At the range, there were some interesting findings. As a conventional revolver in .45 Colt and .45 ACP, I fired the gun clamped into a Ransom Rest at a target 25 yards away. Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups with two different .45 ACP and two .45 Colt loads was good. But the .410 shotgun aspect of the Governor’s performance is probably more intriguing to the defensive handgunner for whom the gun was made. I shot five-round strings of three different defensive loads, with an NRA B2 target placed at 5 yards. The Governor’s rear sight is fixed and the front, which is fitted with a tritium dot, is drift-adjustable for windage only, yet I was able to group most loads in a 4-inch circle at that distance. That means most pellets inside that circle. There is an exception in the BB shot used under the Defense Discs in Winchester’s PDX1 load. They spread evenly over a 12-inch circle. Any concern a shooter might have about the rifled barrel swirling the shot in a doughnut shape is unfounded.

When you fire a 000 buckshot load from a Governor, you are delivering almost a 300-grain payload at 1,200 fps. That is magnum performance, and the gun recoils sharply. At 30 ounces, the Governor is not particularly heavy, but the long cylinder made of steel is well forward of the hand and the twisting is pronounced.

Although the Governor isn’t the sweetest-shooting revolver that ever left the Springfield plant, it accomplishes the goal S&W has set in front of itself for a very long time—providing Americans with capable tools to protect themselves and their property.

Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson; (800) 331-0852; www.smith-wesson.com
Caliber: .410-bore (21⁄2"), .45 Colt, .45 ACP
Action Type: double-action/single-action center-fire revolver
Frame: scandium alloy
Barrel: 23⁄4"
Rifling: six-groove, 1:18.75" RH twist
Cylinder Capacity: six
Sights: fixed, tritium post front
Trigger Pull: double-action, 10 lbs.; single-action, 3 lbs.
Overall Length: 8½"
Width: 1¾"
Height: 5½"
Weight: 29.6 ozs.
Accessories: lockable case, owner’s manual, cable lock, six- and two-round moon clips
Suggested Retail Price: $679; (with Crimson Trace Lasergrips, $899)