This gun is amazing.....
handles well, shoots like my custom 25 Target, and just feels good.....
I fired about 200 rounds, and it seems to have no specific likes or dislikes....
The 25yd groups with golden Saber 230gr are all in the B2 Bullseye...Military match and R-P 230 Ball are great, but group about 1/2 " right.
Dead Center POA are my Bullseye loads...
4gr bullseye under 200gr H&G 68 SWC..


Terry

Nice Smith!!

I've never handled one of these but have interest in the model. A question came to mind though... how does one utilize the accessory rail without the user's finger proceeding past the end of the cylinder (danger of flame cutting)? Does a tape switch have to utilized? Does Smith make any comment to this in the manual? Just curious...

I can't imagine using it while engaging the switch on the light. Turn it on and engage the trigger if necessary. With all my lights, the reach is not nearly as ergonomic as with a 1911. I have a Viridian laser coming (green) and I suspect, if one is going to use it, it goes on first and goes off last....
Terry

Thanks for the pics and report. Does that hoster fit the railed gun and is it catalog or special order?



Thanks....

Can you load and fire ammunition without using a moonclip in your gun? In another thread some 325 TR owners are stating they can't fire loose rounds, unlike older 625 versions. Apparently the "shoulder" or "ledge" in the chambers of these guns is placed too deeply so that the rounds, headspacing on the case mouth, don't get whacked hard enough by the firing pin to fire the primers.

Pooghyrr......
Yes the Rafter Holster fits, but snugly....They will make some beautiful holsters and this was for an N-frame 4"...a bit snug with the rail...just tell them there is a rail. They trim them in alligator, elephant, sharkskin, and I like them very much....especially when you see the prices....
Rafters Holster....http://www.raftersgunleather.com/

moxie...
Why in the world would I EVER fire loose rounds. I have 100 moonclips and always have 5 or 6 loaded and waiting. Truthfully, I could care less. I don't plan on manually feeding my 1911 either, just keep 6 mags.
No being a wsie-guy, just honest!
Terry

Congratulations of your Model 325 Thunder Ranch! I too have one –serial number 30 – and it shoots great and I am very pleased with it! I now have about 500 rounds fired through it!

The only very minor drawback is I discovered some weeks ago that apparently the Model 325 Thunder Ranch – contrary to published statements from some high profile firearms trainers and writers – that this revolver will not fire individual rounds without the use of moon-clips!

Not a show stopper for me has I too now have about 350 full moon clips!

Still, I think these revolvers are great!

tjpopkin,

No offense taken. The reason whay this capability is important to some is in the event you need the gun and either you don't have a moonclip available or the one you do have is bent. Could be important in a self defense scenario analagous to the magazine disconnect problem with some autos. Also, it sometimes is convenient at the range to just pop some rounds in without fooling with a moonclip. Until recently, most 625s were made with this capability. No one seems to know why some now do, and some don't, sometimes varying from chamber to chamber in the same gun, apparently.

quote:

Originally posted by moxie:
tjpopkin,

No offense taken. The reason whay this capability is important to some is in the event you need the gun and either you don't have a moonclip available or the one you do have is bent. Could be important in a self defense scenario analagous to the magazine disconnect problem with some autos. Also, it sometimes is convenient at the range to just pop some rounds in without fooling with a moonclip. Until recently, most 625s were made with this capability. No one seems to know why some now do, and some don't, sometimes varying from chamber to chamber in the same gun, apparently.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Hey Moxie:

I very much agree with you that the S& Model 325 Thunder Ranch Revolver should be able to fire .45 ACP ammunition without the use of full moon clips as my old S&W 1917 and 25 do! I did send an e-mail to S&W customer service about this issue and the flip response I got was, “Hi, because .45ACp is a rimless cartridge moon clips are required for the gun to perform properly.”

I have just mailed today letter to Mr. Jim Unger, Revolver Product Manager, and Mr. Tony Miele, Manager – Performance Center (both at S&W) about this issue. I have also mailed a copy of these letters to Mr. Clint Smith – Director, Thunder Ranch (the main champion of the S&W 325 Thunder Ranch revolver).

Among other frustrations and surprises is the fact that when I was at the 2008 SAHOT show (before I bought my THR revolver) and spoke with Tony Miele, he gave me assurances that this revolver would fire without the use of the full moon clips. Also, inside my Thunder Ranch revolver’s cartridges’’ chambers, I can see the rims for the .45 ACP cartridges to headspace on.

I am going to keep pushing this issue with S&W! Again, I agree, this is just not right!

Scharfshutzen,

Thanks!

Maybe your letters and involvement will get S&W's attention on this.

Very nice gun and pics. I'm glad to hear your happy with it and are going to use it as intended, as a working gun. I'd like to see S&W extend this line to other calibers and maybe stainless steel. It's a good start, hopefully well received by shooters it will expand into more. Thanks.

The reasons you mentioned, the ease of loading and unloading is why the RIMZ were developed. No need to worry about bent clips, or forgetting your tools when at the range. No need to have 300 loaded clips. Just use your thumb and index finger.

I have a pair of 625-8's (4" barrel in .45 ACP). I am not at all troubled by the need for clips when shooting these revolvers. It is no more relevant than refusing to buy the 1911 because they require clips for full use.

I DO use the RIMZ for general use and the steel full moon clips for "serious" use.

And I LOVE these revolvers.

I was out today with a couple of friends shooting and about froze my buns off (my FRIEND , the weatherman,missed the temperature by 10 Degrees). On the other hand, we had a great, tho' chilly time of it.

Dale53

Dale,

Agree RIMZ are handy at the range. The 1911 does work without a magazine.

An auto pistol is a very different design that is based around a magazine. A revolver is too, in a way. The cylinder serves as the magazine, it just stays with the gun at all times. In fact this is one of the disadvantages of the auto. If you loose or damage the mag you're out of commision.

More important to the point, for me, is that if the revolver is designed and manufactured properly it WILL NOT REQUIRE moonclips to function. It is a fairly simple thing to make a revolver chamber that will headspace a cartridge on the case mouth like an autopistol. Look to the many other examples for proof. Unless someone can explain a valid advanatge for it not doing so I will continue to see this as a flaw.

I don't mean to undermine anyone's love of their new gun but would it decrease your affection for it if it didn't require moonclips to fire a round? There are those of us that might buy this gun aside from this one issue but S&W will not fix the flaw as long as people are blindly willing to accept it as is. I can assure you that if no one bought them and their market research discovered that this was why, they would fix it to work as it should.

As it is now I hope everyone that has one enjoys it for what it is and what it will do, but it is not for me.