I recently got a good deal on a 325 Night Guards and wanted to share my initial impressions. I got it for $650 used with 20 moonclips and a demooner. I have recently aquired a taste for the .45 acp, and I really enjoy the "thinking mans gun" so I bought this one and I have a 625JM on its way as well.
I have been looking for a ccw in .45 and I beleive that this just might be the ticket.
Pros:
One of the best trigger pulls of any Smith that I have handeled. It is really nice and I am assuming that it will only smooth up with use.
The gun has been designed to be as snag-free as possible with the beveled front cylinder, and the rounded rear-sight. It makes for a very smooth draw from concealment.
The sight picture is really awesome, and makes for quick target aquisition. The front sight is a night sight and really helped as well since I was shooting just before dark.
Felt recoil is not bad, less than either my Smith Airweight with +p of my Kahr CW9 with +p.
Moonclips, need I say more.
For me, it is a pocket gun. I can carry it in my front right pocket and conceal it without changing my typical wardrobe (jeans and a polo). Im 6' and weigh about 250 lbs if that helps.
Its pretty intimidating looking which I imagine would really help if I need to employ it to help convince a criminal that he has the wrong guy. That is purley speculative however.
Cons:
The checkered Pachmayr grips allow the gun to move to much, and they are really thick around the backstrap making for a long reach to get to the trigger. I can reach just fine but those with smaller hands may have trouble shooting accuratley. Gonna change these soon, maybe to Ahrends wood grips which would make it even more concealable.
While I like the rear sight, and cannot for the life of me understand why they didnt make this a night-sight as well. I may try to find some small glow dots to stick on it.
A note about accuracy:
I always have a hard time talking about the accuracy of a gun because I feel that when many people say that a gun is innacurate, it is really just that they cannot shoot it accuratley for whatever reason. Accuracy is a primarily skill honed through practice. That being said, I can shoot this gun accuratley. I shot several groups at 3, 7, and 15 yards double-action. At 3 yards I had no problem keeping 1-1.5 inch groups, at 7 yards 2-3 inch, and at 15 yards 3-4 inch groups in my quick test. They way I shot this was to start from concealment, draw and fire as quickly as I could aquire a sight picture, and reholster after every shot. Then I repeted the process. These groups are acceptable to me since I primarily shoot handguns for self defense purposes.
All said, I am pleased with my purchase. I think with a grip change I wil lhave a very viable ccw option when I feel the need for more firepower. I will probably get a few half-moon clips to make for easier carrying and see what I can do about the rear-sight.
I have been looking for a ccw in .45 and I beleive that this just might be the ticket.
Pros:
One of the best trigger pulls of any Smith that I have handeled. It is really nice and I am assuming that it will only smooth up with use.
The gun has been designed to be as snag-free as possible with the beveled front cylinder, and the rounded rear-sight. It makes for a very smooth draw from concealment.
The sight picture is really awesome, and makes for quick target aquisition. The front sight is a night sight and really helped as well since I was shooting just before dark.
Felt recoil is not bad, less than either my Smith Airweight with +p of my Kahr CW9 with +p.
Moonclips, need I say more.
For me, it is a pocket gun. I can carry it in my front right pocket and conceal it without changing my typical wardrobe (jeans and a polo). Im 6' and weigh about 250 lbs if that helps.
Its pretty intimidating looking which I imagine would really help if I need to employ it to help convince a criminal that he has the wrong guy. That is purley speculative however.
Cons:
The checkered Pachmayr grips allow the gun to move to much, and they are really thick around the backstrap making for a long reach to get to the trigger. I can reach just fine but those with smaller hands may have trouble shooting accuratley. Gonna change these soon, maybe to Ahrends wood grips which would make it even more concealable.
While I like the rear sight, and cannot for the life of me understand why they didnt make this a night-sight as well. I may try to find some small glow dots to stick on it.
A note about accuracy:
I always have a hard time talking about the accuracy of a gun because I feel that when many people say that a gun is innacurate, it is really just that they cannot shoot it accuratley for whatever reason. Accuracy is a primarily skill honed through practice. That being said, I can shoot this gun accuratley. I shot several groups at 3, 7, and 15 yards double-action. At 3 yards I had no problem keeping 1-1.5 inch groups, at 7 yards 2-3 inch, and at 15 yards 3-4 inch groups in my quick test. They way I shot this was to start from concealment, draw and fire as quickly as I could aquire a sight picture, and reholster after every shot. Then I repeted the process. These groups are acceptable to me since I primarily shoot handguns for self defense purposes.
All said, I am pleased with my purchase. I think with a grip change I wil lhave a very viable ccw option when I feel the need for more firepower. I will probably get a few half-moon clips to make for easier carrying and see what I can do about the rear-sight.
