Should I get this gun? S&W 625JM?

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BluedRevolver

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I've always stayed away from new Smith and Wessons, after I saw all the youtube videos of people with canted 686 barrels. I've always gone for pre locks. I recently bought a S&W m29 and I love it, but it'd be nice to have a good .45 ACP revolver. I can't find a pre lock 625, so I was looking at the 625JM, a current production model.

Any problems with them? I seem to hear more problems with new S&W's than with the older pre lock ones. Is this gun going to be something I could depend to last a long time and be reliable?
 
If you can stand blued models, the 25 dashes are still commonly available. I picked up a 25-2 in very mint condition for around $700.

It is a wonderful shooter. I also owned a 625-3 I think, not sure if it had a lock but I don't think so. True it was a 4" and my 25-2 is a 6", I did not enjoy shooting that gun as much. Actually traded it straight across for a mint Anaconda, we both thought we got a great deal.
 
I've had one for a year or so. It needed trigger work like all new revolvers, but now it's terrific.

If you get one, I strongly recommend and action job by someone who knows what he's doing, a set of Bang Inc springs and a C&S extended firing pin. A target rear sight blade and a fluorocent front sight won't hurt, either.

15ydsrapidDA.jpg
 
I've had one for a year or so. It needed trigger work like all new revolvers, but now it's terrific.

If you get one, I strongly recommend and action job by someone who knows what he's doing, a set of Bang Inc springs and a C&S extended firing pin. A target rear sight blade and a fluorocent front sight won't hurt, either.
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Well it's specifically the supposed "Quality control issues" that I'm concerned about that some people talk about with new S&W's.
 
They are an excellent revolver. Incredibly accurate and tons of fun to shoot. Unlike the previous poster, I am quite happy with the standard gold dot front sight and stock rear sight. I did not care for the JM stocks, but they are easy to swap.
 
The new 625 is a much more accurate gun then most of the older 25's.
They had chamber throat size problems back then.
The new guns don't.

The only bad thing I can say about the new ones is they chamber them with excess headspace now.
So you have to use moon-clips or you will get misfires with the frame mounted firing pin.

My 625-6 Mountain gun is like that, and my Buddy's 625JM is like that.

Other then that, they are the best .45 ACP revolvers you can buy.

Don't worry about triggers jobs and spring kits and all that until you shoot one enough to find out you don't need them.

The JM out of the box is good, and just gets better the more you shoot it.

rc
 
The chances that you'll get a GREAT one seem to far outweigh the chances you'd get one with some minor issue. And S&W has some of the best customer service in the business, so I wouldn't even worry about that.

Very, very nice revolver. If I were you, I'd plan on shooting it a few thousand times and then ask yourself why you wanted that trigger job. My own fairly recent manufacture N-frame has seen somewhere around 12-15K rounds and aside from playing around with swapping the mainspring and return spring from time to time, it's never had any trigger work. It's good enough as-is that I've had friends make vague accusations of "not fair." :D
 
Imagine that your wife had a tatoo with the name of some other guy.....so why would you want that on a personal firearm? We had a discussion on this forum back in May of last year on the merits of the 625JM, and most everyone really likes the gun. I was lucky to find a new 4" model without the tatoo, and without repeating an earlier post, suffice to say that it is an excellent revolver.
 
Interesting article^^^. My stock 4" has now digested thousands of rounds with no problems, and is a tack-driver. It is just as smooth and accurate as an earlier version.
 
Grant Cunningham has some thoughts on the subject.

I would not consider buying one.

After reading this I don't know anyone who would.

http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_...62aed-150.html
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In that article Cunningham talks about the "standard 625". On Smith and Wesson's website and any online gun shops I don't see any 625 except the JM. I know there are the pre lock 625s, but I was under the impression that these days they only made the JM. Am I missing something?
 
Blued,

There are others that have much more knowledge about new Smiths such as Mr. Boreland.

I read Grant Cunningham's blog post on the subject and thought it would behoove you to do so as well.

Were I in the market for a 45 revolver I would be looking for a 25 from the 1950s rather than anything new.
 
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Yes, I would lean heavily on opinions from posts #9, and #11
Those guys are not newbies and they own 'em and shoot 'em
(as well as all others above from those who actually own the gun)

brand wars and/or vintage wars not required reading, purely optional
 
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I'd like to request a point of clarification from those that own or have handled 625JM's...As far as I can tell, the pictures posted on this thread seem to show JM's with smooth trigger faces.

The major point of contention with the Cunningham article was that JM's came with Miculek's preferred serrated trigger face, which according to the article, led to metallurgical flaws and additional smithing by new owners.

So out of the box -- are 625JM's smooth or serrated? :confused:


.
 
Nasty, yucky, phooey on it, IL-bearing new revolver... a 625JM is just no good.

Of course, unless you want the most fun/frugal (to shoot & to your wrist!) big bore you'll ever find. And that JM grip... seriously, try it - really - before you change it - you may just love it! Get yourself a .250" HiViz for the spring-loaded front sight - same as the 'Classic/DX' style. Ranch Products has the OEM blued steel moonclips for ~$35/100 delivered. If you reload, recall that a revolver doesn't 'need' a certain energy level to operate - or slick bullets. I load 255gr LSWC - .45 Colt bullets - fun - and hotter than SAAMI spec'd .45 Colt, as in my 625 MG's.

In use, Starline and Remington brass loads most easily by hand in those R.P. moonclips. Your revolver deserves it's own nice and fresh brass - not the extractor/ejector scarred - and stepped on - range sweepings. You'll get many reloadings from decent brass. You can cut/file a hunk of water pipe to use as a demooner, but I sprung for the Brownell's nutdriver-style ($15-$18) and never looked back. During my first ownership, a new production 4" 625-8 owned from 9/02-6/04, I tried a scissors style for ~ a week before it broke. I bought my 625JM seven years ago (s/n JMP01xy). It initially drew blood... until the sharp edged grooves on the trigger were eased with some emory cloth. I did put a regular/unground strain screw and lighter Wolff springs in it. It is 100% reliable with my Federal-primed homebrews... I get 1 in 5 to 1 in 10 ftf the first time through with UMC 250 bulk pack ball ammo from WallyWorld. The full strength Wolff hammer leaf would alleviate that. Always clean under the ejector star, too. Take a lemon with you to the range, too... and chew on it while you shoot. It'll get rid of that possum-eatting-poop-out-of-a-hairbrush Cheshire cat smile that comes when shooting a 625JM. Otherwise, range-folk will think your simple! Next month will mark seven years since I took this picture... it doesn't even have the HiViz front sight!

P2210004.jpg

Seriously, it's a fun revolver... and evil - look what it made me do to my 627 Pro some years later:

IMG_0622.jpg

Same grips - HiViz front sight. Almost as much fun... almost! Somedays, it's just good to shoot a big-bore!

Stainz
 
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JFrame,

I don't have a dog in the hunt but I did not read Grant's issues as you did.

First, the interface of the forged trigger and MIM cylinder stop makes the trigger feel a bit rough at the very beginning of the trigger stroke - and it's difficult to get rid of this feeling.

Second, the MIM hammer is given a flash chrome treatment to match the chromed finish of the trigger. Unfortunately, chrome applied to an MIM part doesn't seem to stick as well as it does to a forged part, and I've seen several where the chrome started flaking from the sear surfaces! As you might imagine, this makes the action quality degrade quickly, and the problem can only be fixed by replacing the hammer assembly with a non-chromed version, as comes on the "plain" 625.
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