25-5 LC rare? Over $1,000?

[PA Guns & Ammo]

How "rare" are these in 45LC? From the catalog, N prefix 6" 25-5 in 45LC was in standard production. Their is one on Gunbroker going for over $1,000. Are these hard to come by? I always thought it was the 25-4 and earlier that bring the high dollar. Here is the link of the closed auction: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...=473422379#PIC

[Allen-frame]

Greetings.

I watch every single auction on G.B for Smiths in 45 Colt.

Sellers tout 25-5s and other Smiths in 45 Colt as 'Rare' and 'Scarce"
and ' Highly Collectible' .
And while fewer of the 45 Colt chambered revolvers are found as
compared to any other caliber they are not uncommon.

The 4 inch 25-5s produced after 1982 routinely bring $1000. and up.
6 inch guns follow second, with the 8 3/8ths. coming in last.

High condition and boxed guns bring the premium.
Collectors and others looking to invest paper money in
real property are snatching them up.

Shooters are just that. Shooters. Heavy use and muzzle wear
take their toll on value.
25-7s and 25-9s with the endurance improvements are the ones to
buy if you are a shooter.

Take care,

Allen Frame

[Candrews86]

Allen, your collection has always impressed me. It also makes me spend money.

[jknapp]

Seems to me that the 45 LC comes up more then the 45 ACP. From what I have seen the last 4 months or so the Model 25 runs from approximately 700 to 1200 and averages at about 950. Mind you my numbers don't take into account the caliber being sold when i record them.

[PA Guns & Ammo]

Well it seems it went over $1,100. I added the link above.

[44wheelman]

$1100 is a deal according to his description.

"I have included a picture of the Blue Book of Guns value on this firearm showing this firearm valued at over $3,100!"

[gjamison]

First off, it's 45 Colt not 45 Long Colt.

Just sold a very nice 25-5 with no box for $900 at the OCGA show
2 weeks ago.

[Allen-frame]

" This auction is for a very nice Smith & Wesson 25-5 revolver in the rare .45 Long Colt! "

3 ****** pictures and " Very Nice" does not get $1200. of my money
for a pinned 6'' with questionable chamber throats.

That is a $700. gun. With verified .452 chamber throats and 97% condition
maybe $1000.

Again , Rare,, Scarce,, Investment Grade ,, whatever that means.

Caveat Emptor < > Buyer Beware.

Allen Frame

[22hipower]

+1 for Allen-frame's comments. $1100+ seems pretty steep for what was shown in the auction; and the "book" price quote is ridiculous. If you want an "investment" (whatever that is) buy one essentially NIB or as close as you can get it with original box/docs/etc. If you want one to shoot, you can do a lot better than $1100. I bought a 6 inch nickel (finish challenged) with .452 throats (not that I think the throat issue is significant) last year for $625 OTD. . .and thought I paid too much. Fun to shoot although I personally prefer the 45ACP 25s. Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

[ISCS Yoda]

More than 1000 dollars for a 25-5 in .45/c doesn't surprise me. This was a grail gun for me until recently - and I added the grips:

Smith & Wesson Forum - ISCS Yoda's Album: Revolvers - Picture

[PA Guns & Ammo]

Originally Posted by 22hipower

+1 for Allen-frame's comments. $1100+ seems pretty steep for what was shown in the auction; and the "book" price quote is ridiculous. If you want an "investment" (whatever that is) buy one essentially NIB or as close as you can get it with original box/docs/etc. If you want one to shoot, you can do a lot better than $1100. I bought a 6 inch nickel (finish challenged) with .452 throats (not that I think the throat issue is significant) last year for $625 OTD. . .and thought I paid too much. Fun to shoot although I personally prefer the 45ACP 25s. Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

That book price he posted is a misprint. I have the newest Blue Book and it has a separate section for the 25-5 with $550 being a 100%.

[Dennis The B]

This one wasn't even close to $1100.

[Harkrader]

S&W 25-5 & 625-6 Mountain Gun 621.jpg

I bought two .45-Colt 25-5's in the late '70s. $354 each. Six-inch barrels. A .452 ball passes through the chambers, a .454 does not. Accuracy is excellent. Pinned barrels, recessed chambers, firing pin on the hammer nose, boxes, papers, receipts.

They are one serial number apart and they have been carried and used, though are in very good condition. Probably a little below what would thrill a collector.

Still, I've long been surprised that they have never really increased in value, when adjusted for inflation. Today, $354 is equivalent to $1140, so to see them selling for anything near $1,000 means they have gained nothing in value.

