S&W Governor?

[AK103K]

SPOT ON, if you don't go to the "dance" with ballet shoes on,you don't have to dance with them.

No way would I carry such a 'thing' as I own and shoot so many other pistols SO much better.

And there is NO CHANCE that a stray pellet will hit my loved one.

If I were as good as the experts here and know that I cannot miss with so little space to spare , I would carry a Mossberg Shockwave

Is there NO CHANCE that you will hit them with anything then?

The point here is, the gun actually shoots a lot better than you claim. Nothing more. And that seems to annoy you.

Those of us who shoot them, know they will shoot. And the shooting here, is simply an exercise to show whether or not they can. Assuming you can.

Precision shooting, with anything, requires a lot of constant practice, and practice that takes you above mediocrity. If all you ever practice is basic "pass/fail" COM (and COM on a lot of targets, and what people shoot for, is not even correct, anatomy wise, its a point thing), then things like a head, or small pieces of it, or maybe a small target, called out to you to hit, on demand, will seem difficult and out of reach.Whos fault is that?

I dont see anyone claiming to be an expert, but some of us do strive to the best of our ability, to be above mediocrity and the lowest common denominator, and work hard at trying to be better than most. You get out of this, what you put in, and part of that is knowing what you can do, with what you have.

You probably wont want to see my Mossberg Shockwave targets either. Something tells me, that will be the next thing you will tell us is unshootable and wont keep its payload on target at distances beyond a few "feet".

Wanna bet?

The only way to actually know whats what with something, is to get one and put in the time and effort to wring it out. If it doesnt interest you, then dont bother, thats fine. No one is forcing you to do anything.

You really have no standing though, to try and tell people what the gun is like, if you really have no idea. Its all opinion based on nothing, and unfortunately, theres a lot of that going around on the web.

I bought my Governor because it was there, I was bored, looking for something different to maybe learn and figure out, and got a decent deal on it. I dont like Taurus, if it wasnt an S&W, I wouldnt have bothered. This, turned out to be a decent, well made and thought out gun, that shoots well, and does just what you would think and hope. Of course, its up to the shooter to do their part too. The gun wont do it by itself, and as with most things, when it cant, its not usually the guns fault.

 

[scaatylobo]

Is there NO CHANCE that you will hit them with anything then?

The point here is, the gun actually shoots a lot better than you claim. Nothing more. And that seems to annoy you.

Those of us who shoot them, know they will shoot. And the shooting here, is simply an exercise to show whether or not they can. Assuming you can.

Precision shooting, with anything, requires a lot of constant practice, and practice that takes you above mediocrity. If all you ever practice is basic "pass/fail" COM (and COM on a lot of targets, and what people shoot for, is not even correct, anatomy wise, its a point thing), then things like a head, or small pieces of it, or maybe a small target, called out to you to hit, on demand, will seem difficult and out of reach.Whos fault is that?

I dont see anyone claiming to be an expert, but some of us do strive to the best of our ability, to be above mediocrity and the lowest common denominator, and work hard at trying to be better than most. You get out of this, what you put in, and part of that is knowing what you can do, with what you have.

You probably wont want to see my Mossberg Shockwave targets either. Something tells me, that will be the next thing you will tell us is unshootable and wont keep its payload on target at distances beyond a few "feet".

Wanna bet?

The only way to actually know whats what with something, is to get one and put in the time and effort to wring it out. If it doesnt interest you, then dont bother, thats fine. No one is forcing you to do anything.

You really have no standing though, to try and tell people what the gun is like, if you really have no idea. Its all opinion based on nothing, and unfortunately, theres a lot of that going around on the web.

I bought my Governor because it was there, I was bored, looking for something different to maybe learn and figure out, and got a decent deal on it. I dont like Taurus, if it wasnt an S&W, I wouldnt have bothered. This, turned out to be a decent, well made and thought out gun, that shoots well, and does just what you would think and hope. Of course, its up to the shooter to do their part too. The gun wont do it by itself, and as with most things, when it cant, its not usually the guns fault.

OMG = its you 'again'.

