New to the forum and I have a couple questions. What is, or maybe I should say the qualifications that make a "mountain gun"? Also the term "MIM" keeps coming up and I can't seem to find what that means. Thanks people , it's a good forum and I'm enjoying it.

MIM is metal injection molding and how S&W is making hammers and triggers now that were previously forged. Mountain guns have slender barrels (4") for lighter weight and easier carrying.

Thanks for the reply. I guess the MIM is not as strong as forged so they are not as desirable.

Potentially not as strong... however, the MIM parts are technically 'better' parts as the tolerances are tighter during manufacturing. It should be noted that in tons and tons of other industries, from automotive to medical, MIM metal parts are used almost exclusively for this tolerance precision. Some of the gripes about these are merely that, and an unnecessary adherence to the days of old. That is not to say that one having a gun without MIM parts is good or bad... just different.

What he said is true but it's hard to beat the colors in the case hardened forge parts on a S&W revolver so that's what I buy.

example
Nickel Model 29-2 6.5 inch barrel

The Mountain guns all have 4" tapered barrels and are round-butted to reduce the weight. The "mountain" refers to the attempt to lighten them to ease the burden of folks trekking to out of the way places..

Any caliber for a mountain gun or primarily magnums? I assume my 686 (no dash) would not have MIM parts?

Generally they are Magnums but I have a hunch that there has probably been a 625 Mountain Gun it either 45LC or 45ACP at some point.

These are some of the N-Frame "Mountains"....



Missing from my line up is the .45 ACP and the L-Frame .357. There was also an earlier 629 "Mountain Revolver" with forged, flash chromed lockworks in .44 Magnum. It was the first in this series.



The earliest Mountain Guns had hammer mounted firing pins and MIM hammers like this 629, .44 Magnum.



This .45 Colt 625 had the same, but I converted it to forged, color hardened hammer & trigger.



I also added Eagle "Heritage" stocks which improved handling.



Later Mountains went to frame mounted firing pins as seen on this 657 in .41 Magnum. Later still, these guns all got keylocks.



All in all, these guns pack better than their heavier barreled cousins, but for me at least, they don't seem to shoot as well...

Oooh...let me go get some popcorn, sit back and watch the fun....

Unless you're talking about Fender guitars...then it's "Made in Mexico".

__________________
'Merica!

Metal Injection Molding (powdered metal molded under heat and pressure.)

good overview here-- Metal Injection Molding - Powder Metal - Metal Injection Molding Process

Hello scooter
Your Hunch was right. They did make a Mountain Gun in .45 Colt caliber. Here is my 25-13 that was shipped in October 2005. S&W made a special run of these for S&W stocking dealer's being only One gun per dealer starting in 2004. This example has the case colored hammer & trigger but has the dreaded lock & it came with the set of Ahrend Cocobolo wood stock's as shown and I later changed them out with the round to square butt Laminate rosewood conversion stock's shown in the other pictures as it made it easier to shoot with. I have not seen another Blued Mountain Gun example since I found this one which was about Five years ago...

Mountain Guns all have
Round Butt Frames
4" Tapered Barrels
Plain Black Baughman front sights
Plain Black rear sights
Old Style Black Powder bevel on the cylinders

Thanks for the lesson on mountain guns. So, how about someone explaning the "lock" feature everyone has negative comments about. Beautiful mountain gun pics.

Hello wvron
I don't have any problem with them and never have nor have I had any Malfunctiones even once with them. I.M.H.O. Most that Chastise them, or talk smack about them, usually do not want to pay the Higher Prices placed on guns having them....

I agree... beautiful pics. The lock is really a none issue. Like the other poster said, a lot of people gripe about them and there are indeed a few documented cases where the lock failed. If it is a really huge issue, you can get a plug for it. To me, it is no big deal - and one that I don't think interferes with the beauty and quality of the weapon.