DA in 45 Colt

The Smith and Wesson Model 25 has been made for a while now (and still in the current catalog), but I don't know whether or not it goes back to pre-WWII.

S&W has also made a few mountain gun versions of the model 625 chambered in 45 LC. I don't think they're in the current catalog.


The model 25s have all been good shooters.

Practical? Get a ruger redhawk.

The New Century series, designed around the .44 Special, was also offered in .45 Colt. But they're not found on every street corner these days.

The Model 25 in it's many permutations is the standard S&W platform for the .45 Colt, and they're more plentiful. The Model 1917 can also be found in .45 ACP.

Here's a decently priced Model 25 from www.gunsamerica.com

S&W mod# 25-5 6" black .45 colt revolver 930463419

Smith & Wesson Revolvers > Full Frame Revolver
S&W mod# 25-5 6" heavy barrell DA/SA revolver .45 colt caliber 6 shot capacity. wide case colored hammer & trigger. black rubber presentation grip by pachmayer. rear adj site. fron... (read more)
Seller: Brookhurst Pawnshop $575.00

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Get a ruger redhawk.

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+ 1

S&W 45 Colt review

If you ask me this is one of the best DA ever made.

http://www.dayattherange.com/?p=827

In a 'classic' but current production 45LC, you have only one choice, Smith & Wesson. The Redhawk is a great gun, and tough as a tank, but hardly a classic. indeed, Colt does not make a DA. Makes the choice simple, doesn't it? Dave

IT took a LONG time before Smith and Wesson chambered their N-frame for the .45 Colt cartridge - after all they had to put that on the barrel.
the first run of Model 25s in 45 Colt was in the mid-1980s

Any of the pre-WWII Civilian or M1917s chambering 45 Colt probably had
the cylinder changed.or bored for the conger case compared to .45 ACP.

Just don't ever fire the so called "+P" 45 Colt loads from Big Bore, Double tap or R.A.R. in a S&W N-frame chambered for .45 Colt.


For the "Classic Companion" for a 45 Colt, you could consider
an 1894 Marlin 94 in .45 Colt - 10 shot tubular magazine and it will
fire the +P stuff, hey, it's 19th century firepower! I like mine.

Randall

For the sake of clarity, the S&W Model 25-2 was .45 acp while the Model 25-5 was .45 Colt.

I have a nice 5" S&W 25-5, myself.

There were a handful of S&W 44 Hand Ejector No.2 chambered in .45 Colt, ditto the triple lock(New Century). More commonly encountered at much lower cost would be a .455 No.2 rechambered to .45 Colt. A number of them are not marked as to caliber. That would be WWI era and at a cost below any other of the collectables mentioned. Unless you cast .454 will probably the closest off the shelf bullet you'll find. No older gun is likely to perform on a level with the more modern.

I have a nice 5" S&W 25-5, myself.

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Who cut it down to 5"?

Don

I bought three nice S&W .45 Colts this year, 25 Classic, 25-13 Mountain Gun, 25-7. All excellent shooters. Some of the older guns have oversized cylinder mouths and are not as accurate. Read about that problem before you make a selection. I was so put off by the problem that I bought the 25 Classic first. It has the lock, mim parts and correct chamber mouths. Very accurate.

My personal favorite is the S&W 2nd Model Hand Ejector, originally chambered for .455 and sold to the British, but often found stateside already converted to .45 Colt. I liked the one that I had shortened to 4" barrel (they were issued with 6.5" barrels) that I found another and had it shortened also. They are of older steel, and I do not hot rod them, preferring standard .45 Colt loads (250gr lead bullets @ 750-800fps or less, if you really want to make the guns last). They are well blanced, and superbly accurate with every load I have used so far. [/IMG]

I have to admit, I do like the S&W 25s! Have 3 25-5s and a 25-13 that are all very accurate. The most accurate? A S&W 28-3 someone converted to 45 Colt back before S&W started making "enough" 25-5s to go around. [Pre-computer/internet age!] As BlindJustice says, don't try hot rodding them!!; get a Ruger Blackhawk or TC for that!

My first - and longtime favorite - revolver cartridge was the .45 Colt. I had many SA Rugers so chambered. My first DA was the then new Ruger .454 Casull, ultimately followed by a 5.5" Redhawk in .45 Colt. 8.5 yr ago, life changed around my house - my wife shocked me with a new 4" 625-7 Mountain Gun (top, below.) in .45 Colt. It was later joined by a like new, actually older (625-6), version. The only other .45 Colt now in my stable is a Rossi/Puma 24" SS octagon barrel M1892 lever gun, the Rugers now being a memory.



The .45 Colt MG's beg for wood grips - and look 'traditional', save their one shortcoming - the barrel nomenclature is laser etched, not roll-imprinted - and it fades. Recoil, even with max (14k psi) SAAMI spec loads, which can tickle 900 fps with either a 255gr LSWC or 250gr Speer Gold Dot JHP from the 4" tube, is fine with wood grips. Can they take more 'oomph'? It's simple - the frame, barrel, and cylinder, albeit a tad shorter there, is the same as in a .45 ACP 625 - and it's rated for >22k psi! I'm happy at .45 Colt levels, having gotten the big thumper .454 Casull bug out of my system some years back.

The trigger, ejection, & accuracy with normal .45 Colts made the S&W take over my interest, making the Rugers superfluous - to me. YMMV!.

Stainz

For 30 years I have wanted a DA .45 Colt. Two years agog I bought one, and I couldn't be happier. S&W model 25-15, 6.5" barrel, blued. It is part of their classic line.

Another alternative is to look for a Colt Anaconda in .45 Colt. They aren't as plentiful as the .44M but are around. I believe Dan Wesson also made a few .45 Colts at one time.

Another vote for the Redhawk!

my wife shocked me with a new 4" 625-7 Mountain Gun (top, below.) in .45 Colt. It was later joined by a like new, actually older (625-6), version. The only other .45 Colt now in my stable is a Rossi/Puma 24" SS octagon barrel M1892 lever gun, the Rugers now being a memory.

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Regardless, I say you got pretty doggone good taste in firearms.

SharpsDressedMan:
That is a magnificent brace of old revolvers. Thanks for sharing.

The Colt Anaconda was made in 45 Colt. No longer in production but if you can egt one it's a modern revolver.

The 1909 Colt was NOT chambered for the 45 Colt. It was chambered for a cartridge called the 45 Revolver, oddly obscure today for something that was once the US military's first line handgun cartridge. It had a wider rim and a slightly longer case than the 45 Colt and had a load that was rather non-typical for the 45 Colt. The 1909 was meant to accept a 45 Colt cartridge as a secondary backup but will shoot a little off as the sight was regulated for the 45 Revolver. (Many 45 Colt revolvers will not chamber the 45 Revolver, in particular I have a Uberti SA that will not accept it.)

PS. The vintage revolvers have a larger groove diameter than modern ones. Today's factory loads are sized for the smaller groove diameter. The change was made so that the 45 Colt would take the same diameter bullet as the 45 ACP.

If you're actually wanting to get something small and light enough to carry, there is the Taurus Judge. Even if you care nothing about shooting 410 shotgun shells, it's the hotest 45 colt revolver out there right now. I've got 3, and they've all been problem free and surprisingly accurate with 45 Colt.
The ultra-lite public defender weighs only 20 ounces and is compact enough to carry.

+1 for the Smith & Wesson Mountain Gun.

I've got it in Stainless Steel and its one of my nicer guns. I carry it at the summer home when I'm in the woods. Darn good shooter too!