Sorry butt yes I do own a shockwave for almost 2 years and its a hoot to shoot.

And yes ,even head shots ESPECIALLY with the cute mini shotshells from Aguila [ the slug is GREAT for that ].

That was my reason for posting as I did,seems you must have stock in this anchor for that small boat as you protest SO MUCH

And as I stated so CLEARLY,why would you LIMIT yourself to that "buckshot" when you don't NEED to try and dance in ballet toe shoes ?.

IF [ a HUGE if ] that was all I had [ only the good Lord could tell me why that was so ] then I guess I wont go to the sharp stick ---- but then I would load that anchor with .45 Colt to be able to NOT spread 00 buck around.

 

[AK103K]

LOL. I dont have stock in it or any of them for that matter. I just get annoyed when people say crap thats not correct and they try and act like the guns the problem.

Your claiming the gun wont keep buck loads on COM at 25' is what started this whole thing off.

If I had to pick one round to shoot out of the Governor, it would be the 45acp. Simply because its the most accurate (at least out of my gun) and easiest to shoot quickly with, and its fastest to reload with the moon clips. Simple choice.

But I know that because I shoot all the others as well to know, and what to expect from them. Im just not making random statements about things, its all based on experience.

Knowing what I know about the Governor, and how it shoots the Federal buck load, if I "had" to, I have a high confidence level that I could make that shot, as well as I could with the other two. They will all fall in the same general aiming point, or at least the foot print of the buck load.

These guns are niche type guns, and I dont think anyone is denying that. Personally, the best role I see for it, would be as a decent "supplemental" field gun, as it offers some versatility. Im not ditching the gun I normally carry for it. For something like a bear county or other big and dangerous critter gun, I think they have merit. Then again, you can hunt small critters with it too. And of course, those scary snakes.

I dont see it being a daily carry, or even home self-defense type gun, as there are other, better things that fill that role, but it work in a pinch if it was all you had. And of course, assuming your up to shooting it that way.

And, regardless of what anyone says is the best choice, that will depend entirely on how much time and effort they put into it to be proficient with it. As I said before, its usually never the guns fault (assuming you have a proper and well made gun), if you cant make it work. The shooter will pretty much always be the weakest link.

Oh, and if you want to use it for a boat anchor, dont, Ill pay you the appropriately sized boat anchor price for it. Since theres so much worry about the right tool for the job.

 

[scaatylobo]

"I dont see it being a daily carry, or even home self-defense type gun, as there are other, better things that fill that role, but it work in a pinch if it was all you had. And of course, assuming your up to shooting it that way."

FINALLY a factoid I can totally agree with !.

I had a ColdSteel spear that was pretty good at head shots at 25' too !.

And it made a lesser anchor for that boat than the S&W/Taurus.

As a CCW/EDC my hard headed opinion is that would be one of THE worst choices.

Besides the legal thing about "intentional crippling" could be the hardest part to try and walk out of court from.

On the possibility that the pellets don't kill the cretin.

 

[AK103K]

"I dont see it being a daily carry, or even home self-defense type gun, as there are other, better things that fill that role, but it work in a pinch if it was all you had. And of course, assuming your up to shooting it that way."

FINALLY a factoid I can totally agree with !.

I had a ColdSteel spear that was pretty good at head shots at 25' too !.

And it made a lesser anchor for that boat than the S&W/Taurus.

As a CCW/EDC my hard headed opinion is that would be one of THE worst choices.

Besides the legal thing about "intentional crippling" could be the hardest part to try and walk out of court from.

On the possibility that the pellets don't kill the cretin.

We agree on the EDC part, but for me, Id lump that 45Colt snubby Airweight you keep pushing in there too. Dont see that being real practical either, as much as Id like to have a 2.5" 29/629 or 25/625. Already have a 3" 696, and it sits in the safe more than its shot.

Something in that sort of caliber in an Airweight? No thanks. My hand hates me after a couple of boxes of warm 38's I shoot out of my 642 every month. Im not seeing you regularly practicing enough with something like that to be on top of it.

