How is the Performance Center Model 625 about handling .45 ACP +P defense loads? Now, I know even the best firearm will be battered by a steady diet of such loads but does anyone have any first hand experience of using such loads in the firearm for occasional defensive carry and practice? Thanks.

The 625 is built on the N frame which is also chambered for the .44 magnum and the 10mm, which both average around 35,000 psi.

By comparison, the .45 ACP +p is around 23,000 psi.

The cylinder wall is a bit thinner on the 625 but I don't believe that would be much of an issue.

I'd imagine that a 625 would be able to handle plenty of .45 acp +p without any appreciable wear.

I have looked at owning a moon clip S&W for over 40 years and I am finally thinking of pulling the trigger so to speak after looking at a Performance Center. I have a .45 ACP auto so it would fit right in. I would make it my around the the house gun since I would not have to worry about rotating magazines and all the rest.

For defensive purposes, the standard pressure Federal 230gr HST and Winchester Ranger T-Series are both very good options.

If you plan on doing any hunting with it, Buffalo Bore makes a few excellent loads.

Although the 625 doesn’t share the same heat treatment the 629 does, it will surely hold up to a steady diet of 45acp+P, which is still relatively anemic.

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213th FBINA

I think battering is a bad word, it pulls up images of things that shouldn't be done.

It makes no difference what the mechanical device is the harder you use it the faster parts wear.

A 44 Magnum that is only shot with 44 Specials will wear slower than if shot with 44 Magnum.

These firearms are tools, the 625s are very strong guns.

45ACP+P is no trouble whatsoever in any amount that you please.

My 625 V-comp went thru many thousands (perhaps 10s of thousands) of rounds of 45 SUPER back when I was shooting pins, I do not count rounds but it was lots of ammo over those years and it is still going strong

Other folks put the even higher pressure 460 Roland through their 625s

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"Acta non verba"

I agree, if you want one get it & shoot what you like in it.

I shoot only (+P) & 45 Super in mine (mostly in S-L 45AR brass) & I don't have any concerns with that or see any problems from it.

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Waiting for the break of day

Thanks everyone for all the great information!

Really, I assumed that all frames went through the same heat treatment and they just pulled them to make the various models?

Any recommendations as to which are the best moon clips to use?

While I am talking to such experienced shooters here. I have been carrying and shooting semi-auto .45ACPs for most of my 70 years and am just starting to look to going back to a .45ACP revolver. While I have been shooting my S&W 617-4 .22LR revolver it is not like shooting a big bore revolver.

While I have been drooling over a Performance Center 625 I read about the S&W Performance Model 325 Thunder Ranch. Since I am not going to be shooting in any completions at my age and rather plan to use it as a house/carry gun if I ever am so lucky as to move out of California. Would the Performance Model 325 Thunder Ranch be a viable option for me?

Groo here
I have a 625 and a 325 TR......
If you will carry or use as home defence I would pick the 325 TR
as you have a rail and can put a light/ laser on and is lighter...
If you want to shoot a bunch , the 625 will be easer as it is 3/4 lb heaver.
Both can take up to 45 Super and 45AR.[;ook at AR hard!!!}

What moon clips do you find work best?

Have you stuck with the stock grips or use an after market grip? Your information will save me tons of time shopping around.

I like the Wilson combat moonclips for the 45's. I'm sure someone will mention those plastic clips! (Yuck! )
You will need a demooner too.

I have never used anything but the Ranch Products clips in the last 20+ years

That is for the 25/625s, 310/610s, 27/327/627s, and 940s

Moon clips for cartridges that were intended for auto loaders are far less critical than moon clips for cartridges that were meant for revolvers

With US manufactured ammunition SAAMI provides specifications for the extractor groove on auto loader brass. So the groove in all manufacturers brass is very similar to each other, not counting any difference between SAAMI and CIP. So if you shoot lots of cheap surplus or Foreign manufactured ammunition you never know

SAAMI does not have a specification for the groove on revolver cartridges.
So the groove in all manufacturers brass is whatever they feel like, even if they feel like no groove.

As to the plastic moon clips, they barely hold the ammunition in. When dropped the cartridges go everywhere. Terrible for pocket, purse or even range bags. Not to mention they are much more expensive

When I intend to shoot a moon clip enabled revolver, I will turn on the TV and load 20, 30 or more moon clips the night before shooting all while sitting in my comfy chair.

