Governor fires Judge...finally Taurus free... Governor review

[Riverkilt]

Love this thread! Looked at the Judge and was sold - even with the negative reports....then discovered the Governor. All my revolvers (except the NAA mouse gun) are S&W. Looking for an apartment defense gun and maybe a car gun...and for sure a hiking gun. My LGS is trying to find me one....but I'm not optimistic there are any to be had these days. Hope so. And special thanks for all the leather info. Love Galco's work - maybe prejudice since I used to live in "The Slope" where the factory is...but last two pistols had to go with other holster makers since they didn't offer much for them. Good to see I can go back to Galco if my LGS finds me a Governor.

Did a LOT of snake hunting in the Arizona deserts (they're delicious!) but back then used my .38 Special service revolver with a snake load. Developed an alcohol fueled - give the snake a fair chance - technique of sticking the barrel right at the rattlesnake (mostly Mohaves)...the snake would strike the end of the barrel and I'd pull the trigger and there'd be no head to bury. The barrel on the Governor looks a tad short for that technique..

And all the other threads I've read about Judge vs. Governor the S&W comes out on top for quality every time. I'm sold. I want one. I've ordered one. Now I'm just waiting....probably for a couple years the way things are going....might get lucky though...never know.

Also practiced home defense with my shotgun and it is just way too long to be effective in my cluttered home.

 

[Pilgrim]

Based on my experience, it wasn't the pattern that I had a problem with, out of either
The Judge or Governor, it was the limitations of the .410 shell itself, especially
out of such a short barrel. At least that's what I think it is.

I know for an absolute fact that I got 3 good hits on the 'Possum, pictured in the linked
thread, with the 3" 000 Buck and it didn't go down until I hit it with a .45 Colt round.

That was the night that I heard myself blurt out loud,
"I would be better off with a Louisville Slugger."

I did some research before I purchased my Judge and learned that to get full power out
of the .410, something like an 18" barrel was needed. Based on that I knew that
the .410 was going to be at a disadvantage in a short barrel.

At this point in time I have used the old school 3" .410 loads in The Judge I had, and the newer
"self defense" loads in The Governor and neither have performed very well on real, live, critters.
On paper they look impressive.......

Possums are REAL hard to put down. I put 6 .22lr's into the head of a sick possum, at point blank range. So close I singed the hair on it's head. It still wouldn't die. I has to use the Louisville slugger on it to finish it off..

So don't necessarily blame your shot shell for failure.

 

[Capt Crunch]

If you have no problem with CCI's 22lr shotshells, then you'd love them in 38spl/357 and even more so in 45acp and 44mag. Of course those shotshells would also give you a "snake" solution for use with a more optimal self-defense firearm as well.

Right because neither 45ACP or 45LC are optimal for self-defense.

 

[Capt Crunch]

While this appears to be the solution for a snake gun, it does not address the problem of occasional rabid 'coons, fox, yodel dogs,feral cats and other unsavory varmints that sometimes raise their the ugly heads.

I would think 45ACP or 45LC should solve those problems just fine. Unless you're simply thinking that this is overkill?

 

[Pilgrim]

I just bought some .410 000 buck shells to try in my Governor. The box says the 3 pellets are .400 in diameter and travel at 1200 fps.

If I do my math right, .400 is 40 caliber. I don't know what the 1200 fps is measured out of, probably a long gun, and I don't know what the real speed out of a Govenor would be. I don't have a chrono or know anyone who does.

Do you think that it's possible that the Governor speed could be close to 850-900 fps ?

If so, and I think it's probably a realistic guess, then the Governor is spitting out 3 .40 cal bullets at about the same speed as a .45acp.

That sounds like a pretty darned good defense round to me.

Would do you guys think?

 

[Jaymo]

I haven't found a Governator in the stores. I bought a Judge in 07. Steel frame. It shoots well, has very nice bluing (for a modern revolver), and has a very smooth trigger. In fact, the trigger pull is the reason I bought that
particular Judge.
.410 Ringed loads are fun. .410 loads have a lot more recoil than .45 Colt, but that's to be expected, given the heavier payload.Not uncomfortable to shoot with either.
Mine's mostly a snake gun a and range toy. I load it with the Federal 000 Judge load and Federal .45 Colt SWCHP at home, and birdshot in the woods. I like #12 shot for snakes. Goodbye head, hello fried snake dinner.

