A friend of mine had a very nice one years ago. I can’t remember the brand (Colt maybe ???)but it did use moon clips and was accurate.
.
ETA: I have no idea how my post is above the OP’s post??? I’ve seen this on a couple of other post today also…
I started reloading, primarily .45ACP, and I have now really wanted a .45ACP revolver. I am down to really 2 handgun calibers excluding .22 and I just feel the need to have a dead nuts simple blued revolver. I know the smarter thing would be get a .357 and shoot .38, but I could use moon clips (which i hate, especially from the “simple SHTF revolver” standpoint) or get some .45 Auto Rim brass. I have been looking at the S&W 25-2 and the Classic 22 Model 17.
Anybody shoot .45 ACP revolvers? Recommendations, advice, wisdom? Talk me into or out of it.
I just finished a 1 day “mastering the revolver” class up at the old Mt. Carroll, IL Blackwater range (can’t recall what it’s officially called nowadays). The session was put on by Midwest Training Group, and was a nice intro to revolver handling and reloading. I shot a new Smith model 22-4 (the NON-TR version:).
I, too, have always had a fascination with big bore revolvers, having had a 625 sitting around for years. The model 22 just “spoke to me” when I saw it.
Reality check: Revolvers - at least for this old cowboy - are hard to shoot, or at least hard to shoot well. And - they’re hard on the hands! A day of fullpower .45 ball, with no energy absorbing slide action - and my hands were blistered and bleeding:) We did double action only - and after a lifetime of 1911 shooting (with glocks and MPs in the last few years) - let’s just say that I was truly humbled!
The good news is that I have finally come to a point in my life where I’m going to start paring things down to one major platform - and it won’t be a revolver. As much as I love the 1911 at the emotional level, I think I’m going to let all but two of them go. And the new MP fs - nice gun (especially with the 1911-like safety) - but it’s leaving too.
I never thought I would ever hear myself say this - but I’m changing horses, going over to Glock 17s from here on out. Yes - the lack of a true affirmative safety will always bug me to some degree - I think I can live with it (or more correctly, live without it:) While I’m not as accurate as I am with the 1911, the difference won’t matter for social purposes. I’m also one of the few on the planet who actually LOVES the feel of the raspy RTF texturing. And after some lifelong wrist problems that are getting worse with age, the reduced recoil is nothing to scoff at either:)
So - yes, the revolvers are neat, fun, and all of that other stuff - so have at it if you have the time, money, and inclination. The model 22 is a neat gun. My only problems were that the screw for the cylinder release kept backing out, and the front sight pin kept walking as well - both problems that are easily fixed.
john
Well said, sir. I, too, deceided to have another go at wheelguns after MANY years of shooting autos & my experiences are the same as yours. My revolvers are just a passing interest. Tactical tupperware is it!
yeah, that is probably what i needed to hear. I spent a lot of time consolidating calibers and platforms moving away from “collecting”, I should probably just keep it that way.
I have a lot of time spent on the platform and in my professional opinion the only choice is Smith & Wesson 625 or 25.
This is some of my work and I personally own 8 get one and don’t look back.
I hope you get a 625 you will love it.
I watch Jerry Mucilek use his with great efficiency. I think it’s pretty cool, but I’m terrible with wheelguns so I would never drop cash on them.
I worked out extensively with a 4" Smith & Wesson Model 625 a few years ago. They tend to be superbly accurate. They also seem to handle better than N-frames in other calibers, which may be my imagination. As others have noted, there are better fighting choices. (Don’t get me started on the people who have one because moon clips allow a fast reload.) The 45 ACP revolver was always a half-way measure, and it remains that way today. If you have access to free 45 ACP ammo and have $700 to drop, why not? If not, get an auto.
In modern guns, the Auto Rim case turns the 45 ACP revolver into a different animal. It will safely launch a hard-cast 250-grain bullet up to 1,100 fps without a lot of drama, so it becomes a workable choice for game up to deer. Only Starline and Remington make Auto Rim cases. Everyone I know who’s running the Auto Rim prefers Starline brass.
45 Auto Rim cases headspace on the rim, so you can load it like you would for any other revolver. That means you can use a roll crimp, which gives you some ballistic running room with slower powders that the 45 ACP case cannot. You can crank a taper crimp die down until it makes a roll crimp, but that gives you a roll crimp on top of a taper crimp, which hurts accuracy. Accuracy went way up after I had a machinist cut off the lower ¾” of a 45 Colt crimping die and used that to make just the roll crimp.
I was interested in the 45 ACP/AR revolver for hunting small deer at close range. I also wanted to simplify life by using one load in both my 1911 and in the 625, but of course both guns shot their best with different loads. A few months of fiddling with it showed me that a 250-grain bullet at 1,100 fps kicks the same whether the case is a 45 Auto Rim, a 44 Special, or a 44 Magnum. And finally, in places with badly written hunting regs, most game wardens won’t look twice at a 44 Magnum, but you may find yourself explaining the 45 Auto Rim revolver to a judge.
At the end of the day, a Smith revolver in 45 ACP launches a big chunk of lead as fast as most people can handle it without a lot of fuss and drama. But you have to handload to get the best out of it, and if you handload, the 44 Magnum is a lot more versatile. I can also get good 44 ammo anywhere, and I won’t have to defend it (and possibly lose a hunt) if I run into an unenlightened possum sheriff.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Okie John
A buddy of mine, actually a member here, has a 625. Phenomenal revolver. And I’m not really a revolver guy. But this one I would own without a second thought.
