The S&W GOV

[JimK62]

Since getting the S&W GOV a couple months ago I've been having a ball with it. It's not too accurate a piece but having the capability of letting go with with a couple 410 shot rounds and cleaning up with some 45 acp's out of the same weapon in six consecutive shots is pretty damn impressive/cool. Even for an old fart like myself who's HD weapon is a an HK 40cal and has been shooting a lot of everything for hunting, sport/fun and a short time where it wasn't so much fun (VN) you for over 60 yrs and laughed at the thought of one of these revolvers until I held one in my hand and felt it's excellent balance, the way it just melted in my grip and the versitility it offered. "I JUST HAD TO HAVE ONE" and I'm not looking back on this purchase at all. All I need now is CT which a perfect addition to the revolver in a dark house,and an inexpensive little holster and I have the perfect home defense (HD) weapon.
Anyone have any suggestions on holsters???
Thanks,
Jim

 

[rock doc]

There's this one from Bell Charter Oak Holsters:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...-new-governor-holster.html?highlight=governor

and there's this one from S&W:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...-s-w-holster-governor.html?highlight=governor

I just received this one from Tactical Store:
DeSantis Speed Scabbard Holster for S&W Governor FREE S&H 002BAV1Z0, 002BBV1Z0, 002TAV1Z0, 002TBV1Z0. DeSantis Style 002 Holsters, DeSantis Holsters.

ZD-HT-SSSW-002BAV1Z0 DeSantis Speed Scabbard Holster for S&W Governor $47.99

Moon clips: check. Holster: check. All I need now is the Governor

 

[mag318]

JimK62,
The more you shoot your Governor and experiment with different loads, the more you're going to like it. For 410 defense loads I settled on Federal Handgun 410 000 Buck which groups very well out to 30 feet and beyond. In 45 Colt my Governor likes Speer Gold Dots and Winchester PDX1. In 45 acp it shoots Federal 230 grn HST very accurately. This is such a fun revolver that every friend whom I let shoot it wants one now. Have fun with yours.

 

[S&W360Talo357]

I recently read a review on the Gov that cautioned against using ANY 410 loads not specifically designed for revolvers as the "shotgun" loads were tying up the cylinder.

I wonder what depth of penetration those 000 loads get in FBI-type testing?

Saw this test a while back by Guns&Ammo, using Winchester PDX-1 (I've heard Federal penetrates more) at 30 feet, they got 12" penetration.

.410 Revolvers - Guns & Ammo

Shooting Illustrated - Winchester 13" at 6ft.

Inside the Judge

This person claims 18" penetration with the Federal loads, not sure on the distance

.410 Revolvers - Guns & Ammo

Repost

 

[Stainz]

I bought my Governor 6/13. I arrived home - checked the S&W website - and ordered an S&W/DeSantis holster - had it in a week:

My Governor sports a Hogue .500 Magnum monogrip, which covers the backstrap, making it more recoil-friendly with the hotter loads. As it isn't a pocket gun as-delivered, the slightly larger grips don't really detract from it's use. It and the holster are available from S&W Accessories.

Stainz

 

[Delta53]

I have the same set up. I also like the DeSantis Speed Scabbard.

 

[rock doc]

My Governor arrived & I finally had a chance to fire off a few rounds. Very impressive tool, with the .45 ACP. .45 Colt, and the only locally available .410, the Winchester PDX1. I wanted a S&W .45 ACP, and as a bonus, the Gov fires two additional type of rounds. The holster is a Desantis. Obligatory photos:

 

[youngda9]

All pudge, no punch.

 

[MrGeek]

No punch!?

All pudge, no punch.

Federal 000 buck, four 72 grain pellets (288 gr total) at 1200fps with 921 ft lbs of energy having a spread of about 4" at 7 yards. Yeah, no punch. Or Cor-Bon DPX Ammunition 45 Colt (Long Colt) +P 225 Grain Barnes XPB Hollow Point Lead Free- at 1200fps and 720 ft lbs of energy or even Hornady TAP FPD 45acp at 461 ft lbs of energy. Yeah, this gun has no punch.

I'm lovin' my 'Guvna'! And I've been quite happily surprised! I've owned many revolvers in the past 55 years and this is my favorite for home defense or hiking in the woods. With 45acp in 4 moon clips (2 steps less than using a speedloader) in 2 speed loader pouches, I'm ready to go. Not to mention the great balance of the gun, the great action in both DA and SA. Yup, I'm lovin' it. But I keep forgetting, it has no punch. ;-)

 

[halco46]

The New Gov

Hi All, I picked up a S&W Governor at the Orlando Gun Show this Saturday and took it to the indoor range this morning. I loaded the first moon clip with Winny 230gr RN and it shot perfect at 30ft,nice group. I then loaded the next clip with my handloaded reloads again 230 gr PRN and it did the same. I then tried out 4 shots of Winny PDX1 410 defender and that will be a Flash Mob crowd pleaser,tore up the target bigtime. Next was 5 shots of Federal 410 4 pellet 000 Buck-WOW!. All done at 30ft. In my estimation you couldn`t ask for a better up close and personal weapon. This will work for me. The weapon is easy to handle,accurate and a real Hoot to shoot. Also I carry it in a Blackhawk size 2 IWB holster,fits just fine. Nice S&W piece that I`m sure I`ll have for a long time!.

