Ima ruger man but have recently been offered a sw 25-5 with 5" pinned barrel , sellers says he believes it came from sw custom shop because of the 5" barrel , ser num is N846XXX , i read something about 25-5s being hit and miss , would like some insight from those who know these guns and what this gun is worth , condition is said to be excellant. Thanks

All I know is, when I had a 6" 25-5 I noticed the barrel marking s were not centered on both sides, but if the barrel was "Skeeterized" and cut to 5", they would be and it would look great. Sounds like a great gun to get. If consensus here is that it's not factory, use that to get the price down and snag it!!

Sellers often express "beliefs" that advance their own self interests.

The serial number indicates it was shipped in 1981. If one like it was for sale locally, I would certainly hurry over to take a look. If it is in excellent condition and the price is right, it would go home with me. I would not care if the barrel has been cut down, as long as it was expertly done and I was not paying a collector-grade price.

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You're shy a few manners.

The serial indicates a 25-5. I only recall 4", 6" and 8 3/8" on the -5's.

If the price is right, I'd snag it.

Do a search for "oversize throats, 25-5" TONS of reading.

Pull a bullet from a factory load and drop it into the chambers,if it falls through,I hope you reload.

The -7 & -13's are the only M25s that were made in 5in barrel 45 Colt.

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Waiting for the break of day

Ok had the guy measure and it was .455 , brl is definantly 5" gun looks to be in very good shape. What kinda value could i expect from this gun

I would confirm the seller is measuring the barrel from where it meets the cylinder face as a common error is to measure from where the barrel meets the frame .

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Nope. The variant with the 5" barrel was available in both the 25-7 and 25-9. See Just picked up a Model 25-7.

I am not familiar with the 25-13, but I am not a fan of the full lug barrel.

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NHI, 10-8.

Welcome to the FORUM! 45 Colt revolvers are fun to shoot. I have a later model, 25-15. It has a 6.5" barrel. I bought it because the price was right, and like 45 revolvers. My 1st a 625JM. Good luck on your quest. If you get it, reloading may be in your future. Ammo over $40 a box last time I bought. Let us know how you make out, and post pics. Bob

The .455 throats will cause accuracy problems. If actually a 5" barrel it is a modified gun. Likely refinished too since cutting the barrel would require at least refinishing that part. I'd give no more than $400 for it know it would disappoint me. Few sellers would take that much convinced it's a $1,200 gun. Problem solved. You decide what it's worth to you.

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No life story has happy end.

I have resisted guessing at a price because there are too many "ifs". Without good pictures, there's not much else we can say. No offense intended at all but the descriptions so far are not specific enough to help much.

What is the seller asking for it?

I really like S&Ws in .45 Colt and would be very interested in that one. But price depends on all the "ifs".

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You're shy a few manners.

Price would be my bottom line-- As far as hit & miss, I have never had a 45Colt that would shoot factory ammo to my satisfaction. I once had a Ruger blackhawk that could not hit the barn door, from INSIDE the barn. I tried everything I could think of, no go. Sold it and kept the Stag stocks that came on it. Sold my S&W's when thinning out things some time back, but kept this REDHAWK- when I found the right load, reloading is your friend here, I never looked back. She now shoots better than I can see. Unless the price is too far over the top I would get it-- pay too much and you cannot sell it it doesn't suit you. JMHO



Here we have 5 shots, stand up shooting, with my Red Dot load. I will take this anyday thank you.

What i have to trade i value at $800

Trying to post pics of the gun .... Ahhhh success finally

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I would ask the seller for some pics showing the muzzle,
Difficult to tell from those two pics but something looks a bit wrong .

Having been a user and handloader of the 45 Long Colt for forty some odd years,

I have never found the .454-.455 cylinder throats to be all that much of a problem in the accuracy department.

Were it be a Colt SAAs or N frame S&Ws.

The revolver below has cylinder throats that run .454 with both the 45 LC cylinder and the 45 ACP cylinder.

My pre-26 1950 fitted with an Long Colt cylinder.







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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

If you can examine the gun and it is in good mechanical shape, the barrel cut, muzzle crown and front sight and ramp look professional (BUFF's definition of "professional" is "looks like the factory did it"), and YOU WANT A 5 INCH Model 25-5, I think that $800.00 would be a fair price.

I like the .45 Colt in an N frame S&W. Big, heavy slug at moderate pressure, you feel like you are getting some work done without beating yourself to death.

Well trade value is usually less than cash value so I'm going to think about $700 for it, which sounds fair enough.

Thanks for the pictures, they really help.

First thing I notice is the Pachmeyer stocks/grips. On the plus side, they should be fine for shooting. On the negative side, most people prefer the original target stocks, which could cost $100 or so if you want them.

Next thing, it doesn't look like an obvious re-blue. That is a plus since no one likes dished out screw holes or blurry looking roll marks.

It has a pinned barrel which some of us prefer. The barrel does indeed look like it's 5", and it looks professionally done. From what I can see, the markings look centered on the barrel.

There's a lot to like about that gun without too many negatives that I can see from the pictures.

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You're shy a few manners.

I love a 5" gun but have never seen a m25 in that size. My 25-5 is 6" and shoots like a target revolver. Can't wait to take it deer hunting. Whatever the case may be for the 5", if it shoots good and is professionally done I would jump on it for anything less than $700.

Def 5" barrel

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From that picture, it looks like someone highly polished or nickeled the trigger.

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You're shy a few manners.

I DO like this gun-- I would add a SDM Gold Dot front sight and for my tastes Stag Stocks, and maybe a Tyler--but that is just me. As shown in my post above, it IS worth time working up the right load for the gun.

You would need to post pics of the "front" of the barrel looking down the tube so we can see if the beveling of the muzzle is the same as factory - and pictures of the top and sides of the front sight to show if its attached like the factory.

All close up and clear pictures.

I've seen one cut down and looked good from a distance - but looking at the two areas mentioned tell the real story.

The front sight does not look like factory original. I am 100% certain it is a modified gun.

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No life story has happy end.

That looks like a nice gun Fordfan. I suspect it balances well and would be a good field gun. From shooting my M1917 I've come to appreciate the balance of the 5-5 1/2 inch barrel on a N Frame.

The unmodified 25-5s I've seen had a forged in place front sight with a red ramp insert. My 1988 copy has the RR sight.

I developed some accurate loads for my 25-5. The 45C/N frame combination is a good one.