Best $300 I ever spent. 25-5

[CH4]

The Queen and the peasant. Sold my 6" and now just have these 4". I just acquired the bottom 4", a shooter for $850. Thought I did good until you came along.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I don't see myself selling this one. Nickle guns are hard to find around here and so are the .45 Colts. I'm asking about value more because I plan to leave my guns to my kids and I'd hate to think I destroyed the value on something for them.

I would do the modification.

If you leave it for your kids, who cares? $1200 isn't a significant amount of money to worry about when they deal with your estate.

If one of them intends to keep it, why not let them enjoy shooting it in both calibers as you will before passing it down.

That's a win win in my opinion.

 

[bananaman]

So I like to trade and swap guns but this one takes the cake. I bought a used P320 AXG from Buds guns for $900 out the door. A local feller posted up some guns for trade and I mentioned the 320 to him. He said he would trade 2 for 1 so I made a 2 hour drive to meet up and ended up trading the P320 AXG for a never fired Virginia Dragoon in .44 mag and this Nickle Plated 25-5 in spectacular condition. We stopped by the gunshow on the way home and I sold the Dragoon before I made it through the door for $600, so Ladies and Gentlemen I present my $300 .45 Long Colt Model 25-5. I do have a question, will it kill the value if I send the cylinder to TK custom and have it cut for .45 acp moonclips to make the gun more versatile? I've been offered $1200 by a collector and I don't wanna completely destroy that value by doing something stupid.

DID YOU BUY A LOTTERY TICKET ON THE WAY HOME? You done well Grasshopper! Bob

 

[El Juero]

There is a new old stock 25-2 cylinder for sale on Ebay. Priced a bit high, but it is there.

 

[moosedog]

You did great. I wouldn't go modifying that 25-5.
If you want to shoot 45ACP just get another gun, like a 25-2. The way you roll, you'll probably pick one up NIB for $250.

 

[Pizza Bob]

First, you made a great deal on a beautiful gun. However, just something to consider - this gun has a pinned barrel. The absence of a pinned barrel, anecdotally, indicated that the oversize throat problem was corrected, ergo, the presence of one may indicate that this gun has the oversize throats.

You may want to shoot it with .45 Colt to check the accuracy before modifying it for .45 ACP. If it does have oversize throats, having all that additional free bore that you would have with the ACP cartridge certainly won't enhance whatever accuracy you my have.

I had a 4" 25-5 that had cylinder throats measuring .458" - .460". It keyholed and sprayed - nothing even closely resembling a "group". The serial number of that one was: N679829, just by way of reference. It was stolen in 1985 - only gun that I wasn't sad to see go.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[Model29-26.5]

Great deal!!
Leave it as is!!
Either get a 25-2 or get another ejector star or another cylinder… a 25-5 cylinder. A 25-2 as far as I'm aware, will not work as they are shorter.

 

[Model29-26.5]

Get both!!

 

[Model19man]

If it was me, I would just load .45 Colt and forget moons....

Beautiful revolver!

Agree whole heartedly.

 

[Llance]

One to think about is the rear gage, cylinder to frame and how it affects the frame lug that keeps the cylinder from dropping off of the yoke during cartridge extraction. I personally do not believe in trying to make a one caliber gun into a two caliber gun, but if you really have to......find another cylinder and yoke to have them converted. I would use a blue cylinder to tell the difference.

WHAT HE SAID, IN SPADES.

 

[steelslaver]

I would not modify that gun's cylinder.

A 25-2 cylinder will not work in a 25-5 as it is to short in front and you would have a HUGE cylinder barrel gap over .100 in fact. You could convert another 25-5 or later cylinder OR better still a good smith could take a non recessed 44mag cylinder, ream the chambers to .452 then rearm it to 45acp and machine the rear face off .040 for clips

No huge free bore in front of acp bullet like you get with a 45 colt cylinder cut for clips

 

[cgt4570]

Stick with .45LC.
If you think you MUST shoot .45 ACP, then as others have said, find a second cylinder in ACP. There will be some fore-aft play when open (due to the different headspacing) if you put an ACP cylinder in it, but that won't matter. I have a couple custom convertibles like that.

 

[Skyviking]

Leave the revolver, as-is. There are plenty of Thunder Ranch 4" 25s around, as well as the various 625 models.

 

[USSR]

A 25-2 cylinder will not work in a 25-5 as it is to short in front and you would have a HUGE cylinder barrel gap over .100 in fact.

Yep. All you have to do is look at a 25-2 and 25-5 to see how much more the 25-2's barrel protrudes into the cylinder opening to match up with the 25-2's short cylinder.

 

[bananaman]

Beautiful gun, & great deal!!! Don't know if you hand load or not but cowboy loads would good if you are trying to cut down recoil & cost. Bob