Mountain Gun Question

[David Sinko]

I was not the original owner of the 25-7 but there was no wear on it at all and it appeared to be in unfired condition. I have also owned a stainless Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt. I never returned the revolver to S&W because the condition was not dangerous and I actually thought it to be normal. Even to this day I believe that .45 Colt revolvers are a tricky business and manufacturers are content to not give us tight chambers. The problem happens to be worst in .45 Colt because it's the chambering where you're left with the least amount of steel in the cylinder. That 25-7 was the first .45 Colt I ever owned and I had to throw away practically all of my Winchester brass because it would not fit into the cylinder of my Redhawk. Starline and PMC were better but eventually I traded this gun away. What's interesting about the .45 ACP revolvers is heavy bullets roll crimped in Auto Rim brass can also produce some ugly looking cases, while the same bullet and load taper crimped into ACP brass is fine. The .45 ACP has never caused me aggravation in any way.

Dave Sinko

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

I believe the larger Colt chambers were pre-1982 or so, but don't quote me.

It wasn't the chambers on ealier Colts, it was the throats that were oversized.


David Sinko- Get a F/A 83, or 97. You won't have to worry about the chambers on those! They are awesome, and cut to minimum specs. My brass doesn't even feel like it has been used for a hot load when resizing, when fired in mine.

 

[Stainz]

Some 25s had the large exit bores in .45 Colt, that is a fact. I believe the accepted standard oversized chambers, so called 'black powder chambers', still persist in Ruger and S&W. At least, all of mine have them. Freedom Arms, and no doubt custom guns, have tighter chambers. Until recently, Ruger's exit bores were too small - and varied - easily remedied with a purpose-built reamer. Having owned a collection of Ruger .45 Colts - including a 5.5" RH and a .454 SRH, the latter being properly reamed upon arrival and the best new Ruger I ever bought, I bought such a reamer. They are all gone now, the insidious new 625MG in .45 Colt my wife shocked me with seven years ago, my first S&W (625-7 from '01), displacing them all. I eventually traded a 5.5" SS Bisley in .45 Colt for another older (625-6 from ~'96) MG, also .45 Colt.

My second S&W was a new 4" 625-8 (.45 ACP) in late 9/02. Within weeks I was reloading .45 Colt - then .45 ACP & AR. Coaxed by Taffin & Venturino articles re the .45 Colt/.45 ACP/AR, I put equivalent loads in .45 Colt and AR cases - and elected to keep the MG due to it's sentimental value and traditional looks. The second one became my 'shooter' - preserving the original one... I just love the MG-look - and would love one in .45 ACP. I had a 629MG - now I have a standard 4" 629, which I like better (Larger trigger & hammer, RR front/WO rear sight vs MG's black/black, etc). My greatest fault with my MGs is the laser etched barrel - should have been imprinted (Both are wearing off!).

Mine see .45 Schofield as well as the .45 Colt - ranging from bottom end loads under a 200gr LRNFP to 255gr LSWC and 250 gr Speer #4484 Gold Dots, my top loads under 900 fps (... and just over the 14kpsi SAAMI spec.). The wood grips are fine for the .45 Colt loads. Their grouping better at 25 yd than any Ruger with the same ammo rang the death knell for my Rugers. I miss the SRH - but not so much. I'd be devastated without my .45 Colt MGs. YMMV.

Stainz

 

[Jim Kuykendall]

I own two 45 MG's and both digest ACP and AR without hesitation. Looking for more. The ACP even fire without moon clips, still need to push the cases out with a pencil or pen. The 45 ACP model is one of the best in my opinion.

