why is the judge/governor chambered for 45 Colt?

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idek

New member
I don't own one of these guns, and I don't plan to, but I am just curious as to why they are designed to also shoot 45 colt cartridges (the Governor maybe shoots 45 ACP too).

Since .410 long guns do indeed have a bore diameter right around .410" inches, wouldn't it make sense to design Judges/Governors to shoot 41 magnum (.410" diameter bullets) or even 44 magnum (.430" diameter bullets) instead of 45 colt (.452" diameter bullets)?

I've thought that maybe they purposely wanted a larger bore so the rifling wouldn't grab the .410 wad/shot cup as securely, possibly resulting in less "slinging" of bird shot and less plastic fouling. But that's totally a guess, and I don't doubt that a better reason may exist.

Anyone know why 45 Colt was chosen?
 
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Skarekrow88

New member
I don't own one of these guns, and I don't plan to, but I am just curious as to why they are designed to also shoot 45 colt cartridges (the Governor maybe shoots 45 ACP too).

Anyone know why 45 Colt was chosen?
Click to expand...

The S&W Governor does in fact shoot .45 ACP in addition to .410 shotshells and .45 Colt

I own a Judge PD Poly and I love it. The Governor would've been nice to have but for around twice the money the price wasn't even close to right for me. I believe (don't quote me on this) the reason for the Judge being chambered in .45 Colt instead of the the other calibers you mentioned is because of pressure. The .45 Colt is a lower pressure round. Some people fire .45 ACP out of their Judge using moon clips but that is not recommended due to the increased pressure of the .45 ACP. The Governor was built to safely handle .45 ACP and designed to hold the rounds in the cylinder without the use of moon clips.

Taurus makes a model called the "Raging Judge" which will fire .410 3" shotshells and .454 Casull. Maybe that model will suit you if larger caliber is what you're looking for.
 
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idek

New member
Skarekrow, just checked different pressures on Hodgdson's reloading page and there is a huge difference (as you mentioned). I never realized they were that different. That probably answers my question.
 
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45_auto

New member
Could it be because a .410 chamber is .478" in dia, a 45 Colt chamber is .486", 44 mag chamber is .460", and 41 mag chamber is .437"?

If I'm reaming a chamber to fit .410 shotshells and a metallic cartridge, I would prefer to have the low pressure shotgun cartridge expand .008" to fit the Colt 45 chamber when fired.

Your other choices are to have a 44 Mag expand .020" or a 41 Mag expand .040" to the shotshell chamber diameter when fired. Those would be some EXTREMELY sloppy and nasty chambers for those cartridges.
 
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Venom1956

New member
most pistols that chamber .410 also chamber .45 LC its just the nature of the thing. they are close enough in dimensions (width) to allow it and you might as well get both of them.
 
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Skarekrow88

New member
Just to clarify the Governor must use moon-clips to fire the .45acp rounds. tom.
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Oh, my mistake, I was misinformed by a salesman at a GS that moon clips were not required in the Governor for .45 ACP. I guess he was misinformed as well
 
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Skarekrow88

New member
Just to clarify the Governor must use moon-clips to fire the .45acp rounds. tom.
Click to expand...

Oh, my mistake, I was misinformed by a salesman at a GS that moon clips were not required in the Governor for .45 ACP. I guess he was misinformed as well.
 
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idek

New member
Ah yes, I can see how chamber diameter would matter more than barrel diameter. I guess it shows that I've never owned a .410 or a 45 Colt. :eek:
 
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deputy tom

New member
Oh, my mistake, I was misinformed by a salesman at a GS that moon clips were not required in the Governor for .45 ACP. I guess he was misinformed as well.


Not a problem Skarekrow88. It's good to ask questions. tom.;)
 
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chiefr

New member
I have fired 2 different Judges with both shotgun ammo and pistol ammo.
IMHO the Judge would best be used as a close range shotgun. I find the patterns acceptable but would not use beyond 7 yards.
I for one would not fire 45LC thru a Judge due to keyholes and PP accuracy.

I have fired a gov only once and with shotgun ammo only. Patterns were no different than with the Judge. The owner refused to shoot hangun ammo thru his Gov. I wonder why.
 
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deputy tom

New member
I have fired a gov only once and with shotgun ammo only. Patterns were no different than with the Judge. The owner refused to shoot hangun ammo thru his Gov. I wonder why.end quote

My Governor is a tack driver with .45LC and very accurate with .45acp. I don't know why your friend didn't want to shoot pistol ammo from his Governor. tom.

ETA it shoots buckshot in a tight pattern as well.
 
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Mystro

New member
The Silver Tip 45LC in my Governor are tack drivers.
One ragged hole at 10yards.
SWGovernornet.jpg
 
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veamon

New member
The ONLY reason I have a Judge (which I do love, shoots great) is because while I have been around guns my whole life, my wife is only recently comfortable with them, and doesnt have the enthusiasm for them. She knows how to shoot/load her .38 snub, and while I would prefer to have a regular shotgun in the house, I'd rather have the same capability with something she knows how to handle, for the time being.
 
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Cheapshooter

New member
I for one would not fire 45LC thru a Judge due to keyholes and PP accuracy.
Click to expand...
A complete myth. My PD Poly with the short 2" barrel holds a 3" group rapid fire, double action @ the standard CCW range of 7 yards. Slow fired, s/a from a rest It can get clost to that @ twenty five yards. With absolutely no sign of keyholes. It simply doesn't happen!
Another myth is it's inability to hold a pattern with shot. Yes, it's not a long barreled shotgun with a choke, but with 000 Buckshot in Federal Premium Handgun 410 2 1/2 inch the four .55" lead balls hold in about a 3" group at 10 yards. With size 7 1/2 shot used for snake protection an 8 inch target is peppered with holes that you can't find a gap in as wide as your pinky finger.
The two uses I have for my Poly other than just fun blowing stuff up is as a truck gun for defense against possible carjacking. With the first two rounds up being the Federal 000 Buck for close up, and there Winchester 225 gr PDX1 bonded hollow points for more distant threats. The second use is snake protection in the berry patches, and mushroom woods. With the 7 1/2 shot loads It will quickly dispatch a threatening Copperhead.
For the truth about a Judge or Governor, ask the guys that own them, not the guys that say they never will.
 
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veamon

New member
The .38 is her carry, the Judge is in our office near our front door. Something she can pick up and shoot without having to remember how to work a shotgun pump.
 
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deputy tom

New member
The .38 is her carry, the Judge is in our office near our front door. Something she can pick up and shoot without having to remember how to work a shotgun pump. end quote...


Then load it with buckshot. tom. ;)
 
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