Hello to the forums--I'm a US Navy vet, but pretty darn green to wheelguns in general. And yet, during my active duty days I picked up a Model 25-2 three-screw in the "S" serials. I'm still learning and reading the forums, but to get a head start I'd like some history and appraisals.

It's a target model with a 6.5" barrel, wide grooved trigger and wide knurled hammer pad. Chambers .45 ACP. It was a gunshow sale at the Portland, Oregon Expo Center. No paperwork, box, or holster; but a fistfull of full-moon clips thrown in. The pistol had been refurbished by a prior owner: refinished with a matte black "environment" coating, and rubber target grips installed. It's possible that the rear sights and some of the internals were replaced too, but I don't know. I paid $329.

The butt and frame are stamped with S2781xx, and the side-plate and crane are stamped with 842xx; the crane also has a "T" mark, and I don't know what that means. The barrel is stamped ".45 CAL. MODEL 1955" on the right; an S&W trademark is stamped into the side plate, and a "MADE IN U.S.A." on the right lower frame. The grips have no serial, but are marked for "small grip" and "S&W N-frame". Otherwise, there are no other serials, inspector, or work marks of any kind, anywhere else on the gun. I know just enough about S&W serials, screws, and engineering model numbers to suggest the weapon was manufactured in the 1960's--please correct me.

It shot nice, but I don't think I ever killed anything with it. It hip-draws nice and smooth from a Bianchi nylon holster, though the loaded clips tended to rattle in the speedloader pouch.

I shot it a lot, and it's gotten cranky. The stud in the underbarrel lug got stuck once and I had to have it smithed to free the ejector rod. Now the firing pin has worn down. The cylinder doesn't always like to shut either, though it stays in place once it's in the frame. For these reasons I replaced it for house and field defense, but I'd like to keep target shooting once I get it fixed up.

I'm curious if there is any .45 Long Colt conversion kit to swap the cylinder. I'm also curious if you can fire .45 Auto Rim in the existing wheel; it looks to me like the chambers are a tad too close together to accomodate the rims. I don't necessarily plan to shoot either of these, it's just to satisfy knowledge.

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Um... Don't convert this revolver to .45 Colt. They shoot like Cr^p in that caliber, but there is a serious following of your revolver in .45 ACP. Me, personally, I'd love to own one but haven't been able to find one in 20+ years of looking. And just so you know, many of us would drop a grand or $1200 on that piece and feel we got a bargain.
Best.
Chris.

Yup, 45 auto rim will work.




Original box, all paper work, 6 1/2 moon clips....$495.

1973, N serial #

Brian, first off, a very hearty "Thank You" for serving our country. We'd all be up the creek without good people like you.

Now, I'm sure no expert on S&W wheelguns, but I have a couple of M25-2 revolvers. Both in .45ACP.

Yes, yours will definitely handle the .45 AR cartridge. I actually prefer to reload the AR case for mine since it extracts easier than the ACP case and no clips are needed. Actually many M25 shooters don't even bother with the clips....they just pluck them out with their fingernails.

And you are right. My book says your gun was manufactured between 1966 and 1967.

I don't have all the answers but I don't think one can have a .45 ACP cylinder AND the .45 Colt cylinder for a gun like you have. I mean, you could have it, but it would be an expensive proposition. I believe the problem is that the .45 Colt cylinder is longer than the ACP cylinder and would interfere with the barrel portion that sticks out into the frame. But I surely could be wrong about that.

Now as far as the problem of the cylinder not wanting to stay shut, that should not be happening. You might take a look underneath the extractor star and the cylinder surface it mates to and make sure that both surfaces are very clean and without unburned powder or other residue. That can wreck havoc with closing the cylinder. Also be sure the extractor rod is screwed all the way in and not loose. If loose, be sure you insert some fired .45 AR cases into the cylinder before you tighten it so you don't strip the star in the cylinder (ACP cases won't work for this job).

I hope some of this helps.

I've been reading that 0.45 ACP or 0.44 Magnum is the way to go for these N-frames with target barrels. Some folks have insisted that custom 0.45 Colt will shoot great, but I haven't even dipped my toe into wildcatting, handloading, and specialty factory runs, so I can't comment one way or the other on that. I'm mostly an LE shooter using factory defense and target loads.

Good to hear that Auto Rim will work. I'm gonna try a box. And that's cool you've got the paperwork and box. I'm happy to have a historical model of revolver, but it would be nice to pick one up with some more pedigree attached to it. But then again, I'm the kind of guy who dreams of stumbling across classic 20th Century firearms in the original wrapping and packing grease.

Thank you in turn for the respect and for the tips.

I just now remember that I've had a couple of local revolver veterans take a look at the frame. They didn't know enough about S&W to say what year it had been put up, but they did tell me that the Colt cylinder probably would be a bit too long. There's some distance between the tip of the bullet and the mouth of the chamber, so I often wondered if S&W had a single cylinder and just bored it to the desired cartridge.