Many people don't consider the round to be particularly powerful, but they should read John Taffin.

Mine aren't for sale, I bought them to use, not to collect. It's just surprising to me that they haven't increased in value.

[Dennis The B]

Originally Posted by Harkrader

...

Many people don't consider the round to be particularly powerful, but they should read John Taffin.

No way I'd want to get hit center mass with a 250gr RNFP lead bullet. Even at the "low" velocity of 800 +/- FPS, it would make me sit down and re-think my desire to stay in the fight. Just sayin'...

[HARDWARE]

$550 for a 25-5

Not in this town. I'll take 3 at that price

[Grayfox]

I bow to Allen's expertise and agree with what he's had to say. I'm a big fan of the .45 Colt cartridge and an even bigger fan of it in a S&W revolver.
The thing that makes them "scarce" or "rare" is the fact that these are another example of a gun that those who have them tend to keep them. They just don't come up for sale as often as other models. So when a nice one does come up for sale, those who want one have to pay a premium price to get it.
Then there is this current trend of people buying older S&Ws for investment purposes. This is driving the price up on everything.
So while I agree that this gun sold for way too much money, it doesn't surprise me one bit.

[Watchdog]

Originally Posted by HARDWARE

$550 for a 25-5

Not in this town. I'll take 3 at that price

Don't buy many guns, do you?

[HARDWARE]

Actually, I've bought an obscene number of guns over the last year or so. Not to me... But my wife might say so. No 500 dollar ones I'm afraid.

[PA Guns & Ammo]

Originally Posted by Allen-frame

Can we be friends??

[Ruger_Up]

Originally Posted by Allen-frame

Greetings.



I watch every single auction on G.B for Smiths in 45 Colt.



Sellers tout 25-5s and other Smiths in 45 Colt as 'Rare' and 'Scarce"

and ' Highly Collectible' .

And while fewer of the 45 Colt chambered revolvers are found as

compared to any other caliber they are not uncommon.



The 4 inch 25-5s produced after 1982 routinely bring $1000. and up.

6 inch guns follow second, with the 8 3/8ths. coming in last.



High condition and boxed guns bring the premium.

Collectors and others looking to invest paper money in

real property are snatching them up.



Shooters are just that. Shooters. Heavy use and muzzle wear

take their toll on value.

25-7s and 25-9s with the endurance improvements are the ones to

buy if you are a shooter.



Take care,



Allen Frame









I may have a few laying around here somewhere ........

I think I need a tissue.

[BigBill]

I been saying $1,000 and under is a good price for a s&w N Frame. Just wait a little while more. Rare or scarce but as the offerings start to dry up then watch the prices soar. We will see cheaper prices in between.

[DR505]

Originally Posted by Harkrader

Attachment 190003

I bought two .45-Colt 25-5's in the late '70s. $354 each. Six-inch barrels. A .452 ball passes through the chambers, a .454 does not. Accuracy is excellent. Pinned barrels, recessed chambers, firing pin on the hammer nose, boxes, papers, receipts.

I thought only Magnums and Rimfires were ever made with a recessed cylinder? I've never seen a .45 Colt, even the pinned ones, with a recessed cylinder...can you post photos?

[DR505]

If you want a shooter...they are out there. I took a chance on this 25-9 for $700. The first photo is the GB ad photo. The other two I took once it arrived. Great revolver.

GB Photo



My photos

[Weimar]

ahhh, thats nice

[Shark Bait]

Originally Posted by gjamison

First off, it's 45 Colt not 45 Long Colt.

Just sold a very nice 25-5 with no box for $900 at the OCGA show
2 weeks ago.

And the difference between 45 Colt and 45 Long Colt is??????

[KEN L]

Originally Posted by Shark Bait

And the difference between 45 Colt and 45 Long Colt is??????

Show me a picture of 45 Colt headstamp next to a 45 Long Colt headstamp and I'll TELL you what the difference is...........

[goatsnguns]

I just won a 25-3 anniversary edition, boxed with all the goodies on GB for $795. Mine was the only bid. It has been fired but I bought it for a shooter, the case and book are nice extras.

[Dennis The B]

Originally Posted by Shark Bait

And the difference between 45 Colt and 45 Long Colt is??????

The revolver round made famous by the Model P Colt Single Action Army Revolver, is the .45 Colt.

The .45 Long Colt does not exist.

