Recent content by 5erdriver

If it helps, mine is a pinned 4" S/N N8282XX and has .452 throats.

For a woods/trail gun I carry a 625-5 4" .45 Colt bought specifically for defense against black bear and anything smaller in NC, GA, & FL. I pack it with Buffalo Bore .45 Colt ammo, standard pressure, 255gr. gas checked soft cast bullet rated at 1000 fps with a M.E. of 566 ft. lbs.

I bought a 25-5 pinned 4" last year with normal throats. A .452" plug gauge fits snugly, a .453" is a no go. S/N N82820x, I would say that any number produced after that is "probably" ok. Test before you buy.

My 25-5 4" pinned bbl S/N N8282xx came with .452 throats. Must have been made in the transition period. I was a little concerned and then relieved about oversize when I found that a .453 pin gauge wouldn't fit through the throats. A .452 gauge passes through snugly.

I don't hand load and found what I believe is a good strong round for my 25-5 4". Buffalo Bore Standard Pressure Heavy .45 Colt, 255 gr. Keith, advertised at 1000 FPS. It creates real jolt compared to the soft push of other ammo I've tried such as Freedom Munitions topped with a 255 gr. jacketed FP.

I recently purchased a LNIB pinned 4" bbl 25-5 S/N 828xxx with .452 throats. A .452 plug gauge snugly passes through each one, a .453 gauge doesn't fit in any. I assume that my 25-5 was built during a transitional period when they started to produce the smaller throated cylinders and put them on...

For what it's worth and this may help the OP in his decision, I recently purchased a LNIB pinned 4" bbl 25-5 S/N 828xxx with .452 throats. My .452 plug gauge snugly passes through each one, the .453 gauge doesn't fit in any. I had contacted the seller prior to the sale to take measurements and...

Xduper - I bought a 1980 -81 pinned barrel 25-5 LNIB a few weeks ago and was also concerned about possible oversized cylinder throats. I then bought 0.452" & 0.453" plug gauges and found that the .452 fits snugly in each throat and the .453 doesn't fit any. That put my mind at ease.

I don't know the answer to the OP's question as to why the revolver would not cycle with the side plate off, but I just bought a 33 year old LNIB "appears to be unfired" 25-5 in exterior mint condition and of course took the side plate off for inspection. It was clean but could have been caked...

Ok. I received my plug gauges, .452 fits snugly in each throat, .453 doesn't fit in any of them. Guess I got a pinned bbl winner!

Yes but got what I feel to be inaccurate readings as the caliper's inside measurement blade edges are not razor sharp. The edges are flat, probably about .01" across. I was getting .44x readings.

I ordered plug gauges this morning, .452, .453, .454, & .455. If those are too small for the chambers then I'm screwed & will probably have to order another cylinder from S&W. I haven't shot the revolver yet, I don't really want to waste any ammo if the throats are way out of wack. The gauges...

Thanks guys. I'll try some soft fishing weights in the chambers first and then measure them with a digital caliper. If I don't think that I'm getting accurate or ballpark readings on those, I'll order a few plug gauges.

First off I have no reloading gear. I would like to remove a 250 gr. LRN from a live Remington Target cartridge and a 255 gr. hard cast Keith from a live Buffalo Bore cartridge. I need the bullets to test the cylinder throat diameters of a S&W 25-5 which is notorious for oversized throats. I...

Thanks for the info guys. I settled for some Buffalo Bore rounds topped with 255 gr. hard cast Keith's that should leave the muzzle at around 1000 fps. I was smiling real hard at the 325 gr. HSM Bear Load but their disclaimer says "not suitable for...any S&W revolvers".