Smith & Wesson Governor - Home Defense Gun

[Winchester_73]

Then you bring up “357, 22, 38, etc. I just bought a Colt pre Woodsman” for self-defense I would take the Governor. It seems you are the new one, I’m guessing daily!

LOL - well just like the people who will vote for Obama because of ______ you are entitled to your own opinion, no matter how ridiculous. I think that a poster "comn-cents" should have a little more than what I'm seeing here.

When I brought up 22 and the Colt pre woodsman, I was saying that I think you can easily get more for the money in general. No, please "think" first and then "post" second, I obviously did not recommend a Colt Woodsman or a S&W 22 for SD. A S&W 17, a colt woodsman, buckmark, ruger MKIII, have a DEFINED purpose, whereas IMO this judge/governor does not. The purpose of these buckshot revolvers is to take advantage of ignorance, which ultimately goes back to money. Something that does all things mediocre, few thing well, but hey man, cousin billy bought one, and Mr Wilson across the street has one, and that old blind guy likes the idea of shot instead of a single bullet, so I gotta get me one too! People are sheep, and this crap is a perfect example. If you want to tell me you have a better SD concept/platform than my glock 19, I suggest you prove it to me, otherwise, I see many logical fallacies with your stance. (Of course, there are many other semi choices than a glock 19, and I am not saying its better than any of those. I own one however, and I think it to be a better concept (double stack DA semi) than a judge/governor, but not necessarily better than other semis)

A S&W in 38 or 357, in a revolver, takes away the reliability advantage of a judge/governor, while giving more accuracy, greater range, and potentially more stopping power IE 357 vs buckshot. A 38, 357 or ? does not have to be S&W, that was only an example.

Basically, a solution for the snakes that have been around for 1000s of years that suddenly, we had no real solution for, so now we can buy this raging magnum snake killer revolver! Awesome! What did people do before this judge/governor business

[comn-cents]

Funny stuff!

[Winchester_73]

Well explain for all of us why the governor is a reasonable choice over a double stack semi? Can you back up your stance with some "comn-cents"?

[JC57]

To clear up a couple of points brought up

- The S&W Governor is a 6-shot revolver, not a 5-shot. That puts it on par with all other .4x chambered revolvers that S&W sells.

- It weighs 29.6 oz unloaded (Scandium alloy frame). This is lighter than any other S&W revolver chambered in .45 or .44, and is almost identical in weight to the 329PD Alaskan Backpacker, a 6-shot .44 mag scandium alloy 2.5" 'normal' looking snubby that tips the scale at 29.7 oz.

- It has a 2.75" barrel, overall length of 8.5". This is less than 1" longer in total length than the 6-shot 629 with the 2.625" barrel at an overall length of 7.625" or the 329PD with the 2.5" barrel.

So even though it looks funny, it's not actually especially worse than any of the smaller .44mag snubbies from S&W and is several hundred dollars less than the two models I mentioned.

For someone who has decided that they'd like a light weight .44 or .45 caliber 6-shot revolver, the Governor doesn't seem to be a bad choice. I don't know how useful it is to be able to shoot a .410 shotshell out of a pistol but I'm willing to keep an open mind about it.

[Winchester_73]

JC57,

Thanks for the clarification. I thought the governor was more of a close copy of a Judge, but I see now it has some improvements over a Judge, IMO.

[TexAg]

Kind of funny that because it also shoots .410 it becomes a "novelty". Keep in mind it still shoots .45 acp and .45 colt (6 rounds of either or mixed or whatever you desire). So a basically a 6 shot N frame is now useless for self defense. Oh yeah, you can reload it pretty easily with full moon clips of .45 acp. Everyone I've talked to and every report I've read has said despite concerns of inaccuracy with the .45s (because of the freebore in the cylinders) it is NOT a problem with the S&W. Reliability has never been mentioned as a problem either.
Price a .45 Nightguard. I'd jump on a Governor for that low a price that the OP saw. A Nightguard that you can, if you want, shoot .410 out of.
As far as a wheel gun vs. semi-auto, I think there are plenty of threads to read on that subject.

[seeker_two]

Depends on what you're asking. If you're looking for the optimal HD pistol, the Governor might not be the best pick. If you like the Governor & want to buy it for fun anyway, it can be pressed into the HD role very effectively with the right ammo.

One thing I've noticed in all the reviews.....000 buckshot pellets seem large enough to engage the rifiling, making them fairly accurate & tight-grouping at room distances. Not a bad choice for up-close work.

[jmortimer]

The ammunition manufacturers are listening to this market with some dedicated .410 loads that are very effective.

[Grant D]

Hey, if that's what floats your boat,buy it.
Will it do the job? yes.
Is there better choices for home defence? yes.
Would I buy one? no.
I have 45's, and 22's, and 38's, that I can shoot snake shot with,and shotguns for buckshot.

[k_dawg]

I just think this is a 'solution' looking for the answer.

It is inferior to a dedicated 45LC revolver, and inferior to a shotgun.

[Webleymkv]

Well, let's step back and think about this for a moment. Because of it's rifled barrel, we know that the Governor will likely produce the same "doughnut" type patterns that the Taurus Judge is known for so the useful range of shotshells is limited, but then again self-defense is a short-range proposition the vast majority of the time anyway. .410 Birdshot probably shouldn't even be considered for self-defense because of its poor penetration, but .410 Buckshot can still give us adequate penetration at short range. Finally, we know that .410 revolvers usually give mediocre accuracy with .45 Long Colt/.45 ACP loadings because of the long jump that the bullet has to make to the forcing cone. I wouldn't expect much better than 5-6" 25 yard groups from a Governor loaded with .45 Long Colt or .45 ACP ammo, but that's still accurate enough to hit an attacker at self-defense range if the shooter does his/her part.

