the mountains around here . I will play with it for a while so what works . Thanks for all the input . . I will also try 45 rim when I see it again .

I have a few box of 45 gap gold DOT that snaps right on the moon clips , Can I ???????

Be sure and read the owner's manual again on ammunition compatibility. .45 Auto Rim SHOULD NOT be fired in the S&W Governor.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

Governor will not take 45 auto rim. But I love it with 45 colt,acp and 410 shells. Great snake gun with 410 and 45 colt and acp make it good for 4 and 2 legged varmits.

Shouldn't. That's the key. If enough end shake were present on a worn gun, maybe...

Best to just follow along with the warnings on pg. 9 and 11.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

Got it on the 45 rim , I didn't read the book yet . just a idea what about 45 Gap they look good in the moon clips . what do ya think ????????

about the 45 auto rim, the GOV cylinder is not rebated to accept that cartridge, just as you cannot use half moon (3 cartridge) clips

about 45 gap, as i read it the pressure is equal to a 45 acp +p so that shouldn't stop you but being shorter than an ACP round i'd expect a larger drop in fps and accuracy compared to the 45 ACP

I just have a box of 50 Gold DOT and a box of speer FMJ GAP stuff from a G/37 I use to have .

Not sure if 45GAP will work but if they clip up, they just might???
Let us know what you find.
I stated if I found another deal I’d buy it. Bought this last Friday from original buyer and reportedly he didn’t fire it but was selling to purchase a new python. Regardless I gave him $500...

I have a rancher friend that swears by the Governor and says it is the finest farm and ranch gun ever invented and he is an old Colt SAA guy.

There is an excellent Hickok45 video on the various types of ammo for these guns—I believe he uses a Judge in the video. You should watch if you haven’t. These guns are wicked with 00 and 000 buck, PDX Ammo, etc. Frankly the 7 1/2 low brass field loads looked pretty devastating to me at close range.

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Possum—The other white meat!

Jack you got a nice one there. I like the big ammo selection I get with this and I can carry this well in the Desantis leather open top if I want , not a problem . I saw E bay had some nice kydex but I chose leather .I have some Gap ammo I will let you know how it works , if it goes bang good deal then its gone .

$500 is an excellent price for a Governor. I paid like $468 OTD for my Taurus Judge Magnum. I actually considered the Governor over the Judge, but it cost roughly twice as much, and could only chamber 2.5" shells whereas the Judge Magnum can chamber 3" shells.
However, if my LGS had a Like New Governor for $500, then I would have bought it instead without a second thought.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

You got a good buy on your Gov , mine is the silver one was 700 bucks , I was going to get a 4 in Python , but this gun will work better for a ATV gun and truck gun plus I have some other 4 in 357 guns .

The Desantis speed scab open top blk leather is a perfect combo for this gun , you forget its there , real nice rig for 50 some bucks .

I ran some of my 45 GAP Gold DOT ammo I had , it was very accurate at 10 to 25 yard , it would have gave a bad guy a bad day . I have around two box of it I will just blast away til its gone but it would get the job done .

If you read around enough, you may observe that most of the Governor haters dislike the pistol because for most of the uses they envision a particular pistol is good for, there is a specific pistol best for a specific task. I bought a Governor when they were $700+ but I bought it for its uniqueness, the Scandium alloy frame, the ability to also shoot .45 acp as well as .45 Colt (I reload for both) and the bonus of shotshells. It is large, but then it has to be to accommodate the use of shotshells. It also holds six rounds as opposed to the Judge's five. It is fun to shoot and I do not feel under gunned in the woods with a cylinder full of Buffalo Bore, 45 Colt, standard pressure heavy 255 grain hard cast, gas checked bullets.

I agree its the all around gun . The 45 GAP was right on . but I shoot about all of it to get rid of it . That Desantis open top hide the Gov well .

Where are the pics??? (gun, holster, targets, etc)

I ran some Fed 410 Handgun hi base number 4 shot today and seemed to have a pretty good punch better than some I tried and also 45 Colt Cowboy that was kind of mild but was a real tac driver for this type gun . I like it .

I enjoy mine, the first was the blued version then I bought the silver mainly because I like how it looked. Here's a YouTube video I made with it years ago.YouTube