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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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Old 01-29-2011, 09:14 PM
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Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014  
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Default Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014

So many questions about Smith and Wesson revolvers chambered in 45 Colt ctg.

I got to thinking(and here's where I get into trouble),why not one thread
where all Model 25s and 625s chambered in 45 Colt could be discussed?

Cylinder throats,load data, frequently asked questions, who has had
conversions done. And, of course, pictures. Lots of pictures, so you cats
with em'can show em'.

What do you say? Good idea?
Let's make this " The Ultimate Smiths in 45 Colt thread' and have some fun.

Aside from a few model 25s'and 25-2s' chambered in 45 Colt,
it appears that the regular production of this model began in 1977 with the model 25-3, which is the Anniversary edition.

The 25-5 began regular production in 1978, and was offered in 4 in.,6in., and 8 3/8ths.in. barrels.
These early models with the pinned barrels are the ones that may suffer
accuracy issues for reasons we may discuss later.
(Note); do not condemn your particular revolver until you have fired
it with a reasonable assortment of ammunition.
Just because a model 25 is older does not mean it will not shoot.

In 1982 or thereabouts the pinned barrel feature was discontinued.
This is generally conceded to be the timeframe when the individual
cylinder chamber throats were tightened up to a consistent size,
and overall accuracy with modern ammunition improved.

In 1988 the model 25-7 was introduced incorporating the new yoke retention system(spring loaded screw) / the "radius stud package" /
the infamous 'floating hand' .
This model is the 5 in. barrel with the unfluted cylinder and bead blast blue finish.

The 25-9 appears 2 years later in 1990, with the longer stop notch in the cylinder that was developed for the model 29.
These -9s are all found to be excellent shooters because of the proper tolerances in this era.



6/15/2015 Update ; I am in the process of updating all my photographs of my Smiths in 45 Colt.

Here I begin, and I will continue as time allows. .


Model 26s , 5 inch tapered barrel 45 Colt.
1 26-1 Overrun. 2 26-1 Georgia State Patrol Commemoratives..
And a model 25-9 created in the likeness of a 26 .

Here displaying the various nuances of the Goncalo Alves Magna grips.
















[IMG]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn195/Allen-Frame/2015%20June%20N%20Frames/SAM_1294_zpsg5mq**27.jpg[/IMG]



















The Model 25-5 with the 4 inch barrel has been touted as a perfect
packing gun.
Just like its model 29 4 in. counterpart these N frames are revered and coveted by collectors and shooters alike.

I have managed to collect 5 of these.
From a 1985 N939*** serial with proper chamber throats to a 25-9 BFE serial prefix.

All wearing proper smooth Magna stocks of course. . .




































Next up in my entourage are a pair of short barreled 45s.
The Heavy Duty I built using a 625 Mountain gun barrel and cylinder
and a model 25-7 cut down to 3.5" . .
These short N frames look proper wearing P,C, Magna stocks. .


























Next up in my little group are the conversions.
The model 28 was a popular platform to convert to 45 Colt.
I have found 2 that used the original cylinder bored out to 45,
one with a model of 1950 barrel converted by Gallagher.
The other using a 1955 heavy barrel unknown who converted.

Both wearing period correct checkered Magna stocks.






The Gallagher gun really shoots....








[IMG]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn195/Allen-Frame/2015%20June%20N%20Frames/SAM_1313_zpshp**bnhg.jpg[/IMG]




Next up is one of my own conversions.
A model of 1950 target that I used a 25-5 cylinder and a 25-15 barrel on.
A good functioning and shooting piece.















But, the top of the heap in converted revolvers is my Clements Custom Guns
Pre war Heavy Duty.
This is an engineering marvel the way the work was done and functions.
A mid 1930s gun wearing later pre war Magnas.













The 5 inch model 25-7 is a great shooting gun
these are touted to have great balance with the 5 in tube.

I like them wearing N square finger Combat stocks.
This pair are original ...and unmodified.














My only 8 inch is a 25-5 AYM serial prefix 1987. .










I am waiting on a letter for this 1916 Model .455.
Extremely high condition for 99 years old.