I did hand-pick the ACP out from time to time, especially when just target shooting. For field carry or the house I wanted the moon-clips as a cheap speedloader. It took a bit of practice, because the rounds wobble a tiny bit in the clips. Most of them are pretty old now.

I remember I didn't know I needed a moon-clip wrench. I bended the brass trying to pry them off with a Leatherman! Fortunately, I went to another gun show a month later and a dealer set me straight.

I'll take that advice about the star and extractor rod and take a look. But what I'm noticing now is that the crane slides forward a bit when swung open. Pressing it back into the frame allows the cylinder to close. So something is loose or worn inside, prehaps on the crane rod itself?

As a side note, I've had and carried and fired this weapon for years. I just now noticed that the stocks are Pachmayer "Presentation Grips". Stamped right on the bottom. Sheesh. You think you know your guns... and then they humble you.

Before I forget, my interest in .45 Colt was that I've been thinking about a hunting combo for a while; revolver and rifle. The research I've done so far suggests that a .44 mag pairing is the way to go, but if I could convert my existing sidearm to a Long Colt, then it would save me some gunsafe space and money. Not that I would necessarily commit to that if it where the case, but nice to know about.

Brian, again thank you for your service to our country.

I would contact S&W service department and explain the problem to them. 800-331-0852. They may be in their summer shut down right now, but that only lasts a week or two. Explain the problems that you are having and they will most likely suggest that you ship the gun back for repair. Their service is great and they will ship the gun back to you in top shape.

__________________
James Redfield
LM #497

The refinish made it a shooter grade gun. It would not be economically feasible to convert it another caliber. While it can be done the cost is far, far more than simply buying the gun you want. I am among those who consider rubber grips to be unfortunate at best.

Not sure what the problems are (never heard of a S&W firing pin being worn down) but my advice with any cranky revolver is always a total and complete cleaning and make sure the ejector rod is screwed in tightly. About 95% of the time cleaning and tightening will cure the problem.

The 25-2 is a great shooter. It will indeed shoot the Auto Rim cartridges but most shooters find the rounds held in clips so much faster in reloading that it's the way to go.

Here's my 25-2:

__________________
No life story has happy end.

Brian,

JSR III makes a good suggestion.

As you pointed out about the crane, sounds like you've got a bit too much end play or "end shake" as some call it. This can be corrected and will most likely take some attention to the cylinder yoke barrel and the yoke stud. S&W has all the right tools and skills to make the end shake like new again.

Be sure to call their attention to each specific complaint you have because they are busy and may overlook something if you don't point it out to them.

If the yoke (crane) is moving forward, it is probable that the screw holding it in is loose. Check the forward screw on the side plate, while holding the yoke to the rear, and try to screw the side plate screw in tighter. If it is snug, then it is probably another problem. The front side plate screw is fitted, so it is possible that it is loose even when snugged down. It is also possible that the two round head side plate screws have been switched. You might try switching those to see if that helps the problem.

If none of these quick checks solve the problem and you still have yoke endshake ie front and back movement of the yoke, then it needs some professional attention. It is not a difficult fix if you know how and have the right tools.

__________________
Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

The 25 in 45 ACP is one of my favorite S&W revolvers.

I have shot/used one a lot.

Sounds like to me that you just need to find a good S&W revolver pistol smith and have your gun gone over and fixed up.

You can load the 45 Auto Rim cases powerful enough to do anything you should do with a S&W in 45 Colt.

Here is my 6 inch version of the 25-2. I traded a model 60-1
3 inch S&W even for it. The best trade I ever made. Great guns.

Some nice pics of some nice models here.

I figured the collector value of my revolver was shot the moment it was re-blued and the grips replaced. At least it still has the square butt and nothing was filed off anywhere. Somebody was trying to make it into a matte black monster. I figure it would be a good movie gun, 'cause on the screen it'll look like a "Dirty Harry" or "Travis Bickle" pistol, but fire friendly ACP blanks for the actor.

It's likely I swapped the plate screws and unwittingly loosed my yoke. It could even be that the shake, combined with a loose ejector rod, is the real problem with my firing pin. I remember that I could actually see on the primers of my cases that there was either no dimple or a lighter than usual dimple. If so, this sounds like something I can remedy myself.

What I am going to do down the road is contact S&W for a bit more history. And if it turns out I still have pin problems or a stripped screw or yoke or something, I'll just send it to them.

Going off another thread, I think I'll abstain from refinishing this pistol. I figure the holster and use wear will give it character, and I can pass it on as an heirloom down the family line. It might look scruffy--over time I've given it a few little scratches and dings--but that's the sign of a working man's weapon. Someone who didn't just stick it in a shadow box or a closet for 20 years.