Shot my Governor today off hand from a distance of 7 yards using various self defense ammunition in .410 shotshell and .45 Colt.

I'm very pleased with the results, some more than others. Here is some targets.

This is Hornady Critical Defense .410 load. Three shots. They shot pretty well to point of aim. I was holding the sight just below the red. This is where I have to hold the .45 Colt cowboy loads and fmj .45 ACP loads. I believe I could have held these right on the red.


These are Hornady Critical Defense .45 Colt 185gr. These babies hit dead to point of aim. My first four shots (the ones near the bottom) I was holding just below the red like I do with my .45 Colt cowboy loads. That is not necessary. The last two shots I held on the bottom of the red. If I would have had more shells I would have shot some more. I will definitely be picking up some more of these.


These are Winchester Super X .410 000 buck. Three shots. I held these the same way as the Hornady's. And again I think I could have held them dead on. At least one of the pellets went low off the paper (shot my stick pin off). However as you can see from the size of some of the holes at least four pellets went in the same holes which is very impressive to me.


And these are Winchester PDX1 Defender .45 Colt 225gr (4 shots) and Winchester Super X Silvertips .45 Colt 225gr (6 shots). I held these on the red and had a very nice group going until I pulled one way left (first shot of the PDX1 which was the seventh shot overall). Both of these shells cost over $30 per box so I didn't want to shoot all
I had up but I'm confident I could have maintained a two inch or less group.

Thanks for the report.

__________________
Jim

So, long story short, the bad guy in the hall takes the same ambulance to the same ER every time, and occasionally hits the morgue first.

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Happy to do so. This is a fun gun to shoot.

Indeed. Even #8 bird shot will pepper one of those dirty birds at 21'.

Very versatile gun. Mine stays loaded with some Winchester PDX1 defender .410 shot shell for the first two shots backed up by four Winchester PDX1 defender .45 Colt. I would however feel very comfortable with any of the rounds I shot yesterday. Or a .410 slug. Or any .45 ACP load.

In my opinion the only way Smith and Wesson could make this gun any better would be to make it all stainless. And if they really wanted to print money add the .454 Cassull to it's arsenal.

Thanks for the range report. Reminded me how much I like my Governors.

You're welcome.

It is a fun gun and one that I will never part with.

nice report ,great gun

Thanks. I had no real issue with the factory rubber grips I just prefer wood.

After putting a coupla hundred rnds through my Guv,mainly .45ACP and a bunch of .410 000 Buck I`m really satisfied with this piece. Not One Hiccup and dead on target up to 10yrds. Good home defense weapon.

Just put 100 rnds. American eagle federal 45lc and found this to be the most accurate bullet for this gunshooting 45 ft. all in the 9 and 10 rings shot some steel plate the resulting size of flattened slug was about the size of a 12 ga slug, very impressed.

Matt, can I suggest trying .410 slug loads? I have a .410 bbl set for my Bond derringer and the slugs print right on to POA. Birdshot is too haphazard and buck can be irregular.

I've used R-P 2.5" slugs, W-W 3" slug loads, and Brenneke-USA 2.5" slugs. The Brennekes are hot little numbers, on a par with the W-W 3-inchers and the slugs are shaped better than the Fosters in the American loads. Hope this helps.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I have shot some Remington slugs in mine and would agree they were shooting to POA at least at 21'.

If I see the other kind however I will pick some up.

So far out of all the rounds I've tried, the Hornady CD 45 Colt is the most accurate.

To my own surprise, I like the governor and if chambered in 454 casull, would likely buy one. Which I may do anyway if a deal is found.

Well new prices shot up on them in my area during the year. I got mine out the door for the asking price of the ones setting on shelves now (Governor $749, Silver Governor $699-I paid $740 something out the door for my Silver Governor in March).

I have seen a used Silver Governor at a store priced $649. It was unfired. I'm sure they are better deals out there however. They are great guns and very fun to shoot.

I've seen good used for under $600 and will likely go that route.
I'm not at all familiar with limits on the governor or pressures of the casull but I don't look for it to be offered anytime soon. I may be wrong though. There will be some wanting it in 460 but after some thought, a buffalo bore type load in 45 Colt will likely do anything I'd ever need.

This was previously posted on an older post. Watch from 2:08 in. Tested are the terminal ballistics of slugs, PDX1 and Federal 000 buck fired from a .410 revover. Don't know if anyone has seen it but it is worth watching. Enjoy your Governor.

Thanks for the range report! Great all-around guns. Love mine, and so far have only shot .410 with it. No hiccups other than some difficulty in extracting the shells of an off-brand. Easy to load, but were tight upon removal. Forgot the name but the shells are blue. I'll have to find the box and report back. No problems with the Federal or Winchester shells. Next range visit i'll take along some Colt and ACP.
I use the DeSantis "Dual Angle Hunter". It's a very well made holster...have one for the 627 also.


What the 410 pellets did to the ballistics gel was impressive, but the 12 ga...WOW. Looked like a grenade went off in the gel block.

Attached Images

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This is six shots from my Governor at seven yard using the Federal 000 buck. This was the very first time I fired the gun and was impressed with the grouping.

Very nice. I noticed your target was hung on your door. Need a new one?