So, what does it all mean? Well, the main limitation that I see to the Governor is range, but as I mentioned earlier SD is a short range proposition anyway. .410 Buckshot would seem effective enough in close quarters and I don't think anyone would sneer at the .45 Long Colt or .45 ACP as a defensive round. Also, the Governor can be reloaded with speedloaders or moonclips, so it doesn't have a speed disadvantage when compared to other DA revolvers. Is the Governor better than a more conventional revolver for SD? No I don't really think it is. Is it as good as a more conventional revolver? That's debatable. Is it adequate as a self-defense arm? Yes I think it probably is.

[jmortimer]

^ I would say that sums it all up nicely.

[j3ffr0]

I'd be fine with the Governor for home defense. It's a pretty cool gun. For home defense, I'd probably want to alternate .410 and 45 or just keep 45 in it.

[ThisIsMySig]

I found my new Governor to be very accurate. At 12.5 yards, the very first shots of 45LC were right in the bullseye. Shooting 45 ACPs is a real treat too, and are just as accurate. I shot Winchester AA 410s 9# shot as well. These produced a pattern that nearly covered the range target and produced a mighty amount of recoil.

The Governor is in no way a close copy of the Taurus for three main reasons: 1) There is no plastic anywhere on the Governor, the Taurus Judge has a poly top strap, 2) it takes 6 rounds, and 3) it will chamber 45 ACPs using moon clips. Be advised, however, that loading a moon clip is easy. Unloading one without a special tool is a real pain.

Both the Governor and the Taurus have ~10 - 12 lb pulls. This is a very heavy DA trigger. Once the Governor is cocked into SA mode, the trigger is nearly hair-like and can easily be inadvertently fired. The Judge's SA trigger is not as sensitive.

A few more points. My friends brand new Judge blew apart where the top strap meets the barrel the very first day he shot it and there are many posts about that happening. As a SD weapon, I would not be firing 45LC in the house, but would fire a 410 round. Many say that this is a novelty gun. In some ways that is true because it depends on your reason for purchasing it. I don't shoot anything that moves, so in my case it is a novelty. I just like the fact that I have a choice of three different rounds and I enjoy shooting it. The 45 LC and 410s produce a huge amount of recoil. Understandable but still a lot of recoil.

I purchased my Governor for $560 out the door.

[natman]

the Taurus Judge has a poly top strap,

Say what???

[ThisIsMySig]

Taken from TacticalLife.Com:

"Polymer frames have been a solution to weight reduction in concealed carry firearms for over a quarter of a century, but Taurus has taken the concept to a new level with a polymer shell surrounding a steel skeleton sub-frame that is bonded with a lightweight black polymer exterior."

I stand corrected.

[ATW525]

Taken from TacticalLife.Com:

"Polymer frames have been a solution to weight reduction in concealed carry firearms for over a quarter of a century, but Taurus has taken the concept to a new level with a polymer shell surrounding a steel skeleton sub-frame that is bonded with a lightweight black polymer exterior."

I'm guessing that must be from a review of the Public Defender. The vast majority of the Judge line is comprised of all steel firearms.

[KenW.]

.410 handguns have their place; namely the derringer in my front pocket loaded with #8 shot on those desert ATV rides. A semi-auto 9mm or a J Frame rests in a fanny pack on those rides.

Don't count on bird shot for anything that is taller than your ankle is high off the ground. And the .45 Colt is punishing to fire through a derringer. Some praise the 1/5 ounce .410 slug. But comparatively it's kind of light at only 88 grains.

Don't think much of the Taurus or SW revolver shotguns. Any snake, mouse, or rat close to you can be dispatched with 2 shotshells from a Bond Arms derringer. And it fits in your pocket.

[seeker_two]

IIRC, the top strap of the Poly guns are straight polymer, but the rest of the frame is poly-shelled steel. I guess the way the cylinder locks up makes that possible....

I just wonder if the polymer shell traps moisture on the metal parts, leading to unavoidable corrosion.....

Handled a Governor at a gun show today. I wouldn't mind having one as a toy or HD gun. But I'd hate having to find ways to CCW it.

[lowercase]

I wouldn't hesitate to use a S&W Governor for HD.

My current night stand gun is an ex-police S&W Model 10.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

If that's what I had sure. The controversy is always why should one futz around with the 410 supposed Hammer of Thor, no need to aim rounds. As a six shooter, I wouldn't sneeze at 6 45 ACP or LC. But why then the 410 for a home gun? Not too many snake at home. Maybe snakes on a plane?

[MLeake]

For those who may have thought I only bash on the Judge concept, I see no virtue in the Governor for SD/HD, either.

Snake gun? Sure. Novelty gun, sure.

But for SD/HD, my view of the Governor mirrors my view of the Judge: At the same size and weight, any number of handguns are available that would offer better capacity and functionality.

And I really loathe the marketing types to whom Glenn E Meyer alludes.

[Newton24b]

the .410 aspect is intended for a short distance impact on things. kinda like why some people use hollowpoints to lessen the number of walls theyll shoot throughwhen they shoot at the cat at night by accident.