25-2 .45 Long Colt? UPDATE: NOT!

[tmichael]

Hello all,
The gun was NOT a 45 LC. Seller was mistaken... Still a nice item:

 

[Nightowl]

The 25-2 is a .45 ACP revolver, for the most part. There may have been a very few in .45 Colt. Probably in a 6 1/2 inch barrel. The .45 Colt guns were the model 25-5. They were made in a 4 inch barrel as well as the 6 inch barrel. I have a 6 inch in the N800000 range. These guns are noted for oversize cylinder throats.

If original, the right side of the barrel should read .45 COLT CTG.

Depending on condition, I would say a fair price is around $700 or so. Gun prices fluctuate by region, so some areas it may be closer to $900.

 

[Pizza Bob]

It's possible, but unlikely. According to the SCSW early production model 25's in .45C bring a premium in price. I have to disagree with Nightowl about the barrel rollmark. Any early production guns regardless of whether they were ACP or Colt would simply be rollmarked ".45 Cal. Model 1955". S&W did not want to imprint their guns with a competitor's name so the ".45 Colt CTG" designation didn't come along until the 25-5. So if the barrel of the gun you are considering is marked ".45 Colt CTG" but the frame is marked as a 25-2, then someone probably swapped a barrel from a 25-5 to the 25-2 frame and bored or replaced the cylinder.

The 25-3 and 25-4 were the first uniquely model numbered .45 Colt guns. They were a 125th year commemoratives and were unique among 25's as having a .45 ACP length cylinder. When the 25-5 std production .45 Colt gun came along, it had a longer cylinder.

Good luck.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[amazingflapjack]

Yep-they come up every once in a while.

 

[Retired W4]

The 25-2 is a .45 ACP revolver, for the most part. There may have been a very few in .45 Colt. Probably in a 6 1/2 inch barrel. The .45 Colt guns were the model 25-5. They were made in a 4 inch barrel as well as the 6 inch barrel. I have a 6 inch in the N800000 range. These guns are noted for oversize cylinder throats.

If original, the right side of the barrel should read .45 COLT CTG.

Depending on condition, I would say a fair price is around $700 or so. Gun prices fluctuate by region, so some areas it may be closer to $900.

The 25-5 was also produced with 8 3/8" barrels. I believe I paid $750 for this one last year.

 

[44wheelman]

The Model 1950 (aka pre-26) that were chambered in .45 Colt (approx. 200), are roll marked on the barrel " 45 COLT CTG". These were the tapered bbl guns pre-dated the Model 1955 (aka mod25). I've looked at one in person, and seen pictures of others.

The SCSW is misleading about this.

I've never heard of a factory chambered model 25 or 25-2 in 45 Colt; they could exist, but I'd bet they would have been stamped "45 COLT CTG" if they did.

 

[DWalt]

The cylinder length is shorter in .45 ACP. But I don't know the exact lengths of .45 ACP and .45 Colt cylinders. Someone here should. And the obligatory comment - there are no .45 Long Colt cartridges, only .45 Colt.

 

[jrexbarnett]

I'd swear that years ago I had a 25-2 in .45 Long Colt. I know it was .45 lc, and U remember it as a 25-2. Like a fool I traded that gun -- one of the most accurate revolvers I've ever owned.

 

[Doc44]

The few 38-44 Heavy Duty revolvers chambered in 45 Colt (1938) and the 1950 45 Target revolvers chambered in 45 Colt are all roll marked 45 COLT CTG. on the right side of the barrel. The 1950 Target 45s have a 7 stamped on the lower left hand corner of the grip frame (not sure about the Model of 1955 Target revolvers).

I would only pay a premium for a 25-2 chambered in 45 Colt if it had a factory letter confirming the caliber, or with a return guaranteed if it did not letter.

Bill

 

[k22fan]

We await tmichael's report on how the barrel is stamped. Without that information a couple of possibilities remain more likely than it being a rare or scarce revolver.