Modern Performance Center model 25s from 2001 fall into 2 categories.

The model 25-11 in Case Color and Blue. . .
These have 6 1/2" barrels and come in Heritage series Gold boxes.










































And the Model 25-10 with a 6 in. barrel comes in a P.C. hard case.

























And my experiment. A 25-10 cut down to 3 1/2" . A good shooter but needs to
be cosmetically completed.










The model 25-13 is the only Blue Mountain gun Smith ever made in 45 Colt.
Even with the lockensphiel, the collection would not be complete without it.











AND , that's it for the blued models.

particularly scarce and handy are the 3 inch 625s in 45 Colt.

Here are 3 original 625-7s and my 629 converted using an original 625 barrel and cylinder.









































The 625-7 Power Port. great shooting gun. Long sight radius good for these old eyes.























6 Mountain guns now.

5 original and one I converted from a model 657. .































The 625-5 Stocking dealer Special is a special gun.
Next to the 3 inch guns probably the most desirable. .




















And that's it for the Stainless versions for now.






........








Allen . . .


Allen
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Old 01-29-2011, 09:32 PM
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This one may be considered cheating !

Jerry

Pre-war .38/44 Outdoorsman converted to .45Colt by Bowen
Designed by Michael Stern
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Old 01-29-2011, 09:54 PM
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Allen,

It's like you can read my mind.....

Just bought this yesturday, locally. The seller was not sure who did the conversion or when it was done but it seems to be a nice high quality conversion. I have not shot it yet, but will do so very soon. The 45 Colt is a new caliber for me but I had to have it. It came with the two piece Jordan style grips but I added these for the pics.





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Old 01-29-2011, 09:57 PM
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There you go Mike. We'll expect a range report after you shoot it.

Jimmyjoe, and Jerry. Let's provide details please.
How do they shoot? Anything particular about the model shown that we should know?

Jerry, no, that is not cheating. But not telling how the conversion was done, how much it cost, and most of all ,how it shoots.
i also know you have a few more tucked away. Where are they?

This is the thread, guys, let us know

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Old 01-29-2011, 10:25 PM
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Looks like an interesting thread Allen.
This is my only S&W in .45 Colt and I was fortunate enough to find one with the correct bore diameters. Of course the model 25-5 with it's large N frame and target stocks and the 4" barrel make this a well balanced and very accurate side arm. The big chunky slow moving Long Colt ammo is easy on the hands but still packs a wallop
The serial no on this gun is N8260XX which puts it in the 1980 range of manufacture. An all around great gun. Bob







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Old 01-29-2011, 10:41 PM
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I tried to get interested in .45 colt a few years ago with a SAA Taurus. It shot pretty good shotgun patterns at 7 yards. I put it away.

I bought a Rossi Puma '92. Lots of fun, but not a pistol.

I had a client give me a Taurus .44 Mag that I never shot. Traded it at a gun show for a Ruger 4 5/8" .45 Colt/ACP convertible. Really started enjoying the round.

Bought a S&W 25 Classic, 6.5" nickel last February. It has a lock. Chamber mouths are good, and it is a tack driver. I shoot mostly 6.0 Red dot under 200 gr lswc.



I found a good deal on a 25-13 Mountain Gun.



Decided I needed one of the older guns without a lock. 25-7



I've put Wolff spring kits in them and been slicking up the internals. The 25-7 had need of a shim on the hammer strut from my smith to stop the drag on the frame.

My 25 Classic is accurate enough to bust clay birds on a birm at 60 yards. Not every shot, but often enough to make it fun.

I've also bought a 5" SS Ruger Bisley as well. Really enjoying loading for these guns.
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Old 01-29-2011, 11:35 PM
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Allen-frame,
I am interested in your Win/Miroku 1892 in 45 Colt. I have one of those and finding a load that shoots well at 100 yards has not been particularly easy (it will do 3-4"...sometimes).

Have you found a load for yours that performs well at that distance?

