45 ACPWheel Gun Love It Or Leave It

[halvenut]

I have the 625JM and absolutely love it! I sent it back to the factory last year to have the master revolver action package done on it and it quickly became one of my favorite revolvers to shoot. I use it for pin shoots at my local club. There are tools available to make dealing with the moon clips a whole lot easier.

 

[Gnarl78]

Is there any difference in felt recoil between the 625JM, 625PC, and 325TR when shooting .45 ACP?

 

[BigCityChief]

I have the 625JM and absolutely love it! I sent it back to the factory last year to have the master revolver action package done on it and it quickly became one of my favorite revolvers to shoot. I use it for pin shoots at my local club. There are tools available to make dealing with the moon clips a whole lot easier.

I love everything about it except the stock grips.

 

[dek]

625 JM

I was thinking of getting the above. Some questions; will the .45 Schofield chamber? I'm using a 200 gr flat point lead bullet that's about 3/8" over the rim. Has anybody used the "cowboy" .45 and if so how did it perform? I'm assuming the .45 auto rim is no problem, yes? Thanks, Dennis

 

[TAROMAN]

I was thinking of getting the above. Some questions; will the .45 Schofield chamber?

Comparing the cartridges, the Schofield case diameter is .477".
The .45 auto is .470. So it MIGHT chamber if the clearance is there.
Headspace is another matter, the rim is way too thin and won't fit moon clips.
Why not just load .45 Auto to Schofield ballistics (230 gr Lead 730 ft/s (factory load))?

 

[dek]

You're right. I was thinking .45LC chambers. I shoot cowboy action and have both .45LC and .45 Schofield which I shoot in both Vaqueros and Marlin 1894. Thanks, Dennis

 

[Redlegvzv]

I have a 625 JM that I had reworked by Mike Carmoney and it is my primary IDPA revolver. The guns are a joy to shoot, very well made and tough as nails.

Where did you get the FO front sight?

 

[RussellD]

Had a 25-2 long time ago when i was young and shot ipsc. After 25 years of grieving I stumbled onto another 25-2 this past weekend. Happy again!

 

[grumpy7159]

I have a 625PC. The only modification it has is the grips. I use it for my carry firearm on weekends. This would be the last handgun I would get rid of.

 

[luangtom]

Loved mine before the sons got them...M625 and M325. I told each to pick a revolver out of the stable when they moved outta state and I hadta say 'bye to these two. Each got a Glock in .45 ACP and a 1911, too.

 

[Wulf11acr]

I agree with S391 I have shot over 10K with my 625 JM with no mishaps or noticible wear. Very well made, And I kept the JM grips and grew to like them.

 

[Dale53]

I have a pair of 625's which I dearly love (a 5" Model of 1989 625-6 and a 4" 625-8 JM Special).

I use both .45 ACP's with Rimz carbon/polymer and Ranch Products steel
full moon clips. You have to use tools with the steel clips but the Rimz clips you load with your fingers. Further, I use .45 Auto Rim cases when I don't need a quick reload.

I cast my own bullets and that gives me a wide choice of bullets within reach from a 200 gr hollow point to a 250 gr Keith.

It just doesn't get any better than that.

Dale53

 

[Gorenut]

I hate to be rude but it seems idiotic to me that someone would
knowingly choose a specially designed semi auto cartridge to
shoot in a revolver. the ACP part of the name is there for a reason.
Why not do it in 45 LC so the cartridge has a proper rim which
is more or less designed for revolvers or vice versa.

If you were to say you had a dozen 1911 pistols and thousands
of empty shell casings and you reload etc etc and it makes sense
to stick with 45 ACP then maybe I could understand.

Who the heck needs to deal with moon clips ? ! !

Personally, having moonclips being a semi-requirement is a turn off for me on revos too. I really think one of the revo's inherent mechanical advantage over semis is not needing extra things such as clips or magazines to fully utilize the gun.

That said.. the 45ACP revolver with moonclips is pretty much the standard to beat for reloads. The short, stout rounds are easier to get in vs the spindly 357mags.

I used to think the same as you about the 625, but lately as I'm realizing how beneficial it can be to reload just 1 caliber due to my personal equipment and space constraints.. I'm getting more attracted to the idea of getting a 625. I mentioned in another thread that I was contemplating reorganizing my primary centerfire handguns:
SW 627, SW 29, and Glock 17
to
SW 625, 1911, and Glock 30

I'd much rather just reload and stockpile a ton of 1 caliber vs separating them amongst different calibers, especially since I'm just doing single stage press.

For now, Rimz seems to be a great alternative for just range play. I do wish S&W found a way to just hold 45 ACP without moonclips though.

 

[mesinge2]

I do wish S&W found a way to just hold 45 ACP without moonclips though.

They did. With the m547. Its a 9mm revolver that doesn't need moonclips to eject the spent brass. I don't see why it would not work on the 45 ACP. Anyways, it has been discontinued.