If you want to give the spear a go at 25' against the S&W (loaded with anything) Ill take that bet too. Ill even take a handicap and load it with nothing but Buck.

Dont know whats up with the "intentional crippling" thing. Sounds like we are going back to the "cant keep them all on COM at 25' thing again, and I swear, thats "still" not a gun issue.

Then again, you get yelled at on the internet for saying "kill" instead of "stop", when we all know what the deal is. Does "cripple" equal "stop" or do you have to call an alibi, and get a ruling?

Truthfully, I dont really care what anyone carries, as long as they truly are proficient with it, and can actually shoot it "realistically". Seems a lot of people have different ideas as to what "proficient" and "realistic" is.

And everyone is an expert until you tell them from a "startle" start at 10 yards, to draw from how they carry it, as they move offline and shoot as they go. By the look on most faces, its like the air got sucked out of the room.

 

[MaxP]

[QUOTE="AK103K, post: 11478814,QUOTE]For something like a bear county or other big and dangerous critter gun, I think they have merit.
[/QUOTE]

See this is where I think the Governor or any other facsimile of this revolver has absolutely no merit. They can only handle light .45 Colt and well I wouldn’t use .410 out of a long gun on anything big and dangerous.

 

[AK103K]

[QUOTE="AK103K, post: 11478814,QUOTE]For something like a bear county or other big and dangerous critter gun, I think they have merit.

See this is where I think the Governor or any other facsimile of this revolver has absolutely no merit. They can only handle light .45 Colt and well I wouldn’t use .410 out of a long gun on anything big and dangerous.[/QUOTE]
Where is it stated you can only use "light" 45Colt loads? I dont remember seeing that anywhere.

I wasnt referring to large animal use with the 410.

 

[MaxP]

You said against big and dangerous critters. I’m pretty sure the Governor can’t handle 30,000 plus PSI loads any better than a Model 25. This duty is completely out of its wheelhouse.

 

[AK103K]

I believe they are rated for 45acp +P, which is around 23K. Some of the boutique loadings in that caliber will push a 255 grain HC bullet up towards 1000 fps. Not a red hot 44 or 45, but would probably still do, dont you think?

Same goes for a 45 Colt loaded to about those same pressures. May not be the perfect solution, but still not bad.

 

[MaxP]

I believe they are rated for 45acp +P, which is around 23K. Some of the boutique loadings in that caliber will push a 255 grain HC bullet up towards 1000 fps. Not a red hot 44 or 45, but would probably still do, dont you think?

Same goes for a 45 Colt loaded to about those same pressures. May not be the perfect solution, but still not bad.

Those would be considered fairly light. Ruger-only starts around 30,000 PSI. The Governor was not intended for much beyond snake control and I wouldn’t recommend anyone try to go much beyond that. I just think there are better choices than this jack of all trades.

 

[scaatylobo]

AK103K=
Your getting closer to what I believe

"And everyone is an expert until you tell them from a "startle" start at 10 yards, to draw from how they carry it, as they move offline and shoot as they go. By the look on most faces, its like the air got sucked out of the room. "

I learned that a LONG time ago,before I was an LEO and just worked on an armored truck.

Was teaching a close friend to shoot at 7 yards,after I 'started him" he shot 2 rounds into the dirt 2 feet in front of himself.We spent the next 3 hours shooting until he lost that harmful habit.[ at his insistence ].

As to the snubby .45 Colt = I am shocked you would think it snappy,its a very low recoiling load as I shot many hundreds during cowboy action stuff.

Including using my derringer in that caliber too,VERY easy to shoot -- really.

I have 2 Charter arms .44 bulldogs and they are sweet to shoot as long as you stay with "cowboy loadings".

And I never implied of said anything about the spear v/s a gun,as you did not mention taking "that shot" with 00 buck against a active shooter WITH YOUR LOVED ONE THAT CLOSE.

That is a bet I would take,a FAST shot at 25 feet using 00 buck from your anchor

 

[AK103K]

I constantly practice that type headshot, for that very reason. I dont want it to be the first time I try if it should even become a necessity. And I do it in a number of ways, just so I know where I might have a limit. A lot of times, Im not static when Im shooting them in practice. This isnt about taking an impossible shot. Its about learning whats really impossible and know what you can and cant do.

