25-5 in 45 ACP?

[Kelye@Belt Mtn]

A local shop has a S&W 25-5 revolver for sale. 6 1/2" barrel, marked "45 cal of 1950". Target trigger and hammer. Serial #N7172XX in 45 acp. I've tried to find a similar gun on the auction sites, but all I've found for the 25-5 are 45 Colts. Is this a parts gun or originally made like this? Thank you, Kelye @ Belt Mtn

 

[Kelye@Belt Mtn]

A local shop has a S&W 25-5 revolver for sale. 6 1/2" barrel, marked "45 cal of 1950". Target trigger and hammer. Serial #N7172XX in 45 acp. I've tried to find a similar gun on the auction sites, but all I've found for the 25-5 are 45 Colts. Is this a parts gun or originally made like this? Thank you, Kelye @ Belt Mtn

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

If the gun is stamped 25-5 in the crane opening, then yea, it's a parts gun. The 1950 barrels were for the .45 ACP target guns and were well before the 25-5 was released. Also, no 25-5's had 6 1/2" barrels. The serial number puts it as a 25-5 era gun as well. I'm sure someone will come along with "The Book" and tell you more than I can.

 

[Kelye@Belt Mtn]

Thank you,Sir.

 

[moosedog]

Are you sure it says 25-5 on the frame under the yoke? Will it chamber a 45 Colt cartridge?It probably is not a 25-5 or a parts gun.
In the mid 70s they ran abunch of 25-2s which are 45ACP or 45 Auto Rim and someone miss marked the barrels 1950.
Over the years people have tryed to sell them as collectors items or having added value but they ran off so many that they were just accepted for what they were. Missmarked.
Estimated number of mismarked 25-2s marked 1950 on the barrel are between 1000 to 1500 per Suprica's book.

 

[Kelye@Belt Mtn]

I went back and checked, it is marked 25-5, and is 45 acp. Thanks, Kelye

 

[Hoot]

Interesting gun. I'm thinking that Gun 4 Fun is probably right, and it's likely a parts gun.

However, never say never with S&W.

There were some 25s made up with both cylinders. I'm not sure what dash number or time frame they were made. If 1980 fits, this one could be correct, but missing the Colt cylinder.

The 25-5 wasn't cataloged with a 6 1/2" barrel, but there were probably some left in the parts bins in 1980 (the s/n date of this gun). The 6" replaced the 6 1/2" in 1979 as a regular cataloged length, but S&W never threw anything away.

The only way to know for sure is to have it lettered from S&W.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[deanodog]

A model 25-2 in ACP 6 inch barrel

All it says on the barrel"45 cal"