Actually my slab barrel PC target model 625-6 will outshoot it at 100 yards. Maybe it's the difference in a scope (actually a holosight) vs. iron sights but that is one really well made S&W 45 Colt.
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Old 01-30-2011, 01:37 AM
Shooting4life Shooting4life is offline
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Here is my 25-5 above my 27-2
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Old 01-30-2011, 11:07 AM
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My first ever S&W - a 625-7 MG in .45 Colt - and it's later bought 'back-up', a 625-6 MG:



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Old 01-30-2011, 12:21 PM
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Allen,

I am very interested in this thread. I purchased a .45 Mtn Gun and sold it without ever firing it. I would like to learn more about the S&W .45 Colt ie, which is the best one to have, loads etc. I have considered having a pre model 27 converted to .44 special or .45 Colt. I hope that some of the owners will put more info in here regarding there experiences with the caliber etc.

Tom
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Old 01-30-2011, 03:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Allen-frame View Post
There you go Mike. We'll expect a range report after you shoot it.

Jimmyjoe, and Jerry. Let's provide details please.
How do they shoot? Anything particular about the model shown that we should know?



Allen Frame.
I purchased these revolvers some time back and as much as I hate to admit it, I have never fired them. The 625-6 is a Mountain Gun and the 25-7 appears unfired with box and contents.
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Old 01-30-2011, 03:17 PM
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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-


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Old 01-30-2011, 03:26 PM
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I've posted this here many times before, but for new folks who may have one of these guns, or are thinking about buying one, and want to know how to check them in a store for correct throats, I'll post this again-

The older Pinned guns with the N prefix had oversized throats and were not the best shooters. Some with a N prefix did have the correct throats, but they are the exception to the rule, as most will be .455"-.458" in diameter. Any 25-5 with the ABC 1234 serial system will have the correct throats in it and should be a great shooter (as long as it has been taken care of, of course)

To check the throats, take a jacketed bullet (use a jacketed bullet and not lead, since lead is normally lubed and sticky in of its own nature anyway, which can give a false impression that they are fitting correctly) with you (Hornady 300 gr XTP's work best because they are longer and are .452" in diameter) and drop it into the chamber from the rear. If it falls right on through, the throats are too large ( normally .455" or bigger) to give very good accuracy with standard .45 Colt bullets running .451"- .452".

If it hangs up briefly in the throat, then falls on out, you are looking at throats that will be in the area of .453"- .454", and will work with some of the larger bullets out like the factory Win, and Rem swaged lead bullets.
If it hangs up in the throat, but can be pushed on through using a pencil or pen, and using only finger pressure to do so, you have a gun that will potentially be very accurate and what you are looking for in a shooter.

If you get one that has large throats, the Winchester and Remington swaged lead bullets that they sell at places like Cabela's will usually improve their accuracy with standard loads by quite a bit since they run .456" and .455" respectively, and have hollow bases to help the bullets obturate and fill the throats which in turn help align them with the bore before entering the forcing cone.
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Old 01-30-2011, 04:34 PM
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i have a 125th anniv edition with box and book and presentation case and even the shipping container box it all came in. was a Christmas gift from my dad in 1996. never shot it so couldnt tell you how it groups.
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Old 01-30-2011, 05:34 PM
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A 4" 25-5 was my first Smith in the mid-80s - must've had large throats cause it wouldn't group. I traded it off for a Model 29 (Smith cartridge in a Smith gun was my reckoning).

OK, I'll bite Allen: What does this mean? "After shooting it I understood what the fantastic difference between 45 Colt and 44 magnum was."
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Old 01-30-2011, 05:59 PM
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I had N679xxx, an 8-3/8" M25-5 I bought new in early 1980. It was the worst S & W shooter I've owned before or since. The problem with that revolver wasn't the cylinder throats, which at about .454". No problem, since I have .45 molds that drop bullets at that diameter or larger. The problem was the cavernous forcing cone, both too wide and deep. A cast 454424 would drop completely into the forcing cone so that its base was below the end of the barrel. A bullet would be completely unsupported by the cylinder throat before it engaged the rifling. It would shoot jacketed bullets into 4-5" at 25 yards (which to me is poor accuracy), but cast bullets were wild. You can imagine what was happening to cast bullet bases during the trip from from the cylinder to the rifling. Needless to say, leading was very bad in the forcing cone.

