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S&W Revolvers: 1961 to 1980 3-Screw PINNED Barrel SWING-OUT Cylinder Hand Ejectors WITH Model Numbers


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Old 02-13-2010, 09:07 PM
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Still on my model-25 LC search.
Why do you see so many model 25-3's for sale ( the 125th anniv. model) and no one jumping on them even at the $700.00 or less range in mint condition? Whats wrong with buying one of these and just shooting it? You couldn't loose any more money on it than taking a LNIB 25-5 and shooting it....right? Is it just because its not cool to shoot a commemorative gun? Its not like these are the hand engraved, solid gold inlayed guns which are for display only.
Seems like guys are buying and paying a lot more for the standard model 25's. Please explain.
How many of you guys shoot your "standard" type commemorative's? Thanks for the advice, Bob
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Old 02-14-2010, 07:43 AM
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One reason is that the Model 25-3 has a shorter cylinder than the later Model 25-5. The most popular cast bullets used for handloading (like Lyman's # 454424 250 grain SWC) make the so-loaded cartridge too long for the cylinder when crimped in the crimping groove.

There are lots of ways around that, which we can discuss if you want.

I don't see a problem with the shorter cylinder because, even if you don't handload, just about all factory .45 Colt ammo, including the traditional 250 and 255 grain conical lead loads from R-P and W-W, the W-W Silvertips, the Federal lead hollowpoint SWCs and most others, are plenty short enough to chamber and shoot in the shorter cylinders.

I think people not wanting to shoot commemoratives for fear of losing value is also a reason. Also, not all S&W .45 Colt shooters want barrels longer than 4 inches.

They are nice guns. I bought two of them when they came out in 1977. I kept the one with the nicer stocks unfired (I still have it) and shot a few boxes through the other one. It shot as well as I could hold it.

When they were introduced, the demand was huge. S&W had never produced a cataloged revolver in .45 Colt and we were making our own from other, smaller bore guns back then. List price was $350 but for a year or two, you could get $700-$750 for one at any gun show. Then, S&W announced the regular production M-25-5 and the prices for M-25-3's crashed. They are still often found at bargain prices.
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Old 02-14-2010, 10:39 AM
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Thanks Buff, I didn't know about the shorter cylinder. At this time I am not reloading so I guess that would not be a big issue. Do you find the 6" heavy barrel a little front end heavy?

I have been thinking about a 4" model but all this news to me about the over sized throats has me concerned. There are plenty of them for sale on several of the auction sites and I have asked several of the sellers if they would measure the throats and I am getting no takers. If I were selling a gun and someone asked me to check something out, I would be glad to do it for them.

I really like the model 25 and I like the .45LC cartridge. Just need to find one that will shoot a little better than I can hold.
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Old 02-15-2010, 12:45 AM
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I doubt many of the sellers have a set of pin guages or a caliper of the type needed to measure the cylinder throats of their guns.

The standard weight barrel (no full length underlug) of the Model 25-5 isn't much different, holding-wise, for me in 4 inch than in 6 inch lengths. The 4 inch is easier to carry in a belt holster and faster to draw and point, but the difference isn't huge. Two extra inches makes more difference in recoil management with .44 Magnums than it does with the comparatively mild .45 Colt. It's mostly personal preference.

Just how "bad" the oversize cylinder throats can make accuracy has never been clear to me. You will notice that most posters here say "worse" and "better" accuracy, not quantifying the size of their groups. My worst, of several 25-5's, was 5 inch groups hand-held at 25 yards when I could maybe hold 2-1/2 or 3 inch groups with a more accurate gun. This means, at worst, a bullet would hit no more than 1 to 1-1/4 inch further away from the intended point of impact than the more accurate gun. 1-1/4 inch off isn't any big deal unless one is shooting in bullseye target matches.

Honestly, unless you are already consistently shooting 2 or 2-1/2 inch, 6 shot groups at 25 yards hand held from another handgun, I doubt that you will be noticing any accuracy difference between the best and the worst ends of the accuracy ranges of the Model 25-5's available.
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Old 02-15-2010, 01:21 AM
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Old 02-15-2010, 01:37 AM
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Old 02-15-2010, 06:29 AM
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Yes.

The factory, in fact, once fitted extra 25-3 .45 Colt cylinders to M-25-2's but ran out.
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Old 02-15-2010, 11:58 AM
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i bought one of the 25-3 guns for just that purpose. wanted a 61/2 in 45 colt and didn't want the expense of buying a 1950 for shooting. for what they can be bought for, why not.
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bullseye, cartridge, colt, commemorative, engraved, model 25, silvertips

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