Amazing, now we have someone polling the majority of owners of the Judge and Governor, to give us the "why" that caused them to buy it. Or, maybe we have just another Internet Commando making sweeping statements based on their own personal opinion.
If you want to carry a large bulky revolver and having made that choice to carry a bulky gun choose to have it chambered in .410 rather than something more effective your certainly welcome to do so. At least such a gun is easier to shoot than some of the tiny pocket pistols at the other end of the gun size spectrum. I do however stand by my statement that a significant portion of those who purchase a .410 revolver seem to do so because of a rather misguided perception of the capabilities and "power" of such a weapon. This opinion has been formed by listening to salesmen sell them to customers and hearing owners talk about how devastatingly powerful they are.
I personally am of the school of thought that one of the greatest assets a defensive handgun can have is great balance and the ability to point easily and naturally. The most important thing if one should be in so unfortunate a position as to need to use a gun in self defense is the ability to score rapid hits almost without thinking about it. A gun that handles well to begin with along with the muscle memory obtained through practice with it are a lot more important than caliber. I also tend to believe the best defensive pistols fire a cartridge that is "balanced" with the size and weight of the gun. For example I think a properly loaded 357 with at least a four inch barrel makes a great defensive choice in a full size 30+ ounce revolver but I feel a 357 isn't nearly as good a choice in a lightweight, roughly 15 ounce alloy J frame revolver. I think in that application a 38 special or a 32 mag would be a much better choice. Why? because in my opinion it is extremely important to look at a defensive pistol as a system where everything must be balanced out to reach optimum effectiveness. A lot of people become fixated on one aspect of a defensive pistol and in so doing sacrifice other important qualities. You don't want to disregard bulkiness, poor balance, or controllability just to get the handgun chamber in the "most effective" cartridge, nor is it really a great idea in my opinion to go with the smallest and lightest handgun possible on the grounds that you will be carrying it more than you will be shooting it.
My objection to the judge and other .410 revolvers for defensive purposes is not just based on one aspect, but rather on my perception and opinion that they are a rather poorly designed defensive system where disadvantages considerably outweigh any advantages when compared to other choices out there. First you have the fact that .410 out of a short barreled revolver tends to be relatively ineffective. I don't at all doubt it could kill but I do think it tends to be considerably behind a properly loaded 357, 45acp, 10mm, and other rounds which might produce roughly similar recoil, in reliable effectiveness. Then you have the issue that .410 can't be chambered in a normal length revolver and that revolvers chambered for it with their lengthened cylinders just don't tend to balance or carry particularly well. Now with those drawbacks what advantages does a .410 revolver provide for defensive purposes? I have only ever heard two possible advantages put forth barring the obviously inaccurate statement that the few buckshot pellets fired make it easier to hit your target than it is with just one bullet. One is reduced penetration(which could just as easily be considered another drawback) and the other is the ability to make multiple holes in a target with one shot(which again is accomplished at the expense of penetration).
Now with all that said use what ever you want and feel comfortable with. At the end of the day it is your very own personal choice what to use no matter if it be a cheap Davis derringer, a raven 25acp, a colt python 357, a taurus judge or the new smith "governor". However no matter what your choice there are going to be a few people that disagree and that goes doubly if you choose something that a lot of people have serious doubts about. .410 revolvers definitely fit in that category.