I looked at other 25-5s in that same time period and they were all the same. M29's shared the same affliction around the same time.

As an aside, I traded that M25-5 for an HK91. Kind of shows you how times have changed.
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Old 01-30-2011, 07:29 PM
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My 625-7 MG was my first S&W - and I tried to wear it out. I even started reloading just to feed it. Whether 200gr LRNFP at 700 fps from .45 Schofield cases or 255gr LSWC/250gr Gold Dots at nearing 900 fps from .45 Colt cases - with wood grips - they are fun all day shooters. The initial humor of a S&W revolver with 'Colt' emblazoned on it did fade - as does the laser writing on the tapered tube.

Pet peeves include the smallish hammer & trigger - and the black/black sights. They pale when you feel the balance - with Ahrends square conversion cocobolo grips. Transfer those peeves to the 629 MG in .44 Magnum - where you have a choice - the production 4" 629, with only a 2 oz premium, has a full barrel/partial lug, larger hammer & trigger, and orange ramp/white outline sights. There isn't a current similar straight 625 version, so the 625 MG is it, if you want a later production SS .45 Colt.

Here is my original one, the 625-7 MG depicted earlier, with it's longer barrel friend - a Rossi/Puma SS 24" Octagon barrel M1892, sporting a Marbles Tang Sight. I bought it several months after the MG - great combo. Forget the wider rimmed .45 Schofields - only the .45 Colts will fit the narrow gate.



Fun round, if a bit pricey these days to reload. I seem to have 'discovered' .38 Specials since - and, more recently, .22 rimfire. Still, that big but relatively mild round is fun.

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Old 01-30-2011, 08:01 PM
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The only S&W .45 Colt I ever owned was a 25-7 and I traded it away years ago. My biggest complaint about the chambers was that they were too sloppy in the head area and caused the case heads to expand way too much, even with moderate loads. The cylinder throats were fine but it was the rest of the chamber that was not so good. The only .45 Colt I now own is a Bowen Redhawk Alpine Conversion, simply a caliber converted and shortened six shot .44 Magnum. Unfortunately I don't shoot that revolver anymore, preferring my various 625s in .45 ACP instead. If I had it to do all over again I'd have a 4" 629 re-chambered and re-bored by Bowen.

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Old 01-31-2011, 01:55 AM
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BubbaJoe, the fantastic difference I experienced particularly between
the 45 Colt and 44 Magnum was the lack of fierce recoil.
I do handload both calibers and enjoy shooting 44 Specials in my
revolvers chambered for them.

I just really like the 45 Colt at about 1000f.p.s. as compared to almost
any 44 Magnum round.

Regards
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Old 01-31-2011, 10:08 AM
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Here's my favorite S&W 45 Colt revolver:




It is extremely solid and accurate, well made to PC standards. According to SCSW, there are about 50 of these in the country. It has an integral scope mount and barrel weight system on the slab barrel, factory porting, the trigger is first rate, perfectly crisp, with an overtravel adjustment, and the lockup is enhanced with an extra ball detent type lock at the crane/ forward frame. To say it is tight is an understatement. Favorite loads are based on the Hornady 250 XTP-HP or RCBS 45-270-SAA with charges giving velocities in the 950-1100fps range. Power Pistol is a favorite powder, but 4227 and 2400 also do well. I also like Lil'Gun because of it's high velocties relative to pressure, but have heard of some erosion issues with it so have backed off using it in my S&Ws. It will routinely give me 1-1.5" groups at 50 yds with any decent load, sometimes better with favorites. At 100yds it often produces <2.5" groups with the 1 moa dot holosight. I don't know what the cylinder mouths measure, but based on empirical observation of its performance with .452" bullets I'd say they are pretty ideal. I do carry it hunting occasionally with the holosight, but it spends more time on the range with 950 fps loads.

I also have a 4" 25-5 with pinned barrel, and yes it has big cylinder throats around .456+". It does OK with the Rem .455" LRN swaged bullets. Like many of these pinned barrel models, the barrel's forcing cone seems to large for a proper cylinder/barrel relation. It's kinda cool as a revolver though, and shoots well enough. But it is the one I would sell or trade first.

