Mountain Gun (Update #31)

Always on the lookout for certain specific S&W revolvers, Mountain Guns being part of that interest.

Recently looking over the sales section of a California gun site and telling myself not to and to save my money, I saw an ad for a 625-6 Mountain Gun.



It is, I believe, the very last of the pre lock/MIM versions and in 45LC.

I bought a 4" 624ND some years back. There are those that say it is the impetus for the Mountain Gun. It's non magnum and has no BP cylinder chamfer, but on all other respects, it is very much the image of a Mountain Gun.

I passed up a lock/MIM version of the 44 Mountain Gun and a couple years later a Mountain Revolver made itself known to me. This IS the first of the Mountain Gun family. It had the rubber grips and some corrosion spots under them, but it's more like blemishing and now under the new Kurac grips, so no big deal.

So, Friday morning I was looking at the ad, there it was, posted from late the night before and I told myself to hit the button NOW. No negotiating, secure it if I could.

The 45LC is considered very desirable for a woods walking revolver, especially if you kick up the velocity and it has potentially more power than the same revolver in 44mag. Maybe not the world of difference, but it does it at lower pressure than a 44.

Lucky enough to have the seller meet me at a 1/2 way point and I have to say he's a heck of a nice guy. I hope to go shooting with him one day.

Here is an image I took after the paperwork.



So, while there are other Mountain Guns in .357 and .41, these are the ones I was looking for and I am delighted to find this one.

It has no evidence of being fired other than at the factory, the action feels like silk and has to be the result of a professional action job. Carry-up, timing, etc is all excellent and of course no push off.

So, it's going to get a steady diet of 255g RNFP over 9g of flammable dirt (Unique) for 900fps.

Comes with plastic box and literature. Currently wearing Badger grips in a nice wood, but Kurac's conversion square butt are on their way as soon as the proper piece of wood makes itself available. I like the exhibition grade French burl walnut.

Had to share it with you.

Nice! I have a 629 MG and a 625 MG in .45 ACP.

Thanks for sharing! That's a great-looking MG. Be sure to take it for regular walks in the woods

Very nice, Thanks for posting, I to have a thing for the Mountain Gun, Still in search of the 617.

It's one of those weird things in life, I never noticed posts about Mountain Guns until I got one (.45 ACP). Now I've read maybe 3-4 new threads about them since! Congrats to the OP, a nice addition .45 LC is a great round. Big bullet without the ferocious bite! And in support of a few others, I too would like to find a 617 MG!!

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You did well, enjoy!

Nice gun in my favorite big bore caliber.
To me the mountain guns are the true classics. Much better than the full lug guns. Hand guns are supposed to be light easy to carry guns, Why add useless weight. I just don't notice that much less recoil from my full lug guns.

I never noticed the difference as most of my Smith's didn't have the full lug until recently when I purchased a 686-4. While a beautiful gun, man is it heavy. Obviously I'm not a precise instrument but holding and firing it versus my MG there is a noticeable difference in the distribution of weight and overall weight. It's crazy to think that an N frame 4" barreled revolver can feel about the same or less than that of a 4" 686 L frame. I don't know the exact weight of each but I know how they feel to me!

steelslaver said:

Nice gun in my favorite big bore caliber.
To me the mountain guns are the true classics. Much better than the full lug guns. Hand guns are supposed to be light easy to carry guns, Why add useless weight. I just don't notice that much less recoil from my full lug guns.

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What 625 45 colt MG going for these days?

I have a 25-5 , 4" barrel (45 colt) , I have no desire to own a mtn gun in same caliber . I don't feel that mine is too heavy to carry on long days . My everyday load is 9.5 grs of WSF with a 255 gr cast bullet , either RNFP or swc (HG 501) . I'm just not a fan of the round butt grips . I had a chance to buy a S&W 58 , that had been converted from square to round butt . I had no problem letting it pass . Regards, Paul

One of the great things about round butts is, you can get a conversion grip that turns it into a square butt.

