I am down to only two S&W .45 Colts at the moment. I have been loading for, and shooting guns in this caliber for 24 or 25 years (not sure now, gettin old I guess). It is my favorite caliber, and I have posted many times on this, and other forums, about the throat issues etc.

The guns are much sronger than generally given credit, (usually by someone who heard it from a guy, who heard it from his cousin, who knew a guy who once watched another guy load his gun with rounds with 300 grain bullets and shoot them at a target, who then declared himself an expert on the subject, etc).

No, S&W's aren't Ruger's, but they won't blow apart or wear out with stouter loads than the factory sells either. No one says you have to run one wide open all the time, but it's nice to know you can when needed.

Many here know about the following links, but some don't so I'll post them here-

Gunnotes...Smith & Wesson Mod 25-5
Linebaugh's Custom Sixguns - The .45 Colt - Dissolving the Myth, Discovering the Legend
Linebaugh's Custom Sixguns - The .45 Colt - Dissolving the Myth, Discovering the Legend

I have fired many of Linebaugh's loads through my S&W's with never any problem, but I limit my guns to the loads that are running25,000 psi or under.

The .45 Colt in a model 25 can equal the .44 magnum with the right loads. It leaves a wider permanent wound channel too.

These are the two S&W's I will not be parting with-
My 25-7, which is an outstanding shooter with about anything that you can put in it. The throats are spot on at .452"-



and my 25-5, which has throats that run .4525"- .453". It is also an excellent shooter, and it gives velocities with the same laods as used in the 25-7 that are normally within 25 fps or less. My main heavy load is pushing a 265 Lyman 454424 to 1130 fps. My main target/plnking load pushes the same bullet to around 900 fps depending on which powder I am using-