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

[Allen-frame]

Greetings and a happy and Prosperous new Year to all forum Friends.

Evidently my final purchase of the 2011 year was to be a Governor.
It came out of pawn at the shop where I work part time and my
friend, Kevin, the owner gave me a great deal.
Suffice it to say I would not spend $600.+ on one of these Govs'
but at a deal price I bought it to test.

To say I am pleasantly surprised is an understatement.
For its physical size it is light and quick handling.
At 29 ozs empty it is 3/4 what a comparable N frame in 45 weighs.

To my knowledge it is to date the only revolver that Smith & Wesson
has ever manufactured to chamber 45 a.c.p. or 45 Colt simultaneously.
Nevermind the 2.5" shotgun shell capability.
Although the best use for this Governor is ultimately as a trail gun
for use at close range with a combination of loads for snakes, varmints,
or larger predatory animals. Including humans.

I took a range trip on Saturday 12-31 and here are some pictures
from that day.
Also a few to compare the Gov with a 4" model 625 and a 3" 625.

See if these help you in any way.

In my Alessi 4in. N frame holster. It just rides 1" higher.

A group carefully shot at 50 feet with 45 Colt ammunition.

Next to a 4 inch 625-3 in 45 A.C.P.

Next to a 3 inch 625 in 45 A.C.P.

The Governor and a Taurus Circuit Judge. A favorite plinking rifle.

I will not review the Circuit Judge here in this thread.
But, I will say it has become a favorite home defense gun loaded with
2 1/2 410 buchshot. It combines the simplicity of a revolver with the
power and lack of overpenetration of a shotgun.

The Governor and 'Associates'

A serious variety of ammunition available for defensive purposes.

Standard 625 speedloaders in 45 Colt work in the Gov.

150 rounds through it at the range without a hitch.

Regards
Allen Frame

 

[haris1]

governor

I like carrying small barreled N frames,I wish you hadnt shown it
Now I want one!!!! Nice find, Allen.

 

[mc5aw]

Allen ... How did you find the recoil with the various loads you tested? What would you say the three are comparable to? I believe I recently saw a brand of .410 that specifically noted pistol use, which implies enhanced manageability.

Thanks as always for the great photography and informative posts!

 

[dirtygeary]

Where did you get those checkerd 625 grips? They look great!!

 

[Allen-frame]

Allen ... How did you find the recoil with the various loads you tested? What would you say the three are comparable to? I believe I recently saw a brand of .410 that specifically noted pistol use, which implies enhanced manageability.

Thanks as always for the great photography and informative posts!

The recoil with 45 Colt standard loads, that is to say 250 gr. lead
at 800-900 fps. was easily manageable and not unpleasant to shoot.

230 gr. 45 a.c.p. is snappier but again, not at all unpleasant to shoot.

The Federal 410 handgun loads shown recoiled hard like shooting
357 magnum out of a short barreled k frame.
I would reserve the 410 loads for situations where ricochet and
over penetration are a strict concern.
The 4 000 buck shot pellets are right at 30 cal. and would be devastating
at close range on a large varmint .
But I would only trust its effectiveness out to 30 or 40 feet at most.
The groups grew to 12 to 18 inches at 50 feet and the chance
of missing with 2 or more of the pellets increases with range.

My conclusion is the Governor is a superb 45 Colt revolver that has the
capability to fire other cartridges for specific purposes.

If you get beyond the shock of the initial impression that this is a
novelty gun, and the way the giant cylinder looks,
the practical uses outweigh any negative opinions from those that
do not have one or have given it a bad review.


The checkered grips on the 625 are Craig Spegel extended boot grips.

regards
Allen Frame

 

[lyodbraun]

Great looking gun you got, along with all the others. love that look of the new Governor...

 

[Czbilly]

And best of all, you already had plenty of moon clips. I love my Gov. In fact it is the only newer Smith I have not had to send back.

 

[Naby]

Thanks for the show and tell!

 

[kennyb]

the governor rocks !!

 

[ogilvyspecial]

Allen-frame, thanks for the well thought out range report(s.)

I had a Taurus Judge chambered for the 3" shells at one time and it's performance on Raccoons & Possums
with .410 rounds was so dismal, even at close range, that I quickly sold it vowing never to get anything like it again.

Guess what? I've since got a Governor but have yet to try it out on critters with the newer .410 handgun ammo offerings.

The few times I did get a critter with my Judge I ended up using it's .45 Colt capability to finish what the .410 shells started.
Because of my experience I'm not going to rely on my Governor for self defense purposes unless a .45 caliber bullet is involved.

I'm not saying that the .410's won't be effective, I'm just not willing to chance it when the "chips are down."

 

[rock doc]

Great post & thanks for sharing with the forum all the pluses with this revolver. I bought one recently because I always wanted a revolver that fired 45 ACPs. As a bonus, the Gov fires 45 Colts AND .410s.

 

[BobR1]

S&W did well on the 2 shot moon clips for this application. I have half moon clips that came with a couple of my guns still in the box. I can see a use for the 2 shot moon clips in this gun.

The Governor should be a great Cottonmouth exterminator.

I am guessing how they worked out the 45acp/45 Colt chambering is by making the clip cut deeper to match the 45 colt rim thickness. No real need to worry about 45AR in this gun.

I am wondering how this would work out in a 625. Most folks would rather shoot 45 Colt than 45AR if given the choice. I have had my current 625 for close to 20 years. I have 45AR brass for it, and never have loaded a round of it so far.
Just wondering if a 45acp/45 Colt chambered gun would shoot 45acp as accurately as a dedicated 45acp chambered 625?

Thanks for the report.

Bob

 

[DonD]

Slightly off topic but perhaps of some interest, particularly on the topic of recoil with shotshell firing pistols.

A few months ago, I bought a Bond Arms Snake Slayer for carry when in areas where I thought snakes might be encountered.

Using the heaviest .410 shot loads currently on the market, 3" with 3/4 oz of 7 1/2 shot, the derringer is pretty nasty recoil wise. Grips are too small to fill the hand and it is certainly not a gun I'll shoot many rounds out of.

It would be a real nightmare for any snake I fired at and is small and compact enough to be unnoticeable in a holster. Don

 

[Dogmann]

That is jut plain bad as* weapon!