S&W Governor? - Page 2

jski · April 22, 2020, 09:09 AM

Does anyone know how well the Governor is doing in the marketplace?

Cheapshooter · April 22, 2020, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Does anyone know how well the Governor is doing in the marketplace?

Guessing due to price point difference probably nowhere near Taurus does with the Judge. Which has done quite well.

jski · April 22, 2020, 08:18 PM

I’d say S&W doesn’t really complete with Taurus. So Taurus’ price really isn’t relevant to what S&W is asking.

Cheapshooter · April 22, 2020, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Yep, the Taurus poor quality and limited feature revolver left many with the smell of gimmick in their noses.

The same exagerated "poor quality" claim by the same 45/410 is a gimmick gun snobs that hate on Taurus because they are not S&W.
Both more internet false rumors parroted over and over by self proclaimed internet experts with little to no actual first hand experience with Tautus, or the 45/410 handgun foremat.

Kal52 · April 23, 2020, 12:59 PM

Ive had both the taurus judge and the Gov.

to me the Governor wins easily, for 2 reasons.

It shoots shot considerably better than the taurus, the Judge was so bad it was laughable, the .45 colt was not great, but shot slugs rediculously well.

and most importantly the ability to shoot .45 acp, cheap and pretty dang accurate.

If I want to add a 3rd reason the 6th round, but to me thats not a deal breaker one way or the other.

the one thing the judge has though is options, barrel lengths, finishes, etc
and of course the price.

I personally reallly like my Governor, and feel very confident in the fact that if I had to use it, it would do the job just fine. Not my first choice but its also not a bad one .

As far as the buckshot goes, stick with the plated stuff, designed for handguns. It patterns way better than the plain jane stuff, also stay away from the "gimmicky" loadings such as the bb/discs or the 40 cal bullet and buck, Ive tested alot of it in mine and also many of my long guns and its pure trash.

Good luck!

Cheapshooter · April 23, 2020, 01:35 PM

Quote:

It shoots shot considerably better than the taurus, the Judge was so bad it was laughable, the .45 colt was not great, but shot slugs rediculously well.

Not sure what Judge you had, but my Public Defender Poly shoots a +-2" group @ 10yds with 45 Colt, and a pattern that could be better described as a 3" group with the Federal Personal Defense Handgun 000 Buck at the same distance. With birdshot of #8 it produces a pattern at 10 or so feet that a nightcrawleris unlikely to escape, let alone a snake. All with a 2 1/2" barrel.

Kal52 · April 23, 2020, 01:47 PM

I got my judge right when they came out, it was the 3” cylinder with I believe a 3” barrel
I’m sure they are better now than then, they have had enough time to work out any kinks
, but bottom line is mine was not good.
Don’t get me wrong I think if someone wanted to take a chance in one, by all means do so.
I was just giving my personal hands on experience with mine.
I have weakness for the .410 and will usually buy something chambered in it, whether or not it’s useful, a gimmick or just plain ridiculous.
They are fun!

Oh and on a side note
I had talked to a guy who had a choke installed in his 6” judge
I forget the company that made them, or even if they still do, but very much like the contender style, said it worked great
Not sure if you could or should do that with a governor

**44 AMP** · April 23, 2020, 07:31 PM

The "choke tube" in my .45/410 Contender is not a choke tube, it only looks like one on the outside and screws in the same way into the barrel.

What it is, is STRAIGHT "rifiling" grooves, intended to at least partially counter the spin imparted to the shot column by the rifling.

Thompson Center very strongly says DO NOT shoot bullets with the tube in the barrel. I haven't checked but I think the "straightener" tube is small enough in diameter to "grab" the .410 which means its too small for the .45 to go through.

SO, a similar system in a Judge would negate the ability to mix "ball" (.45 colt) and shot (.410 buckshot) in the cylinder.

