New Gat for my Gal

[whoppo]

My GF loves to foray around our acreage in search of the many interesting things growing around the house.
With an increasing number of rabid critters being reported in southern Maine we figured something like this might be a good choice for keeping angry raccoons at bay :)





Tomorrow morning we'll take it with us to the range and pattern the different loads we've got on hand... I think it'll be fun

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[fail_187]

That is a nice revolver! Look forward to seeing how you make out at the range.
My cousin has a Taurus and a neighbor has one also. I haven't got to shoot either yet!

-jared

[BR101]

Nice piece. Let us know how she likes it.

[BigJon10125]

Seems like a good yard gun. Is it basically the smith and Wesson version of the Taurus judge, or are there significant differences?

[Crowman]

Smith & Wesson is here to stay ♪♫♫ ♪♫♪♪ ♪♫

[archer51]

Seems like a good yard gun. Is it basically the smith and Wesson version of the Taurus judge, or are there significant differences?

S&W rip off of the Judge. I believe the main difference is the S&W shoots .45 ACP/.45LC and .410, where the Taurus doesn't do the .45 ACP.

[whoppo]

Back from the range with the Governor... here's what we put through it:

Federal 45 Colt, 225gr JSP
PMC 45 ACP, 230gr FMJ
Federal 410, 2.5" #4 shot (labeled "Premium Personal Defense")
Winchester 410 2.5" Super-X 000-Buck
Winchester 410 PDX-1

The gun ran all the ammo very well and the perceived recoil was surprisingly mild for all loads. Accuracy was very good it was quite easy to get a second shot on target in short order. DA trigger pull is quite heavy, but smooth with a clean break. It took a few shots to get used to the DA pull, after which it didn't seem objectionable. Shooting SA was exceptionally smooth, very light pull and a nice clean break. I believe the word "butter" was used once or twice :)

While it's nice that it will shoot 45ACP since it's the least expensive of the three supported rounds, the moon clips were a bit of a PITA to load up and de-brass. Since this was purchased with the intention of being a (25 yard max) "critter control" tool for Mrs. Whoppo while poking around the property, the moon clip issues are of little concern.... we'll pretty much keep this loaded with 410 shells. The #4 shot seems that it would be fine for small critters, maybe up to a raccoon, but some of those li'l suckers actually get pretty big. The 000-Buck might be more suited to handling an angry 20 pound raccoon... but I've gotta say, the PDX-1 shells we shot today looked mighty impressive for such a small bore shotgun shell. At ~15 yards the 3 discs grouped inside a 3 inch ring and the pellets filled in the rest of the target fairly well. I think the PDX-1 will be the shell of choice for our purposes. These might actually make a reasonable choice for HD as well... they may be "puny little 410's", but they're not wimpy loads from what I can see.

Summary: The first outing with the Governor was a complete success.... Mrs.Whoppo absolutely loves this gun and shoots it very well. For the intended use, it's a perfect fit.

Additional: Before purchasing this gun we looked very closely and both the Governor and the Judge. The Judge is a pretty nice gun and I liked the grips, but the S&W grips were a better fit. While they may not be a recoil-absorbing as the Taurus "ribbed grips", there really isn't very much recoil to tame. Having 6 shots vs. 5 was a plus for the Smith, but the real winning feature was the overall fit and finish... between the two, the Governor seems to us to simply be of noticeably higher quality. We're delighted with the choice and the Missus is as happy as can be. At the range this morning there were a folks at 4 of the 6 shooting positions, including us... with the first shot from the Governor the questions starting coming in. almost everyone there has to shoot this gun and approval was unanimous.

[fail_187]

Glad that you had a good range trip. That is def a good looking pistol! And should do well with your wife as she is out venturing around the land.

[jrizzleP95]

Awesome man glad Im guys like it. My uncle has the long barrel version of the judge. Def good choice for what u plan on using it for. GL

[Kilowatt3]

Is that #4 shot, or #4 Buck? There's a big difference.

For a raccoon, I'd go with the higher pellet count of #4 buck over 3 or 4 pellets of 000 any day. Even plain ol' #4 will obliterate a raccoon if he's close enough to pose a threat. Pellet count trumps shot size (within reason) for up-close work with a shot shell.

Regards,
Jim

[TX-JB]

I saw an episode on one of the gun shows on the Outdoor Channel about the Judge. They were testing different 410 loads in ballistic gelatin. When using the PDX-1 load they were reaching 15-17" of penetration. So I'd say it's an adequate defensive round.

[whoppo]

Is that #4 shot, or #4 Buck? There's a big difference.

For a raccoon, I'd go with the higher pellet count of #4 buck over 3 or 4 pellets of 000 any day. Even plain ol' #4 will obliterate a raccoon if he's close enough to pose a threat. Pellet count trumps shot size (within reason) for up-close work with a shot shell.

Regards,
Jim

1/2 ounce #4 shot. I put half a dozen rounds of 22LR Mini-Mags into a massive raccoon that was chewin' up one of our ducks and the thing still walked away.. I'm more inclined to use the AR next time myself :)