GRT ,, I just saw this and want to know ;

What gun is this? A model 26-1 ??

Enquiring minds want to know!

Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

1980-83 25-5 with old school style polished blued finish.

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Watch & Pray

First is a M28-2 converted to 45 Colt, extra cylinder in .45 ACP.



M25-5 nickel.

Hi, I did a search and came up with this thread....

I just picked up an unfired Model 25-5 4" barrel, target trigger (got to go), target hammer, red ramp, white outline.

I was wondering if someone could give me a date of manufacture....I'm thinking mid '80s.

Serial # is BFE2325.

Thanks in advance!

Newb here, just discovered this thread, what great reading. I am new to 45 colt, discovered this round in my TC Contender in a real 45 barrel, not the 45/410. I am now reloading this round and looking for a da/sa revolver, hopefully I'll run across a nice 625 in my search. Lots of nice looking iron in this thread. I have a line on a 125th anniversary 25 but haven't seen it yet to learn if it has the correct throat diameters. Thanks again for all the info.
Nick
Wb4sqi

A most wonderful thread. I have the itch for both a snubbie and a longer barreled 45 for hunting. Of course there is a real need for a BBQ gun for finer occasions. In the end there is no end. N+1 must always be an option. Packy

Absolutley great pics.

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Tommy

Ahhhhhh !!

Just throw that down on the rocks so I can git a pitchur of it.

BFE serial prefix I'm thinkin 1988. Nice gun.

A.F.

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

I am considering purchasing a 25-5 with SN N677.... with pinned barrel.
It appears to be a '79 or '80 gun as best I can tell. It is in very good condition. The seller wants $550. I'm trying not to get too excited in case it's gone already. That's a steal right? Thanks.

The price of $550 is more than fair if its on great condition. I will caution you as to something that has been discussed over and over. The chamber throats on the pinned barrelled 25's
was known for having 454 chamber throats while the cartridges commonly shot are 452.Only a caliper can ascertain this measurement. The later non-pinned barreled 25's had .452
chamber throats which yielded better accuracy. You can always
buy it and turn it for profit if it doesnt shoot well for you

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Gun Control= Using Both Hands

Thanks for the input sir. I'm going to look at it momentarily. If I get it, I will post a pic or two.

Here it is. It is in like new condition as I had hoped it would be. I ended up getting it for $500. I think it was a steal. I plan on checking the throats tonight since it is in that group of guns.

Attached Images

S&W 25-5.jpg (152.5 KB, 200 views)

Xduper, great job! $500 is a steal. Let us know how it shoots.

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Proud anachronism

if it has large throats, just shoot Remington swaged bullets in it. assuming you are a reloader. they are close to the original design and are .454 diameter.

Thanks fellas. I am a reloader, so I'll take your advise. Thanks.

I'm such a child. I went and got all my wheelguns along with the new addition and took one of those "I love my collection pictures". Here you go...(the back one is a Taurus, but a good one)

Attached Images

Collection of wheelguns.jpg (65.7 KB, 165 views)

Such beautiful master pieces, would love to own just ONE pre lock 625 with a 4 inch barrel. Hats off to you fellow members with those beautiful collections

Nah, the 5" Classic is better!!!

The first 3 are neat but push that one in the back enought so its not in the picture!!!!!

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Gun Control= Using Both Hands

Am I the only one here with one of the Lew Horton 625-7's with a 6.5" Power Ported barrel?

When I bought it I called Smith & Wesson to find out more about it, because from what I could dig up a -7 should have a shorter barrel. They said it might be a Lew Horton gun. I gave them a call, they ran the serial number and said yep, it's one of ours; 1 of 300. As I recall it was made in 1999.

Bill

Amazing Guns:



Terry

Hello fellow wheel gun owners,

I had my Model 25-5 chambers measured at a precision machine shop yesterday. We used plug guages and then followed up with special swiss bore micrometers. The chambers measure right at 0.4525 inch. I plan to reload my own cartridges. Any suggestions on what size lead cast bullets to use?

Thanks for sharing!

Kevin Savage

Kevin: I would think your pistol has a non pinned barrel as
thats about when they reduced the chamber throats.

