Has anyone shot the Governor? I just picked one up yesterday because I liked the 6 shot capacity and ability to shoot several calibers including the 45 ACP. Seems to balance well and is not too heavy to conceal carry.Any feedback?

Never shot one or the judge but am curious as to how they group with bullets and pattern with shot.
A friend borrowed a judge and said it didn't do well with 45 LC or shot shells but did well with .410 slugs.
I don't see how any rifled tube can pattern shot very well but I usually learn something new almost every day.

Pick up a copy of the guns Magazine February 2012. I just received mine in the mail. There is a full article on and shooting statistics by Holt Bodinson. It is an interesting gun.

Nick

If you go up to the top navigation bar and click on the Search function, then use the top search box that appears, which is the Google Site Search option and type in Governor you will find quite a few threads on this Model.

Here is the longest thread, if I remember correctly.......

S&W Governor

No disrespect, but, I feel the revolver chambered in .410 shotshell is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I don't blame S&W, in this particular instance I blame Taurus. I can hardly fault them for creating a gun market where there wasn't one to begin with. Kudos to them for that. Similarly, you can hardly blame S&W wanting to get in on this new cash cow.

I'm just not certain what they expect the user to do with that .410 shotshell. I suppose you could kill a rabbit or squirrel if you were close enough. I know someone makes a specialty shotshell just for .410 revolvers, but I doubt it would be any better than 45LC or 45ACP for defensive purposes.

Now, the drawbacks. For the revolver to chamber a .410 shotshell the cylinder has to be very long compared to any other conventional handgun cartridge. Then when you go to use that conventional hangun cartridge (45LC & 45ACP in the Governor or 45LC in the Judge). You end up with a ton of freebore. Excessive freebore is not conducive to accuracy.

There are other revolvers out there that chamber the 45LC and the 45ACP. Which brings us back to the .410 shotshell. What does the .410 shotshell bring to the party along with a rediculously long & heavy cylinder that the 45LC and the 45ACP can't do equally well or better on their own. If you're looking for snake medicine, I believe CCI makes shotshells in 45LC & 45ACP. I killed a rabbit for the pot with a CCI shotshell in 38 Special at 10 yards.

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NRA Benefactor

I cannot make any remarks about the Taurus or the S&W Governor.

I can make some remarks about the Speer shotshells, in 44 Mag and 45 ACP, as well as back in the day when I loaded my own 44 Mag shotshells with the Speer capsules.

I cannot tell you how much small game the wife and I have shot over the years with the 44, and I with the 45 ACP.

They seem dang near effective as a 12 ga... Well ok, maybe a 2 3/4" 20ga...

They are most effective.

I have killed some small game and snakes, with the Speer 9mm and 38 shotshells, and the wife has killed some big snakes with the 38's in a 2" S&W Centennial.

As can be expected the 44 and 45's are more effective on small game.

Now to the Taurus and S&W .410's.

IF the .410 revolvers are more effective on small game than the 44 and 45 Speer shotshells, then IMHO they are worth the money.
And there are 45 Colt loads safe in these guns that could protect you from a bear. I would not consider these revolver's primary hunting guns, but they should be great at survival/foraging revolvers.

I will never buy one, simply because I find the 44 Mag, and 45 ACP shotshells to be most effective for me, and I have a system, loading gear, holsters etc, enough to keep me using them.

"Shotgun Revolvers" whether with Speer shotshells, or with one of these .410 revolvers, are most usable in my experience.

They have furnished me many a great meal.

I bought one a couple of weeks ago too but I haven't shot it yet... I bought it as a home defense gun (not my only gun) and have it loaded with 000 buck... I really do need to get it to the range and try it out... Later, Dave

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I didn't do it. Nobody saw me.

Dave, if you would give it a try with .410 shells with No 7 1/2 and No6 shot, as well as 45 ACP and 45 Colt loads, and let us know how she performs...

I really like mine. It shoots both lc and acp very well. You need to stick with 410 ammo made for handguns to get good results. The handgun ammo uses a different wad to controll the shot due to the rifling. Regular shotshells didn't do too bad for close work. The federal buckshot is very good for self defense. I look at this as a mountain gun with options.

