Then And Now
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.
