Tales of the 25-5

[frontlander]

Attention to all of you revolver afficionados: Please regale me with your experiences with the Smith and Wesson 25-5 .45 Colt. I was flipping through an old Handguns magazine article about Smith and Wesson .45 revolvers and the 4" 25-5 caught my eye. What a beauty! If these revolvers shoot as good as they look they would be perfection in steel. Can the 25-5 handle 260 gr. bullets at 1000-1100 fps?

 

[Jay Baker]

It's a great handgun, Frontlander. That said, I'd not want to stuff very many of those 260 gr bullets in it at 1,100 FPS, especially trying to get that velocity out of a 4" bbl. I'd hold 'em at around 900FPS, or get a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 LC, or a Ruger Redhawk, if you want double action.

Go to http://www.sixgunner.com, and fire off an email to Paco Kelly, about it. He'll get back to you in time. Also, go to http://www.beartoothbullets.com and click on the Shooter's Forum. Ask Marshall Stanton, the owner of Beartooth Bullets, your questions re 25-5 and heavy loads. He'll answer you, too. He also makes some of the all time best hard cast bullets around. While you're there, check his bullet selection for the .45. Some really good ones there.

FWIW. J.B.

 

[Cat]

When the 25-5 first came out my buddy Wayne got one. He had a 4" model. A few months later I got a 6" one and we traded.
The problem I had with these early guns was with their very large chamber mouths. Around .458" if I remember. This led to very poor accuracy with .451" diameter jacketed and lead bullets.
The best accuracy I got was with 250 grain Speer swaged lead bullets with a diameter of .452". Cast bullets of .452" or larger shot great.
It was a great shooting firearm with loads of lead bullets and Unique powder.
Neil

 

[Johnny Guest]

Not a 25-5. but - - - -

I got the first 625-6 Mountain Gun I could order, after seeing the prototype at the SHOT show in Dallas a few years back. Stainless steel, narrow rib on top, bevelled cylinder edges. Man, I love it.

THIS is THE field revolver for me, unless I have a genuine need for a .22 or somethin'...

But, we gotta remember: this is "just" an N-frame Smith, and doesn't have the absolute thickest chamber walls. Mine does very well with the big SWCs at around 900. I would definitely not go too much above this. If you feel you MUST soup things up, go get a Ruger Blackhawk, or better still, a .454 Casull. The .45 Colt can be a creampuff plinker or a modest screamer--but it is NOT a magnum in N-frames or Colt SAAs.

I buy 250 gr bulk, commercially cast, and load 'em up with a bunch of Universal--Same load as for the 250. I have an OLD Lyman 454424 mould which, for some reason, throws bullets weighing 276 grains even when cast very hard. (This is nominally a 255--260 bullet in the catalogue.) This will kill anything in Texas, and most of the rest of the world. It is NOT big bear medicine, or course, but would sure beat defending onesself with a pointy stick.

Best of luck in your dealings with the big DA.

Johnny

 

[JoeHatley]

Just bought a 1980 vintage 25-5 yesterday. Took it to the range this afternoon.

What a great gun. I thought nothing could rival my 625's, but this gun has potential.

Don't know about heavy loads yet, I was using a 200 grain bullet with 7.2 grains Bullseye. Snappy load but not hot.

After I get more range time with it I'll be able to offer more opinions, but for now, it sure shoots good and looks great.

Joe

 

[Johnny Guest]

Big, Beautiful, DA Revolvers

Frontlander---

I thought you started an excellent topic here, and I was disappointed we didn't draw more dislcusison from the various sources:
a. .45 Colt fans
b. Big Bore fans in general
c. Devotees of the (pre-sell out) N-frame S&Ws.

Oh, well, maybe this will take it BTT (Back to Top of forum) and get some more comments.

OTOH, maybe this one just died a natural death somewhat sooner than I'd expected.

Best,
Johnny
MOLON LABE!

