S&W 325 Thunder Ranch ?'s

[wvincent]

I don't post much here, as I am usually able to glean what knowledge I need from just using the search option. But, as of now, that has changed. I recently divested myself of my last Glock to a relative who needed it more than me, that gets me down to just an LCR.

Here's the question: Is anyone here "honestly" familiar with the 325 THR? In my fairly unsupported opinion, this pistol is a pretty good fit for my needs:
1. My 49 year old hands and wrist's vastly prefer the recoil impulse of the 45 vs 357.
2. I live very rural, my work is mostly rural with as much concern for 4 legged as 2 legged problems.I often go to very remote places to meet people for the first time to perform site surveys and discuss estimates, therefore my risk of a "Craigslist Killer" moment. Some of my sites are in or near the Balkan, which my inside sources still consider high risk. Work sites are often very desolate, and feral dog packs and even mountain lions may be present.
3. I am not a dedicated shooter, (job constraints) but i can pick up a wheel gun and perform way better than I can with a semi. I've tested this repeatedly, always the same results.
4. From my limited experience, the moon clips for 45 acp load rather easily, compared to speed strips, or speed loaders.
5. Since I spend so much time diving between sites getting crews set up, I think my main means of carry will be a Ken Null SMZ, has anyone tested this combination out?
6. Has anyone AIWB'd this pistol? I have been able to AIWB a Glock 26 and an M&P compact 9 comfortably in the past.
7. The light rail is a plus, night stand duty.
8. And last but not least, I am a life long revolver lover, who is finally able to come out of the "closet" due this sub forum here at P-F. My friends all think I am a Luddite for not worshiping at the altar of the polymer wonder- nine.

Thank you in advance for any and all help.

[GJM]

I don't have a TR, but have many N frame Scandium revolvers in .44 magnum, .41 and .45 acp.

N frames are very fat to carry, and Scandium N frames are very hard to shoot comfortably. Even .acp feels snappy in Scandium. I bet a four inch 686 would carry much smaller and shoot more comfortably, even with magnum loads.

[wvincent]

When I was at the LGS, we discussed the 686, but he did not have a new one (nor a used one) on hand. He did have a blued 3" GP100 Wiley Clapp that was needing a job. Would that be comparable?

[Sigfan26]

Long story short, I like mine, but don't Love it. It does everything well, but doesn't excell. Also, keep in mind, activating a WML places your appendage in front of the cylinder gap.

[HCM]

When I was at the LGS, we discussed the 686, but he did not have a new one (nor a used one) on hand. He did have a blued 3" GP100 Wiley Clapp that was needing a job. Would that be comparable?

Not GJM but a GP-100 WC would be comparable to a 2 1/2" or 3" 686. In my opinion it would make a better primary carry revolver than a 325. You can adjust the power and recoil level up or down via ammo selection 38sp, 38sp +p or .357.

[Wayne Dobbs]

Hizzie should be along shortly to sing the praises of the WC GP-100 and it makes lots of sense to me. He AIWBs it and it seems to work very well.

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm quite happy with my Wiley Clapp. If it's the blued, the brass dot front sight draws the eye very well. If it's stainless, it has a fiber optic front sight. The factory grips work pretty well for recoil control and for concealment, but there are plenty of options if you want to bias that further toward one or the other.

[NETim]

Outfits like TKCustom will machine the GP's cylinder for moonclips if you desire.

[Whirlwind06]

I have the original (or first) TR 45 it's the S&W 22-4 it's like a super sized model 10 (fixed sights and pencil barrel).
On paper it's not much bigger the my GP-100. But in practice it's a bigger carry gun. It a fun gun to shoot, and I had a IWB holster made for it.
and I have used it IPDA style shoots and walking around the range is not bad, but when I have tried carrying it day in day out I know it's there.
And I don't think it's so much the wight as it is the cylinder size, the 325 is lighter but is still the same overall size.
Just my 2 cents.

[Hideeho]

I also have a S&W 22-4. Carry it in a Rusty Sherrick IWB holster. Use the original wood stocks with Tyler grip, which are easy to conceal. Cylinder is harder to conceal. It is big, but that is to be expected of an N frame 45. Heavy can be good. As WW06 said, it is a fun gun to shoot. It is well balanced and accurate. Use 230 HST for carry and 230 ball for range time. 45 ACP in moon clips loads fast, no hang ups. Brought it with me when I qualified last month. 5 officers working the range gave it a try. They all liked it. The clue being they brought out more 45 ammo.

Good luck with your search.

[Whirlwind06]

Hideedo
How do you carry your moonclips? Speed loaders I carry in my front pocket, but I don't know how well moonclips would hold up.

[Hideeho]

I carry moons in front pocket. I also use California Competition holders Brownells or Midway. I use thicker moons for carry and thinner metal for range. Also use plastic EZ moonclips for range, they are easy to load and strip.

[BillSWPA]

When I first started carrying a gun, I would sometimes carry a Dan Wesson 2 1/2 inch .357. Even with the short barrel, that gun was tough to conceal. A horizontal shoulder holster worked best. However, with a barrel any longer, that would not have likely worked well without a significant butt-down angle.

