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ENTER TO WIN: FREE GUN FRIDAY ft. Browning, Caldwell & Black Hills!

SMITH & WESSON GOVERNOR

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Dennis AdlerbyDennis Adler
November 2, 2011
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Versatile and lightweight, the new S&W Governor revolver puts six rounds of 2½” .410 bore shotshells, .45 ACP or .45 Colt, alone or in combination, at hand. It incorporates S&W’s Scandium frame for reduced carry weight and comes with two 6-round and three 2-round moon clips for use with .45 ACP.

There are three things you look for in a personal or home defense handgun—ease of use, accuracy and stopping power. The new Smith & Wesson Governor delivers all three and in a choice of three different calibers that can be loaded in the same cylinder.

smith-wesson-governor-b
The large serrated hammer spur makes cocking the gun very easy and proved to be smooth and consistent, even when rapid firing single-action.

Why three? Up until now the alternate cartridge choice for defensive handguns chambered to shoot .410 bore shot-shells has been .45 Colt. This is a fine cartridge with a legendary history of use in America dating back to the 1870s. Today it is still regarded as an Old West cartridge, although there are self-defense loads in .45 Colt that match other large caliber rounds grain-for-grain in stopping power. However, with the option to carry a combination of shotshells and .45 ACP, the new S&W becomes the first triple-threat revolver in this growing class of personal protection and home defense firearms.

Gun Details
Smith & Wesson named the new multi-caliber revolver the Governor for its “authoritative appearance and specialized features.” And while we might have preferred a more traditional S&W numerical designation to giving the gun a name, Governor is definitely an unforgettable one. At the core of this revolver is Smith & Wesson’s patented heat-treated Scandium frame known for superior strength and reduced weight, both of which come into play here. Capable of chambering .45 Colt, .45 ACP and .410 bore 2½-inch shotshells, the gun is ideally suited for both close range defensive work within the confines of a home, and more distant encounters at ranges of up to 25 yards.

smith-wesson-governor-c
Best 5-round group from 10 yards was 1.25˝ with Hornady Critical Defense 185-gr. FTX .45 ACP. Hornady Critical Defense .45 Colt spread out to just under 3˝. Federal Hi-Shok .45 ACP placed five within 2.25˝ with two overlapping in the bull. Five rounds of Winchester PDX1 covered the entire right quadrant of a target.

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