Hey Guys! I'm considering the purchase of a used Model 325 Nightguard. I don't know of anyone who has one so I hope someone here may help. There is a used one at the LGS that looks brand new, not a mark on it anywhere. Knowing the reputation of the LGS tells me that it is in great mecanical condition or they would not have accepted it. A couple of questions about this weapon; how does the lightweight frame take the recoil of the 45 ACP round and how durable is the scandium alloy frame material? They have it listed for $799.

I'll keep it simple.....
If your asking about the recoil of a .45acp in a lightweight revolver. You would be smart to stay clear. Probably similar to stopping a baseball bat in mid swing of a major league player in your bare hands. OUCH!

it will be a handfull as I had a snub nose 44 special and it would bruise my hand.

Hey, The scandium frames are very strong, If you are wanting something with less recoil you should get a set of pachmyers for the gun of hogue grips that cover the back strap.You will feel the recoil on that gun. I have a 625 with staghorn grips and it has more felt recoil than it would with a full set of wooden grips.

__________________
M.J.Hanna

I own a 310 Night Guard, which is the 10mm/40 S&W version.
This is a Great concealed carry gun.
It has the excellent Cylinder & Slide Extreme Duty Rear Sight. As good as it gets for a carry gun.
XS 24/7 Tritium Front Sight. Again perfect for a carry handgun.
The gun is very light weight for a 2.5" N Frame. It carrys about like a 66 Snub, only lighter weight. I also have a 3" 625, and the 310NG carrys like it is smaller in size. This must be due to the very light weight.
The Night Guard is very accurate for a 2.5" revolver.
The trigger on mine is very good for a factory revolver.
No issues with function at all. The moon clips just drop in the SS Cylinder.
Problems with the Night Guard? You do not hear of many.

As far as shooting it goes. Recoil is not terrible with the factory rubber grips. Not a Powder Puff like a heavy all stainless steel 625 however. The felt recoil of my 310NG shooting Full House 10mm is about like a Steel K Frame shooting 125 grain 357 Magnum ammo.
Recoil of a 45acp should be quite a bit less than the 10mm. As long as you keep some soft rubber grips on it, (Like the Factory Grips that come on it) recoil should not be a show stopper. I have a nice set of compac checkered Walnut finger grooves on my 310NG. They sting a little, but they look good on it. I shot a 48 round Defensive Pistol Match yesterday. I shot my 64, 610, as well as my 310NG with 40 S&W ammo. My score with my S&W 64 was 81.81. That was the second highest score of the day only beaten by one CDP run. My 310NG score was 84.29. That was only 2.48 seconds behind my 64 score. As you can see the 310NG did just fine. The 2.5" barrel did not slow me down much either. I won't keep you guessing the 610 score was 83.04, third highest score of the day.

I think you will like it just fine.

Bob

__________________
ICORE MO2908

My NG in .45 ACP is a very good carry gun. I prefer the OWB holster for it as it is still an N frame cylinder tucked beneath your belt.
Recoil with standard rounds is very manageable, I use 200 gr flat point +Ps and it is about the same felt recoil. It is very accurate and after a couple hundred rounds the action feels like it came rom the Performance Center. As a carry revolver that does not need deep concealment, I think it is about the best if you want a big bore. Reloading with moon clips is a snap, and is as fast as stuffing the bottom of a semi auto.

When the Night Guard series first came out, a lot of people experienced failures to fire with them...it seems that S&W put a just-too-short firing pin in them. Many people reported that the issues were resolved by installing a slightly longer firing pin (I can't remember the specifics, since it's been a while, but a search should bring it up.) Will the shop let you fire it before you buy? (One of the shops I frequent has a range, and they will let you fire any used gun before you buy it; the others I frequent don't.)

If you can't fire it before you buy it, you might ask the shop if they would be willing to ship it to S&W for you if there are issues with FTFs. Being a used gun, S&W might still fix it on their dime, but I don't know. Of course, you might not have any problems....it might not have the shorter firing pin.

Welcome to the forum!

+1 on shooting it first.

Short barrels, alloy frames and big calibers are, personally, not my cup of tea...

__________________
But then, what do I know?

I've owned one for over three years, and it's a very fine revolver. While I don't carry it every day now (I carry a Model 65, 3" barrel), it is a very easy revolver to carry.

As to the recoil, it's not bad and very manageable. I carry reloads with 250gr LSWC bullets. They're a bit stouter, but very easy to control. The 230gr hardball ammo is excellent to use in it.

As with any alloy frame, recoil is more easily felt. However, that "problem" is easily solved by getting a good set of stocks. I use Ahrends Retro Combats, and they're great.

Though recoil is very subjective, my experience has been different. The rubber stocks that come with it make shooting the 325 Night Guard a not unpleasant experience. That said, my fingers are a little short to shoot well in DA with them, and the rubber stocks don't conceal as well as wood. I changed them for Hogue Bantam wood grips. I like the look better, and the revolver hides better, but I can only stand to shoot 50 or so rounds at a session.

__________________
Proud anachronism