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judge verses governor


Trigger Mike

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I love my S & W Governor.  410, 45lc and 45 acp all in one is a great idea.  recoil is ok even with #4 410 shells.  It does only shoot 2 1/2 though.  She has helped me dispatch a few poisonous snakes and I usually carry it when on my tractor or working in the woods.  Having said that, the taurus judge is half the price, holds 1 less round, does not shoot 45 acp.  It does shoot 3 inch.  The last taurus I owned I was not impressed with when compared to a S &W.  That was years ago though.  Seeing it is half the price, is it a good value or do you get what you pay for?  I held one and the grip is a lot shorter so that my little finger has to rest under the grip.  the cylinder open button was stiff as was getting the cylinder out.  I assume that works loose over time.  The Governor has a finger grip that fits better.  the cylinder comes out like it should to reload.  The Governor is finicky in that it requires name brand 410 ammo or the cylinder gets stuck.  No RIO brand ammo only remington or winchester.

 

my son wants a governor but only has the money for a judge.  it is on sale for 350 at a store nearby.  

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Never shot a Governor, only the Judge and its variants.

 

I’ve found Taurus to be quality guns for the money. Fit and finish is not as good as the average Smith, and the trigger won’t be as smooth from the factory, but they do their job well.  If your son can afford a Taurus, he will not be under-gunned in a hostile encounter with Jake. Plus, he’ll have more money for ammo, which equates to competence and fun!

 

If you’re carrying these guns for serious snake defense, I recommend testing your ammo’s patterns on cardboard sheets.  I found most 410 shotshell ammo to leave gaping holes from pistols, even at sub-10 foot range. 45LC shotshells work much better at throwing an effective density of shot. 

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To me not having a .45 ACP option is not a show stopper. I have talked with a few people that own Judges (not Mafia Kingpins, just average folks) and they like them. One friend had both and he liked them both. He did say he liked the grip on the S&W much better but you can buy other grips. Oh, I spoke with a couple ladies that owned judges and they bought them because they were easier to handle for them. One lady was buying another to leave in her barn and she already had two more.

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The water bottles where very scared of my s&w governor with 21/2 in 8 shot shells . I had no problems making those 16 oz bottles jump 

really not worried about shooting 45 colt and 45 acp from the governor I have other guns for that 

I wanted 6 shots and I thought the quality was worth the xtra money

The 38 shot shells I used on mister snake really didn't do the job for me 

just my 2 cents 

buy what you can afford and are happy carrying

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If the main goal is to shoot .410 shells at snakes, for the money you can't beat those little single shot shotguns.  The youth models aren't much heavier than the governor.jk

 

If the main goal is to have a 45cal revolver I'd be in the market for a decent used 45colt revolver.  A Ruger Blackhawk, Uberti or Pietta can all be had for less than the current MSRP on the S&W Gov.  You can also shoot the 45colt shotshells out of them for the occasional snake.  To be honest most 45colt handguns pattern better with those shotshells than any 410/45cal combo gun I have ever shot.

 

I like you have not been impressed by any Taurus products.  I've shot perhaps 5-6 of their firearms including the Judge and thought most were junk, bad triggers, reliability issues, binding cylinders, accuracy issues, and longevity issues.  Even at half the price of the competition that's still too much for a Taurus in my experience.

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I had two PT-111 handguns that were both defective and I sent them back. Four months later they finally sent me two replacement guns instead. Both had the appearance of being used or refurbished, and both are jamming on me as well, just in a different way. I haven't yet decided whether to send them back again with a profanity-laced letter or to simply offload them at the nearby pawn shop at a loss.

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I am not a fan of Taurus as a general rule.

 

With that said, I own an older 2 1/2" chambered Judge.  It is a good pistol for what it is designed for and I use it primarily as you do.

 

I have about a hundred .410 and .45 Colt rounds through it and it feels no different than the day I bought it.  Mostly 2 1/2" #8 shot.

 

It is not uncomfortable with factory .45 Colt or the .410 #8 shot but I would not try to shoot it daily.

 

For the price and what I use it for, it's more than adequate and I recommend it.

 

If five rounds isn't enough, you probably shouldn't be tangling with whatever you're aiming at.

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I worked at Gander Mt. For four years. There were more warranty returns on Taurus guns than all the others combined.

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I sold off my last two Judges because I had problems with both. Some kinda binding cyl issue and developing slop.

 

Went to a Bond Texan 6”, it goes bang every time for snakes.  

 

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