Bill In Texas
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Congrats Thomasino!
S&W GOVERNOR
- Thread starter Thomasino
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Thomasino
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Unfortunately I had to send back the governor today to Smith & Wesson for repairs. Even though I changed out the strange screw and got it to work I wanted Smith to give it their blessing. So I removed the strain screw I put in and put back the stock screw and send it back to Smith & Wesson today. I have been doing some research online and there are other cases of the governor having misfires due to light strikes and those owners sent theirs back to Smith & Wesson as well and got new firing pins put in them. I could do all that if I wanted to but I thought I would make Smith & Wesson do it and give it the once-over as well.
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silversnake
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Oh good, another Governor thread... if only I had a gif of someone eating popcorn 
My opinion - there is nothing wrong with the gun. What I've never understood is the large number of people who want to load it with .410 rounds for self defense. I wouldn't use a .410 shotgun for home defense and the ballistics don't get any better out of a 2.75" barrel. If I owned one I'd use .45 Colt or ACP and save the .410s for pest control.
My opinion - there is nothing wrong with the gun. What I've never understood is the large number of people who want to load it with .410 rounds for self defense. I wouldn't use a .410 shotgun for home defense and the ballistics don't get any better out of a 2.75" barrel. If I owned one I'd use .45 Colt or ACP and save the .410s for pest control.
comiskeybum
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The exception, in my view, is the triple defense stuff. That .41 Cal slug consistently penetrates 14 inches. The two 9mm balls 13 inches.Oh good, another Governor thread... if only I had a gif of someone eating popcorn
My opinion - there is nothing wrong with the gun. What I've never understood is the large number of people who want to load it with .410 rounds for self defense. I wouldn't use a .410 shotgun for home defense and the ballistics don't get any better out of a 2.75" barrel. If I owned one I'd use .45 Colt or ACP and save the .410s for pest control.
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silversnake
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Will the slug expand out of that short barrel?
comiskeybum
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Love mine!very versatile
one eye joe
US Veteran
IF YOU ARE LOADING UP FOR S/D, WHY ARE YOU LOADING A COUPLE OF ROUNDS OF .410 ? ? ? YOU ARE NOT LOOKING TO DISPATCH GARDEN PESTS. IF YOU HIT AN ASSAILANT WITH THAT SHOTGUN LOAD, AND HE IS WEARING A HEAVY LEATHER JACKET, OR IS HIGH ON DRUGS, ETC, YOU MAY JUST ANNOY HIM......
IF YOU HIT HIM CENTER MASS, WITH A FEW ROUNDS OF JHP, IN .45 COLT, OR .45 ACP, YOU WILL RUIN HIS DAY---NO MATTER WHAT ! ! !
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Thomasino
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How about these loads?
Winchester PDX1, .410 Gauge, 2 1/2" Shells, Self Defense Discs, 10 Rounds - 186461, 410 Gauge Shells at Sportsman's Guide
Hornady Critical Defense, .410 Gauge, 2 1/2", FTX Slug, 20 Rounds - 234266, 410 Gauge Shells at Sportsman's Guide
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I did a couple of rounds of the Hornady Critical Defense slug and two balls while at the range today, I can't shoot anything smaller than 00 buck due to the bullet trap will just bounce it back. At 25 yards the slug hit dead center of the target, one ball dropped about 8 inches and to the left near the edge of the target, the third ball was in the bottom right corner of the target. At 15 yards the slug and two balls were within a foot of each other.
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Thomasino
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Due to the context of this thread I am assuming you were using a Smith & Wesson Governor or something comparable. When you are speaking of self-defense situations, I don't usually think of shooting at 25 yards or even 15 yards, but more like 5 yards. At 5 yards I would imagine the ammo you are describing which I have also, would be extremely accurate and do significant damage.
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Riverkilt
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Had one, sold it, kick got too much for this olde geezer. Used it with .410 self-defense bedside. Last year had banging on my door at 0200...took it with me - bunch of drunk kids had the wrong apartment - sure sounded like they were trying to force entry. I came out with it hanging at my side - they saw it right away and took off running back to their car....looked like a comedy with them all trying to dive in at once - then dug out as fast as they could accelerate their old junker ride. Its looks carry a message. Had it as a bedside revolver.
bmcgilvray
Member
I'm amazed that any .410 revolver sells. I agree that it's a novelty item rather than to be taken seriously. When loaded with .410 shells the revolver isn't a superior stopper over a conventional .45 Colt or .45 ACP revolver so the overlong cylinder is a waste of space. The ungainly things have no reason for being other than as a toy. I admire the occasional honest owners who freely admit that it's a novelty and a toy. Snake gun? Hit snakes with a shovel, hoe, rock or a stick. How hard is this?
comiskeybum
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You're opinion matters to none. I've killed fast moving snakes and Badgers with mine.
Have fun with your shovel.
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Have fun with your shovel.