I also have a 25-13 Mountain Gun. Even though it has the dreaded IL, it is well finished and fitted, and the cylinder throats are correct. It also likes the 45-270-SAA (what 45 Colt doesn't?) and delivers about 2" groups at 25 yds when they are driven around 900-950fps. Oddly enough, it also likes the 230 gr Speer LRN loaded to around 930fps with 11.5gr of WSF (my Vaqueros like that one also). It's a fun plinking and short (25yd) range load.
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Old 01-31-2011, 04:39 PM
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What a great thread! Here are my 3...



A 625-6, 625-7 and a just-traded-for-it today Dekalb County PD 25-5! Looks like it has a factory replacement cylinder as well... the s/n is stamped on the cylinder under the ejector, and throats are plenty tight but not too tight, as far as I can tell. Chambers are pretty good too, with minimal wobble of loaded rounds. Can't wait to shoot it...

Totally Stoked.

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Old 01-31-2011, 07:58 PM
dirtygrunt95 dirtygrunt95 is offline
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Here's my 625 mtn gun with XS big dot front sight, C&S extreme duty fixed rear sight. I also bobbed the hammer, trigger job, and extra lenght firing pin.


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Old 01-31-2011, 10:58 PM
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A lot of nice revolvers depicted here. I had a 25-7 for a bit, and it was certainly an excellent shooter. The early '90's were a boom-time for SS revolvers. I was hoping Smith would come out with a SS version of my 25-7, hopefully with the regular fluted cylinder. They never did. Instead, they came out with this rendition..........625-5 Classic.......the most accurate 45Colt revolver that I've ever shot.
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Old 01-31-2011, 11:20 PM
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tdan,
that is one SS S&W that I have always wanted! You have a great gun there. Where's the green with envy icon at?
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Old 02-01-2011, 12:45 AM
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This is my only other Smith in 45Colt........a 625-6 MG. Also a really fine shooter. I worked up a carry load for this gun with the old Speer 200gr. JHP.........the old flying ashtray. They have a nice cannelure on them for crimping and are just about the perfect weight for a defensive round in this caliber. They can be really be launched with gusto from that big 45Colt case.
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Old 02-01-2011, 02:37 PM
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Heres mine.





625-6 purchased new. Late May '96 production, CAY prefix.
Ill never part with it, love to shoot it, and one of my boys has taken a liking to it as well.

I had asked in the other thread about how "scarce" these really are. When I bought it the sales person thought it was around 1000 produced, but they seem to be more common than others with similar runs. Anyone know ?




k.
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Old 02-01-2011, 05:42 PM
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Kris, 1000 seems low to me, too. The 625-2 Classic was a run of 1550 and they seem much scarcer than these. Phenomenal guns... they hit the perfect combination of quality, portability, durability and power with this one, IMHO.
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Old 02-01-2011, 05:45 PM
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Default 25-2 LC

Picked this one up a couple of years ago, another 45 snub by an unknown gunsmith. I really need to shoot this one more often, this thread made me get it out of the safe for a winter cleaning.

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Old 02-01-2011, 05:57 PM
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Nice job on that conversion, whoever did it!
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Old 02-01-2011, 05:59 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tdan View Post
This is my only other Smith in 45Colt........a 625-6 MG. Also a really fine shooter. I worked up a carry load for this gun with the old Speer 200gr. JHP.........the old flying ashtray. They have a nice cannelure on them for crimping and are just about the perfect weight for a defensive round in this caliber. They can be really be launched with gusto from that big 45Colt case.
Beautiful guns! I love the grips on the MG! What make are they?
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Old 02-01-2011, 07:41 PM
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Smiths in .45 Colt caliber are some of my favorite handguns. Plenty of punch, yet comfortable recoil.

Here's my 8 3/8" Model 25-5 in its case:



Here's my Model 25-5 .45 Colt lineup:




Here's a couple of Mountain Guns in .45 Colt:



This 625-6 Mountain Gun, made in 1996, is perhaps my favorite field revolver. Firing pin on the hammer, no internal lock, light enough and powerful enough. This is made the way Smiths should always be made! Note the old-style cylinder release and the red ramp front sight, as well as the Ahrends classic stocks. Just perfect now!

