The Smith and Wesson Governor: Misfit or Misunderstood?

I don't really get the concept of one of these for self defense but I have a unique situation that has me considering a Governor. I hunt ducks on a rice farm in the Texas coastal plains. We shoot the duck over a 10 acre irrigation reservoir which often has active alligators in it early in the season when the weather is still warm. My hunting buddies are reticent to use their retrievers in a lake full of gators so we have to use a canoe to pick up the ducks. There are sometimes wounded ducks that need to be dispatched and retrieved as well. Taking a shotgun in the canoe is unsafe and would tear up the ducks if we need to shoot them at close range. A Governor loaded half and half with .410 shells for wounded ducks, and .45 slugs for alligators, might be just the ticket.
 
The only reason I own a Governor is for a purely recreational firearm. I own a large piece of property here in Texas, and I use the Governor as a fun gun on my land. I got the idea from the Hickok45 Governor "woods walk" video. I use the Gov to shoot 2 liter bottles, clay targets out of trees, etc. I set up a course in the woods to go through and shoot with the .410. It's a lot of fun.

If I was like the typical shooter who was restricted to only gun range shooting, I never would have purchased a Governor. But with my large acreage property, it's a lot of fun to shoot/own.
 
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People who buy the Governor (or the Judge) know what the gun is, know what they want it for, and have every intent to use it for its intended purpose...whatever purpose they decide that is.

They don't sit around wondering if it's a misfit or misunderstood or whatever other label people might put on it. They couldn't care less.
 
Watchdog said:
People who buy the Governor (or the Judge) know what the gun is, know what they want it for, and have every intent to use it for its intended purpose...whatever purpose they decide that is.

They don't sit around wondering if it's a misfit or misunderstood or whatever other label people might put on it. They couldn't care less.
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This is the best post on this entire thread!
 
In late 2015 I was shopping around for a handgun to carry around on my property for snake control while doing bush work/yard work etc. I was really looking to get a 38 special and use cci shotshells. Well this happened to be at the tail end of the ammo shortage and cci had halted production on some of the shotshells including the 38 special. None of the local stores or online sources had any 38 shotshells in stock and I hadn't gotten into reloading at this point, so I looked for other options. I really wanted something to just drop into jeans pocket without a holster. I started looking at
the Taurus Judge even though it was a little bigger than I wanted. I wound up getting a Taurus Judge Public Defender with the polymer frame. It has a 2" barrel and weighs 23 oz unloaded. While still a rather large gun I can still slip it into jeans pocket and the grip stick up out of the pocket and still carry it ok. It will go all the way into cargo pants pockets and military style camo pants and carry fine while wearing a belt. I love the judge and will probably never part ways with it. It is in my opinion the best pistol for snake control but I probably wouldn't have bought it if I could've gotten 38 shotshells. I believe these kind of pistols are more appealing to folks that don't shoot alot and want something to increase their odds of surviving a home invasion or car jacking. I didn't purchase the judge for home defense but with the right ammo it would definitely mame or kill someone. Would it be a one stop shot? Most likely not but it can still fit the bill for some people.
 
77blackcj5 said:
I believe these kind of pistols are more appealing to folks that don't shoot alot and want something to increase their odds of surviving a home invasion or car jacking. I didn't purchase the judge for home defense but with the right ammo it would definitely mame or kill someone. Would it be a one stop shot? Most likely not but it can still fit the bill for some people.
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Are you saying it increases their odds of surviving a home invasion or car jacking compared with using a different pistol?

The question I have yet to see anyone answer is why is the Governor is better than other guns for self-defense purposes. If it's not the best choice for the task of personal/home defense, why buy it instead of the better weapon?
 
Because it can fit many needs. For example example part of why I got mine was for when I go camping and hiking. But it's also a great defense option given the rounds it can fire.

Sent from my Pixel XL 128
 
I do believe the judge/governor could give someone that doesn't shoot much a greater chance of hitting their target and doing some damage vs. using a pistol they might not be able to hit with in the heat of the moment. Am I saying these guns are superior over other proven calibers, absolutely not. But it may be better for some people and increase their chances. I think it all comes down to the person.
 
I don't like the looks of the Judge, and I'm a person who likes many Taurus products. They have an oversized "Yosemite Sam" appearance to them.

http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/american_design_ltd/Yosemite_Sam_1_gun_image.jpg

My thing is, I wonder how the Governor is selling? I think the Taurus version is a little high priced (for a Taurus) and the Governor seems to be $150-$200 more. Who's buying that gun?

Having said that, their are a lot of what I would call "novelty" products out there in the gun market, and the Judge/Covernor are no worse than most, and not near as silly as many. Like What?

Well the AR "bump stock" stuff, for one. The bump stock is just a way to legally get around fully automatic rifle restrictions, and that seems to be it's primary appeal to it's buyers. It's silly, really. In that same sense, that may be part of the appeal of the Judge/Governor - it's one way to legally own a "shotgun" that has a very short barrel length. Or maybe that isn't a part of it's appeal, I don't know.

I do know that, while I wouldn't own a Governor because of it's very large size (in relation to it's firepower) it isn't as foolish as owning a bump stock or the green Zombie guns and ammo (a craze that thankfully seems to be fading.)
 
77blackcj5 said:
I do believe the judge/governor could give someone that doesn't shoot much a greater chance of hitting their target and doing some damage vs. using a pistol they might not be able to hit with in the heat of the moment. Am I saying these guns are superior over other proven calibers, absolutely not. But it may be better for some people and increase their chances. I think it all comes down to the person.
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My concern is that from watching hickok45, at 6 yards some of his shots with 000 buck were completely off the target (and I don't think he's a poor shot). Those errant shots would have done nothing to stop a bad guy and could easily hit something - or someone - else.

If I wanted to shoot lots of little bullets out of a revolver I'd rather have a 617, at least then I have a better chance of getting rounds on the target. Or better yet just load the Governor with .45 Colt or ACP.
 
I never liked the Governors until I held one in my hand and it went home with me. A month later I had another one.

I have several nice S&W revolvers, almost all of them are Performance Center guns (627vcomp, 627 2.6", 327, 637pc, etc.). The Governor without hesitation is my favorite. I have one at home for defense and the other is dedicated for range time and I shoot the **** out of it. I am strictly guessing but I probably have around 5000 rounds through the range gun and it looks like new.

People can say whatever they want but it is an excellent gun, high quality and extremely capable. The accuracy is shocking, even with 45acp. I also shoot 45LC, 45GAP and a variety of .410 out of mine.

The Governor is a VERY capable multi-purpose tool.
 
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