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There are a couple purposes for my Governor for me, first it is a moderately fun gun at the range not as much as the 460V but more fun than the 686. The second is that I ride a recumbent trike on shared use trails, one of those trails was recently extended and now runs threw an area that has had mountain lions spotted the last several years. I plan on having it with me in those areas with a couple 410s with rubber buck shot in the cylinder. I figure the noise and stinging balls should be enough to convince one to look elsewhere with minimal risk to the surroundings. But, before that I need to take it to the outside range in town and verify the shot drop off, pattern and effective range with various shot shells.
Riverkilt
Member
I used my Governor for home defense. Loaded with .410 self-defense ammo. The pattern of the shot and discs on cardboard seemed quite effective - particularly for a head shot. Living in a 4 plex apartment with thin walls it seemed a wise choice of ammo to avoid hurting innocent neighbors if something happened. When I got too olde to manage a second shot well I sold the Governor and bought a Mossberg Cruiser pump shotgun in .410 (had the 12 gauge cruiser and it was a bit too much recoil at my age). I'm very confident .410 self-defense loads will do the job in my apartment defense setting.
And, as mentioned above, the large size of the Governor makes evil ones take notice and reconsider.
And, as mentioned above, the large size of the Governor makes evil ones take notice and reconsider.
Echo40
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I find it sort of amusing that it has been 12 years since the Taurus Judge was released and nearly a decade since ammo manufacturers starting coming out with specialty ammo that has been proven effective in a number of videos against a wide variety of targets including animals where are much tougher to stop than even a drugged up human being, yet still we have ignorant folks who make silly comments like calling it a "toy" and calling .410 Revolvers useless for self-defense.
First of all, anyone who calls a firearm a "toy" automatically loses an argument in my book because anybody who calls something as hazardous as a firearm a "toy" probably shouldn't own one in the first place. I don't care if it's an intentional exaggeration on their part either, guns aren't toys, and anybody who calls a gun a toy (even as an exaggeration) is a fool.
Second, folks who make bold proclamations on subjects they clearly lack any experience in whatsoever ought to keep their mouths shut, especially in regards to subjects as serious as life or death when it comes to selecting a firearm for self-defense. I've seen too many folks get scared away from using .410 Revolvers by people who know nothing about them yet still somehow feel qualified to comment on their effectiveness.
If you can't be bothered to do research on a subject before commenting on it, then perhaps you should at least look up the definition of the following term; Dunning-Kruger Effect. (Ah, but then again, I'm talking to the same people who couldn't even be bothered to click on the video I linked to, so copy/pasting is likely way above their capabilities...)
Lastly, I hear a lot of folks in regards to a variety of firearms immediately label any firearm with limited range as "useless" even when said range is well within the distances in which one would likely find themselves needing to fire, (especially in Home Defense) yet apparently these people must live inside houses the size of football fields and believe that they'd be able to justify shooting someone from 30+ yards away.
Once again, if you'd actually bother doing even the most basic of research, you would find that specialty loads such as Federal Premium .410 Handgun 000 Buck uses Federal's Flight Control wad which enables the shot to hold a tight pattern out to 20 yards, which is well in excess of any distance one would likely find themselves needing to fire their gun, especially in the Home/Vehicle Defense scenarios these weapons were designed for.
First of all, anyone who calls a firearm a "toy" automatically loses an argument in my book because anybody who calls something as hazardous as a firearm a "toy" probably shouldn't own one in the first place. I don't care if it's an intentional exaggeration on their part either, guns aren't toys, and anybody who calls a gun a toy (even as an exaggeration) is a fool.
Second, folks who make bold proclamations on subjects they clearly lack any experience in whatsoever ought to keep their mouths shut, especially in regards to subjects as serious as life or death when it comes to selecting a firearm for self-defense. I've seen too many folks get scared away from using .410 Revolvers by people who know nothing about them yet still somehow feel qualified to comment on their effectiveness.
If you can't be bothered to do research on a subject before commenting on it, then perhaps you should at least look up the definition of the following term; Dunning-Kruger Effect. (Ah, but then again, I'm talking to the same people who couldn't even be bothered to click on the video I linked to, so copy/pasting is likely way above their capabilities...)
Lastly, I hear a lot of folks in regards to a variety of firearms immediately label any firearm with limited range as "useless" even when said range is well within the distances in which one would likely find themselves needing to fire, (especially in Home Defense) yet apparently these people must live inside houses the size of football fields and believe that they'd be able to justify shooting someone from 30+ yards away.
Once again, if you'd actually bother doing even the most basic of research, you would find that specialty loads such as Federal Premium .410 Handgun 000 Buck uses Federal's Flight Control wad which enables the shot to hold a tight pattern out to 20 yards, which is well in excess of any distance one would likely find themselves needing to fire their gun, especially in the Home/Vehicle Defense scenarios these weapons were designed for.
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Riverkilt
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HEAR HEAR!!