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Old 02-01-2011, 07:51 PM
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PALADIN85020-
those are some nice guns. I believe however, that you have the first pic posted of a gun other than a 25-5, since this is clearly not an 8 3/8" gun.

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Old 02-02-2011, 11:51 AM
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The N frame S&W and the .45 Colt cartridge are a great combination, working together like pastrami and rye bread or ham and swiss cheese. Big-time big bullet thumping along at a hard-moderate pace at a pressure that avoids the blast and racket of the Magnum rounds. Nice heavy bullet that settles the hash with a good hard "THUD" when it gets there, yet pleasant enough to shoot a whole bucketful during a day's outting.

My first .45 Colt S&W's were a pair of Model 25-3 125th Anniversary guns. I got them through a friend working in a sporting goods store, for list price - $350 each. They had been delivered to the store that afternoon and set aside for the store manager, who was due in the next morning, but my buddy had not been formally told this, and not been specifically instructed not to sell them. I had been waiting for them to be shipped to dealers, so when I walked in that night, he told me they would be gone in the morning, so I bought both of them then.

I kept the one with the prettiest grips. I put a box each of W-W and R-P traditional factory loads through the other one and it shot as well as I could hold. I cleaned it up, took it to the next gunshow and sold it for $700. For a while, everybody just had to have one! I still have the other one unfired.

My most mysterious one is a 4 inch Model 25-2 1955 Target in .45 Colt. Yes, a 4 inch M-25-2 in .45 Colt. The box indicates it was a "test gun" for the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office and has the name "Cheshire & Perez" hand-written on the lid. The barrel appears to be factory made in it's current form, with the normal 1955 roll markings perfectly centered, a red insert ramp front sight, exactly the same as the photos of other 4 inch 1955's I have seen that are known to have been done at the factory. The cylinder is the short one used in the .45 ACP Model 25's, as opposed to the longer cylinder used in the Model 25-5.

I lettered it. Roy Jinks advised that the gun was shipped in January, 1977 to Jonas Aircraft & Arms Co. in New York City. It left as a .45 ACP with a 6-1/2 inch barrel. Jinks said the modifications to a 4 inch, .45 Colt were done after it was shipped from Springfield, and could have been done at Cheshire & Perez, a large S&W distributor and warranty station in Monrovia, CA, who would have had access to unusual factory parts like the 4 inch barrel and the short .45 Colt cylinder. DeKalb County adopted the Model 25-5 revolver for issue a few years after my gun was made, and I believe it may have been a prototype or test sample for them. It looks new.

Most favorite .45 Colt is a 4 inch .38-44 Heavy Duty post-war transitional converted to .45 Colt by the considerable talent of Hamilton Bowen. I love this gun. It is one that S&W should have produced.

I have a few others, blue Models 25-5 with both 4 and 6 inch barrels, and a Model 625-6 Mountain Gun. I replaced the 4 inch 25-5's target trigger and checkered target stocks with a smooth, wide 'combat' trigger and smooth Goncala Alves target grips. It shoots really well. When my best friend joined a local police department that allowed these as optional duty arms, I loaned it to him. He carried it loaded with Silvertips until he bought his own later.

There's a couple .45 Colts I owned but no longer have, a 5 inch Model 625-5 Classic I just sold and a 5 inch blue Model 25-7 I sold about 3 years ago. I hadn't shot any of them first, but from the chamber dimensions and the way they timed and locked up, I bet they would have been great shooters.

My last S&W .45 Colt revolver also started life as a .45 ACP Model 25-2. I rounded up the gun and needed parts and sent it to the late Andy Cannon, a tremendous man and gunsmith who died much to young. Andy bored, trimmed and fit another N frame cylinder to .45 Colt and fit it to the sixgun, giving me a convertible that shot both flavors of .45 with a change of cylinders, using the same yoke. He cut the barrel to 4 inches from 6-1/2, with a muzzle and crown that looked like it was done at S&W's factory. He mounted a red insert, ramp front sight blade on a serrated base. He tuned the action and replaced the target hammer with a standard width one and the target trigger with the wide, smooth "combat" trigger I love. The gun is a complete joy to shoot with either cartridge and the only thing that gives up it's non-original heritage is the mis-centered roll marks that are too far forward on the shortened barrel.

