Ok so I'm pretty set on getting a new model 25 from everything I have read up on they are a beaut and I love my .38 S&W and all the others I have been able to get my paws on. Now the only issue I'm having is they only offer it with a 6.5 barrel (which isn't a bad thing) but I will more than likely want a 4" or about there, barrel on it eventually.

Now I am having a hard time sourcing a barrel. Anyone have any suggestions? Ideally a mid weight barrel nothing crazy as it will be pulling all sorts of duty for me (hiking/camping, nightstand, and the occasional carry and conceal) it don't bother me much if I loose the underlug, but I do want to retain the iron sights.

I was also wondering if I could order the 4" 625 (.45 ACP) barrel on have it installed on the 25? or would that be incompatible/blow the barrel apart?

Definitely not an expert but do know there's folks out there who cut barrels and remount sights (for a fee of course).

This guy has a great website and is really responsive to customer inquiries.

+ Bowen Classic Arms + Catalog

no affiliation

You are correct the current NEW offerings are either blue or nickel in the 6 1/2" length.



However the used market is something different. This model has been offered in various barrel lengths from 3" to 8 3/8"

Now I understand that you may not want a used firearm. It is possible that the factory has 4" barrels in stock as warranty replacement parts. If they do, you could probably buy one from them and have it installed.

Since in your last paragraph you asked if a .45 ACP barrel could be installed on a .45 Colt [yes] I assume you want a 4” .45 Colt but since the .45 ACP barrel you asked about is stainless I’m not sure if you only want a blued revolver.

The original heavy but not FL 25-5 .45 Colts were made with 4, 6, and 8 3/8” barrels for roughly a couple decades. I can only think of one production run of blued 4” .45 Colts made after the 25-5’s discontinuance, the tapered barrel Mountain Guns. The approx. 3 production runs of similar 625 Mountain Guns are the only non-FL 4” stainless .45 Colts I know of.

Don’t be afraid of used revolvers. Very few are worn out by firing them. If what you want has been manufactured it usually costs less than buying the wrong barrel length then swapping barrels. S&W charges $100 labor swapping barrels including return shipping but it cost approx. $45 to ship a handgun to them. After you swap out barrels you’ll have a revolver that collectors will recognize as a parts & pieces gun. That can knock the resale value down about as much as changing barrels costs.

That leads us back to 4” 25s. 25-5s had oversize chamber throats until around the time S&W stopped pinning barrels. I know men who sent early 25-5s back for tighter throated cylinders under warranty but S&W didn’t make that option known. Without measuring them the only 25-5s you can count on having correct throat diameters are those new enough to have a three letter & four number serial number.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.