 

[gunblade]

I was watching "Billy the Exterminator" the other day and thought that the Governor, Judge, et al, would be good for pest control...snakes, mice & such. The .410 would seem to be much more effective than a regular handgun caliber shotshell. I haven't handled a Gov. yet, but did look at a friend's Judge and was surprised at the balance...handles nice. Anyone get one of these revolvers just for taking out varmints?

 

[MrGeek]

I was watching "Billy the Exterminator" the other day and thought that the Governor, Judge, et al, would be good for pest control...snakes, mice & such. The .410 would seem to be much more effective than a regular handgun caliber shotshell. I haven't handled a Gov. yet, but did look at a friend's Judge and was surprised at the balance...handles nice. Anyone get one of these revolvers just for taking out varmints?

I'm buying a box of 'Federal Premium Personal Defense Ammunition 410 Bore 2-1/2" 7/16 oz #4 Shot Box of 20' just for this specific purpose. I believe there's 63 pellets in each shell. August's American Rifleman says it's 1200fps with 611ft-lbs of energy evenly dispersed over a 18"X30" area at 5 yards.

 

[MrGeek]

BTW, accuracy...

I'm getting very good accuracy (IMHO) at 7 yards with my Gov. I'm staying well within the 10 ring (6") (and plenty of bulls) with Birchwood-Casey 12" Shoot-NC targets using Hornady TAP FPD .45acp +P 230 gr. and the Federal 000 buck. I have Cor-Bon DPX 45 Colt ammo arriving tomorrow and will get to the range by next week I hope. Lovin' the Guv.

 

[jrb_pro]

I've come to the conclusion that anyone saying "no punch" doesn't really know much about the gun OR the ammo it fires. If they do, then they're deducing really skewed and incorrect conclusions. Everything I've seen - WITH THE RIGHT AMMO - makes this gun really impressive.

 

[MrGeek]

Fun with the Guv or IT'S NOT A TUMA!

I've come to the conclusion that anyone saying "no punch" doesn't really know much about the gun OR the ammo it fires. If they do, then they're deducing really skewed and incorrect conclusions.

Or they work for Taurus.

It's a great piece that very competently serves a variety of purposes and I *really* enjoy shooting it!

I currently have it loaded with, in the order of fire, 1 Winchester .410 PDX1, 1 Federal Premium .410 000 Buck (of the 1200fps variety), 2 Hornady TAP FPD .45acp +P 230gr. and 2 Cor-Bon DPX .45 Colt +P 225gr. I think that's a nice lineup for home defense but one could index to whatever round one thinks one may need for the first shot if necessary. I'll probably play around with different lineups. I'm going to order the Federal Premium .410 #4 shot to use as a first shot to carry in the woods for snakes and such. I also have a pair of speed loader pouches with the moon clips loaded with the Hornadys. It's a great piece!

 

[JimK62]

The Gov

Hey, I'm still having fun with the Gov and finding It's (really my) accuracy improving with each visit to the range. I concentrate on shot placement at 7 yrds and less with the 45 ACP's. Since it's primary purpose is for HD i always load 2 rounds of Winchester 410 PDX1. I personally don't like to shoot the 45 CL's because they're so dirty.
If any of you fellows are tired of getting sore fingers trying to load those S&W moon clips you might want to check out one of these: I ran across them doing a Google searchThe.... Deluxe Moon Clip Tool (www.deluxmooncliptool.com). I just received mine yesterday...and I tell ya "they are something else (MAKE IT EASY). They come setup with a 45 acp arbor ready to go. A little expensive (39.95 + shipping, but will last forever, They load and strip the moons + arbors are available for smaller calibers... S&W j frame revolvers.
Just wanted to share a tool I thought was cool and useful.
Jim

 

[mag318]

+1 on the moonclip loader, it's a wonderful product and well worth the money.

 

[mes227]

Saw this test a while back by Guns&Ammo, using Winchester PDX-1 (I've heard Federal penetrates more) at 30 feet, they got 12" penetration.

I've had mine to the range several times with these and they are very impressive. At 10 yards 8 out of 9 discs (i.e., 3 rounds) land in an 8"x10" area and leave a helluva hole! They easily punch through 1/2" particle board. The BBs add insult to injury and, for a torso shot, would likely leave the attacker vision impaired. I'm made my governor my car gun, with both PDX .410 shells and loaded moonclips for fast reloads.

 

[mes227]

I personally don't like to shoot the 45 CL's because they're so dirty.

This seems a bit odd -- I shoot a lot of .45 Colt, both in the Governor and in my several other revolvers so chambered, and I don't find this any dirtier than my other calibers. Maybe it's the quality of ammo you're buying, because there is nothing intrinsically dirty about the .45 Colt. In fact, because they leave less headspace in the cylinder, they should shoot a little cleaner than .45 acps (that is, less residue in the chambers). Some people will load the Colt with slower burning powder to give it more umph from a longer barrel with the same max chamber pressure, and that could leave a bit of unburned residue in the short barreled Gov, but that's a hand-loading issue. Or maybe you're shooting Cowboy loads, and any unjacketed bullet will give the appearance of more leading (though most of that is just burned power which sticks to the very thin lead film). If this bothers you, shoot jacketed .45 Colts (though unjacketed actually give slightly better ballistics.)

 

[mrsig]

I have heard problems with the Federal 000 Buck shot shells expanding in the cylinder and jamming it. Anyone else hear of or experence this ?