S&W Governor?

[scaatylobo]

I wouldnt consider any of them as a daily carry gun or a BUG. Better things for both of those uses. These are a special use gun.

I wouldnt call the S&W and the Taurus the "same" gun either. Same type maybe, but from what Ive seen, different critters altogether. Ive had experience with other Taurus guns in the past, and their CS department, and the main reason I didnt bother with them and went with the S&W when I came across it.

The Governor I have has no troubles consistently making good solid hits on POA at 10-15+ yards with the buckshot loads. Other than the slight spread with the buck loads, and a little more recoil, they shoot just as well as the 45Colt and 45acp. If you were missing the target at the distances you describe, there was something wrong there. Have you shot one of the S&W's and had the same issue? Maybe it wasnt the gun?

No ,I have not fired a S&W anchor.

I have held one and the "balance" does not exist in the least.

The overall weight,and the total lack of balance would make that one of THE last pistols that I would choose.

And the very fact that the ballistic coefficient of a 00 balls from a partly rifled and SHORT barrel make the possibility of a one shot stop EXTREMELY unlikely.

And I choose to not spread 00 buck over the landscape, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

The BUG comment is in place of my S&W 360PD that is often carried.

And the ultra light and larger caliber of the .45Colt would be a great choice IF a BUG was ever a need.

 

[Armored farmer]

I have one judge/Governor success story:
My neighbor has cattle and all the associated hay, feed, bedding that goes with. With it comes the vermin and varmints that like to live in it.
He chose a Judge for his wife to keep at hand in their house. The day after her first shooting session, she heard a noise at her back door. An opossum digging at their screen door. She shooed it away. Minutes later, it was back and beginning to get through the screen.
One shot of .410 through the screen solved the problem.
Yes, probably just about any gun would have worked, but she had confidence in the Judge, and now she/they are fans.

 

[WisBorn]

I have one judge/Governor success story:
My neighbor has cattle and all the associated hay, feed, bedding that goes with. With it comes the vermin and varmints that like to live in it.
He chose a Judge for his wife to keep at hand in their house. The day after her first shooting session, she heard a noise at her back door. An opossum digging at their screen door. She shooed it away. Minutes later, it was back and beginning to get through the screen.
One shot of .410 through the screen solved the problem.
Yes, probably just about any gun would have worked, but she had confidence in the Judge, and now she/they are fans.

I think varmints and snakes is a great use for the judge!

 

[jski]

When S&W introduced the Governor it legitimized the whole 410 revolver concept. They added the 45ACP moonclip option plus a 6 round cylinder.

Federal upped the ante with their #4 shot 410 personal defense ammo and Hornady their Critical Defense 410 loads and now we’re no longer talking gimmick!

 

[labnoti]

Didn't Chuck Hawks report a 600fps (-30% velocity compared to 5.5" bbl Olin box-spec) from this type of gun for .45 LC? Wouldn't that make this a poor choice for a .45?

Isn't Hornady's Triple Defense 410 load rated at 750fps from the short-barrel? That is indeed like "half a 12 ga." Half the load at half the speed.

 

[AK103K]

No ,I have not fired a S&W anchor.

I have held one and the "balance" does not exist in the least.

The overall weight,and the total lack of balance would make that one of THE last pistols that I would choose.

And the very fact that the ballistic coefficient of a 00 balls from a partly rifled and SHORT barrel make the possibility of a one shot stop EXTREMELY unlikely.

And I choose to not spread 00 buck over the landscape, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

The BUG comment is in place of my S&W 360PD that is often carried.

And the ultra light and larger caliber of the .45Colt would be a great choice IF a BUG was ever a need.

Im having a hard time believing you handled one and came away with that. The Governor balances very much like most of my other 3"-4" S&W's, albeit, a tad lighter. It points and shoots like them too. Naturally and easily.

Im also getting the feeling youve not shot the buck loads out of one, or if you did, its not the guns fault for your lack of hits. I can easily keep all four pellets from Federals load on the head of a photo silhouette target at 10-15 "yards" with no troubles at all. If youre missing COM at 25 feet, theres something wrong, either with the guns, or how you shoot.

The "ultra light" BUG thing in 45Colt would not be the thing for me. There are a lot better things to use in that role that would be easier to carry and shoot. But, suit yourself, as long as you can make it work.

 

[jski]

Didn't Chuck Hawks report a 600fps (-30% velocity compared to 5.5" bbl Olin box-spec) from this type of gun for .45 LC? Wouldn't that make this a poor choice for a .45?

Isn't Hornady's Triple Defense 410 load rated at 750fps from the short-barrel? That is indeed like "half a 12 ga." Half the load at half the speed.

