New .45 Colt S&W N-Frame onboard!

Nice gun, enjoy the hell out of it.

Nice, I like the look of the unfluted cylinder.
Very "business like".

To me that 5" is the perfect length. And I agree, it is my favorite caliber too. Congratulations!

That's nice

Nice! And very nice grips, too.

Here’s a recently inherited piece:

25-14, a 45ACP with 45 Auto Rims in the chambers.

Wow, that's a fine 45C, DR505! And the 5" is just perfect, IMO.

Very nice! An N frame .45 Colt is a great addition to any set of revolvers, and the 5” barrel is just about the perfect length for one.

Let us know how it shoots for you when you get a chance to exercise it.

Stay safe.

Nice pick-up! I'd love to have a S&W 25 some day.

Ooooh…That’s sweet! Color me jealous.

I have a 6” 25-15.

Dang! forgot the picture

Nice find! A relatively rare sighting at LGS's around my neighborhood.

My latest revolver purchase was a refinished Brazilian contract S&W 1917 in .45 ACP/AutoRim -- a much older but relatively close cousin with a couple more screws.

DR505 said:

The local Cabelas recently had a Brazilian 1917 that someone had turned into a "Fitz Special" with the cut-away trigger guard and sawed-off barrel. It was not especially well executed and they wanted $1,395.00. I gave it a hard pass. Yours looks VERY nice, and I love to see the lanyard loop still installed.

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The deal included a repro lanyard and flap holster. I don't go in for dressup but I decided to complete the ensemble with a repro web moonclip pouch:

Nice group.

Here is my family of Model 25-5's

Ok
Headed to gunbroker to look a S&W 25s....

Thanks guys.

As long as we're showing off (the 1917 was converted from ACP to Colt, so it counts)....

Pat Riot said:

Ooooh…That’s sweet! Color me jealous.

I have a 6” 25-15.

Dang! forgot the picture

View attachment 1118167

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Pat, I have your gun's twin; put some aftermarket cokes on mine (Eagle); nice revo. First modern .45 Colt.
Moon

Armored farmer said:

Headed to gunbroker to look a S&W 25s....

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Decide what you want it for. Accurate shooting cast and jacked bullets? You are safer with 25-6 or newer. Older ones may be ok, but they are as equally likely to not be.

Why? S&W standardized throat dimensions after 25-5.

Armored farmer said:

Ok
Headed to gunbroker to look a S&W 25s....

Thanks guys.

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I would recommend looking only for S&W 45 LC dash seven or higher.

This was the first year, may have been the first run, which S&W cut the chamber throats to 0.452:









Before 1989, S&W M25's in 45 LC had larger chamber mouths. Which shot poorly with 0.452 bullets. Lead bullets of diameter 0.452 excessively leaded, jacked 0.452 bullets shot better than cast, but were not exactly tack drivers.

my phone call conversation notes with Doug Brassard of S&W Customer Service:

25 March 1991

I asked Doug about the chamber dimensions that were allowable for the 45 Colt. This was in reference to a discussion I had with Lee Precision about their carbide crimp die sizing all the 45 Colt cases with .454 diameter bullets. Doug said that Smith and Wesson belongs to SAAMMI and receives their specifications. Only American ammo and gun manufacturers belong to SAAMMI. SAAMMI allows a rear diameter of .4862 nominal plus .004 and .4806 plus .004 for front of the 45 Colt chamber. When I asked him about the 45 Colt ball chamber throat diameters he said that they used to be .4545 to .4565 but now they were .452 . Smith and Wesson has its own standards for the barrel dimensions for the 45 Colt and they are : one turn in 20, 5 groove, lands .444 -0.0 + .0012, groove .451 - 0.0 + .0017. For the 45 ACP it is a 6 groove barrel, 1 turn in 15 inches, lands of .443 -0.0 +.0012 and grooves of .450 -0.0 and +.0017. Interestingly enough the SAAMMI specifications for 45 ACP lead bullets and jacketed bullets are different. Jacketed specs are .452 -.003 and lead bullets .453 -.003.

If you can find commercial cast 0.454 inch diameter lead bullets, using the bigger bullets will tighten the groups of older S&W's considerably. When I finally found 0.454 diameter commercial cast lead bullets, I had divested myself of my older S&W 25 in 45 LC, but I found the larger diameter bullets shot very well in this 25-7. I guess being a little large for the chamber mouth is not as problematic as being a little too small.

Anyway, I recommend trying to find the later, dash 7 or higher, 45LC's, as most 45 caliber bullets are 0.452 in diameter.

I have the same revolver, and it's the pinnacle of my collection. The 5" barrel is tops!

For almost 20 years, an FA83 has been my primary deer gun.
Just as the pandemic was unfolding, was at LGS, looking at a Governor, there was an M25
in the case. It seemed to speak to me in a certain way when I handled it and immediately
followed me home. Past couple of years have been shooting it more and more, the sights
seem just right for my aging eyes. Worked up a good load with 255 gr swc at 1000 fps, carried
it afield as much this year as the FA83.
Really like the M25, not sure why I didn't get one years before.

In honor of this thread I took my 25-15 to the range today and put some 255 grain RNFP bullets down range over 8.0 grains of Unique. There is just something about that load in that gun that’ll put a smile on your face.