And a situation like that is likely never going to end good, no matter what you do. So Id suggest being as prepared as possible, to do the impossible.


I thought we were talking Airweight type snubbies in 45 Colt shooting full power SD type ammo.

Seems like theres a little confusion here. I dont shoot cowboy loads, and always assumed they were loaded to work the game's rules, and not any kind of reality. Are they fairly warm, full power loads?

As I said before, Im a big snubbie fan. Most of mine are 38's and 357's though, although Id love to find some of those older S&W big bore conversions/chop jobs, or even a current 629 or 69. I havent carried one in a long time though. Ive found I get a lot more out of my 26, than I do any of my little revolvers.

 

[Dibbs]

So you shouldn't try a S&W Governor, because someday, someone might take somebody hostage. I don't think
I'll ask anybody's opinion about cornbread, around here...

 

[AK103K]

Mmmmmm, cornbread!

early 1960's, thick and greasy, school cafeteria CB my favorite! Hush Puppies a close second. Both probably be illegal today.

 

[TTv2]

Pretty sure not one .410 handgun was every made with the intent to shoot a hostage taker with .410 shells. Maybe .45 Colt.

What's the next "what if" scenario that someone is going to attempt to put .410 handguns down? You're out deer hunting and a wild 25 point albino buck appears 100 yards away and the round in the chamber squibs, so now you're left with just a sidearm to make the shot and the Judge can't do it?

The horror...

 

[MaxP]

Pretty sure not one .410 handgun was every made with the intent to shoot a hostage taker with .410 shells. Maybe .45 Colt.

What's the next "what if" scenario that someone is going to attempt to put .410 handguns down? You're out deer hunting and a wild 25 point albino buck appears 100 yards away and the round in the chamber squibs, so now you're left with just a sidearm to make the shot and the Judge can't do it?

The horror...

Well yeah, hahahahaha!

 

[scaatylobo]

So you shouldn't try a S&W Governor, because someday, someone might take somebody hostage. I don't think
I'll ask anybody's opinion about cornbread, around here...

WHOA,no need to git down right insutlin !.

The only "corn bread" that is worth eating is from a real Southern kitchen.

Eaten our "northern version" and most of the time it ----- er,sucks.

Been South of the Mason Dixon line and NOW your talking,LOTS of calories and fat ---- MMMMMMMM good eats.

 

[AK103K]

Just to keep things a little real here, and regardless of what it is you choose to carry, for anything dangerous, you do practice to somewhat realistically shoot the gun under some kind of induced stressful conditions, right?

How do you boys who carry the "small-big guns" in the heaver calibers for things that places like bear/cat country might bring, work on stuff like this?

I would think something like starting at the beep, from the holster, at 15-20 yards and doing cylinder dumps into a paper plate as you move towards it as hard as you can go, would suffice. Unless you can get someone to charge you and let you shoot at them

At least you'd get an idea as to how well you were prepared at a moving target (one of you moving anyway) and hitting what youre looking at while youre shooting/moving.

The smallest "big" gun I have is a 4" 629, which is a real treat when shooting something like that quickly with hot loads. I know I dont do near as well as I do with my 357's and autos, as the heavier calibers are just that much harder to shoot with that way.

I have a 3" Ruger NM Blackhawk in 44mag thats a pretty cool SA, but I wouldnt even consider it, or anything of the type, for anything like this, knowing how slow it is to shoot and worse, trying to get reloaded if there were ever a choice.

Just curious, but it would be interesting to hear how others practice for things like this.

Oh, and while I dont live in "big bear" country, I have worked (and played) a good portion of my life in the woods with black bears and snakes. Its always been kind of a joke when we got a new guy or college co-op that came to work in the field with us, to right off the bat tell them not to worry about the bears and snakes, and then watch them for the next week or so as they look for nothing else.