Specs on the Federal #4 shot self-defense ammo:

SPECS
Gauge 410 Bore
Shot Size 4
Shotshell Length 2-1/2in. / 64mm
Type Lead
Muzzle Velocity 950
Shot Charge Oz 7/16
Payload Pellets 59.0
Density 11 g/cc
Package Quantity 20
Usage Personal Defense

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I still don't understand why I want to shoot four pellets of buckshot out of a revolver, when I can shoot a 255 grain wide flat nose at higher velocity.

If I need shot, I can load .45 Colt shot loads.

 

[mcb]

I still don't understand why I want to shoot four pellets of buckshot out of a revolver, when I can shoot a 255 grain wide flat nose at higher velocity.

If I need shot, I can load .45 Colt shot loads.

2.5 inch 410 hold roughly 50% more weight of shot than a commercial 45 Colt shot cartridge.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

2.5 inch 410 hold roughly 50% more weight of shot than a commercial 45 Colt shot cartridge.

Take a commercial .45 shot cartridge and pattern it at reasonable snake-killing range -- say 25 to 30 feet -- and tell me it's inadequate.

My point is, a .45 is a highly effective defense and hunting cartridge -- no need for shot or buckshot. In the realm of shooting rats in the barn or snakes around the creek, the commercial loads do the job as well as .410 cartridges.

 

[AK103K]

I still don't understand why I want to shoot four pellets of buckshot out of a revolver, when I can shoot a 255 grain wide flat nose at higher velocity.

If I need shot, I can load .45 Colt shot loads.

Ive never used 45Colt shot shells. How effective are they? Ive tried shot loads in a couple of other calibers, and was never really impressed. They always seemed to have a light, wide spread, with a lot of gaps and poor coverage.

The 410 #4's out of the Governor seem to shoot well, with good consistency and coverage.

Personally, between the buck and birdshot, I see the birdshot being the better choice here, at least for what I envision the guns use. Its still nice to have the option though. The only way to know if the buck is effective or not is to shoot something living and see how it goes.

On smaller critters, the buck would probably still be better than the handgun rounds. I would think the buck would also work as a cross over type round and work better for snakes as well, if you werent comfortable with just birdshot for some reason.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Ive never used 45Colt shot shells. How effective are they? Ive tried shot loads in a couple of other calibers, and was never really impressed. They always seemed to have a light, wide spread, with a lot of gaps and poor coverage.

I put a dusting of Bullseye in the bottom of the case and then seat a gas check, open end up, all the way down to the bottom of the case. Then I fill the case with shot, and put another gas check, open end down on top, and crimp. Add a little silicone sealant to keep everyone honest. Out of my Colt New Service and my Ruger Blackhawk, they shoot very nicely -- and have accounted for several snakes.

 

[Dibbs]

Im having a hard time believing you handled one and came away with that. The Governor balances very much like most of my other 3"-4" S&W's, albeit, a tad lighter. It points and shoots like them too. Naturally and easily.

Im also getting the feeling youve not shot the buck loads out of one, or if you did, its not the guns fault for your lack of hits. I can easily keep all four pellets from Federals load on the head of a photo silhouette target at 10-15 "yards" with no troubles at all. If youre missing COM at 25 feet, theres something wrong, either with the guns, or how you shoot.

The "ultra light" BUG thing in 45Colt would not be the thing for me. There are a lot better things to use in that role that would be easier to carry and shoot. But, suit yourself, as long as you can make it work.

Funny, how folks who have no experience with them are so fast to yell "Gimmick!", yet everybody who owns one, likes and respects this
pistol...

 

[AK103K]

Funny, how folks who have no experience with them are so fast to yell "Gimmick!", yet everybody who owns one, likes and respects this
pistol...

LOL. Yup.

I have a couple of Glock 44's and you should hear some of what goes on there!

 

[scaatylobo]

Im having a hard time believing you handled one and came away with that. The Governor balances very much like most of my other 3"-4" S&W's, albeit, a tad lighter. It points and shoots like them too. Naturally and easily.

Im also getting the feeling youve not shot the buck loads out of one, or if you did, its not the guns fault for your lack of hits. I can easily keep all four pellets from Federals load on the head of a photo silhouette target at 10-15 "yards" with no troubles at all. If youre missing COM at 25 feet, theres something wrong, either with the guns, or how you shoot.

The "ultra light" BUG thing in 45Colt would not be the thing for me. There are a lot better things to use in that role that would be easier to carry and shoot. But, suit yourself, as long as you can make it work.

Glad for you that your such a great shot.

But unlike you I wont insult your shooting [ or bragging rights] .

YES,it was buckshot and hell yes it was all over the place,and I am FAR TOO RESPONSIBLE a shooter to even consider letting OO buck shot [ even the VERY few in those shells ] possibly miss and harm an innocent.

I am the only one responsible for my shots fired,and I take the as serious as humanly possible.

