S&W Model 25-9 .45 Colt Reloading?

[lyle1]

I was fortunate to find a BNIB 25-9 .45 Colt, with a 5" barrel recently. I have never owned or reloaded for a .45 Colt, and would appreciate any advice that my fellow members could offer. I currently have Titegroup, Trailboss, and W231 at my disposal, so I would prefer to use one of these powders. I will be target shooting at paper only, so I prefer light to moderate loads. Any advice as to using 200g vs 250g loads? Lead vs plated? I have heard the .45 Colt case is hard to seal and causes dirty/sooty cases that can foul up double action revolvers; any truth to this? Thank you for your help.

 

[colt_saa]

Loading for a S&W Model 25 is not different than loading for any other firearm chambered in 45 Long Colt.

Simply use the data in whatever loading manual you already own.

Any cartridge that does not seal, is loaded to light. This had become a somewhat common occurrence with the Cowboy Action Shooters who go for lower recoil.

 

[Rule3]

Scroll down to the bottom of this (your post) There are many threads down there on this.

Trail boss is great in the 45 Colt and so is HP38, Unique is a classic load. You can do pretty much anything.

Just do not use Ruger ONLY loads.

 

[gaijin]

Might read this article on loading for the S&W 25-5.

Gunnotes...Smith & Wesson Mod 25-5

 

[DWalt]

As I am not one who enjoys recoil and muzzle blast, I load on the mild side with lighter lead bullets. My favorite (and only) .45 Colt load is 6.5 grains of Bullseye and a 200 grain LRNFP Cowboy bullet, ca. 880 Ft/sec. That's as hot as I want. Very consistent MV, good groups.

 

[jrd1976]

This is a fun cartridge. I shoot it in my 25-5 and Ruger Blackhawk.

Some reloading manuals mention the 45 Colt rim is smaller than most rimmed cartridges this size. They caution you be careful during resizing so as not to tear one off. I've never had this problem.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

I have heard the .45 Colt case is hard to seal and causes dirty/sooty cases that can foul up double action revolvers; any truth to this?

Being a low pressure round this is common (sooty) & while some powders are worse than others if you clean your gun after each outing it shouldn't be a problem if you stay within published data.

I've pretty much converted to using coated or plated bullets & not have to worry about leading with faster powder. I recently added HP38/W231 to my inventory but since I load upper end loads I won't suggest them. Hodgdon's website is a good source of data for your powders though.

.

 

[lyle1]

Other than a bit less recoil, is there any advantage of running the 200g bullets over the 250g class bullets? How about accuracy differences? I just thought because the 45 colt was originally designed with the heavier bullets, maybe they would work better filling more of the case?

 

[Bruce51]

Having shot many reloads with the same gun and one thing has always stood out.

The gun likes 230 fmc or plated bullets far better than Speer bullets or cast bullets.

I use eight grains of Unique with all jacketed bullets. With cast 5-6 grains of Bullseye.

I stocked up on many premium bullets from 225 JHP to 250 JHP.

Still it shoots the FMC the best. BTW

Check your forcing cone. The one I had looked like a threaded sewer pipe.

I had a gunsmith do the eleven degree cut on mine. It is much easier to clean now.

BLM

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Check your forcing cone. The one I had looked like a threaded sewer pipe.

Unfortunately it seems to be more common than not. I just bought a 627PC & the forcing cone isn't much better than a non-PC gun. It has those same circular grooves in it.

.

 

[BruceM]

If your forcing cone is rough and you intend to shoot mostly cast bullets, it may pay to have the forcing cone re-cut to a more gradual 11 degree angle. Any competent pistolsmith should be able to do this and it isn't an expensive modification.

As with any Smith Model 25, it's also always a good idea to check cylinder throat and barrel groove diameters for possible mismatch although most later guns do not present mismatch problems, it seems.

Bruce

 

[bbqncigars]

I would also advise slugging your bore. This will tell you two important things. Groove diameter (so you don't shoot undersized cast boolits), and if the bore is choked in the frame. Chamber throat diameter is also important as a limit to boolit diameter.

 

[Doug M.]

My understanding is that the 25-7 and later have excellent sizing on the cylinders and barrels. I can't recall anyone ever mentioning a problem with them as a class, although I can accept that some individual examples can be messed up just like any other mechanical device.