ammo for the governor

[hbschwartz]

my new s&w governor is my home bedroom personal defense firearm. just wondering what people think. what is the best option? 45 acp, 45 long colt, or 410 shot shell. i know that in a close encounter it probably doesn't matter, but i was wondering what forum members thought of the stopping power of each cartridge. thanks.

 

[dla]

Perhaps those little red paper caps that kids use?

 

[mag318]

After experimenting with several different 410 loads I settled on the Federal Handgun 000 Buck load as the best 410 load. At normal room distances this load groups tightly and IMO is a good defense load. I recommend that you experiment with several different loads but the Federal is at the top of my list. I posted a video on You Tube "S&W Governor 1'st Shots" to illustrate my findings.
Obviously the 45 Colt and 45 ACP are effective defense loads, but the downside is over penetration should you miss. The 410 000 buck load will not penetrate through walls (drywall/sheetrock) as much as the 45s, therefore safer as there will be less collateral damage.
Also Federal makes a no 4 shot defense load that is interesting for home defense that I just started testing. The Governor is a very versatile revolver giving you the option of mixing your loads, try several and see what works the best for you.

 

[richard02]

is anyone else having trouble with Federal 410 handgun ammo (4 pellet type) in the governor?

 

[kaaskop49]

Odd that nobody seems to mention .410 slugs when discussing ammo for these .410 handguns... Maybe not suitable for HD, but the Brenneke slug in this caliber is powerful and is loaded in a 2.5" shell. Feels like the 3" W-W slug on firing. Perhaps suitable for woods walking?

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[686-380]

I have a PDX1 .410 shotshell for my 1st cylinder. After that, it's 45LC hollow points. My hope is that the pain of the first round will dissuade an attacker.

 

[Bowyer]

Odd that nobody seems to mention .410 slugs when discussing ammo for these .410 handguns... Maybe not suitable for HD, but the Brenneke slug in this caliber is powerful and is loaded in a 2.5" shell. Feels like the 3" W-W slug on firing. Perhaps suitable for woods walking?

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I have never fired the slugs from my handgun but then I mainly shoot 255 grain 45 colt hand loads. I wonder which is more accurate.

 

[Vortec MAX]

The Federal Handgun 000 buck load is top notch in the Governor. The PDX1 load has a tight pattern with the discs, but a very wide pattern with the BBs. I would be hesitant to use the PDX1 around others.

As far as 45 Colt offerings, I tested many and found one standout. The Barnes VOR-TX 200 Grain XPB HP loads clocked 921 FPS and had 379 ft-lbs of energy. I have tried handloading to that energy level and have not yet been successful.

45 ACP loads from the Governor are a joke. Yes it will fire them, but the energy levels are far below what could be achieved from even a compact 45 ACP pistol. I am talking around 200 ft-lbs, which is about equivalent to a 38 SPL standard pressure load from a snubnose revolver.

Hope that helps.

Mike

 

[jack the toad]

The Federal Handgun 000 buck load is top notch in the Governor.

The Federal seemed to pattern well in mine with all 4 pellets holding pretty tight at app. 10 yds. I would like to try the Hornady .410 loads for the Gov.
Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Shotgun :: 410 Critical Defense 2 1/2" :: 410 Critical Defense® 2 1/2"

 

[BB57]

Odd that nobody seems to mention .410 slugs when discussing ammo for these .410 handguns... Maybe not suitable for HD, but the Brenneke slug in this caliber is powerful and is loaded in a 2.5" shell. Feels like the 3" W-W slug on firing. Perhaps suitable for woods walking?

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Way back in the day Springfield made the over-under break open M6 survival rifle in .22LR/.410 and .22 Hornet/.410 versions. The idea was to use the .410 with bird shot for birds, etc. A .410 slug could be used for larger game, but realistically it was limited to about 30-35 yards due to accuracy considerations and it offered all of the knock down power of a .380 ACP.

