This Revolver Confuses The Snot Out of Me....

[geekWithA.45]

I handled one of these the other week at S&W display at a gun show.

I just don't get it. I'm not a revolver guy, so maybe there's something I missed.

The S&W Model 625:

http://www.smith-wesson.com/products/firearms/images/standard/170226.jpg

The one I handled had full sized grips, unlike the one in the picture, making it a full sized .45acp wheelgun with a 2 inch barrel, and the only revolver I'd ever seen that was taller than it was long.


Can anyone tell me what they were after when they designed this thing? It's kinda big & bulky for CCW, so why put such a short snout on it? Considering the lazy twist rate .45acp calls for, can you even do meaningful rifling in so little space? (banging head, didn't think to look at the rifling at the time) I mean, it might be cheaper and about as effective to just cut straight grooves into the barrel and call it a day... Will .45acp even stabilize with so little barrel?

Still scratchin' my head.

[Parker Dean]

I've noticed a definite increase in interest about big-bore, low pressure, revolvers here recently. The Smith 25/625's are definite interest generators but the only company making a smaller one for concealed carry is Taurus with their Tracker 455 (http://www.taurususa.com/products/product-details.cfm?model=455SS2&category=Revolver). I expect what you're seeing is Smiths attempt at countering the 455 while not really spending any money on modifying another frame type for the .45ACP

[CleverNickname]

First thing I thought when I opened this thread was "who photoshopped the tiny barrel on that gun?". Too funny that it's real

[Preacherman]

Geek, sure it'll stabilize. Look at all the 3" and 3½" .45 pistols out there! That barrel length includes the chamber, so they've only got about 2" or 2½" of rifling in them - yet they seem to shoot just fine. On this revolver, you've got 2" of rifling, plus the length of the chamber - works out to a similar sort of effect.

That said, I wouldn't be happy shooting heavy bullets out of this, or out of short autos. They lose so much velocity that they fall under the threshold of expansion, as has been demonstrated many times "the hard way". I'd go with a 185gr. +P hollowpoint in this gun. It would make recoil a bit snappy (after all, the gun only weighs 24 oz. with its Scandium frame - see here (http://www.smith-wesson.com/products/firearms/pc/m625_2.htm) for full specs), but should still be controllable, given that you've got a good-size grip to hang on to.

It may look wierd, but it'll work!

[Jim March]

Ya, when you run 3" auto barrels or 2" wheelgun barrels in 45ACP, the Cor-Bon 165grain Pow'R'Ball or a load involving the 185 Gold Dot make a lot of sense. The 230grain JHPs flat-out are NOT going to expand.

[Jim March]

PS: yes, that gun looks bizarre :). Hang a 3" tube on it for God's sake!

:rolleyes:

[Shane]

That barrel looks far less than 2". Maybe its just a picture distortion, but to me that barrel is so short it looks closer to 1 inch.

[BluesBear]

Shane that's because less than ½ of the barrel is out in front of the frame.
There is only about 1" out front. Look how short the cylinder is in the frame window.

I think it would look much better if they had just left the barrel ROUND.

[caz223]

Fortunately, nobody loads .45 acp with slow burning magnum powders.
They are all fast burning powders, which don't really need the 8 inch barrels that the magnums use for full velocity with the large amounts of lead that the magnums throw around.
On the positive side, the .45 acp doesn't need the long 6+ inch magnum tube that the magnums need to get the point across.
That same gun with a 8" barrel wouldn't acheive any usable velocity increase over and above the snubby length because of the fast burning rate of the powders used. (At least, not enough to actually quantify using the longer barrel.)
I hope that this makes sense because I just had a long night at the bar, and my organization and typing skills both are on vacation.
Maybe I'll clarify later, if and when I understand what I'm trying to say.

[JMag]

Agreed, I'm confused too with the 2" .45ACP wheelie...:banghead:

[Jim March]

caz223: within limits, I disagree.

