When you finally have one in your hand, you’ll realize the Governor, in spite of its stubby 2-3/4" barrel, is a large revolver—not heavy, but large—yet stylish. Much of its size is dictated by the long, stainless steel, 6-shot cylinder that accommodates 2-1/2" .410 shells. Anyway, the Governor is 8-1/2" long, 5-1/2" high and 1-3/4" wide. It will be interesting to see what the holster makers cook up for open and concealed carry of the big Governor. I like to think of it in the role of an unholstered home and car gun.
The frame itself is composed of that great, lightweight, heat-treated alloy, S&W calls “Scandium” which lends strength and reduced weight to a number of handguns in the S&W line. On my Sunbeam scale, I weighed the Governor unloaded and loaded to see where it ranks in the handgun world, given its choice of three possible ammunition types. Unloaded it weighs 1 pound, 13 ounces. Loaded with six 230-grain .45 ACPs, it goes up to 2 pounds, 2 ounces; with six 225-grain .45 Colts, it weighs 2 pounds, 3 ounces; and with six Winchester PDX shells, 2 pounds, 4 ounces. Not exactly an air weight but still nicely portable. There’s just enough mass there to be comfortable in your hand.
The Governor Governs
It shoots .410, .45 Colt and .45 ACP
Who would have thought that a personal sized blunderbuss would turn out to be one of the hottest selling handguns of the 21st century? In a short decade, we’ve gone from the pot-metal, cap-gun looking Thunder Five (look that one up on the web) to its more classy sequel, the Taurus Judge and now Smith & Wesson, roars out with their own version, or should we say, “elects” its own version, the “Governor.”
The Governor is a large handgun but well-balanced, and accepts a wide variety of ammunition for
personal defense. The Governor’s tritium night sight is a real plus for typical self-defense scenarios.
Photos: Robbie Barrkman
Well, the model name is sort of corny. Taurus started it, but the Smith & Wesson Governor-elect goes to the head of the class because he’s a 6-shooter!
Believe me perps, do not mess with the hand holding a Governor if it’s loaded with six Winchester PDX .410 shells. Or if the owner is of a more experimental persuasion of mind, the Governor might be loaded with two Winchester PDX .410 shells, two .45 ACPs and two .45 Colts. Yes, this little blunderbuss is a meat grinder.
I admit that more S&Ws occupy the stalls in my stable than any other handgun—from the old Centennial my grandfather used to shoot coyotes and jacks with from the window of his Model T, to the AirLite Titanium that rides my shoulder holster every morning when exercising the dog, to the latest, an M&P9 fitted with Crimson Trace grips and a SureFire X300 weapon light. I like the pull of their double actions better than Colt’s, and the quality and reliability built into S&Ws, generally, have been outstanding. The new Governor follows that tradition.
The cylinder can hold a mixed fruit pudding of .410 2-1/2" shotshells, .45 Colt or .45 ACP. Stoked
with 6 rounds of Winchester .410 PDX1, it is indeed a formidable self-defense revolver.
The Governor is a large handgun but well balanced. The Governor’s tritium
night sight is a real plus for typical self-defense scenarios.
The Brownells moon-clip stripper tool is an essential part of the Governor’s tool kit.
Because the Governor has an omnivorous appetite, S&W has come up with a neat idea for the .45 ACP. Included with the Governor are standard 6-round moon clips and a unique 2-round clip. The 2-round clips enable you to load the cylinder with either two or four rounds of ACP in any arrangement thought effective.
S&W’s 6-round moon clips are something else entirely. You can load them, but I dare you to unload them with finger power. Once that S&W clip snaps onto a case, it hangs on for dear life. I’ve loaded and unloaded a jillion moon clips for 1917s and Webleys with no problems whatsoever. The solution to the S&W problem is Brownells “.45 ACP Moon Clip Stripper Tool,” part No. 352-197-000. Denise Murphy of Murphy’s Gun Shop in Tucson, Ariz., turned me on to this wonderful, little tool. It not only pops loaded or fired rounds out of those S&W moon clips with no effort at all, but stores them in its hollow handle. If you’re going to own a Governor, buy the Brownell tool, too.
The sights are fixed but clean and clear. S&W anticipated an essential need in the Governor and put a tritium night sight on the end of the barrel. It’s a blessing in low-light environments, and taking night fighting a step further, S&W offers the Governor with factory installed Crimson Trace laser grips as well.
The trigger is smooth, measuring 4.1 pounds in single-action mode and 11.5 pounds in double action. These are average values generated using a Lyman electronic gauge.
The Governor is devastating (above) when fed Winchester’s 2-1/2" .410 PDX1 personal
defense load. The Governor handles .45 ACP and .45 Colt just fine, too (below).
How does it shoot? Winchester’s Supreme Elite “PDX1” ammunition is made for the Governor. This new .410 personal defense load consists of three plated, 70-grain, disk-like projectiles and 12 plated, hard BBs. Shooting at center of mass, you can see how lethal that load is from the Governor at 6′, 12′, 18′ and 25′. The PDX1 does have a little bit of a kick to it, but recoil is soaked up with the Governor’s shock absorbing grip.
Switching over to conventional handgun ammunition, the Governor at 25 yards will keep six rounds of .45 ACP and .45 Colt in 2-1/2″ to 4″. I also had a brilliant idea to test some Brenneke .410 slugs in the Governor. Don’t bother. The Brenneke brand is a top performer, but the first shot landed 10″ low and several inches off in windage, so I called it a day.
Above all, the Governor is fun to shoot with .410 shotshells. It’s a quality Smith & Wesson handgun, and offering one more shot than the competition, the Governor has just taken over the State House.
GOVERNOR
MAKER: Smith & Wesson
2100 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield, MA 01104
(800) 331-0852
www.smith-wesson.com
ACTION TYPE: Double-action revolver,
CALIBER: 2-1/2″ .410 shotshell, .45 ACP, .45 Colt,
BARREL LENGTH: 2-3/4″,
OVERALL LENGTH: 8-1/2″,
WEIGHT: 29.6 ounces,
FINISH: Matte black, STOCKS: Synthetic,
PRICE: $679 (with laser grips: $899)
Brownells
200 S. Front St.
Montezuma, IA 50171
(641) 623-4000
www.brownells.com
Crimson Trace
9780 S.W. Freeman Dr.
Wilsonville, OR 97070
(800) 442-2406
www.crimsontrace.com