Thanks, I figure there's a lot of folks, ranchers, etc.. that will like to carry it for "critters". I would believe that combined with the fact that Since it shoots several of the calibers I already own, is fairly lightweight for a gun that size and "ups" the chance of a .410 hitting an intruder for someone who doesn't shoot much like a wife. I always appreciate the feedback. (come on...these all sound like good reasons to buy another Smith, right?)

My rationale, last June 13th, as I perused the display cases in a newly opened gunstore, was to get essentially a .45 ACP 325 Night Guard. Yeah, that cylinder is a bit longer - and it weighs 1.8 oz more - but it has the same attributes: fixed sight, front tritium Night Sight, Al/Sc frame, black SS cylinder, etc. Oh - it will also chamber .45 Schofield & Colt as well as 2.5" .410 shotgun shells. Did I mention that it is over $300 less than the 325NG? That was a first for me - an impulse buy!

I did put my backup 'S&W/Hogue .500 Magnum monogrip' on my Governor the first week I owned it - and ordered a S&W/DeSantis leather holster, too - got it in a week.

I've shot everything from 7-12yd. Ball ammo in .45 ACP, 230gr FMJ UMC 250 pack from WallyWorld, hits in the 2.5" diameter black circles I drew in paper plates - maybe a 1-1.5" circle at the lower part of the circle, but still all in the black. Decent grouping for hand held (The gun... not the target!). Switched to 250gr Speer Gold Dots and 255gr LSWC's, both at ~820-840 fps, and got tighter groups - centered, too. 200gr LRNFP in .45 Schofield cases opened up a bit and were all below the black centered circle - but on the plate. Shot shells were everywhere - mostly missing the plate at 12 yd. The Win PDX1 trio of discs were still on the plates at 12 yd - barely - the sabot nicked the bottom of the plate at 7yd. Even on a large silhouette target sheet, I never counted more that ten of the twelve BB holes - they either passed through a disc's hole or missed the paper. To me, they are worrisome re collateral damage. I guess I'll look at .410 shell use as a novelty and stoke it with the 250gr Gold Dots in .45 Colt for home defense.



You can see the OEM grips alongside the X-frame grip on my Governor, as well as some of it's 'diet'. To those who would denigrate the Governor - without ever handling one, much less shooting one, I say phooey. You don't have to like it - my liking it is what matters - to me. It has a home here. YMMV.

Stainz

My dad has a judge public defender. I find it to be quite entertaining to shoot. As far as effectiveness the 000 buck defense rounds, pdx 3 disk loads and 45lc all are accurate for me at around 20 feet. Shooting bird shot for defense seems pretty worthless unless you just want to pepper someone to slow them down? (not advising this). for snakes I'm guessing that would work quite well

I wish 45lc wasnt so expensive as I would like to shoot it more often.

My son just bought one and all I can tell you is it shoots very well for a defensive handgun intended for relatively close range. A little better with the 45acp than the 45 LC and I would not want to get shot with any birdshot or .410 defensive load inside 20 ft, especially in the face or groin. My daughter-in-law loves it and has already adopted it as hers. Guess he will have to buy another for his field work. Certainly no more difficult to carry than my 29 or 625 Mtn. gun.

He too thinks he will change the grips. He tried my x-frame grips from my Mtn. Gun and like them, but is looking for wood.

I`ve had one for about 6 months now. I`ve taken it to the range everytime I go and it`s Flawless. Never a problem and extremely accurate with both the .410 00Buck and .45ACP. I`m shooting at about 30-40ft,it just eats the center out of the target. Very Nice Home defense weapon and also my EDC. Always Carry,Never Tell.

My question is this. Are any of you Governor/Judge owners using either gun in the self defence role. If so, what ammo do you depend on for self defense.

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NRA Benefactor

Anyone tried one for Skeet yet?