Chronographed speed comparos between 3", 4" and 5" 1911-pattern guns show a clear speed boost. Good 230grain JHPs that expand well out of 5" barrels are iffy at 4" and doomed at 3".

Granted, out past 5" you're most probably correct, although there's been some successful 6" "longslide" autos made.

[Glockorama]

Good info all, but let us not forget one thing: that is one butt-ugly revo! :barf:

[OH25shooter]

I own and shoot S&W wheel guns. But, that is a freeky lookin' handgun. Are you sure the barrel is 2"? Maybe that's S&W's version of a derringer. :barf:

[Standing Wolf]

It looks to me as though Smith & Wesson messed up a batch of barrels and had to figure out a way to salvage them.

[George Hill]

:scrutiny:
You know...
It kinda grows on ya.

[sgt127]

...So does Ringworm. Don't want that either!!

[James Bondrock]

Other than the lack of the cutaway trigger guard and bobbed hammer, this is a similar concept to the old "Fitz Special" revolvers of the 1920s and 1930s. This originated with a guy named FitzGerald who worked for Colt back then. His idea of the perfect self-defense gun was a Colt New Service (a gun similar in size to the Smith N-frame) revolver, in .45 Colt or .45 ACP, with its barrel shortened to two inches, the butt shortened and rounded, the front of the trigger guard cut away and the hammer spur removed. He would sometimes carry a brace of them in his front pants pockets! Colt produced some of these revolvers, as well as some Detective Specials similarly modified, and custom gunsmiths of the period also modified these and other revolvers in this fashion. If you have any older gun magazines, you will probably find some pictures of Fitz Specials. The cutaway trigger guard is frowned on today (for safety reasons as well as being easily bent), but the concept of a big-bore snubby revolver still has merit. The gun shown would look better with a round barrel, but I find myself rather fancying one!

[Preacherman]

For those who want one, I hope you've got a larger bank account than mine... Lew Hortons (the sole distributor for these guns) sets a retail price of $1109.95!

:what:

[Carbonator]

Oh, wait guys. That's the guns "bad side". Here's a better angle lol...
http://www.gunbroker.com/pixhost/2003-10-26/Coldfax_1067453729_625-3.JPG
Great concept but poorly executed IMO. Bean counters probably destroyed any chance of success. I'd be very interested if it had a shorter frame to close that gap, titanium cylinder, Hogue grip, concealed hammer option...

[James Bondrock]

For those who want one, I hope you've got a larger bank account than mine... Lew Hortons (the sole distributor for these guns) sets a retail price of $1109.95!

Looks like I'll have to wait a while, then. (Layaway? ;)) It would look much better with a half-inch longer and round barrel.

[JohnKSa]

a shorter frame to close that gap, titanium cylinder, Hogue grip, concealed hammer option...
Exactly what I was thinking...

The gap makes it look like someone didn't take the time to do things right. And a concealed hammer would make a lot of sense.

[BluesBear]

Here lately it seems that S&W only show publicity photos of their newer revolvers from the right side. Thus ending a century old tradition of showing their revolvers from the left side.

Funny they still show older guns and their current automatics from the left side?

[Preacherman]

BB, that's because photographs of the other side would show the Black Hole Of Political Correctness above the cylinder catch...

:fire: :mad: :rolleyes:

[George Hill]

I'd rather have the cylinder a little longer to fill the gap and be able to handle things like .451 Detonics, .45 Win Mag.... and anything inbetween.

[Sheldon]

Looks like you'de better punch that short ejector rod hard and fast to get them shells out. I'de imagine it would be impossible to get a clean ejection of shells longer than the 45 ACP!!

[buttrap]

Just a modern idea of the old Bull Dog pistol idea that was so popular in the late 1800s and copied a lot in this century. Big fricken cannon you can stick in a face at 3 feet, if its got ball rounds in it they can actually see that slug shining like a lighthouse beacon up that spout too. Very high intimidation factor and if they dont flinch it will pretty much empty their head.

