Smith Wesson Governor Release? Thoughts compared to Judge?

[Guest MrCleaner30]

Does anyone know when these are available? I saw some preliminary prices released. Looks to be only about $100 more. I think the extra round (making 6) with added 45 acp cartridge and the S&W name / quality is well worth it in my opinion. Resale too is obviously better...

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

It's certainly not for me, but for those in the market for a gun of this type it seems like it would be a bit better choice than the Taurus - assuming it doesn't have a case of the first generation blues.

[Guest MrCleaner30]

It's certainly not for me, but for those in the market for a gun of this type it seems like it would be a bit better choice than the Taurus - assuming it doesn't have a case of the first generation blues.

Yeah I'll probably wait till they have ironed out the bugs if there are any. Usually S&W is pretty good on that.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

Yeah I'll probably wait till they have ironed out the bugs if there are any. Usually S&W is pretty good on that.

Even if they weren't usually pretty good about that, revolvers are kinda their thing. If there's something S&W is going to get right on the first try, it's going to be a revolver. But I still don't have enough of the guns I'm supposed to "need" to feel like I can go out and get something crazy like a Judge or a Governor.

[Major Kong]

Looks like it has the Hillary hole. Too bad.

[Guest MrCleaner30]

You say "crazy" I say "change". It seems alot of older people like youself dont like change and well your entitled to your own opinion. I think its pretty damn cool!

Even if they weren't usually pretty good about that, revolvers are kinda their thing. If there's something S&W is going to get right on the first try, it's going to be a revolver. But I still don't have enough of the guns I'm supposed to "need" to feel like I can go out and get something crazy like a Judge or a Governor.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

You say "crazy" I say "change". It seems alot of older people like youself dont like change and well your entitled to your own opinion. I think its pretty damn cool!

Older people like me. Ha! I'm under 30. I meant crazy in the best possible way. It just doesn't have a clear purpose in my life, so I need to fill my quota of "practical" guns before moving on to the ones that have much less defined roles.

[1gewehr]

Somehow I am having a hard time getting enthused about a large, heavy, low-powered revolver. When you add in the stupid safety lock, it makes me underwhelmed. But hey! That's what free enterprise and market competition is all about. Because there are other people who are interested in things I'm not interested in!

I'd really love it if a reputable manufacturer would make an updated copy of the old Star PD .45. An alloy frame single-action, single-stack 1911 .45acp copy with no grip safety. But make it with the frame about 1mm thicker on each side at the frame rails, better low-profile sights, and Commander-style hammer. I'd grab one in a heartbeat!

[Guest MrCleaner30]

My bad. Could have sworn it said age 56 when I was up late the other night lol. Ofcourse there is no set purpose for this type of gun. I just think its cool to shoot shot shells out of a hangun. I'm obviously not the only one. Taurus' Judge is their #1 seller for a reason.

Older people like me. Ha! I'm under 30. I meant crazy in the best possible way. It just doesn't have a clear purpose in my life, so I need to fill my quota of "practical" guns before moving on to the ones that have much less defined roles.

[Guest MrCleaner30]

bump

[eapking]

Can't see how S&W gets their price competitive with Taurus on this one. Hate the name. Pretty much a rip-off.

[Guest MrCleaner30]

Believe it or not it is competative. I love the new name nomenclature even though it may be somewhat copied from Taurus. I think its a hell of alot better than S&W's number system (i.e. 686, 629, etc) That is so reptative and boring sometimes. It's definately a step in the right direction.

Can't see how S&W gets their price competitive with Taurus on this one. Hate the name. Pretty much a rip-off.

[Ebow1]

I used to own The Judge, my biggest complaint and the reason I traded it away, was the fact that I never ammo to take the range. 45 lc was too hard to find and too expensive when I did. People who think these guns are ridiculous usually point out the idea of using a smoothbore pistol, but I would never actually chamber the .45 for any defense purposes, just the 000 buck in .410. With .45 acp I've got a different version of The Judge, that I can actually take to the range on a regular basis.

[Guest MrCleaner30]

I used to own The Judge, my biggest complaint and the reason I traded it away, was the fact that I never ammo to take the range. 45 lc was too hard to find and too expensive when I did. People who think these guns are ridiculous usually point out the idea of using a smoothbore pistol, but I would never actually chamber the .45 for any defense purposes, just the 000 buck in .410. With .45 acp I've got a different version of The Judge, that I can actually take to the range on a regular basis.

Yeah I'd only use .410 shot shells in it. Preferably Winchester PDX1

[dickenscpa]

I've had a Judge for quite a while, love it. I'm more accurate with 45colts out of it than any of the handguns I own. It's on my hip during bow season. Two copperheads and a coyote down due to it. Reloading is the only answer for shooting 45C or 45acp in any numbers. My edc is a 1911 so it was reload or barely practice.

I'm just waiting for the people who ragged on Taurus saying the whole concept was idiotic to praise S&W's innovation.