 

[TheMystro]

Yup, Federal 000 buck shoots 4 36 caliber balls at those speeds. i believe its 850fps out of a pistol. It's like getting shot by 4 38speials at the same time in 3" area. How can anyone not see the power in that???

I also think if S&W came out with the shot pistol first, you wouldn't hear any negative words about it. People hate Taurus with a passion. The brand and the concept scares so many people to just trash the entire concept all together. Like many popular calibers in the past, the right ammo development with the right gun has to come together at the same time to make it work. I think we are just getting there with the pistol specific shot shells and the Governor.

I just bought some .410 000 buck shells to try in my Governor. The box says the 3 pellets are .400 in diameter and travel at 1200 fps.

If I do my math right, .400 is 40 caliber. I don't know what the 1200 fps is measured out of, probably a long gun, and I don't know what the real speed out of a Govenor would be. I don't have a chrono or know anyone who does.

Do you think that it's possible that the Governor speed could be close to 850-900 fps ?

If so, and I think it's probably a realistic guess, then the Governor is spitting out 3 .40 cal bullets at about the same speed as a .45acp.

That sounds like a pretty darned good defense round to me.

Would do you guys think?

 

[gunfan]

That may be a lot of fun, and I don't want to be seen as a "naysayer" but given the revolver's limited applications, I would hesitate to purchase one.

I have one of the little Leniad single-shot pistols that handle both cartridges. It's a lot of fun, but is more of a last-ditch "get off me" pistol.

Scott

 

[ogilvyspecial]

I just bought some .410 000 buck shells to try in my Governor. The box says the 3 pellets are .400 in diameter and travel at 1200 fps.

If I do my math right, .400 is 40 caliber. I don't know what the 1200 fps is measured out of, probably a long gun, and I don't know what the real speed out of a Govenor would be. I don't have a chrono or know anyone who does.

Do you think that it's possible that the Governor speed could be close to 850-900 fps ?

If so, and I think it's probably a realistic guess, then the Governor is spitting out 3 .40 cal bullets at about the same speed as a .45acp.

That sounds like a pretty darned good defense round to me.

Would do you guys think?

When I had my Judge the newer .410 bore handgun loads weren't available,
which had changed by the time I picked up The Governor.

The one 'Possum that I have dealt with using the newer, 000 Buck loads with
The Governor, gave me the same results as I had with the "old school" shells.

For what's it worth, I've shot quite a few Raccoons, 'Possums & a few Skunks
with many different rounds & calibers and, to date, have found the 000
Buck .410 rounds to be about as effective as .32 S&W Longs.

With that said, I found it interesting that the link in post 47, of this thread, shows
000 Buck pellets after fired out of The Judge. The one he photographed was
shaped like a disc, which he attributes to the pellets being forced down
the barrel. Who knows, the rifling, as shallow as it is, may be the reason.

When I bought ammo after getting The Gov., I only picked up one box of the
PDX rounds because of my concerns about how well a disc would penetrate.
On the face of it, I don't think that they would, especially considering
it's only a .410 being fired out of such a short barrel.

When I voiced the above concerns about disc penetration in an earlier thread, another
member said that there was a video on the net where it shows the discs bouncing
off of a 55 gal. drum, which didn't surprise me. He actually posted a link to
the video, but, since I had dial-up at the time I didn't even try watching it.

Since I have a pistol range out in the back-yard I'm going to do some testing
this year to see what I can come up with. If I end up seeing pellets shaped
like the one in the photograph I mentioned earlier, it will go a long
way towards why I've been seeing the results I have.

Who knows, maybe it's all about lack of penetration. One thing I do know, the night I had
my "Louisville Slugger" moment, I knew something was going on when I hit that
'Possum, 3 times from about 12-15 feet with the 3" 000 Buck, and it didn't go down.

If you look at it the way that is quoted, this means that I hit it 9 times with a ".40 cal"
and it didn't go down. I would find that very hard to believe, even for the 'Possum.

Please forgive the long, rambling, post, but this has bugged
me since that night, which has been a few years ago now.

 

[TheMystro]

"Limited application"?? The Governor is just the opposite. It has more application than any tradition single caliber handgun.