I feed these guns pretty much the same diet. Rather than tinker and find a bullet and load for each gun, I settled on a standard handload that shoots excellently in all of them. I cast Lyman's 454424 SWC not too hard, 260 grains lubed and sized from my metal mix, and then size it to 0.454", leaving the driving band unsized. I load them into either Winchester or Federal brass under 8.5 grains of old Unique. Velocity-wise, they pretty well duplicate the W-W traditional factory load for velocity and bullet weight, but with a much better shape. When I don't want to cast bullets, I buy the 250 and 255 grain conical lead bullets, in bulk, that R-P and Winchester load in their traditional .45 Colt ammunition. These bullets have a concave base and are fairly soft lead, so they obturate, bump up and fill the chamber throats and then the bores of whatever gun I shoot them in, giving me useful accuracy and minimal leading. This load shoots great in both of my Single Action Colts, as well.

The Lyman bullet, if loaded and crimped in it's crimping groove, leaves you with a cartridge that is a tad too long for the shorter S&W cylinders of the converted Model 25-2 and commemorative 25-3, while the W-W and R-P bullets and loaded ammo work just fine. I solved this by taking a few boxes of brass and trimming them about .10 of an inch or so. This reduces the cartridge's overall loaded length without reducing the cartridge's powder capacity by enough to notice. I use a red or green permanent felt tip marker to make an "X" on the bottom of each round, across the primer to the edges of the rim, to mark the shorter cases. The shorter cases still shoot fine in the longer chambers, by the way.

If I had to restrict myself to revolvers of one chambering, choosing between .45 Colt, .44 Special and .44 Magnum would be a hard thing to do. The vast majority of the ammunition I would put together for any of them would be remarkably similar, a cast SWC bullet of 250-260 grains propelled by enough Unique to give me about 850 fps from my shortest, slowest gun.

I pray I never wind up in such dire circumstances!

Yes, I know, I need to buy and learn to use a digital camera...

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Old 02-02-2011, 12:51 PM
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PALADIN85020-
those are some nice guns. I believe however, that you have the first pic posted of a gun other than a 25-5, since this is clearly not an 8 3/8" gun.
OOPS! Got the wrong picture in there. Here's the one that should have been posted. I'll correct the original - thanks for the sharp eye!

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Old 02-02-2011, 06:31 PM
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Default 625-5

Just purchased 625-5, serial number CLS 010. This is number ten in a run of 48 guns for Accusport. The came from the factory stainless with blue cylinder. I have not had time to clean and polish it. The gun looks like new in better light with a light turn ring.
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Old 02-02-2011, 07:49 PM
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wow. Awesome pics everybody. Thanks for the eye candy.
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Old 02-02-2011, 08:48 PM
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<Just purchased 625-5, serial number CLS 010. This is number ten in a run of 48 guns for Accusport. The came from the factory stainless with blue cylinder. I have not had time to clean and polish it. The gun looks like new in better light with a light turn ring.>

Floyd.............I saw your other post regarding this gun. I'd say you did well to even find one of these, much less acquire it at such a low price. If you have a chance, how about posting some close up pics of the barrel markings. It looks like the frame has roll marks, with a small Smith logo on the thumbpiece side of the frame. Is that correct? The only other pinto N-frame in 45Colt that I can think off is that 25-13 "Rocky Mountain ram" issue of 300 that was released in 2004. That one is the reverse of yours........blued frame with SS cylinder.

To the poster that inquired about the grips on my 625-6...........I picked those up off Ebay a few years ago. They are made of Sandalwood.
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Old 02-03-2011, 10:25 PM
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A 25-5 I just traded for.

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Old 02-04-2011, 08:44 PM
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625-5 SDS

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Old 03-18-2011, 10:54 PM
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Question I know I have posted before...