A different system might be possible, but frankly, I can't think of any that could affect the .410 shot column, and NOT be too small for the .45 bullet to go through without damage, either to the bullet, the gun, or both together.

jski · April 25, 2020, 03:29 AM

This is an interesting review where SOOTCH00 does a complete 180 on this revolver

S&W Governor 410/ 45 Colt/ 45 ACP Revolver Review

Old Stony · April 25, 2020, 03:56 AM

Helping a friend in a gun shop once, and he had a Taurus brought back because the new owner couldn't load it. The extractor was off centered enough, that you couldn't even load a .410 round into it. It had to be sent back to Taurus which left the new owner without one for about 6 weeks. They did corrrect the mistake, but it was evident they had never test fired the revolver before it was sold as they couldn't even have loaded it.

rodfac · April 25, 2020, 07:47 AM

Early Judges (two of them), brought out to our farm for their initial test runs, were less than sterling in performance. .45 LC, Cowboy loads, keyholed at 7 yds, though the group was around 3", and the Federal #4 buck rounds would not penetrate 1" poplar horse fencing. At 7 yds, that pattern was ~5" IIRC.

Both guns seemed quite heavy in my opinion for CC use, but would do for night stand purposes I'd suppose. Too, their triggers were abominable. YMMv, but I was not impressed.

Both guys that had them, bought on the premise that their wives could operate a revolver's simple manual of arms, as opposed to an automatic, but both triggers in DA mode were heavy enough that weak hand strength would have been a problem.

I've not heard back since that initial trial, but neither gun has been resold as far as I know. Rod

jski · April 25, 2020, 04:45 PM

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

Buy the Governor! Forget the Judge.

Cheapshooter · April 26, 2020, 03:12 PM

I bought my Taurus Public Defender Poly right after they came out. In fact, when I saw it at a gun show it was the first I had heard of the PD Poly. It has performed perfectly from the very first round with one incident that was 100% ammo related. Accuracy with both 45 Colt, and 410buckshot was beyond surprising. Even with birdshot it has totally disproved the claims of tge haters. It's fit and finish is near identical to that of my only other polymer revolver. That being a Ruger LCR.
The one problem came with some Winchester SuperX birdshot. The primers were backing out enough to lock the cylinder up. At first I thought it might be an issue with the gun. But other loads, from other manufacturers, and even other loads from Winchester all worked flawlessly. In fact, in trying the same exact load fom a different lot, they even worked without problems.
Taurus workmanship if far from "shoddy". To me, my guns are not wall hanging pieces of art, or fine Rolex watch heirlooms. They are functional Timex watches that Taurus quality serves just fine without wasting money on name, reputation, and status.
Yes, I have some of those others. Form Bretta, Colt, S&W, Ruger, Sig, and others, But I have not found any reason to dislike my guns from Taurus. Of Kel-Tec, or even Hi-Point for that matter. Or not buy any more in the future.

defjon · May 17, 2020, 10:39 PM

Nothing wrong with the governor!

410 4 pellet buck from federal..

Every test shows this delivering near 400 foot pounds

4 .36 caliber balls, each trigger pull reliably putting 4 basically 32 acp rounds that group well at self defense distances. Testing regularly shows 12 plus inches of penetration.

If you dont like the multiple wound channel theory, load up 45 colts.

If you don't like those, load up your favorite 45 acp round.

It won't launch them like a 1911, but ballistics are similar to the webley round that worked for the brits.

Sometimes a big, slower bullet delivers more felt impact. The governor will launch the big bullets but slightly slower.

I think it can work and have it's place.

Do your own tests and research.

If you have any doubts just get a 357.

Trumpanista · May 21, 2020, 12:31 PM

rules, rules, rules, I live in California, I can't even buy these because Callie says they are a short barrelled shotgun.
But a .410 with three 000 buck balls ,or a 300 grain rifled slug is not going to bounce off at close range either.
these rubber pellets might be fun for peppering trespassers or animals you maybe not ought to kill

totaldla · May 23, 2020, 08:59 AM

A gimmic leveraging the Hollywood-fueled ignorance of new shooters.
I've done my best to rescue these noobs before they waste their hard earned money.

