Just when I had decided to pull my 4" 25-5 out of Safe Queen status,I found one of these that seemed to perhaps fit the Shooter Bill! How do these .45 Colt Revolvers fare?? All Valued Opinions Deeply Appreciated!!

Thanks in Advance!
PackN

If you're talking about the 5", matte finish, un-fluted cylinder 45 LC. Then you're talking about a fun and accurate 45 LC.

A 25-7 will out shoot any 25-5 that I have seen. I have one of each too.

BTW, there is no such thing as Long Colt. It's just plain 45 Colt.

Gun 4 Fun

Sorry for my ignorance! I am new to this cartridge! I guess the Safe Queen will go back to sleep for now!

Thanks
PackN

I bought one back in 89 when Smith was making the gun of the month. I like mine the long colt is a great cartridge. And you are free to call it 45 colt or long colt. It makes not one hill of beans.

__________________
S&W Accumulator

And why are there no pics??? You need to be more generous when you tell us you have such a gem!!!
Here's mine...Model 25-7 .45 Cal. Model of 1989....It's a shooter...a GOOD shooter!! I love guns chambered in .45 Colt!!

Bob

__________________
"Onward thru the Fog"

I guess they are a bit rare seeing as they were a limited production item. Anybody know how many were made?
But no matter. The 25-7 are very likely the best shooting .45 Colt revolvers S&W ever made. No way I'd ever condemn mine to safe queen status.

I'm not sure on the production numbers. I love to shoot mine!

Guess I am just slow...I love my 25-5 and it will shoot as good as I can shoot it. I would be hard pressed to find another long Colt that would out shoot it....but, I guess I am not the expert that some people are....

Now, if I could just find enough ammo for mine...

Steve

Steve,
I also have a couple 25-5s (8 3/8" and 6")...these shoot just as nice as the 25-7.

If you are needing ammo...you might consider reloading.

Bob

__________________
"Onward thru the Fog"

It's the pistol I use when I need to boost my confidence. It's a laser!



I shoot a cast 255g SWC over 8 ~ 9 grains of Unique, more often 9g.

Interestingly enough, 8g Unique gives you 800fps, 8.5g gives you 850fps and 9g gives you 900fps. I call that a sign from above.

You know how every now and again, you sell something that you wish you didn't? I have been kicking myself ever since I sold my 25-7. Would love to find another one , and will start looking seriously soon. Snapping Twig is right, it's a laser.

2000 of product code 100924 were manufactured. This is a 5" model 25 revolver chambered in 45 Long Colt. It had a matte black finish and an unfluted cylinder. Production began with the -7 engineering revision and finnished during the -9 engineering revision. It is unknown how many pieces were split between the two engineering revisions.


Most of us that have them, will not part with them at any price. Reliable, accurate and hard hiting.

While it is true that in 1872 when the cartridge was first conceived it was named the 45 Colt. There is however much historical basis for the 45 Long Colt name over the past 80 years or so.

We need to go back to just before World War I when Remington introduced the 45 Short Colt aka 45 Government.


If you look in a copy of Cartridges of the World you can learn more than what is in my short post here.

Ammunition boxes were labeled with one of the two names, but both were available. The 45 Colt and 45 Short Colt have exactly the same case dimensions with the exception of length as can be seen in the photo below.


Just as the 45 Long Colt is simply headstamped 45 Colt, as can be seen in the following photograph, 45 Short Colt was also simply headstamped 45 Colt.


This cartridge was produced in large quantities until sometime after World War I. It would not have been unusual for a man to walk into the General Store back then and wanting to buy box of 45s and have the store clerk ask "Long or Short?"

While the 45 Short Colt is no longer on the shelves of our local emporiums and it is no longer necessary to use the word Long when asking for 45 Colt ammunition some of us just like the sound of it. You know nostalgic.

I found this 25-7 at the gun show. I grabbed it right away. I had been looking for one for some time. It came with box and everything.

Colt SAA-
That was a good, and polite post. However, calling something by the incorrect name will never make it correct. I know lots of guys use the Long Colt term, but it is simply because they learned it from someone else when they were learning about guns.

I have never seen a gun stamped or marked Long Colt. They may be out there, but I haven't ever seen one, anywhere.

I simply believe that every one of us should do are best to teach newer shooters things as accurately as we can.

Besides, with the .454, and .460 being an even longer .45 Colt's, can the original even be called Long anymore?

Take it a little personal?

I am a huge .45 Colt fan, especially 25's, and I also know that an awful lot of 25-5's have oversized throats and won't shoot near as well as a 25-7. As I said, I have never seen any 25-5 that will shoot as well as the 25-7's do. They were simply made with all of the correct dimensions necessary for top accuracy.

I know some 25-5's are very good shooters, but it seems that the barrels used for the 25-7 series were just one of those fluke things that happens sometimes in the gun business, and the guns are scary accurate because of it.

My 25-7 is one of the few guns I own that with FULL POWER loads can come close to the accuracy achieved with my Freedom Arms M-83 in .45 Colt. At 25 yds and optimal conditions 80% of the shots will touch each other! Thats pretty impressive in my book.

I use a 260 gr Keith SWC over 9.0 of Unique.

LAZER I like that.

FN in MT

My 25-7 is about the same in accuracy as the 5" 625 Classic n 45 Colt that I have to go along with it. Both fine revolvers and quite accurate.
There were supposedly 2000 of the 25-7 and 1500 of the 625 Classic.

__________________
Lynnie, Professional Pest

Here is mine...

Yep this is another gun that should have been standard catalog. Seriously, 5" N frame in .45LC, who wouldn't want one?

Have yourself some 45 long colt



Charlie

<a href="http://s654.photobucket.com/user/hasbeen1945/media/image_44.jpeg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu263/hasbeen1945/image_44.jpeg" border="0" alt=" photo image_44.jpeg"/></a>

Sorry having a little trouble with pics.

My favorite N frame is my four inch 25-5. My favorite cartridge is the .45 Colt. What a coincidence!

__________________
Stay safe people!

What if you were carrying a Model 25-2 with Auto Rim Rounds? Would you call it a "45 Auto Rim"? Would "45 acp" be wrong?

Feel free to call it a "Long Colt". That's what most guys call it. Back when the Mod. 25-5 was a popular carry gun for law enforcement, we all called it the "Long Colt". "What are you carrying?" "Smith 25 Long Colt". It wasn't a 25-2, so it was't a "25 ACP". Or "25 Auto Rim". And it wasn't a "1911" or a "1911 45" or a "1911 .38 Super". And it wasn't a "Colt 1917 45 Long" or "...acp". It was just a "25 Long Colt" or "45 Long Colt" or "Smith 25-5" for those who had to be that specific. The range master wouldn't correct you if you said: "Long Colt".

To me, (I know, nobody asked) 25-7's are way beyond cool in the looks department. I settled for an ordinary 25-15. Like 45 Colt & the way it shoots though! Bob