As far as the toughness of a opossum, I trapped for a few years about 15 years ago. I remember I forgot my 22lr I typically used for head shots on my trap line. I had a 38special snub I kept in my truck. I had a particular lively opposom in my coon trap. (For those that don't know what a opossum is, it is a large rat like marsupial.) I didnt want to make a mess by a head shot with a 38special so I shot him in the body three times with 158jsp and he didn't die untill I finnaly shot him in the head. When I took him out of the trap, I noticed the 158jsp poked clean holes through him. From that day on, I only took head shots when dispatching pest in my trap regardless of caliber.

That may be a lot of fun, and I don't want to be seen as a "naysayer" but given the revolver's limited applications, I would hesitate to purchase one.

I have one of the little Leniad single-shot pistols that handle both cartridges. It's a lot of fun, but is more of a last-ditch "get off me" pistol.

Scott

 

[dewey]

TO AN ABOVE POSTER

2 1/4 pounds?

As a puesdo-gunsmith who has done ~150 actions on Smiths, I have to change out springs and do some stoning to achieve this weight....

Just saying.

 

[TheMystro]

Here is Critical Defense new 410 "tripel Defense"....
These look mid-evil promising.

Critical Defense® 410 Triple Defense

 

[rock doc]

Here is Critical Defense new 410 "tripel Defense"....
These look mid-evil promising.

Critical Defense® 410 Triple Defense

Thanks for the link. A .41 plus two .35s? I would not want to be on the receiving end of that.

 

[Capt Crunch]

"Limited application"?? The Governor is just the opposite. It has more application than any tradition single caliber handgun.

Yeah, I don't understand that at all. One of the reasons I bought it was because it has so many uses and applications. Apartment defense, snake gun, trail gun, hunting, go walk the dog gun, anti-carjacking gun and just general self defense.

By the way those new Triple defense rounds look amazing, I just hope I can find a place to buy them when they become available.

If you are looking at a good run through of .410 rounds, Hickok45 has a Judge video of him shooting a variety of metal targets.

 

[RKBAGUY]

Am I the only one interested to know which KNIFE that is?

Nice review, and great photos. Thanks for posting!

 

[TheMystro]

Love those grips.....looks like a movie gun.

I would strongly suggest trying .410 that was specifically designed for shot revolvers. In particular, the PDX-1, there are plenty of videos on Youtube that show their effectiveness you can do the searching yourself. These naysayers pop up in every Governor post made and other than Ogy who simply has not had good personal experience with the weapon, I believe most are just people who don't like Taurus and are imprinting those emotions onto the Governor.

I've had excellent experience with mine and I too have had exceptional accuracy with the 45LC. The PDX-1 that I have shot has always given me good groups of the 3 disks and for someone who lives in a small apartment, I believe it's a great choice for home protection. As I've explained previously, I have a 590 but in a small apartment, a full size 12 gauge can be a bit unwieldy.

Anyhow, as I take any chance I can to show mine off, here's a quick pic of my Gov.

 

[TheMystro]

Benchmade 950Bk Rift

Am I the only one interested to know which KNIFE that is?

Nice review, and great photos. Thanks for posting!

 

[old doc]

No you don't. You don't want to waste your $ on a toy that will get you laughed at by experienced shooters. What you really want to do is buy a real firearm instead.

wow, how did I miss this? Who knew that complimenting the OP for a firearm review would lead to this from ol' Sam Colt here.

While I appreciate your concern that I may be laughed at by experienced shooters and your advice to "buy a real firearm instead," I must say that the afore-mentioned concern and advice is not needed.

I spent 26 years as a Navy Corpsman with three FMF tours. I spent more time with the Marines than most Marines ever do, and along the way earned the Expert Rifle and Expert Pistol medals. Add to that operational experience in the use of military weapons and lots of trigger time with the numerous types and calibers of my personal firearms, I am considered an "experienced shooter" and never remember being laughed at while at the range.

Again, thanks for the concern, but don't waste your time worrying about me, ever.

 

[zzclancy]

Great review, covered it all. Weapon, ammo and leather. I was thinking of getting one, you just made my mind up. I want one.

Not surprised on the Silvertips I use them in 44 mag and 44 special. Very accurate.

 

[stc1]

Me too. That's why I just realized the value of the Ignore List, no more ignorant DLA. My one and only entry in the list.

Thanks for the post. I didn't realize there was an ignore list. Its a great feature and I wish it was available on the other forums I frequent, Rick