"As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to their folly"

Cheapshooter · May 23, 2020, 08:48 PM

Quote:

A gimmic leveraging the Hollywood-fueled ignorance of new shooters.
I've done my best to rescue these noobs before they waste their hard earned money.

Far from a noob, and not in need one bit of your rescue.
Maybe you can double up on your daily dose of gun snobbery, and unwantedly, uselessly, and unnecessarily attempt to "rescue" me from my Taurus Judge Public Defender Poly. It is after all a Taurus.
A near perfect truck gun.
From car jacking protection with 000 buck and 45 Colt, to snake gun with #8 410. Not to mention a ton of fun at the range.
Accurate, reliable, and multi functional is far from a gimmik!
A first gun, or only gun, no. But the 45/410 platform has some very good uses.

defjon · May 25, 2020, 06:56 PM

I agree with the above statement.

I encourage anyone with that belief to see the plethora of ballistic gel tests with federal buck.

If you don't think the equivalent of 4 .32 acps hitting in a fist sized group, exceeding 12" of penetration would be a boon... I guess keep pulling the trigger!

Like cheapshooter said, I wouldn't want it to be my only pistol. But it had its place.

For what it's worth, I've owned the Taurus "el juez" judge and the sw governor.

The cylinder was so big and heavy in the judge. Once, I opened the cylinder and everything fell out in my hand. Couldn't fix at the time. Catastrophic in the moment.

My gunsmith fixed it for 7 bucks with a more robust part and ensured me it wouldn't fail again.

The governor is nice. I like that holds 6 rounds and can fire 45 acp.

The 45 rounds move slower maybe 700 plus fps. However 230 grains or 250 in the colt rounds will do the job.

These rounds mimic the ballistics of the British 455 webley. Around 250 grains at 650-700 plus fps. Earned a pretty solid rep as a man stopper.

Governor is scandium under 30 ounces. Night sight.

It's more combat accuracy though... Read man size target at 15/20 yards with the 45s.

Truly, it's a 7 yard gun. Pdx rounds kick about like a 44 mag. Federal has less recoil. Hornady critical defense is about mid level.

All of those loads make about a fist sized grouping at 21 feet. It's a lot of lead on target in a hurry.

I see its use as a "bump in the night" gun.

410 buck from a handgun should have little worry of over penetration within the home, also worth consideration.

A stray. 36 cal 410 pellet Vs say, a 9mm plus p or 12 gauge buck or 223 in an AR.. Those COULD risk someone in another room or a neighbor.

April 23, 2020, 07:31 PM	#33
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 30,492	The "choke tube" in my .45/410 Contender is not a choke tube, it only looks like one on the outside and screws in the same way into the barrel. What it is, is STRAIGHT "rifiling" grooves, intended to at least partially counter the spin imparted to the shot column by the rifling. Thompson Center very strongly says DO NOT shoot bullets with the tube in the barrel. I haven't checked but I think the "straightener" tube is small enough in diameter to "grab" the .410 which means its too small for the .45 to go through. SO, a similar system in a Judge would negate the ability to mix "ball" (.45 colt) and shot (.410 buckshot) in the cylinder. A different system might be possible, but frankly, I can't think of any that could affect the .410 shot column, and NOT be too small for the .45 bullet to go through without damage, either to the bullet, the gun, or both together. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

April 25, 2020, 07:47 AM	#36
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,657	Early Judges (two of them), brought out to our farm for their initial test runs, were less than sterling in performance. .45 LC, Cowboy loads, keyholed at 7 yds, though the group was around 3", and the Federal #4 buck rounds would not penetrate 1" poplar horse fencing. At 7 yds, that pattern was ~5" IIRC. Both guns seemed quite heavy in my opinion for CC use, but would do for night stand purposes I'd suppose. Too, their triggers were abominable. YMMv, but I was not impressed. Both guys that had them, bought on the premise that their wives could operate a revolver's simple manual of arms, as opposed to an automatic, but both triggers in DA mode were heavy enough that weak hand strength would have been a problem. I've not heard back since that initial trial, but neither gun has been resold as far as I know. Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