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John. SWCA #1586

I`m using Federal 000Buck {4 pellets per round} for my first load {and it`s always loaded},Also I carry 2 moon clips of six of Winchester Ranger 230gr JHP as reloads. That`s ny EDC setup.

How are the Govs holding up? Any problems??

Governor and Associates. Range and pictures 12-31-11

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

This is a very poor self-defense weapon unless you're being attacked by watermelons.

These revolvers are a gimmick that appeals to some, but thinking they are serious self-defense weapons is a dangerous mistake.

Take a look on Youtube for a video by Hickok45. He shoots a Taurus version with different ammo and at different ranges. I wasn't impressed. But to each their own.

I've had both The Judge (chambered for 3") and now The Governor and personally wouldn't use either for self defense. If I had too, I would use the 250 gr Speer Gold Dot .45 Colt HP's.

When I first seen The Judge (back in '08 or '09) I thought, like many others, that this would be an effective handgun, then I started looking into things more learning that it takes approx. 18" of barrel length to fully utilize the power provided by a .410 shell.

Knowing this, I still went ahead and picked up The Judge and it looked pretty impressive on paper, paper targets that is. Within just a couple of days I tried it out on a 'Possum, with pitiful results. Actually I had to resort to it's .45 Colt capability to finish what the .410's started. That happened one more time and while dealing with that critter I found myself saying, out loud, "A Louisville Slugger would be more effective."

A couple of weeks later I chased a Raccoon off of our front porch, treed it, then went to shoot it with The Judge. I looked up and seen that the 'Coon was about 20' away, then looked down at The Judge in my hand remembering how it had performed in the not too distant past, before opting to go in & fetch my 20 ga. I sold The Judge shortly thereafter vowing never to get another one.

I kinda broke that vow when I got The Governor, which I am also going to try using on critters, this time with the added help of Crimson Trace grips.

Everytime I think that The Governor might work well at extremely close ranges with .410 loads as a self defense gun, I flash back to my "Louisville Slugger" moment and back off of that idea right away. Especially when I take into account that, with The Judge, I was using 3" 000 buck, which has even more lead going downrange than the 2.5-inchers put out.

My assesment may be totally wrong, but I'm not willing to try doing any "tests" when the chips are down in order to find out. If I had those kind of results on smaller critters I can only guess as to what might happen on bigger critters, critters that might be trying to kill me.

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Ogy

I have had my Governor since January. I have shot .410 loads on the skeet range. Although I didn't hit as many as with my conventional smooth bore, I had a fun time breaking about 15% of the clay targets. At the Indoor range, I have been shooting the .45 ACP loads. The Governor has been remarkably accurate with the .45's.

Do you have one? Have you tested, exhaustedly? Have you considered ALL possibilities/scenarios?

I have four Governors, and they meet my needs.

OldArcher, out...

OldArcher, I'm with you and not the naysayers. I don't have a Governor yet, but I have two questions for you about these.

1. Do they still sell them anywhere? I've looked around online and no store has one in stock. I'll have to prowl around all the LGS and Big Box stores in our area... But so far, no luck.

2. How is it shooting the .45ACP. This is a general revolver question really. I've never owned anything with a moon clip and I am wondering how that works. Can you use a speed strip reloader with a revolver that uses moon clips? Or how does it work when you load it by hand and not with a speed loader? I can't imagine carrying a moon clip in pocket with the 6 rounds stuck in it...

I appreciate any feedback you can give me, as I have added the Governor as my newest target for acquisition. Thank you!

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"ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ"

I wasn't going to bump this thread up but since it's here
I might as well say something. (Please see post #22)

This past Tuesday, in the wee hours of the a.m., I used my Governor
on a small Possum with the Federal "Self Defense" specific 000 Buck
loads and it took 2 shots at close range to get the job done.

This was a small Possum, once again, at close range, that was standing still.
On top of that there was a local LEO here in his cruiser who lit the Possum up
with his spotlight so I had both hands free, i.e. holding no flashlight, to make
my first shot from 2-3' away (end of barrel to the critter's shoulder/neck area.)