Later, they went to .22LR/.45 Colt and .22 Hornet/.45 Colt chambering to allow both .410 and .45 Colt rounds to be used. It was still a mixed bag however as while the .45 Colt offered significant performance in Tier 2 (23,000 psi) and Tier 3 (32,000 psi) loads, making it very effective on deer at much longer ranges, the rifled barrels caused to the shot patterns to open up rapidly and changed it from a 20-25 yard bird gun to a 10-15 yard bird gun.

-----

The moral of the story is that if you've got the option of a .45 ACP with a 185-230 gr bullet, or a .45 Colt with a 255-300 grain bullet in addition to a .410 slug, take the .45 ACP or .45 Colt with their much heavier and faster bullet every time. No one ever tries to argue the .380 ACP is more effective than a .45 ACP.

------

Choosing between the .45 ACP and the .45 Colt, it really depends on the .45 Colt load. You'll find .45 Colt in very mild "cowboy" loads that just meet the "floor" for competition, as well as SAAMI spec loads designed for older revolvers as well as "Ruger only" loads intended for modern high strength revolvers, break open carbines, and strong over actions like the Winchester Model 92 and Winchester Model 94 and their clones.

 

[Bret]

Way back in the day Springfield made the over-under break open M6 survival rifle in .22LR/.410 and .22 Hornet/.410 versions.

It's not too way back. I have one in 22Hornet/410.

I recently purchased a Governor and shot it for the first time Friday. It was a lot of fun. I especially liked the Hornady 410 Critical Defense load. It's fun to pull the trigger and see three large holes in the paper.

I do have a question regarding other ammunition for this revolver. Would I be correct to assume that it will work with 45 Auto Rim cartridges? Sure I can use 45ACP cartridges, but I like reloading new types of ammunition.

 

[Samuel P. Morris]

i was wondering what forum members thought of the stopping power of each cartridge. thanks.

I was thinking myself of getting a 2 shot Bond arms chambered in .410 shot shell. In the face up close will stop the threat long enough to get your barrings and either run like heck or a chance to come with the heat.

Nice carjack round too.
Can't say I really know what you should load but I will say you have the best of both worlds in that package. I know what I would be loading first.

 

[tcook90]

45 Colt Judge/Governor 220gr Maximum Expansion Ammo ? Lehigh Defense, LLC

I saw this video a while back (uses a Taurus Judge)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bLonprIWm4[/ame]

I've seriously been considering buying some, but they're expensive, and I'd want to test at least a few for function.

 

[Samuel P. Morris]

Holy **** !

 

[shell627]

You can not use 45auto rim in the govenor.

 

[Bret]

Can you please elaborate as to why?

 

[Shark Bait]

I agree with the others on the Federal ammo. The best one I found was their copper plated, 4 pellet 000 buck. I shot a beer can at about 12 feet and all four pellets hit it. The other brands I tried sprayed them everywhere. I believe any of the smaller sized shot will spread out quickly, which might be okay in some cases. But you have a lot ofooptions to experiment with and that's half the fun. Enjoy.

And one more suggestion. For those of you with big hands that don't like the small grips the Governor comes with, try swapping them out for a set of Hogues for the .500 S&W. It worked out very well on mine.

 

[Bret]

For those of you with big hands that don't like the small grips the Governor comes with, try swapping them out for a set of Hogues for the .500 S&W. It worked out very well on mine.

Can you provide a link to where I can buy them? I looked on Hogue's website, but they don't show.

 

[Shark Bait]

Can you provide a link to where I can buy them? I looked on Hogue's website, but they don't show.

They are $38 from S&W: Product: Model 500 Impact Absorbing Hogue Square Butt Conversion Grips

Here they are on my gun.

 

[shell627]

Can you please elaborate as to why?

The rim of the auto rim cartridge is to thick.A man at Georgia arms explained it to me ,when I was buying ammo for my 1917 and thought I could use it in my Govenor also.