I would think that in jacketed you can use .451 or .452.
In Cast bullets i will quote from the Montana Buillet web site:

"The critical dimension in a revolver to match with a cast bullet is the cylinder throats. A bullet that snugly fits the cylinder throats shoots best. You get a better gas seal and better accuracy with a bullet sized to the cylinder throat dimensions in revolvers."

Therefore in lead bullets use 452 to 453.

regards

Haris

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Gun Control= Using Both Hands

Hey there Ca Escapee ( me too) .

In the picture of the stainless guns lined up there is a 625-7
power port toward the back. It now sports a scope and does not
get fired as much as I would like to.
These have been slow swllers in the past but today,
who knows?

How about a picture ??

Good luck
Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

Nope here is a picture of mine!



And as a bonus here is a picture of my 625-5 SDS

Has the frame been blackened?

One of my two pride and joys is a 25-9 (ssn B ET5585) {the other is a 28 no dash} which I bought new in the 89-90 time frame. I needed a wheel gun to carry as a sidearm for hunting as PA law required.

I changed the grips out to Houge's and have misplace the orignals after several military related moves.

When I get back to my home computer I will post a picture of this gun.

Had a 125th Anniversary that I should have kept. Initially I was disappointed in its accuracy, but soon read that Jan Libourel of Guns & Ammo was shooting one of these revolvers with success using a special wadcutter bullet. Corresponded with the man and soon sent off for my Saeco Wadcutter, designed just for the big-mouthed S&W cylinder of that era. As I recall, these dropped from the mold at just the right fit, so I lubed up a bunch and hit the range. I am no master pistol shot, but managed to keep five shots in 2" at 25 yards on most days, shooting from a sitting position with back against a tree.

As I recall, the bore on that gun was not the old standard 0.454", but the newer 0.452." So my oversize wadcutters that fit well through the cylinder were getting squeezed down considerably in this gun that had apparently been put together with a leftover cylinder made when standard bore spec was 0.454". At least I recall that's what the factory told me.

I was also able to buy the old Lyman #454190 mold (flat nose 250 grain) that dropped soft lead bullets at least as large as that special Saeco wadcutter. Those slugs, too, shot quite well in my Anniversary.

You know how the story ends. After conquering the cylinder/barrel/bullet size challenge, I eventually grew bored and sold the revolver. And have regretted it ever since.

Have thought about trying to find an older Model 25 in LC but after reading these posts, I'm inclined to believe I might have been lucky with my 125th model. And with the warning about bashing current production, I guess I won't even ask about the 25-15.

I purchased my 4" 25-5 in 1980 and only have about 100 rounds of factory lead bullets through it. It has the pinned barrel and .457 oversize cylinder throats. I haven't reloaded for this pistol, is it worth trying jacketed bullets in or should I purchase a bullet mold and start casting my own for it?
N737585

I don't have a .45 Colt, but these pictures are really swell.

I was lucky to score this 625-4 a few days ago. Having just received the nice pair of rosewood grips that I ordered for it, here are a few photos:

WOW, that's beautiful.

This is my S&W 25-9 in .45LC. I traded for it way back in the 90s at the semi annual Honolulu Gun Show. IIRC, I gave the guy a brand new S&W M60, SS, .38 Special, 2" (?and maybe another handgun?) for it. The cost of my firearms that I traded was about $300 (back then).

For a couple of guns shows after that I tried to sell it. No one wanted it as they were not thought of as "collectable." Not to mention that, SS is much more practicle in Hawaii's climate.

It's NOT FOR SALE.

Aloha, Mark

I bought this M25-5 new in June 1980. Not long afterwards, I roundbutted it to better fit my smallish hands. A few years later, I decided to sell it to my LT at the police department. He carried it a lot over the years before he retired. Back in 2007, I got in touch with my old boss and I asked if he still had this Smith and if he wanted to sell it. He did and it came home in early 2008. It ain't going anywhere from now on.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Constant browsing of GB finally paid off, and I was able to purchase the one gun I'd figured I'd never have a chance to own: a Model 625-7 45lc. Pricey, but, what they heck!
[IMG][/IMG]

I need a lot more money . . ..