 

[surveyor47]

Dont underestimate the 41 Magnum. It can shoot as soft as a 45 or as hard as a 44 Magnum. The 41 truly is a handloaders cartridge. There isnt an iota of difference between the 44 Special and 41 Mag Police Load (210 lead SWC @ 950 fps). There is very little if any difference between a 41 Mag hunting load and a 44 Mag hunting load until you get into really heavy bullets, where the 44 shines. For most purposes, the 41 is enough gun. The primary difference is that the 41 shoots a little flatter, is easier on recoil, and 41 guns have a reputation for outlasting 44 guns, at least S&Ws. I believe that the 41 Magnum is the most accurate handgun round that I have ever fired, particularly at 100 yards. Even the 4" Mountain Gun can hit at 100 yards on a regular basis.

 

[hastings]

I took the 41mag MG out this past weekend and did some shooting at 75 and 100 yards. It was a little improvisational, so we shot at an old computer monitor, and at 100 yards it was easy to keep the shots centered on the small monitor screen. I was amazed at how accurate the mg is, and how flat the 41mag round shoots. We shot 38, 9mm, 357, 45acp, 45colt, and 500S&W at similar ranges, and none of these rounds were as accurate or seemed to have the flat trajectory of the 41.

I have purchased a blued 45colt MG, and it should be here next week. I had planned on getting rid of the 41, and still may (depending on how well I like the 45colt) but I have a new-found respect for both the cartridge and the revolver. Plus, it's so good looking in the blued steel with dark Aherns. Fortunately, so is the 45colt I have coming. Maybe I'll wear one on each hip, just for balance, mind you. I don't want to develop a limp.

 

[David LaPell]

Before you get rid of the .41 Magnum, and if you are into handloading, I would look into John Taffin's work on the .41 Special. This is done by trimming the brass down to .44 Special length. With the right 210 grain bullets and powder, it has a velocity of about 900 fps. I tried these and the recoil is about that of a .357 Magnum. That and my handloads of 210 grain cast bullets and 8.1 grains of Unique made shooting my .41 Magnums very pleasant. I had a .45 Colt MG, and even though I shot it alot, I could never get used to the round butt grips. I like my 624 much better.

 

[AKAOV1MAN]

For really heavy .45 Colt loads I use my 4" Ruger Redhawk (also got one in 7.5 inches), or my pair of Ruger Blackhawk Bisleys. They will take almost amything you can stuff into them-within reason. The N frames are just not as rugged for as long a time. I trust the N frames to fire any load that I will need to stop almost anything in the hemisphere, I think they are marginal for big bears, but doable. In .45 Colt I prefer a 260-300 grain solid slug, really hard cast with gas check or jacketed. For self defense aginst anything or anyone, I feel that shot placement and penetration are the most essential elements. After all the .45 ACP FMJ was putting folks down pretty good for 60 odd years before someone discovered that you needed a JHP to do that job. Putting a 45 caliber hole in someone at 1200 FPS is going to do a lot of damage, if it hits pretty much any bone it is going to produce a stopped person, that solid slug is going to produce a lot of secondary bone fragments as force multipliers.
I have taken to the theory that the pelvic bone is the target of preference in humans, a solid hit there will stop anyone.

 

[hastings]

I picked up the 45colt MG, today, and put a couple dozen rounds thru it (Ultramax cowboy and Blazer Jacketed Hollowpoint stuff). It is without a doubt my favorite revolver. It is more accurate than my 41mag mg at 25 yards, and the recoil is significantly less, so followup shots are faster and less affected by flinching. The two mg's are identical in appearance, both blued, both with dark Ahern grips (so the round butt isn't an issue). The 45colt feels lighter (no doubt due to the larger holes/less steel in the cylinder and barrel. I must confess I have never shot a 44special, but I can't imagine a nicer cartridge/handgun combination (at least for my tastes). I'm going to sell the 41mag mg and buy reloading equipment to feed my 45colts. If I want magnum power, I'll just switch to my 45colt Ruger Bisley Blackhawk convertible.

 

[617fan]

I have to agree with you on the .45 Colt MG. I agonized over caliber choices before I bought mine, but as soon as I shot it, I knew I had a winner. There may be better choices for individual tasks, but I think .45 Colt is the ideal cartridge for the MG platform.