If the 25-2 under discussion has a .44 special length cylinder it may be that its original .45 ACP cylinder was replaced with a 25-3 cylinder. Two clues might reveal this. One would be narrow land 6 groove GI .45 rifling rather than S&W's usual 5 groove rifling with grooves and lands approximately the same width. The second would be file marks on the front of the frame's cylinder stop that allow a cylinder that is longer in the rear to open.

If this 25-2 has a non-recessed magnum length cylinder it may simply be a miss-stamped 25-5.

Prior to the 10,000 25-3s S&W .45 Colts were rare or very scarce and justifiably very expensive. Those commemoratives, 20 years of 25-5 production and all the newer .45 Colt production runs have quenched much of the demand. Even if it lettered it would take a more serious collector than me to pay a sizeable premium for a 25-2 .45 Colt.

 

[DR505]

Well, it still looks pretty nice! But I sure like .45 Colt better.

 

[DWalt]

Well, it still looks pretty nice! But I sure like .45 Colt better.

But the other side of the equation is, that for a shooter, .45 ACP ammunition is much more readily available, cheaper, and is capable of doing anything that the .45 Colt cartridge will do. The whole idea of the .45 ACP was to make more efficient use of smokeless powder in a smaller-capacity case than the .45 Colt, so as to meet or exceed the ballistics of the black powder .45 Colt load. The .45 Colt case is significantly less efficient than the .45 ACP when loaded with smokeless powder due to its larger volume.

 

[younggun22]

while I do appreciate .45 colt, I may be lazy and like to consolidate calibers because I am a sucker for .45acp revolvers

nice looking 25-2

 

[k22fan]

Well now, it's settled. It is a factory original .45 Auto Rim. A great bullet for it is Keith's 240 grain SWC.

 

[DR505]

But the other side of the equation is, that for a shooter, .45 ACP ammunition is much more readily available, cheaper, and is capable of doing anything that the .45 Colt cartridge will do. The whole idea of the .45 ACP was to make more efficient use of smokeless powder in a smaller-capacity case than the .45 Colt, so as to meet or exceed the ballistics of the black powder .45 Colt load. The .45 Colt case is significantly less efficient than the .45 ACP when loaded with smokeless powder due to its larger volume.

Oh boy! The .45 ACP, while a very good SD round, simply cannot do what a .45 Colt can! The .45 ACP has some difficulty throwing 260-320 grain bullets...not so the .45 Colt. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the .45 ACP and have numerous handguns so chambered, but it can't hold a candle to the versatility of the .45 Colt. If you haven't seen this article, it is worth a few minutes reading:

Gunnotes...Smith & Wesson Mod 25-5 By: John Linebaugh

You've likely heard of Mr. Linebaugh. His writing, though rough, gets the point across. Here is an example:

The difference in chamber pressure makes up for the difference in mechanical strength in the guns. The .45 (Colt) just isn't quite as strong mechanically as the .44 magnum in the cylinder, but in turn the .45 does any equal amount of work with less pressure. It all balances out.

He gives good info on why the .45 Colt is such a good all around cartridge...in a S&W Model 25-5. He also said he can download it to match .45 ACP performance if required!

 

[DWalt]

I was speaking primarily of factory loads. But you are no doubt aware that the .45 ACP, if not limited by use in the Government Model, can easily be loaded to super-hot levels. I have achieved over 1200 ft/sec with a 230 grain FMJ bullet in a Ruger Blackhawk. And I have read that loads to about 1500 ft/sec are attainable with lighter bullets, but I have never tried those. They should be good enough for anything unless you are hunting dinosaurs. The heavier bullet handling capability of the .45 Colt may mean something.

 

[USSR]

.45 ACP ammunition is much more readily available, cheaper, and is capable of doing anything that the .45 Colt cartridge will do. The whole idea of the .45 ACP was to make more efficient use of smokeless powder in a smaller-capacity case than the .45 Colt, so as to meet or exceed the ballistics of the black powder .45 Colt load. The .45 Colt case is significantly less efficient than the .45 ACP when loaded with smokeless powder due to its larger volume.

In your dreams. You obviously have not tried stuffing 18.0gr of 2400 and 255gr - 270gr bullets in a .45 ACP case.

Don