What needs to be done on this conversion or is it a cylinder swap?
625-8 45acp to 45 long colt
- Thread starter jculloden
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Venom6
Member
I'm not the expert (they will be along shortly), but I'm thinking it would require another cylinder. The issue cylinder's headspace is such that it accommodates the cartridge and the clip. Punching the chambers out to accept the .45LC cartridge would leave excess headspace, and cartridge overall length would also be limited due to the 25 family's cylinder length. Remember how excited we all were when the 25-3 was introduced, but cartridges could not exceed factory cartridge length. Then too there is the issue of the cylinder retention lug, though there are ways of dealing with it.
Change cylinders and alter the frame lug.
You need a .45 Colt cylinder and extractor. The barrel will need shortened where it protrudes into the frame window then the forcing cone needs to be recut. You can also use a .44 Magnum cylinder and have it reamed for the Colt cartridge. Andy Horvath did mine.
StrawHat
Member
austintexas
Member
Excuse
Always a good excuse to purchase and add another revolver to your collection.
SWCA 892
Always a good excuse to purchase and add another revolver to your collection.
SWCA 892
Near 45 Colt capacity in a 45ACP revolver: 45WSM
Yes it can be done but not easily.
For practical purposes it's too expensive & involved.
This is why I came up with this much cheaper idea:
When .45ACP In Your S&W 625 Isn’t Quite Enough… Step Up to the 45 WSM
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Yes it can be done but not easily.
For practical purposes it's too expensive & involved.
This is why I came up with this much cheaper idea:
When .45ACP In Your S&W 625 Isn’t Quite Enough… Step Up to the 45 WSM
.
.
Last edited:
Hair Trigger
US Veteran
The .45 Auto cylinder is 1.53" long, the .45 Colt cylinder is 1.67" long. It would be a one-way conversion, the forcing cone would have to be trimmed for the longer cylinder and B/C gap, which would prevent using the shorter .45 Auto cylinder any more.
Conceivably, you could have the .45Auto cylinder reamed to fit the longer .45 Colt cartridge, and have a revolver like the "short cylinder" M25-3 and M25-4 that were chambered in .45 Colt.
On the M625 info pages of SCSW, it clearly states "not interchangeable", but the series numbers will indicate which cartridge the guns are chambered for. Odd number is .45C, even number is .45 Auto. By the time you got all the work done to convert what you have, you're almost 2/3 the way to the price of a revolver chambered for what you want. Then you'd have one of each.
Conceivably, you could have the .45Auto cylinder reamed to fit the longer .45 Colt cartridge, and have a revolver like the "short cylinder" M25-3 and M25-4 that were chambered in .45 Colt.
On the M625 info pages of SCSW, it clearly states "not interchangeable", but the series numbers will indicate which cartridge the guns are chambered for. Odd number is .45C, even number is .45 Auto. By the time you got all the work done to convert what you have, you're almost 2/3 the way to the price of a revolver chambered for what you want. Then you'd have one of each.
Pig Hunter
Member
If it isn't the 625-8 PC the cylinder from a 27 or 28 donor can work. That does limit some of your bullet choices. I use a Lee 255 LSWC and it just fits. A 270 gr or a long nose bullet won't work.
pacecars
Member
Get a 25 in .45 Colt and have TK Customs cut it for moon clips and you can shoot .45 Colt (with or without clips) and .45 ACP with clips
Yes, the 625-8 Performance Center models are the most different in that they have an even shorter cylinder than the regular 625-8s at 1.425" -vs- 1.540" long.
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