Generally, other than surprising either of them, and usually, even then, they were usually hauling ass south. They dont want anything to do with you, for the most part. I normally never bother with
the snakes, as they generally dont bother you, unless you bother them. If you step on one, or put your hands where you likely shouldnt, youre not going to have much of a chance anyway. At that point, youre way behind the curve anyway.

The skittish things we ran into the most, were what looked to be rabid raccoons and skunks. Possums just always look rabid. Hordes of Lyme infected deer ticks are the scariest!

Hey! Whats that over there?!

 

[scaatylobo]

I constantly practice that type headshot, for that very reason. I dont want it to be the first time I try if it should even become a necessity. And I do it in a number of ways, just so I know where I might have a limit. A lot of times, Im not static when Im shooting them in practice. This isnt about taking an impossible shot. Its about learning whats really impossible and know what you can and cant do.

And a situation like that is likely never going to end good, no matter what you do. So Id suggest being as prepared as possible, to do the impossible.


I thought we were talking Airweight type snubbies in 45 Colt shooting full power SD type ammo.

Seems like theres a little confusion here. I dont shoot cowboy loads, and always assumed they were loaded to work the game's rules, and not any kind of reality. Are they fairly warm, full power loads?

As I said before, Im a big snubbie fan. Most of mine are 38's and 357's though, although Id love to find some of those older S&W big bore conversions/chop jobs, or even a current 629 or 69. I havent carried one in a long time though. Ive found I get a lot more out of my 26, than I do any of my little revolvers.

The general "cowboy load" is as hot as you can shoot from the 1st & 2nd Gen. Colts.

I am not referring to the powder puff mostly .38's that so many load & shoot.

You can actually see ALL the rounds they fire ,going down range,even from the side !.

And I will play my "age" card here,as I am pretty dang sure I am a good deal older than most here [ not all ].

I used to do a GREAT DEAL of moving,rolling,running and shooting from any and all angles that I could ever imagine to find myself,yes even the Mel Gibson rolling on the ground shots.

That was almost 2 DECADES back,age does take its toll.

This back & forth has been fun,thank brothers !

 

[jski]

This is an interesting review where SOOTCH00 does a 180 on this wheelgun.

 

[jski]

Sorry all you Taurus fans but their workmanship is shoddy at best in comparison to S&W‘s.

Buy the Governor! Forget the Judge.

 

[MaxP]

Sorry all you Taurus fans but their workmanship is shoddy at best in comparison to S&W‘s.

Buy the Governor! Forget the Judge.

Buy neither is my motto!

Of course the Smith is a more refined revolver, but Taurus gets points for doing it before S&W.

 

[scaatylobo]

This is an interesting review where SOOTCH00 does a 180 on this wheelgun.

VERY GOOD video.

But as he stated the .410 was used to kill deer WHEN FIRED FROM A SHOTGUN BARREL !!.

I am curious as to the actual penetration of the 00 pellets in the real world situations.

And REALLY curious as to if anyone has ever used one in an actual S/D situation and had to fire it = if so ,WHU HAPPENED ?.

I was goofy enough [ yes,I admit it ] to buy a "Diablo s/s 12 gauge BP 'pistol' that will never get fired

 

[jski]

Here’s 2 more:


In the end, the quality of workmanship shown through for the Governor!

 

[PA Revolver Guy]

Interesting discussion. I don't have a horse in this race but I have shot my friend's governor. Much lighter than it looks and was surely fun to shoot at the my farm. Accurate enough to 10 yards with both buckshot and 45 colt. For the price, I believe my hard earned money is spent better elsewhere but I surely would not call it a gimmick. It is absolutely capable of ruining a bad guy's day in a hurry.

During the shoot, we didn't chronograph any 410 loads. Several brands of 45acp 230 grain hardball chronographed at barely 750fps. My friend loads his for woods walking with Garrett's 265 grain Hard Cast Hammerhead bullets. They averaged 855fps over the chronograph. I suppose if a black bear (we live in dense black bear country) was in question that might be the load to go with in the Governor but I will leave that to those with more expertise. I'm a bit more comfortable with my 44 special Blackhawk with 255 grain hardcast bullets at 1,075fps while out in the woods.