After testing the new Smith & Wesson Governor, the rabbi reckons it’s got too big a spread for anything other than in-your-face self-defense work. Which is equally true for the Taurus Judge—which overcomes that problem with Winchester PDX1 ammo. Which is not so great for shotguns. Anyway, the Governor had a nice smooth trigger pull and looks tres chic in femme fatale noir. As for the name, I propose that Taurus christen their next shot shell shooting revolver the Executioner so that Smith can call their next scatter-recover the Commander-in-Chief. The rabbi and my new best bud Scott Conti have signed up for a Feb demo gun; we’ll gel test this bad boy for your dining and dancing pleasure. Make the jump for some snaps of the Governor not in action . . .
I had a D-Max Sidewinder 12-15 years ago ( Sturgis SD ) Six 45 LC or Six 3 inch 410′s PLus screw in choke tubes if you needed to tighten your group.
For the price I would buy the Smith & Wesson before I would ever think of buying a Taurus , and the 45 ACP is a BIG Plus
The taurus judge is a great multi purpose gun. The 410 is a great low recoil defence round. The judge will shoot everything from 4 to 6 shot, buck shot, slugs and 45LC. Granted you only have five rounds, but after you fire the first round, any attacker is going to run for the hills. The gun is scary loud!!! (especially in 3 inch) Any attacker with even a little cents isn’t going to stick a round for the second shot. With that said, Good job Smith and Wesson for giving the Taurus Judge some friendly competition.
I have a Taurus Judge Ultra-Lite. It’s a ball buster at close range with .410 loads. I don’t shoot it much… just enough to know what loads work best for a hidden night stand/home defense gun to be used in the middle of the night or when a home invasion happens. If half awake or surprised with time to get to a gun, the Judge is a no brainer… point in the target direction and pull the trigger. No safety to forget, no dangerous light trigger safety, and broad pattern end threat power that won’t go through to many walls into neighboring homes or streets. I’ve tried the Winchester #000 loads (lousy patterns), Federal Premium Personal Defense Handgun Ammunition PD412JGE000, 410 Gauge, 2 1/2 in, 4 pellets (Decent patterns, but not a great fit in the chamber) and the Winchester Supreme Elite Self Defense Ammunition S410PDX1… hands down the best PD load for the Judge or Governor… Can’t miss! Tight enough to do the damage, and wide enough not to miss, plus an excellent chamber fit… no slop or too tight ejection swell. I’m considering selling the Judge to get a governor for the S&W quality… the Judge is decent quality, but a S&W is a S&W.
The smith is twice the price of a judge and it has not proven its self like the judge has.looking forward to getting my hands on the new 28 guage judge.
i like this revolver,i like the shot shell and the fact of the 45,good job guys
I have a 2.5″ ultra-lite and I love the concept of this gun. Unfortunately I must have a lemon. No matter what I shoot it jams, usually before I get thru all 5 rounds. I’ve tried loads of all 45, all 410 and different combinations and manufacturers. Doesn’t matter what I shoot, the cylinder rotation jams. I thought it would break in after use, but no. And no, I’m not using a 3″ 410 shell in a 2.5″ chamber.
i smell incest here
I bought mine last weekend. I bought both the Federal 000 and the Winchester Elite PDX1. The Federal jams regularly (almost on the same cylinder every time, but it did it on one other cylinder while testing it today). The Winchester hasn’t jammed once. I recommend checking it out for yourself, I’m contacting both Federal and Smith & Wesson to ask them for there recommendations. I’ll bookmark this and try to get back here to let folks know what they say.
S&W along with other manufacturers should learn to keep their costs down and sell handguns at or below say……..$400. They would sell a lot more guns if they were more affordable. I’d love to own a Judge or Govenor but not at these prices. It’s not something I would regularly shoot but is best suited for home defence or snakes.
I am an owner of a Taurus Judge. I like the gun a lot. I am sure if I had the S&W Governer, I would also like it a whole lot. But to compare these two is kind of pointless. The gun that matters most is the gun that you can have handy when you need a gun. The Judge is a great .410 rattle snake killer… this is one time when you don’t mind a decent spread. I am sure that the Gov is pretty much the same thing. My wifes Hi-Point 9mm shoots just as well as my Glock.
The .410 slug leaves the barrel at 1,100 fps+. Anyway, the piece is so ugly that only a crazy person would argue with it! Also, you can mix the .45 and .410 rounds.