624 3” vs 625 MTN .45 Colt?

V

vanfunk

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The widening gyre
Good day to you all:

I beg you to share your musings on the above confrontation. One of my honey-holes just got in the two like-new revolvers and, as much as I would like to acquire both, I may not be able to as I’m starting a new business. Anyway, here we go:

1) S&W 624, 3”, Lew Horton special. .44 Special of course. LNIB with papers, etc.

2) S&W 625 Mountain Gun, .45 Colt, also LNIB with all accoutrements.

Both are priced according to present day and thus are not deals or steals, but IMO are worth what is being asked and will not likely ever be cheaper. I love bith guns, really - they’re classic 80’s - 90’s Smiths in two of my favorite calibers. I tend to shoot both chamberings to about the same level of performance and like a 240-250 grain LSWC lumbering out around 850-900 fps for most tasks. I’d shoot both of these as I have no safe queens. They’d be for fun at the range and occasional woods carry. So - what say you all to this face-off? I have until Wednesday to decide :)

Thanks!
 
For what do you intend to use this? That makes a difference.

I have had, and tried to carry, the 3” barreled revolvers. The only 3” revolvers that carry well for me are the I and J frames. In the N frame, the easiest for me to carry is a 4”. The two cartridges are similar enough to be considered the same. You can also throw the 45 ACP in there as well.

As a small business owner, I would counsel you to skip either and concentrate on getting your business up and running. A very high percentage (over 90) of small businesses fail in the first three years because the owners did not treat it like a business and reinvest in the business.

Kevin
 
StrawHat said:
In the N frame, the easiest for me to carry is a 4”. The two cartridges are similar enough to be considered the same. You can also throw the 45 ACP in there as well.
Click to expand...
I'm with Straw on this and would go with a 4" model in either caliber. If you're not wedded to the .45 Colt caliber, you can find a .44 Magnum Mountain Gun a good bit cheaper than a .45 Colt if prices in GB are any indication. And there's no law forcing you to carry with full house magnums; when downloads or .44 Specials are readily available. Best Regards, Rod
 
I think that Lew Horton 3 inch 624 will sell faster than the 4 inch 45 LC. The Lew Horton pistol sold out fast, and seems to have a Cult following among those who want a 44 Spl "snubbie". I don't know how you conceal carry an N frame as the things are fairly wide. As I already had a 3" Charter Arms Bulldog in 44 Spl, and I shoot pistols at 25 yards and 50 yards, a shorter sight radius makes if very difficult to hit the target at 50 yards.

I did however, purchase a 45 LC Mountain pistol.

uTG9yWv.jpg



It is a very accurate pistol, with standard 255 gr bullets going 850 to 900 fps, it is a comfortable pistol to shoot. No complaints at all.
 
Can't see much practical difference between either gun.
Both calibers are handloaders' delight with ability to go
hot to mild. OP should just slip a coin.
 
I really dont see a difference in them other than caliber and barrel length. Its basically the same gun.

Im a sucker for the shorter length barrels, so they usually get the "plus". Anything over 4", for the most part, gets a pass.
 
Thanks everyone! This is a toughie, and it seems this is a toughie for all of you, too! As I mentioned in my introductory post, the use will be for range shooting and woods carry with my dogs (I do 10 mile hikes a few times a week). I have a Charter Arms 3” Bulldog which I love out of all proportion to its relative quality (vs S&W, Colt, etc). I can carry that pretty easily as it’s only 20oz; the 624 is more like 40oz and is bigger so I likely wouldn’t try to conceal it but it would make a good, relatively short woods-walking holster roscoe. I wanted one badly when they first came out in ‘86 but alas, I was a young man and had taken a vow of poverty.

The Mountain Gun has undeniable charm and I love the .45 Colt. All my .45 Colts are single actions and I’d like to have a DA revolver (here’s hoping Colt sees fit to resurrect the .45 Anaconda!). I have a 4” 629 somI already have a big bore 4” Smith, but again, the .45-fu is strong with me. How do the Mountain Guns shoot? I know S&W had trouble with .45C throats in the earlier 25 series - was that all worked out by the time the Mountain Gun came out? My intended purpose for this one would be the same as the 624.

Thanks guys and I really, really appreciate the insight and the pictures!!! I’ll keep chewing on this as the advice pours in. :)
 
vanfunk said:
…
How do the Mountain Guns shoot? I know S&W had trouble with .45C throats in the earlier 25 series - was that all worked out by the time the Mountain Gun came out? My intended purpose for this one would be the same as the 624.

Thanks guys and I really, really appreciate the insight and the pictures!!! I’ll keep chewing on this as the advice pours in. :)
Click to expand...

The “problem” with the 45 long Colt was a combination of factory tolerances and consumer ignorance and/or intolerance. SOME of the 45s (both long Colt and ACP) had large throats. Handloaders quickly learned to load larger bullets and get decent accuracy. Many shooters automatically assume the revolver will have a problem before they even shoot it. I was a competitive shooter and one of the last cartridges I would consider would be the 45 long Colt. I owned several and used them for hunting. All gave great performance on white tails, but still not what I would want for competition.
S&W finally got it straightened out about the time the pinned barrel went away. I have not heard of any throat problems with newer revolvers.

