S&W 625

[KJS]

Product: Model 625

It's an elegant masterpiece with grips that look like a kindergarten project, but changing grips is easy enough. (Even if I didn't change grips, my big paws would cover the ugly things.) The lowest price I can find ends up being just over $890 with shipping (though I avoid sales tax). Add in the $40 my FFL charges for handguns and we have a total price of about $930.

Does that price strike you as reasonable? No need to tell me about the glorious pre-lock days and how you'd never buy a gun with such an evil lock and how I need to look at used guns. I'm looking for new guns only even if I too despise the lock.

Thank you for your input.

BTW, where would you buy new grips to replace the red, white, and blue disaster on this gun?

Karl

 

[75Vette]

I agree with you that the red white and blue grips are butt ugly. Try looking on ebay under"gripseller" and grab a set of Ahrends grips. I just bought my first two pair and I'm very impressed. The fit on the gun is dead on and they feel very comfortable in your hand. As far as the price of the gun, it seems a bit high, but not much. You might want to find another FFL though, $25 is more than enough for no more paper work than they have to do. Welcome to the forum and enjoy shooting that fine gun!

 

[theoneff]

Forty dollars for a transfer....thats the part I would have a problem with, the gun is worth it if you want it. I pay $15 for transfer. Fire that guy!!!!

 

[KJS]

Transfer fees are higher in Wisconsin due to the fact that we have a ridiculous system where handguns require an additional background check by the WI Department of Justice. For that you end up filling out a form that is substantially the same as form 4473. As for my FFL, I use him because he's the cheapest around, working from his kitchen table. I can't blame him for WI demanding additional paperwork that is substantially the same as the federal 4473. There is also a 48 hour waiting period on handguns, so he has to sit on the gun for a couple days and schedule a time for me to come back.

Wisconsin seems to enjoy making the purchase of handguns as expensive as possible. And as annoying as possible. I have to wait 48 hours even though I have a carry permit and could be wearing a gun as I fill out this ridiculous duplicative form from the WI DOJ. It's totally insane.

 

[TenTea]

Transfer fees are higher in Wisconsin due to the fact that we have a ridiculous system where handguns require an additional background check by the WI Department of Justice. For that you end up filling out a form that is substantially the same as form 4473. As for my FFL, I use him because he's the cheapest around, working from his kitchen table. I can't blame him for WI demanding additional paperwork that is substantially the same as the federal 4473. There is also a 48 hour waiting period on handguns, so he has to sit on the gun for a couple days and schedule a time for me to come back.

Wisconsin seems to enjoy making the purchase of handguns as expensive as possible. And as annoying as possible. I have to wait 48 hours even though I have a carry permit and could be wearing a gun as I fill out this ridiculous duplicative form from the WI DOJ. It's totally insane.

Your complaints are known to me and I concur.

Aside from that nonsense, we actually have it OK in Wisco...comparatively speaking.

 

[KJS]

As far as the price of the gun, it seems a bit high, but not much.Welcome to the forum and enjoy shooting that fine gun!

Yeah, the price is high, but unfortunately, that's the lowest price in the nation according to gunwatcher.com. There aren't many stores that even have this gun in stock, so there's not a lot of competition unfortunately. I'm not sure why. Does S&W not make enough to meet demand? Not that demand could be that high for such a specialized gun.

Until recently I thought the idea of putting .45 ACP in a revolver was absolutely stupid, since that's not where semi-auto ammo belongs. But my view has totally changed on that. I bought a S&W 986 (7-shot 9mm) and I absolutely love it. Moon clips aren't a problem at all. In fact, the 986 has become my favorite revolver. Now I'd love to have a .45 ACP revolver, since it's one of my favorite calibers and I love revolvers. I love semi-autos of course, but there's just something about revolvers that's special.

I'm 41 and didn't get into guns until 2008. My first gun purchase was a Ruger GP100, so I guess that shows I like revolvers. The 625 has an elegance to it that no polymer pistol could possibly have. Polymer pistols can look nice, but they'll never have the elegance of a of fine revolver. Put on some nice grips and you truly have a work of art. I appreciate the beauty of a fine gun. Of course, I also appreciate the elegance of fine pistols like the 1911.

I hate to pay so much for for a gun, but quality guns don't come cheap. And the 625 (excluding those grips) is a truly elegant beauty. Of course, I want more than just good looks. I want something that shoots well. And I assume a Performance Center revolver will manage to do that.