RB is OK on a gun with a 3" barrel IMO, but not on a 4", just doesn't look right to me and less support in the hand for the weight.

That said, I have already contacted Kurac, so it won't be RB for long.

I am thrilled to have found this piece! Never did I imagine it would ever happen and I was learning to live with the fact that I missed out when they were new.

Nice gun for sure

I think they are one of the better looking, newer styled guns. The barrel kind of reminds me of the profile of an older type gun. Which I like. The taper just looks so right to me. And I think saves weight and balances better.

I think the 625-6 Mountain Gun is pretty close to the ideal trail gun. With the proper (safe) loads, it will handle just about anything out there, and packs easily.

Here is mine - a 1996 gun with some minor customization applied to make it closer to my tastes. Red ramp front sight, older style cylinder release, and round-to-square Ahrends stocks. And... look, Ma - no lock! Now it's one of my favorite revolvers!

John

steelslaver said:

Nice gun in my favorite big bore caliber.

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I don't understand this.. a 44Mag can be loaded the same weight bullets at low velocities and higher than a 45LC..

To me a 44Mag is more versatile.

I guess where the 45 Colt begins to over come the 44 magnum is in shooting heavy for caliber bullets , above 300 gr . According to John Linebaughs research , the 45 Colt give the same velocity using the same bullet weight at a lower pressure of 5-7000 psi . I have and shoot both , but I do not try to " magnumize " the 45 Colt . Regards, Paul

Nice find, 'Twig.

I've got a variety of 4" heavy-barreled N-frames in .44 Special, .44 Mag, and .45 Colt, but there's nothing finer for woods walking than those big Smiths with a tapered barrel. My favorites include a 624...


And a 629 Mountain Revolver...


But when I acquired an unfired 625-6 a few years ago, It quickly became the one I carry the most often.



The 625-6 was the first run of Mountain Guns chambered in .45 Colt. They were produced in limited numbers in 1996 only, one year before S&W made the switch to MIM lockworks. They retain the forged, color case hardened hammer and trigger, along with the other characteristics shared with the rest of the Mountain Gun series....4" tapered barrel, round-butt grip frame, "black powder" chamfered cylinder, and black-on-black sights. These came from the factory with the rubber Hogue finger groove grips with moulded S&W emblems.



Mine thrives on a diet of the excellent RCBS 45-270-SAA Keith-style SWCs. As cast they run right at 280gr and are loaded over 9.0 to 10gr of Unique for an easy shooting yet plenty potent 900 to 975 FPS.

Just about a perfect packing pistol as exists, it will see Michigan's north woods again soon, when we head up for a bear hunt in about three weeks.



Roe

1911-10MM said:

Very nice, Thanks for posting, I to have a thing for the Mountain Gun, Still in search of the 617.

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Not easy to come by.

enjoy,
bdGreen

I too love the Mountain guns in 45 LC.
Not counting my SWCA anniversary Mountain Reveler, the only other Mountain Guns that I own are the 41 Magnums
Just need to replace those rubber grips that ship on the revolvers with some nice wood

I never bothered with the 357 Mountain guns since the 3 1/2" Model 27s fill that bill even if they do have square butts
And of course the newest of the 3 1/2" Model 27s are 8 shots.

Thanks folks!

Nice to know I'm not alone in the appreciation of this particular run of S&W's.

Good history too! 1996, one year run, limited numbers.

I hesitate to make changes, but if I did it would be a lime green front sight insert and a white outline rear blade. The new WO rear blades are awful, but the old WO blade is crisp and bright. I can see those best. For the time being, it has red paint on the rib of the front site, I'll change that to lime green. No permanent changes.

Something about this particular smokepole makes it right at home on a hunt. Old style touches, modern (but not too modern) lockwork, able to take the hotter loads up to @ 1200fps with heavy bullets. Oh yeah, just the right medicine. Might find a mould in the 280g area and keep them under 1000fps, best of both worlds. Penetrate like no tomorrow, big metplat to take game humanely.