April 25, 2020, 04:45 PM	#37
jski Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2016 Posts: 374	Sorry all you Taurus fans but their workmanship is shoddy at best in comparison to S&W‘s. Buy the Governor! Forget the Judge. Last edited by jski; April 25, 2020 at 05:03 PM.

May 23, 2020, 08:59 AM	#41
totaldla Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2009 Location: SW Idaho Posts: 1,499	A gimmic leveraging the Hollywood-fueled ignorance of new shooters. I've done my best to rescue these noobs before they waste their hard earned money. "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to their folly" __________________ Keltec P15 at 1200 rounds

April 22, 2020, 09:09 AM	#26
jski Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2016 Posts: 374	Does anyone know how well the Governor is doing in the marketplace?

April 22, 2020, 08:18 PM	#28
jski Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2016 Posts: 374	I’d say S&W doesn’t really complete with Taurus. So Taurus’ price really isn’t relevant to what S&W is asking.

April 23, 2020, 12:59 PM	#30
Kal52 Member Join Date: April 15, 2009 Posts: 21	Ive had both the taurus judge and the Gov. to me the Governor wins easily, for 2 reasons. It shoots shot considerably better than the taurus, the Judge was so bad it was laughable, the .45 colt was not great, but shot slugs rediculously well. and most importantly the ability to shoot .45 acp, cheap and pretty dang accurate. If I want to add a 3rd reason the 6th round, but to me thats not a deal breaker one way or the other. the one thing the judge has though is options, barrel lengths, finishes, etc and of course the price. I personally reallly like my Governor, and feel very confident in the fact that if I had to use it, it would do the job just fine. Not my first choice but its also not a bad one . As far as the buckshot goes, stick with the plated stuff, designed for handguns. It patterns way better than the plain jane stuff, also stay away from the "gimmicky" loadings such as the bb/discs or the 40 cal bullet and buck, Ive tested alot of it in mine and also many of my long guns and its pure trash. Good luck!

April 23, 2020, 01:47 PM	#32
Kal52 Member Join Date: April 15, 2009 Posts: 21	I got my judge right when they came out, it was the 3” cylinder with I believe a 3” barrel I’m sure they are better now than then, they have had enough time to work out any kinks , but bottom line is mine was not good. Don’t get me wrong I think if someone wanted to take a chance in one, by all means do so. I was just giving my personal hands on experience with mine. I have weakness for the .410 and will usually buy something chambered in it, whether or not it’s useful, a gimmick or just plain ridiculous. They are fun! Oh and on a side note I had talked to a guy who had a choke installed in his 6” judge I forget the company that made them, or even if they still do, but very much like the contender style, said it worked great Not sure if you could or should do that with a governor

April 25, 2020, 03:29 AM	#34
jski Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2016 Posts: 374	This is an interesting review where SOOTCH00 does a complete 180 on this revolver S&W Governor 410/ 45 Colt/ 45 ACP Revolver Review

April 25, 2020, 03:56 AM	#35
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	Helping a friend in a gun shop once, and he had a Taurus brought back because the new owner couldn't load it. The extractor was off centered enough, that you couldn't even load a .410 round into it. It had to be sent back to Taurus which left the new owner without one for about 6 weeks. They did corrrect the mistake, but it was evident they had never test fired the revolver before it was sold as they couldn't even have loaded it.