And btw ,I did not say you would or could or even should like a ultra light BUG in .45 Colt.

That was my idea and I still like it,even better than the snubby .44 Buldog that I own.

 

[Gordon]

Specs on the Federal #4 shot self-defense ammo:

we have apples and oranges being compared here :
The NEW Federal HAND GUN 2.5" .410 load has FOUR # 000 (.36") copper plated hard buck shot in a plastic wad sleeve. It is loaded with special faster burning pistol powders for short barrels. Indeed in a 3+" Judge barrel it does reach more or less 850 FPS . Those pellets have an average of 13" penetration a 5 yards on Ballistic gelatin. . At this point in time the only other commercial load that comes near it's performance is the Nobel 3 pellet #0000 (.40") load which has 900 fps reported velocity ot of a 3.5" barrel . The Hornady weird thing has 750 FPS and no buck shot below it's light conical and the Winchester PDX load of dimes and shot is kinda laughable to me. Now back to the Federal Load first mentioned; yes it does hold a head sized group at 15 yards quite uniformly and at 7 yards all are covered by a fist , accurately. Also my Public defender shoots .45 Colt ammo very well indeed , I get those fist sized groups at 15 yards and at 25 6-8" which is not bad for a 2.5" barrel gun 26 .oz empty !

 

[AK103K]

Glad for you that your such a great shot.

But unlike you I wont insult your shooting [ or bragging rights] .

YES,it was buckshot and hell yes it was all over the place,and I am FAR TOO RESPONSIBLE a shooter to even consider letting OO buck shot [ even the VERY few in those shells ] possibly miss and harm an innocent.

I am the only one responsible for my shots fired,and I take the as serious as humanly possible.

And btw ,I did not say you would or could or even should like a ultra light BUG in .45 Colt.

That was my idea and I still like it,even better than the snubby .44 Buldog that I own.

I wasnt insulting your shooting, just questioning your results, and some of your comments.

If its not the gun, and/or maybe the ammo, then whats left? Im no crack shot, and have no difficulty making good hits with mine, pistol rounds or 410, so your experiences are out of the norm, especially with the buckshot, at least from what I've seen. If you can make good hits with the pistol calibers, the buck shouldnt be any problem.

It sounds like you have little to no experience with these guns and a dislike of them for some reason, which is fine, just say that, instead of making questionable statements and pushing them as facts.

 

[Dibbs]

I'll just say that when I bought the Gov, I've bought other guns, from which I expected a little more, and have been disappointed. The Gov far exceeded my overall
expectations, especially in weight, ease of carry, and overall shootability and accuracy.

 

[WisBorn]

I'll just say that when I bought the Gov, I've bought other guns, from which I expected a little more, and have been disappointed. The Gov far exceeded my overall
expectations, especially in weight, ease of carry, and overall shootability and accuracy.

What do you carry the Governor for?
I like the gun

 

[Dibbs]

Oh, it's a snake gun. Also very effective on varmints, at close range. If you walk swamps and wetlands, it's a very effective "broom".

 

[WisBorn]

Oh, it's a snake gun. Also very effective on varmints, at close range. If you walk swamps and wetlands, it's a very effective "broom".

That is the primary reason why I would buy one. I have been thinking about the Bond Arms Rowdy also. The Rowdy would be easy to pocket carry.

 

[Dibbs]

Personally, I don't see the comparison. Caliber size aside, the Bond is a derringer, which is going to give you grip, if not control issues. The Gov has a generous, and easy to control grip, not to mention six shots. One thing about the Gov is the grip is surprisingly nice. Quite the opposite of what you would expect.

 

[WisBorn]

Personally, I don't see the comparison. Caliber size aside, the Bond is a derringer, which is going to give you grip, if not control issues. The Gov has a generous, and easy to control grip, not to mention six shots. One thing about the Gov is the grip is surprisingly nice. Quite the opposite of what you would expect.

You are correct. I also look at easier carry in areas that can be public. So concealed carry is part of my evaluation. For range use and open carry the Governor, then Judge, followed by the Bond Arms would be my choice in that order.

 

[Gordon]

You are correct. I also look at easier carry in areas that can be public. So concealed carry is part of my evaluation. For range use and open carry the Governor, then Judge, followed by the Bond Arms would be my choice in that order.

Check out the Taurus Public Defender; considerably smaller in every respect than the S&W, lighter and real cheap! Infact you can get an all polymer one for $. I have the Stainless one at $450, a great gun !

 

[ilbob]

I am not convinced a revolver is the end all of self defense firearms, much less a revolver firing a .410 shot shell.

As something to shoot at the range for fun it probably has utility. For self defense, I am unconvinced.

Having said that, it is probably better than a sharp stick, at least most of the time. Might make a usable, but not ideal, club too.