The Possum went down after the first shot so I went back to talking to R,
the LEO, for about 5 minutes before he left. When I went back to dispose of
the Possum I found it walking away, which prompted my second shot,
once again at the same distance. The second shot was effective.

That night I moved The Gov into a back-up role and my Ruger
SP101 (.327 Fed Mag) is now back to primary for critter duty.

I have used a number of different guns, calibers etc. for
critter duty and while the .410 seemed like it would be
the perfect load for this role it has failed to perform..
Note: My Ruger SP101 with .32 S&W Longs
performs just as well as the .410's have.

I'm going to give The Governor one more try for critter duty, this time
using .45 ACP MagSafe rounds to see how effective that is. The best
handgun performance I have experienced, to date, was with a Glock 26
(9mm) using MagSafe ammo. The wound created by the MagSafe
ammo was devastateing and it only took one shot on a very large 'Coon.

With that said, I really like my Governor so I'm not knocking the gun. I
wouldn't have said anything but just the thought of someone stoking their
Governor with .410's thinking they have an effective set-up, if they are relying
solely on .410's, might want to pull the trigger 6 times to increase their
chances of stopping any threat to their, or their loved ones, lives.

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Ogy

Well, that all-black finish and no-snag combat sights are right for a self-defense firearm, and the weight is a good compromise between an all steel gun and one of these airweights.

Of course the body looks a little funny to accomodate that lonnnng cylinder, but there's no denying the versatility of these guys.

For the .410, they do make 000-buck and slugs in the 2.5-inch chambering, I wouldn't want to be shot with those, even from a revolver. And if that's not your preference, you still have both .45ACP and .45LC in a gun that weighs about 14oz less than a steel N-frame.

I haven't bought one yet, but I can see the applications.

There are certainly other revolvers that shoot either .45ACP or .45LC, but I can't think of any factory S&W or Rugers off the top of my head that shoot both .45ACP AND .45LC from the factory without changing the cylinder, and most guns that shoot either one weigh 50% more than the Governor (29.6oz empty). Love it or hate it, the Governor does have his selling points.

I know what your saying about the possum. But, about two weeks ago I shot a groundhog, I would say about 15 pounds here in PA with a 4 in. stainless M629 and factory .44 mag. winchester 240 gr. JSP's at around 5 yards away right behind the shoulders.
He ran about 20 feet into some underbrush and dropped dead.

One thing GlobalRep, Don`t listen to the lame posers who have never owned/fired a Governor. I`ve been into weapons for 50yrs and have found this gun to be my EDC loaded with 000 Federal Buck. Anybody who doubts the short range {30-40 Ft} power can come and stand in front of the gun. Don`t think I`ll have any takers for the video though. This weapon does exactly what it should and would be a real crowd pleaser in a mob situation in an urban neighborhood. After 2,000 through the gun,mostly .45ACP it`s been Flawless. I`d buy it again.

Seriously? That's just about the dumbest "proof" I've ever heard. I don't think you'd get anybody to stand in front of a BB gun either, but that certainly doesn't make it a weapon for eliminating a platoon of ninjas

What did we all do for launching 45acp before the Governor came about? I guess we were in the dark ages

Hey, enjoy the Governor - this is America after all and you're free to spend your money as you see fit. The hard data says that you can't stop a opossum with it, but I know it works good on watermelons and paper targets

The Governor is probably a better implementation of the concept, and with regard to the 45ACP/LC flexibility might be a decent work around. That said, one should read the SWAT magazine test of the Judge. (9/2010) Scathing.

Just because I would not want to get shot with (whatever) does not mean I would want to rely on it as a means of resolving a problem that might kill or harm me or someone I value.

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NHI, 10-8.

I look at the Governor as a more affordable 625 that can switch between .45acp and .45 colt on the fly. Very cool and practical, imo.

I don’t have any need/use for .410 shot shell capability, but using a revo for breaking clays sounds like an absolute hoot to me. Never for self defense, mind you; but for fun, you bet.

Factory .45acp for business, handloaded .45 colt and .410 for fun.