[DR505]

The term .45 Long Colt has some adherents...and Keith44SPL actually has a S&W with a barrel marked as such. It is similar to saying "shell casings" when the term is actually "cartridge cases" (sausages have casings, cartridges have cases). It is factually inaccurate, but people know what is meant. Irregardless is another example of an error that is in common usage.

Bottom line...call it .45 Colt.

[CajunBass]

I had a 25-5, with a 4" heavy barrel, and never cared much for it. It was too muzzle heavy for my taste. I prefered the 25-13, Mountain Gun with it's 4" tapered lighter barrel. I am sort of sorry I had to sell that one during a time of "economic downturn."

I think I paid about $750.00 for each of them, but they were a couple, three years ago.

[GF]

Allen's answer of ... " and others looking to invest paper money in
real property are snatching them up." is always THE answer to posts starting with, "Why is (fill in the blank) so high!?!"


As a side note - Allen's grips are worth more than my guns.

GF

[Allen-frame]

Concerning thread drift,,,, and the nomenclature of 45 Colt ammunition.



If you have the pistol then you must feed it .

All boxes I have ever observed have always read '45 Colt ' .


Some may call it Long, or short, or in between. I have resigned from the debate team .

[Allen-frame]

Concerning thread hijack. .


There is 45 Automatic Colt.

















Take Care

Allen Frame

[Scott E White]

I always thought the moniker, "Long Colt" came in to colloquial use, to differentiate this cartridge from the .45 Colt Short, also known as the ".45 Colt Government".

[Jeffrey A. Cooper]

Mr. Allen-frame, Thanks for the thread and photo of your collection, but especially the photo's of the ammo boxes. Sincerely thanks.

[AKtinman]

.45 Colt worked just fine in this one

[ameridaddy]

Allen-frame - thanks for the nostalgia trip. I enjoyed looking at those old boxes.

[jhde69]

I just like to say "long Colt".

[rgm36]

The 25-5 is "scarce" but not rare. They are around but in very limited numbers compared to the .45 ACP versions.
I prefer the "Longer Cartridge" Colt .45 (that's what the original LC reference meant) in a revolver because it just never made sense to me to mess with the moon clips. WHY?
I know there was much surplus .45 ACP ammo after the wars but they would not have been my choice then and they are not now. They were odd balls built to shoot scrap ammo.
The longer Colt 45 cylinder even looks better in the frame than the short .45 ACP cylinder too.
In my area the 25-5s would sell between $1200.00 and $1600.00 depending on condition and whether it has the box or presentation case. Buy one when you can - you won't regret it.
The older Pre-25s can bring thousands - not the 25-5s.

[scratchy wilson]

Originally Posted by Ruger_Up

I think I need a tissue.

I need a towel...

[Peak53]

I'm still looking for a Long Colt with a pencil barrel

[Harkrader]

DR505:
Wellll, it's always better to admit a mistake than perpetuate an error. My 25-5's do NOT have recessed chambers. Wishful thinking, I guess.
I apologize for leaping without looking.

Originally Posted by DR505

I thought only Magnums and Rimfires were ever made with a recessed cylinder? I've never seen a .45 Colt, even the pinned ones, with a recessed cylinder...can you post photos?

[shouldazagged]

Originally Posted by Peak53

I'm still looking for a Long Colt CTG with a pencil barrel

Fixed it for you.

[amazingflapjack]

Most 25-5's I've come across are 45 Colt-the ACP's in dash 5's are what I thought were unusual. There were some fairly rare 25-2's in 45 Colt as I remember. I think the guy on GB got skinned.

[RubEric]

[Grayfox]

Since this thread started I've been keeping an eye on 25-5 prices on GB. Seems that just about anything that's in good condition is selling for north of about $900.
An then there's this one that closed just a couple of days ago. I do believe that's the highest price I've ever seen for one. But then, it may have been worth it.
S&W 25-5 NIB on GB

Nice to know the ones I have are worth much more than I paid all those years ago.

[PA Guns & Ammo]

Well I'm glad I traded one of my Colt 1911's for a 25-5.

[Usmc5811]

I passed recently on a used but not abused holster wear 4" pinned 25-5 with targets for $650, but did purchase his 5" 25-7 that looked to be fired very little, and only one barely noticeable mark on the ejector shroud for a little bit more. If I would have had the money I would have purchased the -5 also.

[srsmyth]

I just found this 25-5 and I was happy to add it in with my 25-2. It is from about 1979.
Steve