I'd love to have a set of pre-lock 4" (or 5") guns including:

• 25-2
• 25-5
• 24-?

I've got:

• 6" 25-2
• 3 1/2" 27-2
• 6" 27-2
• 4" 29-2
• 6" 29-2

I've never owned a .45 Colt gun of any kind, or a .44 Special.

I am glad this got bumped today. I have been thinking about starting to look for a 625 the last couple of days.

The competition is stiff, Kid.

Here are a couple recently completed auctions that were GOOD deals.....


Used S&W Model 625-6 45LC 4" : Revolvers at GunBroker.com



Smith Wesson 25 Heritage No Lock NIB : Revolvers at GunBroker.com



And one more. A 26-1 G.S.P. gun . new in case.


GSP 50th Anniversary Smith & Wesson Model 26-1 : Revolvers at GunBroker.com




And a couple that got away,,,,,,,,,



S&W 25-5, 45 COLT, NICKEL, 6 INCH, PRE LOCK : Revolvers at GunBroker.com




Smith & Wesson Model 25 Matte Blue 1989 5" 45 Colt : Revolvers at GunBroker.com



Good Luck.

Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

Which dash variation would be the equivalent to the 629-4's? By that I mean pre-lock and pre-MIM parts but still have the other upgrades.

I'll take any chance to post a pic of mine. Love shooting this thing. I took my college age daughter and her boyfriend shooting this weekend. On the way to the range they were teasing me about taking my 'Old Cowboy Looking Gun' along. Both of them shot the .45 and loved it. Shot it much better than Glocks.

With these sights and mild reloads this gun shoots as easily as 22lr. What a joy to shoot.

Having the choice between a M 25-9 4" and a M 625-5 5" - what would be your choice? (I know, I know - some of you would suggest to take both but that doesn't work so easily in Germany)

What type of front sight was factory installed at the 625-5? Ramp front sight or the squared type?

Does the 625-5 have a round or square butt frame?

Does the 625-5 have all forged parts?

And what about the quality of a 625-6 Mountain gun?

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Regards from Germany
Stephan

Wow, that is quite a choice you have there.

The 4'' 25-9 will be a bit shorter and lighter than the 625-5.
Condition is all important so inspect them thoroughly.

The 625-5 Classic 45 Colt is a round butt revolver using all forged
parts, even the thumbpiece.

Good Luck with your decision...

Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

There was a very nice 6 inch 25-5 at a LGS about a month ago, for $600. Had one of those funky side mount(screwed onto the sideplate) scope mounts on it. Really, I was looking for a 4 inch, but asked the owner if he would deduct the price of the mount and sell it to me for 500. He said no, so I passed.
I woulda had chopped it down to 3-3 1/2 inches and round butted it.
Maybe it's still there, gonna check after the weekend.

Beautiful revolvers! The .45 Colt is my favorite handgun cartridge and I own but one (yes, only one) model 25. Its a 4" model 25-5 that I bought new in 1986. It is the very last gun that I will ever part with. I also own several Ruger SA 45s and a Marlin 1894. Great thread! Makes me want to spend money, lots of money.

Thank you for this information. The same dealer has a M 625-6 Mountain Gun to sell.

What about all forged parts in this gun?

And what about the issue with the M25s shooting a little bit to high at the common 25 yard distance? According to John Linebaugh this might happen especially with the heavier bullets but even with the common 250-260grainers.

Does the M625-5 and -6 have the same problem?

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Regards from Germany
Stephan

Xduper - I bought a 1980 -81 pinned barrel 25-5 LNIB a few weeks ago and was also concerned about possible oversized cylinder throats. I then bought 0.452" & 0.453" plug gauges and found that the .452 fits snugly in each throat and the .453 doesn't fit any. That put my mind at ease.

Model 25-9


Model 625-7

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No good deed goes unpunished.

My only .45 Colt

Feast your eyes upon these beauties!
Giilas625_5SDSa-1.jpg Giilas625_5SDSb.jpg
625-5 SDS

Giilas625_6a.jpg Giilas625_6b.jpg
625-6 .45 Colt Mountain

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Tom in AZ
Respect the Dingbat