S&W Governor rifling twist?

B

BluRidgDav

New member
What is the rifling twist of the S&W Governor .45 Colt/.45 ACP/.410 shotshell barrel?

I've read references that it's twisted "slower and shallower" than other S&W .45 caliber revolvers, in order to "not spread out the .410 shot". But, I haven't found any actual specifications to support this.

Anyone know for sure? Where did you find that information?

Thanx, Dave.
 
BluRidgDav said:
I've read references that it's twisted "slower and shallower" than other S&W .45 caliber revolvers, in order to "not spread out the .410 shot". But, I haven't found any actual specifications to support this.
Click to expand...

Since most modern shotgun shells use a shot cup, I doubt very much if rifling is going to "spread out" the shot at all. Probably just the opposite. The fact that the "Governor" is a SD firearm meant for very close range(measured in feet, not yards), having the shot spread a tad is probably a good thing. If one wanted a solid shot column, they would be just as well off to use .45 colt.

JMTCs.
 
Since most modern shotgun shells use a shot cup, I doubt very much if rifling is going to "spread out" the shot at all. Probably just the opposite.
Click to expand...

The reason the shot spreads is centrifugal force, the rifling spins the shot and the shot cup very fast, spinning causes the shot to spread. A shot cup does not change the rules of Physics. This is why shotguns are smooth bore firearms, even with a shot cup and no spin the shot spreads to a 36" diameter pattern at 40 yards. If you spun it with rifling it would spread a lot more.

From the american rifleman review:

Birdshot offers a first-shot option for home defense that reduces the chances for over penetration of thin walls or of the assailant. As with other shotshell-loaded guns, the first round of birdshot can be followed by a second round of something more potent. However, birdshot is handicapped by that exceptionally limited 10-foot effective pattern range. And even within that range, it’s possible for the light shot pellets to be defeated by heavy clothing or a drug-induced resistance to pain. Even though a spot-on head shot will put 50 percent of the shot pellets on target, the other 50 percent of the pellet payload will travel past the target to do unintended damage to people and objects close by. It's important to carefully consider the circumstances in which you will be carrying birdshot before loading up with this round.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2011/8/4/review-the-smith-wesson-governor/
 
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Thanx Kozak!
Good information in that comparison. While 1-in-15" for the Governor is slightly faster than the 1-in-16" many manufacturers use in their .45 Colt & .45 ACP revolvers, I noticed that the Taurus Judge rifling is even faster at 1-in-12". That is the fastest twist that I've even seen for any .45 caliber handgun! (And the Judge also spread out it's shot patterns much faster than the Governor.)

Buck,
While spreading or not spreading the shot pattern, may or may not be tactically desirable, rifling does in fact spread out shot patterns significantly. I had a fully-rifled shotgun barrel that would throw 00 buckshot into donut shaped patterns with almost 18" of empty space in the center at only 7 yards. Thompson Center used to provide a sorta choke tube for their Contenders that were chambered in .45 Colt & .410 shot-shells. This attachment actually had "straight rifling" that was designed to slow down the rotation of the shot column as a result of the rifling in the rest of the barrel.

Thanx again, Dave.
 
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