This is how my range bag pocket looks tonight. I just went into the other room to snap the picture. I am planning on shooting my 3" 625 on Thursday night

A day or so after shooting, I normally sit back down in the same chair and de- moon those clips while dropping the brass into the correct bucket for tumbling

All very easy

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"Acta non verba"

I use Revolver Supply brand moon clips in my 625 . Never had a problem.

I had a 325 Night Guard, and I hated it. It was absolutely brutal to shoot. I handloaded my own anemic 45 ACP rounds and still hated it. I then got a 625 PC, which I never warmed up to. The trigger was great and it shot well, but the look just turned me off. I now have a 3" M1917, and it's a keeper. The thing to remember is standard pressure 45 ACP is still a powerful round. We forget that because a 1911's weight and design eats up much of the recoil. But shoot 45 ACP from a revolver and you realize it's a handful.

IMO, a 325 is unpleasant enough to shoot that follow-up shots may be a problem. And I regularly carry a Kimber K6S snubbie stoked with 125gr Rem UMC 357s. It's not fun to shoot, but I find it more controllable than the 325.

I know there are a lot of folks who disagree with me. People feel recoil differently. I shoot light 44 magnums all day long from my 3" and 4" guns, and I'll shoot a box of full power 240gr magnums from my 6" M629 without an issue, but 45 ACP from the 325 was not fun.

I have to find a place to shoot it when I get it I can afford now that I'm in northern LA county rather than where I was out by 29 Palms where there is such a great shooting range us poor people could afford.

Thanks for your input. Yes, we all shoot and feel recoil from different guns differently. I have shot .44 magnum loads from a Ruger Redhawk and a Ruger Super Redhawk. The first .240 gr. full house magnum loads I ever shot was from my Ruger Redhawk 5.5". I admit I was not sure what to expect having read all the hype about the .44 magnum. After the first shot I sort of stood there and thought what is all the big whoop as it did not recoil all that much to me at least. Now, I was only firing standard 240 grain HPs magnum loads and not some 330 to 340 gr hardcast solids at 1300 to 1400 fps loads but I found the standard .44 magnum loads not uncomfortable to shoot.

I have been thinking of carrying a "shorter" barreled .44 Mag or even a.454 Casull double action for "Social Work" and loading them with +P .44 Special and +P Colt ammo respectively. However it is really hard to find good +P Colt loads and while it is much easier to find good "social ammo" in .44 Special and several great carry size S&W Performance Center guns. None can match the fast reload-ability of the Performance Center 625 in .45 ACP with full moon clips and there is a much greater choice of "social occasion" ammo in .45 ACP since it is used by so many in Law Enforcement. As we know "wolves" travel in packs more so today than ever before. And while both my ex-wife and my present wife were both in law enforcement; age and illness has rendered my wife now incapable of being any assistance if the occasion arose outside calling 911.

So while I love shooting big boomers I realize my limitations and that I am not getting any younger. I know how to tailor my loads and my guns to my abilities and since I already have and shoot a .45ACP auto; a .45 ACP revolver would give me no need to buy any other caliber ammo now that my wife and I are down to living on Social Security. Getting old and going broke sucks but then it beats the alternative!

I can only speak of my personal experience, and your opinion and others' may vary. My first Smith was a 625-2 in 5 inch. Two words describe it - great gun. You'll be hard pressed to find any negative comments about it. Bought 2 L-frames in between, then bought a 325 Thunder Ranch PC. I really wanted to like it. Like the L-frames, I spent a long time checking it out with a large magnifying glass, feeler gauge, flashlight, and loose projectiles in hand. It looked visually perfect. The 325 TR has been back to the factory twice, and it still shoots 4 inches left at 10 yards with the rear sight adjusted to the extreme right, shooting off sandbags. Other shooters had the same results. Trigger is still stiff after 1500 - 2000 rounds, but that can be fixed. Doesn't group as well as my other revolvers, irrespective of the point of impact. Wish I looked harder at the 625 PC or JM. I also looked at a used 325 night guard in 3 inch, but the barrel is visibly canted. The TR is sitting in the safe while I shoot other less-aggravating guns.

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If you want a light(er) weight revolver you have got to expect a little more recoil compared to a heavier one, using the same ammo.

I have both, a 625PC & 325TR. There is 8oz. difference between them: 39oz -vs- 31oz, respectively, on my digital scale. My 325NG weighs 27oz.