[9mmepiphany]

it is an odd looking gun with that short little barrel. if you read the specs, they purposely shotened the cylinder (to .45acp lenght) and screwed in the barrel to get the most efficient packaging of a 2" barreled snubby...it does make the cylinder window look too big and the barrel too short.

there used to be a smith who did the same thing to make a more compact N-frame carry gun. he was shortening the cylinder to just clear a .45acp round with the 230gr slug, screwing on a 5" M1950 barrel and had a package about the size of the original 3.5" m-27

[Airboss]

This is my main carry gun.It started life as a 5"625 now a 21/2".It will group better than I can hold out to 25 yards,but I still can keep all 6 in the "A"zone of a IDPA target at 25 yards.However,if I have 25 yard head start on a BG even as old and fat as I am I think I can out run him.It took a little adjusting after the trigger job to get the spring weight right so it will fire every time.But now it will eat anything and fires first time everytime.Weigh is not really a problem I carry in a Wild Bill On the Belt holster with a 11/2" horse hide belt.This thing is great as there is no/little recoil I can dump 6 rounds as fast if not faster than a 1911 and they all (at 7 yards)stay grouped in one ragged hole.Reloads are relitively quick with moon clips.However if I am in a situation where 6 rounds of hydro shock doesnt do it for me perhaps I shoud have brought a different gun.Thing thing I do like about it is,there has never been a ftf or fte just boom.boom ,boom,boom,boom,boom

[Dr.Rob]

I think its cool.. but that gap between the cylinder/frame is just odd.

[Coronach]

...that has to be the ugliest damn gun I've seen in a long time.

And yes, I do own a Glock. ;)

Mike

[RWK]

You said, "It's kinda big & bulky for CCW" in the very first post to this thread. I respectfully disagree. I know many THR members who routinely carry N Frame Smiths as primary CCW weapons. When on carries a four-inch, .45 Colt Mountain Gun (625-9) or a five-inch .357 magnum 27-2, a snub S&W 625 in .45 ACP doesn't seem to be overly challenging.

Regards.

[Jim Keenan]

James Boondrock may or may not be "wonderful", but he is correct that this is a throwback to the "Fitz specials". Of course, "Fitz" worked for Colt, but same idea. A lot of Model 1917's, Colt and S&W, got the short barrel treatment by gunsmiths, including the undersigned.

They did make impressive looking "belly guns", although I don't know of a single case where one was actually used.

Jim

[The Reaper]

Wow no one mentioned that this was brought out at the SHOT Show as a FAA or Pilot revolver. I guess the idea was that with the pilots being armed this would work for them in the confines of the cockpit while giving them the 45 ACP which is preferred.

The demo they had there was even marked FAA.

Oh, and I carry an N-Frame concealed.;)

[Balog]

That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen that didn't have "Clinton" or "Reno" in it's name

[chaim]

I guess I'm the minority here but I really like that gun. When I first saw a picture I wondered what that ugly thing was, but it is one of those things that is so ugly you can't take your eyes off it and it becomes "cute". It is pretty much as compact as an N-frame can get (I might prefer the same treatment on a 5 shot .45acp L-frame, but I can always get the Taurus 455 if I want and this is the only current 6 shot .45acp snub I know about). Anyway, I really started to like this thing a few months ago, then I saw one at a local store and I really, really, really want one. Really nicely made, .45acp, fairly concealable yet plenty stout for range use, very pretty (I especially like the Secret Service grips on it, a nice touch). Very nice package. The only problem I have with it- I can't afford $1000+ on a wheelgun (or any gun) right now.

[Sean Smith]

Something like a scandium/titanium 5-shot .45 ACP L-Frame with a 2-1/2" barrel and short butt would make some sense. :cool:

[JoeHatley]

Sean Smith,

I agree completely!!! Make it in a "hammerless" Centennial confuguration and I'd buy more than one...

Joe

[Lumpy196]

Ugly as hell, but I bet is clears leather quickly :D

And is IS .45ACP...

[Hutch]

I've seen one, and I STILL don't believe it!