April 26, 2020, 03:12 PM	#38
Cheapshooter Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Location: Missouri Posts: 8,306	I bought my Taurus Public Defender Poly right after they came out. In fact, when I saw it at a gun show it was the first I had heard of the PD Poly. It has performed perfectly from the very first round with one incident that was 100% ammo related. Accuracy with both 45 Colt, and 410buckshot was beyond surprising. Even with birdshot it has totally disproved the claims of tge haters. It's fit and finish is near identical to that of my only other polymer revolver. That being a Ruger LCR. The one problem came with some Winchester SuperX birdshot. The primers were backing out enough to lock the cylinder up. At first I thought it might be an issue with the gun. But other loads, from other manufacturers, and even other loads from Winchester all worked flawlessly. In fact, in trying the same exact load fom a different lot, they even worked without problems. Taurus workmanship if far from "shoddy". To me, my guns are not wall hanging pieces of art, or fine Rolex watch heirlooms. They are functional Timex watches that Taurus quality serves just fine without wasting money on name, reputation, and status. Yes, I have some of those others. Form Bretta, Colt, S&W, Ruger, Sig, and others, But I have not found any reason to dislike my guns from Taurus. Of Kel-Tec, or even Hi-Point for that matter. Or not buy any more in the future.

May 17, 2020, 10:39 PM	#39
defjon Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2005 Posts: 785	Nothing wrong with the governor! 410 4 pellet buck from federal.. Every test shows this delivering near 400 foot pounds 4 .36 caliber balls, each trigger pull reliably putting 4 basically 32 acp rounds that group well at self defense distances. Testing regularly shows 12 plus inches of penetration. If you dont like the multiple wound channel theory, load up 45 colts. If you don't like those, load up your favorite 45 acp round. It won't launch them like a 1911, but ballistics are similar to the webley round that worked for the brits. Sometimes a big, slower bullet delivers more felt impact. The governor will launch the big bullets but slightly slower. I think it can work and have it's place. Do your own tests and research. If you have any doubts just get a 357.

May 21, 2020, 12:31 PM	#40
Trumpanista Junior Member Join Date: May 20, 2020 Posts: 8	rules, rules, rules, I live in California, I can't even buy these because Callie says they are a short barrelled shotgun. But a .410 with three 000 buck balls ,or a 300 grain rifled slug is not going to bounce off at close range either. these rubber pellets might be fun for peppering trespassers or animals you maybe not ought to kill

May 25, 2020, 06:56 PM	#43
defjon Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2005 Posts: 785	I agree with the above statement. I encourage anyone with that belief to see the plethora of ballistic gel tests with federal buck. If you don't think the equivalent of 4 .32 acps hitting in a fist sized group, exceeding 12" of penetration would be a boon... I guess keep pulling the trigger! Like cheapshooter said, I wouldn't want it to be my only pistol. But it had its place. For what it's worth, I've owned the Taurus "el juez" judge and the sw governor. The cylinder was so big and heavy in the judge. Once, I opened the cylinder and everything fell out in my hand. Couldn't fix at the time. Catastrophic in the moment. My gunsmith fixed it for 7 bucks with a more robust part and ensured me it wouldn't fail again. The governor is nice. I like that holds 6 rounds and can fire 45 acp. The 45 rounds move slower maybe 700 plus fps. However 230 grains or 250 in the colt rounds will do the job. These rounds mimic the ballistics of the British 455 webley. Around 250 grains at 650-700 plus fps. Earned a pretty solid rep as a man stopper. Governor is scandium under 30 ounces. Night sight. It's more combat accuracy though... Read man size target at 15/20 yards with the 45s. Truly, it's a 7 yard gun. Pdx rounds kick about like a 44 mag. Federal has less recoil. Hornady critical defense is about mid level. All of those loads make about a fist sized grouping at 21 feet. It's a lot of lead on target in a hurry. I see its use as a "bump in the night" gun. 410 buck from a handgun should have little worry of over penetration within the home, also worth consideration. A stray. 36 cal 410 pellet Vs say, a 9mm plus p or 12 gauge buck or 223 in an AR.. Those COULD risk someone in another room or a neighbor.