My 625PC & 325TR are excellent shooters.

The factory rubber grips are fine (most of mine wear rubber Hogues of some vintage) but the backstrip is not covered.

I'm close to your age (YkcorCal) & sometimes, with some guns, with some loads, a bare backstrap just feels worse than other times. It's a getting old thing.

Easy answer, cushier rubber grips are cheap. Pachmayr Diamond Pro are my common pick, in this case, for everything S&W revolver, except my X-frames.

And a 185gr JHP feels better than a 230gr JHP, recoil wise.

I'm one of the ones not into dedicated full-time metal moonclip use. I have some & use them occasionally.

For casual range use, 45 Auto Rims are my primary pick.

A distance second are Rimz polymer moonclips with 45ACP ammo that are easily loaded/unloaded by hand as needed.

They're inexpensive & do the job I ask of them. I'm in no hurry, I take my time.

The 325TR gets nothing but (+P) or 45 Super also, no issues.

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Pachmayr Diamond Pros on 329PD
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Waiting for the break of day

Man, I am itching to order my new S&W Performance Center Model 625. As soon as I sell my scoped Ruger Super Redhawk 7.5" .44 Mag my order will be in as I sold one of my .22LR pistols and I will have the cash. I can hardly wait!

I am a huge fan of 45acp revolvers (I own 5.), but have not really found the need for +P ammo. For defensive ammo there are a lot of good standard pressure options, as mentioned above. Pictured are two of the five, a 625-2 (Model of 1988) and a Colt model 1917. I get my moon clips from revolver supply. They work with all of my guns, and every brand of ammo I've used. If you want the best moon clip tool, I highly recommend the one from BMT. You'll forget the cost after you use it.

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Make your own moon clip tool using the shaft from an old golf club.

Someone explain to me how to take such great pics as are posted by you guys and posted here. Then how to down load them on to my computer. I am as dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to such stuff. Help out and old guy somebody!

Groo here
For moon clips, there are some plastic ones that are easy to load and unload
at the range.
For steel,,, Ranch products [call (313) 277-3118]
order by the hundred.
He has the "full moon" 6 shot [two will fit most old style N frame
speed loader pouch]
and a neat "1/3 moon" 2 shot clip I like for CCW as they are flat and fit
in a speed strip pouch...

I am another shooter who prefers the ACP revolver. My moon clips are made by Ranch Products who I believe is the original manufacturer the modern full moon clip. Their website is minimal but adequate. I usually phone orders to them.

One of the bonuses of an ACP revolver is you can use any bullet shape you want. My preferred load is a 240 grain full wadcutter at about 850-900 fps. Accurate and hard hitting it is the load I carry daily.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

So guys, tell me about the S&W 625-2 5" model. I have been reading about. I am a voracious reader so I have been studying up on the subject of S&W 625 history. Is it as good as I have been reading about as compared to the newer models? An inquiring mind wants to know?

Wow, I just found two Apex Tactical tuned 625s. One a 625-2 at $1,795 just the gun and the other a 628-8 at $1,250 and it comes with a complete completion rig, de-mooning tools, competition moon clip holder, two polymer holsters, a USPSA moon clip rig plus a load of moon clips. What do you think?

I have a 625 PC and the candy cane grips came off 10 minutes after I unboxed it, replaced with Hogue pau ferro.

Would anyone be interested in a Used Smith & Wesson 625-2 Ron Powers Grandmaster 45ACP/5"? How about a used Smith & Wesson 625-2 Apex Custom 45 ACP/5"? They are both on GunsInternatinal.com for sale.

Well, I bought the one I wanted so I will let the cat out of the bag. I bought the used Smith & Wesson 625-8 Apex Custom 45 ACP/4".

Custom worked 625-8: Full trigger and action job consisting of the Apex Evolution IV parts kit and a level IV ICORE action work, chamfered cylinder, Hi-Vis replacement front sight and fully adjustable rear sight, bead blasted stainless finish, mooning and de-mooning tools, competition moon clip holder, Houge grips, Pachmayr grips, and smooth walnut JM grips, two polymer holsters, a USPSA moon clip rig, the factory case, and numerous moon clips. And yes I know the side shot shows a side plate screw missing for those eagle eyed ones out there. It is all being taken care of. I'm grinning like a Cheshire Cat!