If I were to ever carry a revolver a 625 would almost certainly be the only one I’d consider. Reloads are great with full moon clips.
RE: .45 ACP Revolvers
The only Brand/ Model that I have had any experience with has been the Smith and Wesson 625 and its variants.
I have had the opportunity to handle/ fire the 3", 4", and 5" barreled models in the past. And most recently, I was able to shoot a Thunder Ranch model as well.
By far my favorite was the standard 625 stainless 4" model. It was very accurate, handled well, and enjoyable to use.
I currently do not own one but plan to at some point in the future. The rationale for purchasing one myself is what another member referred to earlier the .45 AR (Auto Rim). Theses modern revolvers loaded to the high-end nearly approach the capability of some magnum chamberings.
Also, I have recently attempted to reduce the number of calibers to the minimum and the .45 Auto is one of these. Purchasing a few boxes of .45 AR or reloading several boxes for hiking/ outdoor use would be a major plus for myself without having to purchase another .44 magnum ( I owned a 629 in the past) or something like a Glock 20/ or 29 in 10mm.
They are beautifully made firearms and even though I have not owned that particular model; I gather would be quite durable from the basis the N frame is more than adequate for the standard 230 ball load.
SkiDevil
P.S. Mr. Smith that is a very nice collection.
Karl Sokol built this one for me several years ago from a 6" 25-2. It is my favorite revolver.
Thanks for the complement.
The guns in the pics are customer guns I have done I know they all love them.
A well tuned 625 is one of the most fun guns to run.
I have taken more than one class with the 625 and will take more.
Agreed. I wonder why they never made a four-inch Model 629 with the full-underlug barrel. It would be pretty much ideal.
Okie John
Mr. Sokol has done some work for me. He’s well-known to serious revolver shooters. The rest of the world should know more about him.
Okie John
Years ago when my new wife and I were young and our kids babies we had to live in a “neighborhood in transition”. Prompted by a heinous murder not far from us I stopped into a gun shop/hardware store. I picked up a Colt 1917, barrel cut to 4", .45 ACP revolver. On two occasions I had to answer the door at 0200. The drunk/druggies both looked at me in but my underwear with that huge pistol and said “must be at the wrong house”. I still have it, when I first started combat pistol competitions this is what I used. I never shoot it now but it still does guard duty. Accurate but punishing to shoot with full power ammo. I’ll never part with mine.
that makes me smile since Karl Sokol is one of the very few local resources to me. I have tossed around some 1911 ideas with him and as soon as i get the parts I hope to work with him for my dedicated .22 build. Nice to hear he also works with this new desire i have
If you want one, get one.
They are not nearly as efficient as a modern semi auto (or even a 1911), but they are fun, and could certainly be used as a woods gun.
I had a S&W M22 for a while, and couldn’t get used to that half nickel front sight. It would have benefited from a good action job as well.
Currently I have a Colt M1917 New Service that was delivered to the US Army in May of 1918. It’s a beast. Firing double action from a traditional bullseye stance is difficult, but from a modified isosceles stance it’s very do-able. I enjoy shooting this old warhorse, and if I were a Doughboy in the trenches of France in 1918, I’d actually try to acquire a Colt M1917 over a Colt M1911 or a S&W M1917, as it fits my hand better, and those Colt M1911’s just turn my wookie paws into hamburger from hammer bite within a couple magazines.
If this were the 1920’s or 30’s, I’d seriously consider it as a primary arm, but it isn’t. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work in a pinch, though.
So, if you want a .45 ACP revolver, brother, buy yourself one.
American Handgunner in a recent issue did an article on 45 revolvers. I have a recent production thunder ranch model 22. 4 inch fixed sight blue steel. As simple and reliable a gun as can be made. Mine will even shoot 45 acp without the moon clips (I understand this ability varies between individual specimens) and I can usually shake 5 out of 6 empities out without too much trouble. I use moon clips and auto rims as well. I say they are great guns.
The only issue I have is this gun has really tight chambers (a friend of mine has the same model revolver and noticed the same) I have to chamber check each round and each clip full prior to going to the range or depending on speed reloads in a match- this is even with ammo that easily enters my “go” guage and feeds perfectly in my 1911’s.(factory ammo of course is no problem)
I think there is a place for .45ACP revolvers. When I consolidated to just 1 cal. for handguns, .45ACP, I wanted a non-high capacity handgun. Not for today, but for the next 30 years. Today, I like the G21, but should there come a time when there may be legal restrictions on magazine fed pistols, I can still use the ever growing pile/stash o’ bullets. But that is fodder for another post…
So, a few years ago, when I was looking around for a .45ACP wheelgun, I ended up with a couple of the TR-325’s. I was not a fan of how they started out from the factory:
The Houge grips were sticky and squishy, the light was too far out front. A little bit of work, and a new set of grips helped things:
It was good, but still not there. I found some good old school walnut grips, and did a little filing on the TLR-1, where the cylander would be unrestricted, and arrived at the current set-up:
My wife refers to her’s as her “Blade Runner” gun. Still looking for a good holster for it.
Like 'um or leave 'um, I think there’s something to a 230 grn. flying ashtray…
gb
I want me a S&W 625 mountain gun.
