Have a 6.5" 25-2 barrel I picked up and am thinking about making a 5" 45 Colt if the 28 frame and 25 barrel will mate. Would like to bore the 28 cylinder leaving the chambers recessed. A 5" P&R S&W in 45 Colt would be pretty rare, no?

Hi:
Yes, the Model 25-2 barrel will mate with the Model 28 frame.
In the past I had several Model 28s converted to .45acp and .44mag by changing the barrel and cylinder.
Jimmy

I have a 25-5 4" that has a 44Mag cylinder bored to 45 Colt.
I think it is pretty cool to have a 45 that is pinned and recessed !
Mine was done by Bowen and I traded for it here from a fellow forum member.

It shoots very well, I wonder if it was line bored ? I suppose not.

Yes, you can screw it into the frame but the dimensions of the barrel's rib and the frame's topstrap are different and they won't match up perfectly. There will be sort of a dimple on each side of the frame's topstrap where the rib is wider than the top of the frame.

Then, there will be a difference in the finish, the barrel being high polish and the frame matte.

Unless you can do a lot of the work yourself, this is going to be an expensive project.

Plus, if you rechamber the M28 cylinder, you will be limited in the OAL of your .45 Colt cartridges. When S&W brought out the M25-5, they used a longer cylinder.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

A 25-5 barrel would be a better choice as the longer shank on a 25-2 would have to be cut down for the longer 28 cylinder and a new forcing cone would need to be cut. The 357 Mag cylinder may be shorter than a 45 Colt cylinder but I'm pretty sure it's longer than the 45 ACP cylinder intended to match up with a 25-2 barrel. I've seen about as many 25-5 barrels for sale as 25-2s so I don't think it would be hard to find one.

Dave

__________________
RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)

Sir.
I have a 27-2 marked frame that has had a marked 1955 45 barrel installed. It also has a 45 ACP cylinder. The cylinder is not bored out from something smaller. It looks good and shoots good. It has the Model 27 checkered topstrap. I bought it already assembled.
I have some pics in hard drive at home and I will post them later. It makes for a nice unique gun.





Bill@Yuma

Agreee with BUFF.
A friend converted three guns from .357 to .45 Colt.
The rechambered (by Bob Snapp) .357 cylinder limited him on choice of bullets but he was able to get a workable load that shot well with the old Keith-Lyman .45 AR SWC.
A M27 with M26 barrel looked very good, the change from checkered topstrap to grooved rib was hardly noticeable.
A M28 with M26 barrel gave a mismatch of finish between frame and barrel but not bad looking.
A M27 with M25 barrel had a rather obvious step between the topstrap made to match up with a narrow rib and the wide M25 barrel rib.

I don't believe the chambers would remain recessed after they bore it to 45, and it might be easier IF you can find a 45 cylinder for your conversion.

Easier would be to forget the whole thing.

Anyone want a 25 barrel?

Sir.
You, take the easy route! Psssst. Have the gun made. You never really care what the peanut gallery thinks. If you want a 28 frame that shoots 45 ACP, go for it. It will end up a better gun than most of the current standard production. You won't wear it out.
Bill@Yuma

I thought he wanted a 45 Colt, not an ACP?

Dave

__________________
RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)

Trouble is, once you embark on a caliber change, it gets expensive fast, that is, unless you do alot of the work yourself. My bet is that you can sell your model 28 and the 45 barrel, and saving the funds you would have spent on the boring of the 28 cylinder to .45, the labor, and the re-finishing; and find and buy yourself a model 25-7 or 25-9 5" .45 Colt and be money ahead!

__________________
ken
SWCA #1959

Dave.
You are correct. I have a short attention span!
Bill@Yuma

Roger that! I wanted a Ruger Bisley Hunter in .45 Colt when the Hunter first came out in .44 Mag plowhandle form. Never thought they would make it in Bisley .45 Colt form, so I sent it off to Bowen for a conversion. After buying the Bisley frame, paying for the rebore, labor, etc., I had over three times the cost of a production Bisley .45 Colt Hunter that came out later.

Of course I love my creation, which is better than any production model. But I married her for life as there is no way to recoup the costs. Maybe my grandchildren can realize the investment!