I am seeking advice from the wiser and older heads on the forum.

I am considering buying a lightly used 25-2 from a friend at the club. It is not a total safe queen/collectible, but has fairly light wear marks and good bluing, and comes with the presentation case. Without access to the serial #, I believe it is from the mid 70's.

I would be buying the revolver to use - not necessarily as a collectible, and I wanted to ask if there are any experienced folks out there that can tell me what I should be specifically looking for with this model? Any typical problems? From what I can see, it is mechanically sound, good lockup, etc. - but I do not have any experience with these.

Most of what I have heard about this model is quite positive, but I would love to hear from folks who may have experience with them, as they do not seem to show up every day.

Thanks

Just look for the same things you would on any other revolver. Lock up, endshake, B/C gap etc. In my opinion they are excellent guns. You will love it.

As long as you are not using it for competitive bullseye target shooting you should be happy with it. I have never found 1955s/25-2s to be the most accurate guns, but I seem to be in the minority in that.

In any case, if you've never had one I would give it a try. I have never seen one that was a terrible shooter and generally after some fiddling with them you might even find a load your gun will shoot fairly well, but I still maintain any of the N-frame magnums will usually outshoot them. JMHO.

I got one new back in the early 1980's presentation box and all. It was sort of an odd gun. Kept it a few years and traded it off. Never shot it. Now, if it had been a snub, I would still have it today. The 45 LC in a snub has got to be awesome.

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Dr. B

Echo everyone else on the checkout procedures. Also add that you can't do much better in selecting a gun for lots of shooting. It has the feel of a big Model 29, but no recoil. So if you have larger hands like me, and like to reload, it's a great choice that most guys on the firing line (at least around here) don't even know. I'm glad I got a nice one early on and enjoy shooting it each and every time.

You can shoot it without the clips, also. The empties aren't hard to pull out with your fingers or use a pencil or dowel to knock them out. If it's from the mid-70s, it will have a 6.5" barrel. If it is a 6" barrel, it's likely later than 1980. The change came at the same time they shortened the Model 29 from 6.5" to 6".

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

I have one from 1963. For paper punching with mild target loads, the 25-2 is a real pleasure to shoot. Accuracy is excellent. Maybe not in the class of a finely tuned Bullseye 1911, but pretty darn close. If you reload, you can do even better.
However, I've never really seen the attraction of shooting hardball or defensive ammo in a .45acp revolver. For that sort of use, I much prefer the .45acp in its original home, the 1911.
The 25-2 was built to be a target gun and for that you won't find a better revolver.

Keep an eye on the chamber throats. Some are over size, (mine measure .455-.456) and don't shoot very well with cast lead bullets. It shoots great with Jacketed and the Powder Coated bullets. Great fun to shoot. I enjoy taking mine out to the range along side my 1917 Brazilian model.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I won a lot of bullseye matches back in the 70's with a 6 1/2" 25-2. Of course, back then, most of the guys I shot against were shooting K38s or Colt Officer Model Target revolvers. I can't say how well it would compete against today's target pistols, but I suspect it could pretty much hold its own.

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Retired Dep Sheriff & Armorer

Welcome to the Forum.

If the price is right, get it. N frames are always fun, especially in the non magnum cartidges.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Ditto. Mine has .456 throats, does not do well with lead bullets.
^ Thanks for the tip. I haven't tried coated yet, and jacketed gets expensive. What weight/shape/diameter coated does yours like?

I used to have 4 of them at the same time. My shooting buddy had one and we tested all of them in a Ransom Rest. While none shot really badly with anything, they all shot their best with one or another particular load, involving jacketed bullets of 230 and 185 grains, 200 grain swaged Speer SWCs, cast 200 grain Lyman 452460. The one I ended up keeping shoots it's best with a Lyman 454424 250 grains SWC sized .454" in Auto Rim brass and Winchester's factory 185 grain jacketed Match load.

So, they can be a tiny bit ammo sensitive, but a little testing of common .45 ACP loadings will show what your gun likes.

We didn't know about chamber mouth diameters mattering much in those days, we worried about bore diameter.

I have one and shoot it often in bowling pin matches. I think it is in the top three of revolvers that S&W ever made. With moon clips it is VERY fast to reload. It's a Model 29 with a bigger hole at the end.

I shoot the exact same reloads that I shoot in my Springfield Armory 1911.

It's a classic. You won't regret it

OP, I think you should go ahead and get it.
This thread needs some pictures.
M25-2 on the left, 45 Cal. Model of 1955 on the right.