My Governor puts all 4 000 buck pellets on a 9" paper plate at 7 yards. It's a fun gun and very versatile.

The Governor does work and I`ve Not seen ANY evidence of your so-called "Hard Data" regarding any failures of this weapon. I have one and have spoken to many other owners who love just what it is..A Lethal weapon and a great protection piece.

Shot my Guv-ner today...........loved every minute.

Ogy ... You know you can't shoot critters with Zombie rounds ... you need some of them new fangled critter rounds.

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I'm with the banned ...

Now someone tells me......

Seriously though, I'm hoping that the MagSafe .45 acp rounds will be effective
and allow me a little freedom on taking shots in & around buildings, vehicles
& heavy equipment. If the .45's perform half as good as the 9mm did then I
think I'll be good to go and can get the Governor back into a primary role.

I've tried the .410's with both The Judge & Governor and highly doubt that I'll be
using any .410 rounds out of any gun with such a short bbl. for anything other than "fun time."
This may change if I can find some of those new fangled critter rounds I hear tell about.

To put this into a little perspective.
Over the last 4-5 yr's I've dealt with almost 30 'Coons, 6 Possums, 3 Woodchucks & a Skunk.
While doing so I've used a number of different guns, from 12 ga. to .410 bore & .32 cal to .45 Colt
so it's not like I have nothing to compare effectiveness when it comes to how well something works.

Nobody is more dissapointed in how the .410's have failed to perform but at
least I can say that I tried. More than once and with two different guns..

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Ogy

But, Ogy, at 2-3 feet? How could you miss? Oddly, you must have missed - the blast knocked him down - he played 'possum'. It was the wee hours - perhaps you were just sleep deprived/tired. At that distance, the 000 shot hasn't spread much at all - a 'nick' with one ball should have splattered him. Bird shot would likely have done him in at that range... if you hit him.

All of that said, my Governor still has a few .410 rounds I bought for it - that first week - over a year ago. None bought since that first week. To me it is a slightly larger 325 Night Guard (<1.4 oz and 7/8" OAL larger), primarily a .45 ACP launcher. It's over $300 cheaper price was good - better yet, the Night Guards are not in production now - not even in the 2012 S&W catalog. The Governor is it for a bedside .45 ACP revolver. It may be a tad on the ugly side, but it will likely be used in low light - I'll ask the bg what he thinks - afterwards. Also chambering .45 Colt - like the excellent Speer 250gr Gold Dots - is a plus. The beauty is simple, of course... you don't have to buy one - you don't even have to like it, either. It's simply fine - for me - that I did - and still enjoy mine!

Still looking for a good condition Edsel... and Sony BETA video recorder...

Stainz

I guess I'm suspicious of a device that promises to do everything in one package. Remember the Shopsmith - saw, drill press, lathe? It actually did all those things, but nothing as well as a dedicated tool. The killer was changeover time, and keeping all the parts organized.

What do you do if you're loaded with 410 and have a .45 LC situation? Hmmm, which pocket do I reach? I've shot hundreds of squirrels, never once with a shotgun. A .22 LR or air rifle work just fine. I don't feel compelled to shoot 'possums, raccoons or groundhogs just because I'm carrying a gun. If I see a rattler in time to shoot, I walk around it. 45 ACP was a convenient replacement for 45 LC, which is perfectly serviceable for self defense, and much more suitable in a revolver.

I never bought a Shopsmith either.

If you don't like it, don't buy it. If you don't think it's effective, don't use it. If you haven't shot it, don't knock it. Any revolver that puts .45 Colt or .45 ACP rounds in a decent sized group at typical self-defense ranges is not a gimmick. If that same revolver puts 000 or 0000 buck rounds in a tight pattern at close ranges is not a mistake, dangerous or otherwise.

And, no, I don't have one.

Just don't get me started on those unreliable, finicky, bottom-feeders.

ECS

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

How's the effectiveness shooting .410 slugs vs. the other rounds?

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I'm with the banned ...

I would not use 410 slugs in the Governor unless it was just for fun.

410 slugs are very light, 45 Colt bullets are not.