I'm still trying to figure what I inherited here. It's a 25-5, with a lot of work done on it, and left among a lot of bowling pins.

Picked it up, after the Dekalb County PD (GA), put them on the market. Obviously. between them and me, it had some major tinkering.

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Old 03-19-2011, 12:46 AM
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Can anyone advise what was the last Model 25 "Dash Number" that was built with a square butt frame?
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Old 03-19-2011, 08:11 AM
Hammerdown77 Hammerdown77 is offline
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My 625-9. This gun was a tack driver right out of the box, and the action is nice and smooth now after lots of dry/live fire. Haven't done anything to it other than feed it lots of lead.

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Old 03-19-2011, 02:33 PM
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wow lots of nice revolvers here!

Ive been kicking around the idea of getting one that has been sitting at a local shop here, its a blued mountain gun with the lock and cocobola grips.

They want 700.00 for it, not sure if thats a good price or not, but im tempted anyway, been awhile since ive had a 45colt and have had the itch again.

Bday is thursday, so I may have to have them wrap it up! LOL
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Old 03-20-2011, 08:44 AM
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I have a 25-13, it has the lock, and I had to modify the grips to make it more comfortable to shoot, but it tosses my 285gr SWCs with great accuracy, plus it is a very packable sidearm. I'd post a picture, but I am currently deployed. Two years later, but here is a poor quality picture of my bedside companion.
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Last edited by High Desert Hunter; 02-28-2014 at 11:41 PM.
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Old 03-20-2011, 01:59 PM
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Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014  
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Default 25-9 MG

This is my one of my favorites to take to the range. I love the 45 Colt round. I use a 200 gr. cast lead over 11.0 gr Acc. #5 at 25 yrds. it is dead on loves this load. I will say a model 25 4" is on my wish list down the road.

RB
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Old 03-20-2011, 04:29 PM
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Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014 Smiths in 45 Colt Ctg The Ultimate 25 and 625 discussion.Edited June 2014  
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Here's my newest gun, a Classic 25-15. Haven't had a chance to range test it yet but throats are .451-452 so could be accurate. I have a Wolff spring set on order to lower trigger pull. Looking forward to seeing what it will do.



Yep, it's got the lock.
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Old 03-21-2011, 06:30 PM
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Here's mine, number AJS79**

Steve

Last edited by S.B.; 03-21-2011 at 06:33 PM.
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Old 03-21-2011, 06:47 PM
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Allen,

I am with ya...



25-5 AVA25XX- Was NIB when I bought it, my ownership ended that after 30+ years. Not sure of DOB.
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Old 03-21-2011, 07:53 PM
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A Model 25 no dash, Model of 1955 Target. Shipped approximately 1959.
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Old 12-03-2011, 02:30 AM
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I got the hots for a 1955 (.45 ACP) target in mid-1960's so contacted my usual dealer in Quantico who advised that they really were not available. Undeterred, I contacted S&W to inquire status. I was advised that while they were not in production, they were still being catalogued and that if I could be patient I should go ahead and order one.
The 1955 target was a matte-finish gun but I wanted a bright finish. The contact at S & W said I should just order it the way I wanted it.
So I placed the order with the dealer in Quantico who was quite suprised that I had called S&W and at the response I was given.
Many, many months later I recieved a call from the dealer, astonished that the gun had arrived, and did I still want it after all the time had passed. She indicated they had not seen a 1955 target for a long time and that there were many local buyers who would be happy to take it.
The dealer indicated that the 1955 was still not in production and that mine was probably assembled in the repair shop because I had requested the bright blue finish insead of the production matte finish.

I received the gun in October, 1967. I would add that the serial number starts with the letter "S". Special? Special Production? What do you think?

Here it is:



]

Last edited by RubEric; 12-03-2011 at 02:32 AM.
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44 magnum, bowen, cartridge, casull, colt, commemorative, commercial, detent, ejector, hornady, military, model 25, model 29, model 57, model 625, mountain gun, outdoorsman, overtravel, presentation, rcbs, saa, schofield, scope, scsw, spegel

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