 

[mikey357]

I've "played with" the Model 25 S&W's some-both the -2 AND the-5...I always thought the -2, in .45 ACP, was more accurate, but it could have been the ammo OR the individual revos I was firing...Also "played with" a couple of Colt "New Service" revos in LC, and a 1917 in .45 ACP...never did like the "feel" of the Colt action, although an older friend of mine, who owned one of the "New Service" guns, had a PRIMO action job done on it by Travis Strahan of Ringgold, GA...one of the NICEST Colt's I've ever handled!!! Having said all that, MY FAVORITE large-frame revolvers are the Model 625's-I've got FOUR, in various configurations...my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE would be an '88 version, five-inch barrel, tuned to PERFECTION by Lou Ciamillo of Maryland Gun Works...accurate, pleasant-to-shoot, good-lookin'-what else could a "Revolver Man" WANT???
....mikey357

 

[canuck1911]

stronger loads in 625 colt

I have a Lew Horton version with 3" barrel, which is just great. Accurate and fun to shoot. I don't know about regularly shooting loads equivalent to strong .44 mag through it, but you can definately load it up some. Check out the corbon hunting ammo- they have:

5 Colt Magnum +P 265gr Bonded Core Hollow Point


45 Colt Magnum +P 300gr Jacketed Soft Point


45 Colt Magnum +P 335gr Hard Cast

All of which will do between 1000 (335 gr)-1300 (265 gr) out
the barrel of a 5". I talked with both S&W and Cor-Bon, and
both said the ammo was fine for the modern 625 colt. Cor-bon
said they had tested it in the gun, and no problems.

 

[Johnny Guest]

Hot Loads

Canuck1911--

WOW! I had no idea you could get ammo that warm for the .45 Colt. And your N-frame holds up to it, huh? About how many rounds of this have you put through any one revolver? Any ill effects noted?

I'll have to find some of the Cor Bon and try it out. If I'm man enough to control it, I may just start carrying the Mountain Gun some.

Thanks for the information--
Johnny
MOLON LABE!

 

[canuck1911]

hot loads, redux . . .

Johnny,

I don't have enough through the gun to be able to say how it will hold up. So far no problems. I don't expect problems, though, with the number of "hot loads" I expect to shoot in a year. I like the "logic" of going with the .45 colt, and I know a number of posts have said it won't handle hotter loads. I'm betting that at least up to the level of the Cor-Bon loads, it will do just fine, and probably do ok with an occasional hotter load for the first decade or so.

Cor-Bon said their hardcast should get through a bear's skull, and their hollowpoint through a wild pig's skin and then expand. I guess the bonded core would be for some thing in between, like a moose? So I can take the 625 into the woods confident
that I can use it for anything I need to out there. And when I get a yen to shoot higher power at the range, I can do so.

I like .45 colt, and it seems better logic to shoot that, and use hot loads when I need them, than to get a .44 mag, which I don't enjoy at all, and shoot .44 specials out of it, or else down load it to .45 colt like levels. Especially since the 625 is such a nice gun.

Now if only someone would bring out a D/A with interchangeable cylinders, so I could shoot .45 acp, .45 colt, .45 super, .460 rowland, .45 ar, etc. from the same gun, I would be in heaven!

Take care,

Canuck1911

 

[Johnny Guest]

Hot Loads, retrois (??)

Canuck 1911--
Thanks for the information. I'll really look forward to trying out some of the Rhino Roller .45 Colt loads. I guess I've really been babying my Mountain Gun, and here I've been concerned that my fairly stout loads with the 276 gr. LSWC might be overstressing it. I've been carrying them when in areas where big feral hogs roam, and a couple of times in Colorado. In truth, I wasn't too worried about the bears there, and most of the time carried my lightweight .45 auto, in deference to my aged lungs.

Nice to know there are alternatives available!

Best regards,
Johnny
MOLON LABE!

 

[Desert Dog]

My shooting buddy has a 25-5 with a 6" barrel

And it is a sweet shooter. I love the SA trigger action on it.

I still would rather have a .45 Blackhawk though.