I have a Model 625 Mountain Gun in 45 ACP. 38 ounces as shown,

IMG_0097.jpeg
IMG_0099.jpeg

It is what I consider one of the ideal packing/carrying revolvers. If the weight is an issue, you do not want a steel framed revolver, consider an alloy frame or smaller frame.

I carry this revolver, every day,

IMG_8618.jpeg
IMG_8619.jpeg

It is easily carried with this holster and belt,

IMG_8601.jpeg

It all depends on what you want.

Kevin
 
I'm a big fan of large caliber N-frame S&W revolvers. I do have a 3" Lew Horton Model 624 along with a 4" Model 624 and a 4", 6", and an 8-3/8" Model 25-5 revolvers. The 3" Lew Horton is a bit snappy to shoot. But, everyone has their different threshold as to what firearm recoil is acceptable or un-acceptable.

As much as I do not like shooting the 3" Lew Horton 624, there is no way that I would part with it.

So, choose your poison. A short barrel 45 Colt or 44 Special will serve you well.
 
nofendertom said:
StrawHat --- Pictures of your .45acp revolvers make me drool on the keyboard ! You are slowly turning me to .45acp all the time !
Click to expand...
Thank you. But, even though I know they are ACP, any N frame looks very much like the next ones, from the side, top, bottom or back. Only when you see the bores and chambers is it different.

And, a 45 caliber N frame is still the lightest, all steel N frame available.

Kevin
 
Last edited:
It'd be easy for me. While I would normally choose the .44Spl over a .45Colt in an appropriately sized platform, I don't want a 3" N-frame anything. So it would be the MG. Though I'd prefer a 4" 24-3 over either.
 
vanfunk said:
Good day to you all:

I beg you to share your musings on the above confrontation. One of my honey-holes just got in the two like-new revolvers and, as much as I would like to acquire both, I may not be able to as I’m starting a new business. Anyway, here we go:

1) S&W 624, 3”, Lew Horton special. .44 Special of course. LNIB with papers, etc.

2) S&W 625 Mountain Gun, .45 Colt, also LNIB with all accoutrements.

Both are priced according to present day and thus are not deals or steals, but IMO are worth what is being asked and will not likely ever be cheaper. I love bith guns, really - they’re classic 80’s - 90’s Smiths in two of my favorite calibers. I tend to shoot both chamberings to about the same level of performance and like a 240-250 grain LSWC lumbering out around 850-900 fps for most tasks. I’d shoot both of these as I have no safe queens. They’d be for fun at the range and occasional woods carry. So - what say you all to this face-off? I have until Wednesday to decide :)

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Mountain Gun
 
This thread reminded me of this.

BEST SPORTING, TARGET SHOOTING AND POSSIBLE SELF DEFENSE HANDGUN: EPISODE2 S&W MOUNTAIN GUN 45 COLT​

You see these questions all the time.

What is the best revolver?

What is the best pistol or semi-auto?

What is the best fighting handgun?

There are 4 immediate thoughts that come to mind when I see these questions. The best is, what you have on you in a time of need, The one you train most with, The one you are most likely to carry and last but not least the one you shoot best. So I have put together a little test to figure out what is best for ME.

How about the BEST Sporting, Target Shooting, Self Defense Handgun? Under time trials which one do I shoot best?
Capture-1.jpg


youtu.be

Best Sporting, Target Shooting and Possible Self Defense Handgun: Episode2 S&W Mountain Gun 45 Colt

You see these questions all the time.What is the best revolver?What is the best pistol or semi-auto?What is the best fighting handgun?There are 4 immediate t...
youtu.be youtu.be
 
Thanks everybody! It looks like the Mountain Gun is in the lead. It’s definitely the most practical choice for me, of the two. The Lew Horton .44 is a sexy beast but hot damn, a 4” .45 Colt DA sixgun just sounds better. I’m still obsessing but I still have a couple of days to concretize my thoughts.

@StrawHat, you’ve reminded me that there’s a 4” Model 22 in .45 ACP in the used gun case there as well. It looks identical to yours and is mighty tempting. How does yours shoot, and are the sights well regulated from the factory for 230 grain ball? Historically, I’ve shied away from fixed sights for anything other than J frames and Cobras due to POA/POI irregularities.

Thanks again all!
 
vanfunk said:
…

@StrawHat, you’ve reminded me that there’s a 4” Model 22 in .45 ACP in the used gun case there as well. It looks identical to yours and is mighty tempting. How does yours shoot, and are the sights well regulated from the factory for 230 grain ball? Historically, I’ve shied away from fixed sights for anything other than J frames and Cobras due to POA/POI irregularities.

Thanks again all!
Click to expand...

That Model 22-4 is my edc. When I first got it, I sighted it with 230 Hardball. I don’t remember it being a problem. I now use this as my every day load, the bullet on the left, over a hardball dose of powder.

IMG_8066.jpeg



As to how I feel about the Model 22-4, here is the back up to my edc.

IMG_0490.jpeg

Kevin
 
Haha! Good show, Sir. I like the wadcutters and have recently discovered the joy of a DEWC in .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. Weirdly and inexplicably, I don’t handload for .45ACP (though I have the dies). Do you size those to .451 or .452? Also, what’s the middle bullet? I like the look of that wide meplat.

I’ll check out the Model 22 when I am there fondling the Mountain Gun.

Thanks!
 
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