A true Unicorn

[SmithNut]

Some years back, I think it was at the Portland SWCA meeting, had the chance to photo this truly unique M25, fixed sight, tapered mountain gun barrel, round butt, matte blue. Chambered in 45 ACP.

Belonged to another collector from CA, I have never seen nor heard of another. Supposedly a handful were sold through RSR.

Anybody else know of one? This is one that I'd truly like to own someday.

 

[Photog]

If it had a square butt, then I would buy 5!!!!! That to me is a perfect defensive or hiking pistol.

 

[loeman]

Can't add anything to help, but wow, that's a gun I'd stand in line to buy. My favorite revolver that I regularly shoot is my fixed sight Md 681, but sure wish I had one with a round butt and a 3 inch barrel like that 25 in your op. Thanks for posting.

 

[Hapworth]

Wonderful configuration; didn't know it existed -- thank you.

SCSW has a brief write-up. It's a -4 from 1990, product code 179000; an RSR Special Product.

That's about it. A cursory search provided little else. You've got some hunting to do -- let us know when you bag one.

 

[Stirling]

That is a fine looking fixed sight revolver. Although not my preferred calibre for a wheelgun even I'd grab that!

 

[BAM-BAM]

Sweeeet........ never seen or heard of that setup before....

would love one in .357 (6 shot) (I know Model 20; but with a round butt)

2 ?s

Was/is it labeled "Mountain Gun".......like the runs from the 90s?

Assuming it an N-frame? Edit: M25 of course it is!

 

[jjbrewst1]

If it had a square butt, then I would buy 5!!!!! That to me is a perfect defensive or hiking pistol.

Why would you want a SQ BUTT. Ewgh.

 

[Realgunner]

Bluing on barrel looks quite different from bluing on frame. Hmmm...

 

[jjbrewst1]

Bluing on barrel looks quite different from bluing on frame. Hmmm...

It's a late 80's-90's thing. Parts are blued separate from each other.

 

[Doubless]

It may be just me, but I am not convinced at all that is a MG barrel; it looks too heavy for what Smith put on their MGs, and if memory serves, weren't the barrels marked as Mountain Gun? I have owned three and sold them all, but that is my memory: very thin aggressively tapered barrels, and all marked as MGs.

 

[Realgunner]

It's a late 80's-90's thing. Parts are blued separate from each other.

Thanks for the info; all my blue Smiths were before the late 80's.

 

[Allen-frame]

Some years back, I think it was at the Portland SWCA meeting, had the chance to photo this truly unique M25, fixed sight, tapered mountain gun barrel, round butt, matte blue. Chambered in 45 ACP.

Belonged to another collector from CA, I have never seen nor heard of another. Supposedly a handful were sold through RSR.

Anybody else know of one? This is one that I'd truly like to own someday.

OOOOOOOHH !

" A true Unicorn "

A picture of the end label would have been great.

Can we contact the owner and request a factory letter?
At least we'd know how many were produced.

Allen 'Nut"

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

That is a nice one! Would love to get one of the bigger fixed sight .44's or .45's.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

SCSW has a brief write-up. It's a -4 from 1990, product code 179000; an RSR Special Product.

Unfortunately, that's a "generic" product code that I've seen S&W use over the years on a number of different models of guns. Most were odd ball guns in boxes marked "USED GUN". They had nothing in common.

An otherwise standard M25 with a 4-inch or shorter barrel is a rare thing all on it's own. SmithNut's M25 isn't just a unicorn, it's an albino unicorn with one blue eye and one brown.

Kernel "Nut"

 

[clang444]

It may be a unicorn, but the desire for something like it has been around a while. Here is a commercial 1917 someone nipped to 4" somewhere in it's past:


I removed the lanyard loop and plugged the hole. Makes for a real handy gun.

 

[SmithNut]

Maybe it would have been better to say Mountain Gun "Like" barrel, it is clearly tapered and not of the profile of a standard 4" non-full under-lugged barrel.
I do not know what was used to make this, whether or not they used an actual Mountain Gun barrel blank (likely) or did something new, but my pics don't capture the actual profile, which is consistent to the Mountain Gun and the previously made M24-3 guns.

As to Allen Frames suggestion of tracking down the owner to letter the gun, I had heard that he auctioned off much of his collection a few years back, I unfortunately missed that or would have made an attempt to get this gun....... bummer. At the time I took these pics, it simply didn't occur to me to take pics of the box, I was too busy oogling the gun..

It may be just me, but I am not convinced at all that is a MG barrel; it looks too heavy for what Smith put on their MGs, and if memory serves, weren't the barrels marked as Mountain Gun? I have owned three and sold them all, but that is my memory: very thin aggressively tapered barrels, and all marked as MGs.

 

[HarrishMasher]

This might be as close as you get in a blued 45ACP. I just picked this up, should have it Monday.