[Guest MrCleaner30]

I've always thought Taurus had some ballz to come out with the Judge. Now its their #1 seller generating a ton of money for them. Proven to be a worthy risk on their part. There are some people jumpin on the Governor bandwagon but most I see just rag on the entire concept of a shot shell handgun. I think their flippin cool and always thought so...Obviously we aren't alone as Taurus has sold the heck out of 'em.

I've had a Judge for quite a while, love it. I'm more accurate with 45colts out of it than any of the handguns I own. It's on my hip during bow season. Two copperheads and a coyote down due to it. Reloading is the only answer for shooting 45C or 45acp in any numbers. My edc is a 1911 so it was reload or barely practice.

I'm just waiting for the people who ragged on Taurus saying the whole concept was idiotic to praise S&W's innovation.

[johnboy]

A freind of mine has a judge and he loves it.Its just not on my list of guns that i want right now,but never have shot one.Looks like it would be a good home defense or varmint gun.

[Ramjo]

They come in different sizes? Cause I was in a shop yesterday that had the "normal" judges and then i looked over and there was a HUGE one, im talkin like S&W 500 sized judge in the case lol.

[laktrash]

Pricing ?? not that I'm buying just curious

[Guest MrCleaner30]

I think they have one called the raging bull that shoots 20 gauge shot shells...something crazy like that lol

A freind of mine has a judge and he loves it.Its just not on my list of guns that i want right now,but never have shot one.Looks like it would be a good home defense or varmint gun.

[Mike]

Looks like it would be a good home defense or varmint gun

No.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

A freind of mine has a judge and he loves it.Its just not on my list of guns that i want right now,but never have shot one.Looks like it would be a good home defense or varmint gun.

Replace "home" with "car" and you'll be closer to the right idea. Though lord knows I wouldn't want to fire off a round out of that thing from inside my car.

[JAB]

In a Forensic Anthropology class I had with Bill Bass back when I was in college, he talked about (and showed slides from) one case where an ex-wife hired a couple of guys to off her ex-husband's new (younger) girlfriend. Long story short, the decayed remains of the young girl were eventually found and the people who did it were arrested. The guys told the cops that they had smashed the victim in the head with a rock and slit her throat. They then wrapped her in a shower curtain and a thin blanket, threw her in the trunk of their car and took the body to dispose of it. When they pulled her out of the trunk, she was moaning from inside the blanket. To finish her off, they used a .410 shotgun at close range and shot her then buried her.

Thing was, Bass could find no evidence that she had been shot. As there was no reason for the killers to have lied about that part of the story, this perplexed him a little. Looking really close, he finally found one shotgun pellet lodged between a couple of vertebra. Then he x-rayed the blanket - and it was full of shot. The .410 shot had not even managed to penetrate a cheap, thin blanket and that was from a full length shotgun at very close range. That doesn't mean that I discount the potential of a .410 shotgun for self defense or home defense, with the right loads. Also, I know that a few companies have supposedly made 'self defense' loads specifically for .410 handguns that purport to turn them into the ultimate bad guy destroyer. However, I remain unconvinced that any .410 is going to be 'devastating' from a handgun length barrel - or at least no more 'devastating' than any good SD load from any good, centerfire handgun in a reasonable caliber, those (apparently pre-scored) watermelons that Taurus likes to blow up on their Judge commercial notwithstanding.

[Guest MrCleaner30]

Dude your talking over 20 yrs ago since you were in college that is ancient history. Ammo has come a long way since then. Just check out the tests done on the new Winchester PDX1 .410...that stuff demolishes! They probably used bird shot which doesn't do much even now.

In a Forensic Anthropology class I had with Bill Bass back when I was in college, he talked about (and showed slides from) one case where an ex-wife hired a couple of guys to off her ex-husband's new (younger) girlfriend. Long story short, the decayed remains of the young girl were eventually found and the people who did it were arrested. The guys told the cops that they had smashed the victim in the head with a rock and slit her throat. They then wrapped her in a shower curtain and a thin blanket, threw her in the trunk of their car and took the body to dispose of it. When they pulled her out of the trunk, she was moaning from inside the blanket. To finish her off, they used a .410 shotgun at close range and shot her then buried her.

Thing was, Bass could find no evidence that she had been shot. As there was no reason for the killers to have lied about that part of the story, this perplexed him a little. Looking really close, he finally found one shotgun pellet lodged between a couple of vertebra. Then he x-rayed the blanket - and it was full of shot. The .410 shot had not even managed to penetrate a cheap, thin blanket and that was from a full length shotgun at very close range. That doesn't mean that I discount the potential of a .410 shotgun for self defense or home defense, with the right loads. Also, I know that a few companies have supposedly made 'self defense' loads specifically for .410 handguns that purport to turn them into the ultimate bad guy destroyer. However, I remain unconvinced that any .410 is going to be 'devastating' from a handgun length barrel - or at least no more 'devastating' than any good SD load from any good, centerfire handgun in a reasonable caliber, those (apparently pre-scored) watermelons that Taurus likes to blow up on their Judge commercial notwithstanding.

[Guest bkelm18]

No.

This. There is no way in heck I'd trust my life to a .410 shot shell coming out of a 2-3 barrel. Nope. If you feel comfortable in protecting your life with it, more power to ya.