Instead of the usual "star" type extractor, the Model 547 features a horn-shaped extractor with small beryllium-copper spring tabs that grab the rim of each case. This assembly is for extraction only; the cartridges headspace on the mouth.

 

[Dave T]

I have never understood the opposition and in some cases out right hostility to the moon clip or full moon clip. They make the guns that use them so much faster and more fool proof to reload you'd think they would be accepted as a great accessory rather than cursed and ridiculed.

I load up several hundred rounds and stack the loaded clips in an ammo can. Once at the range you just reach in and grab a few when your Shoot-the-Moon belt holders are empty. Good grief, that certainly is simpler than constantly reloading speed loaders during a long range session.

Maybe all you folks who hate moon clips so much should stick to the 45 Colt and sell off those 45 ACP revolvers to those of us who appreciate the advantages they offer.

My $.02 worth,
Dave

 

[Rickkster]

My 325NG is with me pretty much every time I am in the woods. I carry Federal Hydra-Shoks in moon clips when bumming around the woods, and use my home casts in .45 AR cases at the range.

Cheers,

Rick

 

[23 Blast]

I have never understood the opposition and in some cases out right hostility to the moon clip or full moon clip. They make the guns that use them so much faster and more fool proof to reload you'd think they would be accepted as a great accessory rather than cursed and ridiculed.

I load up several hundred rounds and stack the loaded clips in an ammo can. Once at the range you just reach in and grab a few when your Shoot-the-Moon belt holders are empty. Good grief, that certainly is simpler than constantly reloading speed loaders during a long range session.

Maybe all you folks who hate moon clips so much should stick to the 45 Colt and sell off those 45 ACP revolvers to those of us who appreciate the advantages they offer.

My $.02 worth,
Dave

This x1000

Moon clips are almost literally a dime a dozen. Buy a few dozen for the price of ONE typical autoloader magazine. Load up the clips. Blast away, then when you get home, demoon the clips. As long as you have the demooning tool, it's easy as pie.

I have to admit that before I acquired a .45acp revolver myself, the constant bitching about moon clips gave me pause. I thought it was a genuine inconvenience in the same league as say, the way certain guns are finicky with certain brands of ammo, or as maddening as a magazine disconnect feature.

Lo and behold - I eventually get my hands on a S&W model 1917. The previous owner gave me 5 clips with the purchase and advised me to buy many more. Seeing as how they're extremely cheap, I bought three more packs of 8 online. Loaded them all up, and blasted away at the range. Holy cow what great fun!!!

Only problem is that, like an autoloader, I can very quickly go through ammo with these moon clips facilitating rapid reloading, especially compared to the more laborious loading and unloading process of my .357 revolvers.

 

[jack the toad]

As to loading and shooting, I like moon clips.
As to carrying extra ammo on my person, I prefer speed strips (less bulky) followed by moon clips and then speed loaders. Cartridge loops and loose ammo, I don't or seldom ever do.
I don't see a downside to moons at all other than maybe the ability to top off a partially loaded cylinder (there's 1/3 and 1/2 moons but has never been a problem for me). Buy a bunch (they're cheap), load em up and blast away.

 

[mesinge2]

I have never understood the opposition and in some cases out right hostility to the moon clip or full moon clip. They make the guns that use them so much faster and more fool proof to reload you'd think they would be accepted as a great accessory rather than cursed and ridiculed.

I load up several hundred rounds and stack the loaded clips in an ammo can. Once at the range you just reach in and grab a few when your Shoot-the-Moon belt holders are empty. Good grief, that certainly is simpler than constantly reloading speed loaders during a long range session.

Maybe all you folks who hate moon clips so much should stick to the 45 Colt and sell off those 45 ACP revolvers to those of us who appreciate the advantages they offer.

My $.02 worth,
Dave

I agree 100%

Moonclips are possibly the fastest way to reload a revolver and they are dirt cheap. Look at the reloading time in the video below. This is me just casually shooting and not trying to be quick about it. Very easy

VIDEO: .45 ACP S&W m22-4 - YouTube


And here's the range box for my S&W model 22:

 

[Redlegvzv]

I love my S&W 625JM! This revolver has a four inch barrel, which seems to be just right to me. One thing I discovered is that the 45ACP round is very easy to use with moon clips; much easier than the sometimes-finicky .357 round. The 625 is very accurate and mannerly at the range; handles recoil very well. My sights were dead-on from the factory. Here she is with some moon clips and moon clip tools:

As others in this thread have said, the Rmiz-25 is a really nice accessory for the 625 that you will want to check out. These are high-tech plastic moon clips. You can load and unload these moon clips with no tool whatever. Even if (as I do) you want to have a bunch of steel moon clips on hand, these are great for the range. They are very fast to re-moon and de-moon. I can vouch that they fit great in my own S&W 625JM:

RIMZ 625 - RIMZ 625 Polymer Moonclips