I'm huge fan of red dots, so I'd likely put a rail on top since it is drilled & taped for that and mount some small red dot atop it.

I also like the 625 because it's both a fun range toy and it can double as a serious home defense gun. .45 ACP is one of the best man stoppers there is, backed by a century a proof. And it's fired from a revolvers, which is the most reliable platform there is. As much as I like semi-autos, I know how they can jam. Revolvers don't do that. When you pull the trigger they fire. And seeing how it uses moon clips reloading is exceptionally fast, making it an excellent defensive weapon.

The 625 has so much going for it. Lots of fun on the range, one of the best defensive revolvers there is, and it's simply an elegant beauty. Who wouldn't want one?

The only thing that makes me hesitate is the price. I've already spent so much on guns & gun related items this year. I mean I also want to buy a Springfield XD(M) 5.25" Competition model in 9mm. I bought the .45 and loved it so much that I sent it to their Custom Shop for a trigger job, which brought the trigger down to 3.5#. I loved that trigger so much, since now I had a competition model with a competition trigger. After I finish this post I'm going to my local gun shop where I had them install a Fast Fire III on that gun, since it deserves a great sight. I took a $728 from Bud's Guns and basically turned it into a $1,200 gun. If I buy a 9mm I suspect I'll want to do the same.

As you can see, this gets mighty expensive and I haven't even mentioned ammo yet, something which I use a whole lot of.

 

[KJS]

Your complaints are known to me and I concur.

Aside from that nonsense, we actually have it OK in Wisco...comparatively speaking.

Yes, I agree. Overall WI has laws that are pretty much pro-gun.

I can buy an AR-15 with no waiting period. We have no FOID card. I can open carry my Glock. I can have unlimited amounts of ammo shipped to me. I can buy magazines of unlimited capacity, so I have 30 round magazines on my Beretta 92 & Glock & AR-15.

We have shall issue conceal carry permits. We can have NFA items including machine guns & suppressors.

Other than that silly waiting period on handguns, we do indeed have it pretty good in WI compared to many other states.

 

[theoneff]

Sorry I should not have railed on your guy so quickly. Ted

 

[dipperdave]

I bought one of these beauties slightly used (18 rounds fired) a couple of years ago for $725. The previous owner had already striped off the goofy looking grips and installed a set of Hogues, which are my favorite polymer grips. I second the Ahrends recommendation since I have several pair for K and N framed Smiths. I also bought from "gripseller" but through GunBroker instead of eBay. She normally keeps a good selection of wooden grips of various styles.

This 625 is just about perfect. Until I got it my favorite revolvers had always been Model 19s and Model 66s. I think those are now second as this lighter lugged 625 just balances perfectly. I have tried the full lugged 625 JM in gun shops but the extra metal changes the feel of the gun, at least for me.

Good luck. I shoot mine with moon clips as well as .45 auto rim. You're gonna love it.

 

[Pizza Bob]

The 625-8PC is a fine gun, but, I have a feeling that if you wait a bit, you may be able to do better on price - maybe not on a new gun, but there will be plenty of these used.

The raison d'etre for this gun was competition and that's what made them scarce and drove the pricing. The two main gun games have recently made some changes that change that. USPSA now allows 8-shot revolvers (although they are scored minor) where when only six shots were allowed before a reload, the 625's owned the revolver class. IDPA recently announced that they are going to do something with ESR division - which was also owned by the 625. Whether they intend to do away with it or somehow merge it with SSR division is yet to be determined - it's like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

So the 625, once the dominant choice for gun games, will be looking for a home. I have a feeling that many of them will find their way to the secondary market, thus driving prices in the other direction. I would also think that S&W will devote production capability to guns for which there will be more demand - such as the new 929.

I won't be giving mine up, but I may be in the minority. I use the Hogue grips made for the X-frame on my 625 PC (as well as on my 646 and my 586). I have grown recoil averse as I get older and even the mild recoil generated by the loaded down .45 ACP has a cumulative effect when shooting a match. The grips do much to mitigate that.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[WhitleyStu]

My PC 625 does double duty as a target gun as well as HD. I replaced the red/white/blue grips with Eagle Heritage grips. Very comfortable grips compared to the factory supplied grips. I, too, waited far too long before investing in a .45 acp revolver.

 

[Desert Pete]

Sportsman's Warehouse has one for $869(?). Under $900 anyway.