625: What can you do with it?

Considering getting a S&W 625 in .45 ACP, 5" barrel. My understanding is you have to shoot it with moon clips?

Can you shoot anything other than .45 ACP? Does anyone make a rimmed cartridge?

Also, would you consider hunting with one (up to small whitetail size), or should it be viewed as inadequate for that?

Thanks for any insights. I've never had a revolver chambered for an auto cartridge....weylan

 

You do not need to use moon clips. You can load ech chamber and after you shoot you can push the casings out with a pencil or stick. Your best bet is pin shooting or target shooting. I do not know how well it would be for whitetail. You can only use .45acp in it.

 

You can use 45 Auto Rim in it. No moon clips are needed for that.

 

So how readily available is .45 Auto Rim? Is it more expensive than ACP?

 

45ACP isn't *usually* considered an optimal hunting round. Granted it might work OK with the right loads . It won't meet the minimum required power level in some states though.

 

I just had a thought:

Couldn't a gunsmith convert that cylinder to 45LC?

If so, the larger case volume would let you push more bullet at low pressures. The resulting gun would be about as strong as your average Spaghetti SAA, right? Buffalo Bore is supposedly working on a 260grain hardcast at about 1,000fps that won't need "Ruger ONLY" strength specs to work; our own Weshoot2 thinks he can do about the same with a 270grainer. Elmer Keith often spoke of this sort of thing too...255grain @ 1,000 or even 1,100fps from a Colt SAA.

THAT you could hunt deer with!

Then again, your ammo costs just went up, and moon clips are out...

 

I’ve had a S&W 625 Model of 1988 for quite awhile, and for what ever reason that revolver is the most accurate (when I do my part) that I’ve ever seen. And there’s no rhyme or reason behind it. I mean, look at the about of freebore that the round has to jump from the cylinder to the forcing cone.

I’m not sure if the cylinder is long enough to accommodate the .45 LC….well I guess I know what I’m going to do when I get home. Dig out my dial calipers and measure.

Moon clips are a pain in the arse, but if you stick to round nose, you can reload almost as fast as a semi-auto. (Semi-wads catch on the edge of the chambers). Incidentally I HIGHLY recommend getting this tool from Brownell’s to get the brass out of the clips. It’s a life saver.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=6727

As far as I know, no one is loading .45 Auto Rim- I picked up 2000 pieces of virgin brass about three years ago, but never got around to buying the proper shell plate for my Dillion press. Someday.

 

I would not think rechambering a .45 ACP/AR cylinder to .45 Colt a good idea. It would clean up on diameter but would have excess headspace = rim thickness clearance. Colt rims are about .060" thick as are most American revolver rounds. However, the rim + clip of an ACP or the rim of an AR is about .090" I think ignition reliability would suffer, .45 Colt might not could be made to headspace on the casemouth.

It has been done to round up a .357 cylinder, chamber it for .45 Colt, and cut a little relief around the rear of the cylinder to clear the frame stud. It will just barely take a .45 Colt RNFP factory load; Keith SWCs and some others will make the OAL too great.

I think Clark will lenghten the chamber of a 625 to take .460 Rowland, which is nearly if not quite up to .44 magnum. You could still shoot ACPs on clips, sort of like so many 610 owners shoot .40 instead of 10mm.

 

www.georgia-arms.com sells loaded .45ar rounds. I bought a couple hundred auto-rim cases from www.cheyennebrass.com and they didn't cost much more than standard acp cases.
The auto-rim can be loaded to slightly higher pressures than the acp and the 255gr lswc can be used with it which is the recommended bullet if it's to be used for hunting.

 

What can you do with the 625?

You could take it to the park, or bowling. Maybe go see a movie?

In any case, you can shoot .45 Super and/or .450SMC out of it just fine. 230 grains @ 1150 fps, anyone?

 

My 625 is my favorite revolver. I love moon clips. Reloads are fast, and it's easy to keep track of your brass. By the way, Brownells has a better demooner than the screwdriver type.

 

If you reload you can make it do almost anything you want. Load it way down or +P+. The clips keep your brass together. Big fun. You can go through a whole lot of ammo in a hurry though. Be ware.
As for the .45 AR. All you need is a different shell plate and standard .45 ACP dies.
Georgia Arms sells loaded ammo. PMC has factory loaded ammo. About the same price as .45Colt. Starline is going to be coming out with the brass "soon". It's right up there with the .45 Colt in the fun catagory.

 

I have been shooting a 625 a friend has been bringing to the range. I have learned to appreciate the full moon clips (the 1/2 moons suck!). Fun gun, very accurate and in a caliber I really enjoy.


PS...if you want a hunting caliber, get 44 mag

 

For myself, the moonclips are a huge attraction. I've converted most of my revolvers to accept moonclips, anyway. I'm betting that you hate the loading and unloading of the moonclips. Visit www.moonclips.com and take a look at the different tools they have for loading and unloading of the moonclips. Also, you'll want to have your cylinder chamfered. It loads a ton better that way.

 

You can shoot the 45 phase of the Pistol National Match Course. Quantrill

 

Getting the demooner tool and clips make this a who;e different gun which you'll like. My friend has one. Super accurate.

Is this correct? That'd bring more versatility to this gun!

 

They are mainly a target revolver. If I'm not mistaken, they used to be called 1955 Target back when S&Ws had names.

Conversion to 45 Colt? Since it is cut for half moon clips, would that mean there was too much headspace to used the rimmed 45 Colt cartridges if the cylinder were rechambered?

 

I think you may be correct BigG- the gap between the rear of the cylinder and the breech face is pretty big, on the .45 Auto Rim ammo that I have, the rim on the case is really thick. I have to break out the dial mike and measure to be sure...

And yes, they're a reissue (sort of) of the Model of 1955; mine is marked 'Model of 1988' and I use it primarily for bullseye competition.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture but I had my 'smith install a brass bead partridge front sight and Millet target rears.

This is like talking about food and getting hungry. Now I want to go shoot my 625... maybe I'll leave work early today.

 

Hi QuarterBoreGunner, I remembered the 45 Auto Rim had an excessively THICK rim to take up the slack that the clips do otherwise.

Looks like some really nice sights on that lil bugger! Think I'll head to the range myself but will take my K22 and maybe a 357 Magnum 8 3/8" flavor. Good shooting!

 

Trust me. If you can safely get you 625 cylinder converted to .460 Rowland, it can fire .45 Super just fine.

 

It's another one of those useless firearms, you'll just have to give it to me so that I can deal with it properly...

 

Sweet. Thats something that never occured to me about this gun.
What a great piece that'd make! I have some 45Super brass but never loaded it. No new springs to buy or anything to shoot 45 super. It'd be good for city carry or mountains. I may just have to pick one of these up. By the way QBG, thats a sweet one you have.

Some wicked hollowpoints in it for carry backed up by a couple moon clips of ball for quick reloads. Can you load 45 auto rim cases to 45 Super levels? H ow much should I expect to pay for a good used specemin? 350-400?

 

Thanks for all the input, fellas.

 

I'd have to say NO. .45 Super or .450SMC brass is MUCH stronger than .45ACP, .45 auto rim brass. I don't know what would happen if you did fire a regular .45ACP or .45AR case loaded to .45 Super pressures in your revolver, but I don' think it'll be good...

 

Triton has a write-up of .450 SMC ammo, and it comes with warnings for overzealous reloaders...

http://triton-ammo.com/products/450SMC.shtml

.45 acp is a very low pressure round, hotloading .45 acp/.45 AR is NOT a good idea.