New to me 25-2 Who has one? Favorite Load?

[arc2x4]

Here are a couple pics of my 25-2 it came with tools manual and presentation case:
Who Else has one? What is the best accuracy load for it, does it like higher velocity ammo, or prefer 750-800 FPS loads.

The spring had been thinned and bent to lighten the DA trigger, so it wasn't setting off my Wolf primers. I fixed that with a Brownells reduced power bossed mainspring. It now fires with or without the moon clips.
Original spring next to an unmolested spring:

So I took it shooting again to day and it did OK with my trailboss load, 5.4grains trailboss with a 200gr Penn bullet LSWC. I need to try a bullseye load next.

 

[robctwo]

Mine like 4.0 Clays with 200 gr lswc

Nice gun. I load 45 Auto Rim as well.

 

[Hammerless-12]

Very nice 25-2, watch out they breed like rabbits. I love these large frame revolvers. I like the fact that they use the same ammo as my 1911s do, but whats really nice is you dont have to search for all that brass on the ground. I find the loads I use in my 1911s works real well, 4.8 grains Bullseye behind the 230 grain LRN. The one I shoot, the others are for when one of them wears out, has pretty good chamber dementions. Im sure it wont be long and someone will chime in about the chamber issues. You may want to measure yours as to get the best possible bullets for your reloads. Have fun and thanks for the post.

 

[Art Doc]

Bought a new one around 1977. Wanted more flash and recoil than the 45 ACP in that heavy gun produced so I traded it off. I was often stupid in my youth. Bought the one below about 5 years ago. I usually hear that these don't always like lead bullets due to the shallow grooves intended for hardball. I tried 230 FMJ and it was tearing a ragged hole at 20 yards.

 

[fyimo]

I have a 25-2 and it's a favorite range revolver along with a S&W 22LR revolver and it's a hoot to shoot with the moon clips.

 

[arc2x4]

Interesting to see pictures of your 25-2s Some have the wide grooved target trigger, and large spur target hammer and some have a smooth trigger and medium spur target hammer like mine. I wonder if that was a special order or they just made runs both ways.
I never heard about the shallow rifling for jacketed bullets, surprising as back in the day most target shooters used lead, and thats what these guns were designed for; target work. The rifling in my gun looks the same as any other Smith revolver rifling to me (except the newer barrels with EDM rifling). I measured the Chamber mouths on mine and they are .4525. A 200 LSWC is a very tight fit in the chamber mouth, and will not slip through so mine are OK. I heard this same story about the .45 Colt models, which makes more sense as some old .45 Colt SAA guns shot an oversize bullet.

 

[TDC]

Here are two of mine. These are safe queens plus I have one shooter in the 25-2. The top 25-2 is a 1950 mis-mark. The bottom 25-2 has the correct 1955 barrel marking. Both are 6 1/2"...

Has anyone else noticed through the years that 25-2s in particular seemed to have the most highly figured and beautiful factory stock wood of their era? I've seen very few that didn't have outstanding factory figured wood...

 

[z4lunch]

25-2

Here's a target from my 25-2
I'll Post pics of my pistol later
Steve

 

[LEO918]

I am down to only two 25-2s right now and shoot hard ball 230s with good results.

 

[Joe in SC]

try 231 with those 200 swc's.

 

[deanodog]

I use 4.5 bullseye with 230 lead round nose in auto rim brass. Very accurate.

 

[minconrevo]

If your 25-2 shoots "minute of basketball" at 50 yards, like most of them will, there is a simple fix. Try some .454" cast lead bullets. Suddenly you'll see much smaller, like "minute of tennis ball" or even smaller groups.

The typical .452" cast lead bullets will not shoot well out of a typical S&W 25-2 barrel.

 

[Hamden]

4.8 Bullseye with 200gr JSWC Hornady has been great 50 yard target slowfire in my 5 screw 1955.

 

[Ranger Tug]

25-2 & loads

I have had several of these fine wheel guns in both 6" and 6.5" over the years. I currently only have one left that I had magnaport cut and crown to 4" (w/o the porting) for duty carry. I carried it both in uniform and plain clothes for several years until transitioning to an autopistol. With the issued ammo of the day, Win Silvertips, it was most "insporational" to miscreants as observed in the reflections in there eyes. I did have a favorite handload that I obtained years ago in an old RCBS loading manual that listed an Elmer Keith "heavy loading" for social occasions using Unique and a 255gr Keith cast LSWC in 45 Auto Rim cases. It is safe in my gun, but I hesitate to offer it here as I don't know your particular guns.