You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
S&W 625 JM
- Thread starter Don P
- Start date
Yes, I do. It's a superb gun. I bought mine used in January and have put about 1000 rounds through it since. It is very accurate and shooting .45ACP from a revolver, if you've never done it, is incredible fun. I generally shoot either 230gr. FMJs or 185 FMJs from it, the gun performs equally well with both loads, but it is not at all finicky. I have a friend who reloads lead semi-wadcutters for his, and the gun shoots them brilliantly.
A few thoughts about the gun. As with all .45 ACP revolvers, it uses moon clips. Steel clips are ok with the gun but, of course, require tools for removing the spent casings. Polycarbonate clips from RIMZ (they have a web site) work just as well and you can easily load and unload them by hand.
I am not a fan of the JM grips. They're too small, too smooth, too slippery in my opinion. I have very large hands and I just can't get traction with them. So, I changed mine out for a set of wooden round/square butt target replicas and prefer them greatly. Another option is the rubber Hogue grips that Smith puts on nearly all of its round butt revolvers. They're unattractive but they work very well.
I LOVE the interchangeable front sight. Smith should put this feature on all of its handguns. On the JM the front sight is spring loaded. Simply push it backwards and rotate it up, and it comes right out of the gun. I replaced the gold bead Patridge front sight with a fiber optic sight that I bought from Smith (cost around $40). Changing the sight took me a minute or less. With the fiber optic sight, in daylight, it's almost as if you have a laser on the gun. Just put the red dot on the target and shoot.
I've had one minor problem with my JM that I'm thinking about fixing. The gun has an extremely tight barrel/cylinder gap and, when it gets very dirty and carbon builds up at the rear of the forcing cone and on the cylinder face, it will occasionally bind. That would be a real problem in competitive sports like practical shooting. It's no problem for me as I use mine strictly as a range gun. I can fix the problem instantly by simply brushing the rear of the forcing cone and the cylinder face for a few seconds. I suppose the permanent fix would be to file away a tiny bit of the forcing cone but I'm reluctant to have that done, inasmuch as the gun performs so well in all other respects and I don't want to mess with a good thing.
A few thoughts about the gun. As with all .45 ACP revolvers, it uses moon clips. Steel clips are ok with the gun but, of course, require tools for removing the spent casings. Polycarbonate clips from RIMZ (they have a web site) work just as well and you can easily load and unload them by hand.
I am not a fan of the JM grips. They're too small, too smooth, too slippery in my opinion. I have very large hands and I just can't get traction with them. So, I changed mine out for a set of wooden round/square butt target replicas and prefer them greatly. Another option is the rubber Hogue grips that Smith puts on nearly all of its round butt revolvers. They're unattractive but they work very well.
I LOVE the interchangeable front sight. Smith should put this feature on all of its handguns. On the JM the front sight is spring loaded. Simply push it backwards and rotate it up, and it comes right out of the gun. I replaced the gold bead Patridge front sight with a fiber optic sight that I bought from Smith (cost around $40). Changing the sight took me a minute or less. With the fiber optic sight, in daylight, it's almost as if you have a laser on the gun. Just put the red dot on the target and shoot.
I've had one minor problem with my JM that I'm thinking about fixing. The gun has an extremely tight barrel/cylinder gap and, when it gets very dirty and carbon builds up at the rear of the forcing cone and on the cylinder face, it will occasionally bind. That would be a real problem in competitive sports like practical shooting. It's no problem for me as I use mine strictly as a range gun. I can fix the problem instantly by simply brushing the rear of the forcing cone and the cylinder face for a few seconds. I suppose the permanent fix would be to file away a tiny bit of the forcing cone but I'm reluctant to have that done, inasmuch as the gun performs so well in all other respects and I don't want to mess with a good thing.
Disclaimer: I've shot standard 4" and 5" 625s, but have only fondled and dry fired the 4" JM.
When I get around to getting a 4" 625, it'll be tuned and milled to accept an interchangeable front sight anyway, so I'll likely try to find a used standard 4" 625.
Cunningham wrote a pretty good piece on the JM. In particular, it seems many don't like the serrated trigger. I know I'd have to have that replaced with a radiused and polished trigger. Another reason for me to go with a standard 625.
http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/e8b998dd63b440b469dd8c5d4d262aed-150.html
When I get around to getting a 4" 625, it'll be tuned and milled to accept an interchangeable front sight anyway, so I'll likely try to find a used standard 4" 625.
Cunningham wrote a pretty good piece on the JM. In particular, it seems many don't like the serrated trigger. I know I'd have to have that replaced with a radiused and polished trigger. Another reason for me to go with a standard 625.
http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/e8b998dd63b440b469dd8c5d4d262aed-150.html