Ken Null's shoulder holsters conceal very well, are very secure, and are very fast. The draw is noisy, which may or may not be an issue depending on when you are drawing. I am not a fan of his shoulder harness, which puts a lot of pressure on the back of the wearer's neck. Many shoulder holsters share this fault. The best harnesses are figure 8 style harnesses with spare ammo under the off side arm. However, bulky speed loader pouches can be uncomfortable in this position.

If you are carrying at work, concealment will be way too big a problem unless you are carrying with your employer's permission.

[jh9]

Nobody else has said it, but if your only other gun is an LCR and you're not planning on building a collection then any scandium frame revolver is a terrible idea. I know two people that have cracked frames (329, 327) and there are more reports on the internet. While I haven't shot a 325 I did own a 629MG and that thing was STEEL and still too light for even factory .44mag. Factory .45acp in a gun much lighter than that isn't going to be much more pleasant, if any, when shooting full patch ball or JHP.

Based on point 3 and the fact your only other gun is an LCR, the 3" GP-100 is about as perfect as you can get for someone in your position.

[Mike Pipes]

Nobody else has said it, but if your only other gun is an LCR and you're not planning on building a collection then any scandium frame revolver is a terrible idea. I know two people that have cracked frames (329, 327) and there are more reports on the internet. While I haven't shot a 325 I did own a 629MG and that thing was STEEL and still too light for even factory .44mag. Factory .45acp in a gun much lighter than that isn't going to be much more pleasant, if any, when shooting full patch ball or JHP.




Based on point 3 and the fact your only other gun is an LCR, the 3" GP-100 is about as perfect as you can get for someone in your position.


Damn good point!

[wvincent]

Yes, employer permission is granted, even supported. Actually, it was by his direction that we have a little somethin somethin in the office managers desk due to some of our walk in traffic. Dude has his head on straight, and knows that he owns any incident I might have. The 3" gp100 sure seems to be winning the dicussion, I am going to go get a hands on eval when I get home Saturday. I really appreciate all of the help here, your experience has saved me a chunk of money and probably a lot of aggrivation. You know, I actually considered an sp101, but after discovering how lite it was I really didn't think I wanted to run magnums through it. Anyone have differing opinion on that?

[Whirlwind06]

I think you can run as many magnums though a SP101 as your hands can handle.
You'll wear out before it will. :)

[coldcase1984]

Reread your original post.

It sounds like you need a .357 lever gun for dog packs and cougar; or a 10/22 w BX-15 mag.

A round butt K-frame 2-4-in bbl loaded w wadcutter would handle most every dire unpleasantness w feral humans.

Invest in a G17 to have rigged on bottom of dash for car action.

In my limited experience more is more and comforting.

[wvincent]

I think you can run as many magnums though a SP101 as your hands can handle.
You'll wear out before it will. :)

Exactly! I will just concede that test of will now, and save myself all of the numb, tingly, hands full of sand (don't forget smarts like hell) feeling. :D

[Jeep]

If I were going to carry a revolver for those purposes I think that I'd go with a 2.5 inch Model 19, which are fairly plentiful, or if you are willing to go to a slightly larger cylinder, a 3 (or maybe 2.5) inch 686+, which are pretty easy to get these days.

[Dagga Boy]

I think you can run as many magnums though a SP101 as your hands can handle.
You'll wear out before it will. :)

I spent a lot of years shooting a lot of full house .357 through mine. Forget what your hands can handle.....you'll pay the price for snobby magnum love on the backside as you age. My hands are so bad now that loading ammunition into a magazine is literal torture.

[Nephrology]

I spent a lot of years shooting a lot of full house .357 through mine. Forget what your hands can handle.....you'll pay the price for snobby magnum love on the backside as you age. My hands are so bad now that loading ammunition into a magazine is literal torture.

Osteoarthritis is a real thing... its only known cause is trauma, so this is advice I would take to heart.

[1slow]

I spent a lot of years shooting a lot of full house .357 through mine. Forget what your hands can handle.....you'll pay the price for snobby magnum love on the backside as you age. My hands are so bad now that loading ammunition into a magazine is literal torture.

I get it.
I shot .44 Mag since age 18 (1975). Shot a lot of it in the 1980s and 90s. In 1990 I got my Bowen 4" .500 Linebaugh Redhawk. I would routinely shoot 30-50 rounds in a session. I was of the opinion I would harden to the work. I got used to it and enjoyed it but it was not necessarily good for me.
Between this and other things I need to be more careful now. I can still shoot the big guns but not as often and it hurts more.

[entropy]

"Snobby magnum love"

Well theres another gem!

So true though. My line of work has subjected me to high levels of noise for the past 30+ years. It sneaks up on you. It does the damage when you're younger, bulletproof (pardon the pun) and operate more on testosterone than common sense. Then at one point...somewhere after going to bed early to SLEEP becomes a viable decision:cool:...you realize the clock has always been ticking and the hands cant be turned back. Ive lost some mid and high frequency hearing, some taste and smell due to sinus issues, and the ability to sleep like a horse at the drop of a hat. Instead of looking for jeans that make my butt look nice, Im shopping for $1000+ headphones that will stem the loss that has already progressed waaay further than I chose to realize.

I just loaded about 3000 158gr LSWC and 5.0gr Unique. Thats plenty for me 98% of the time.

[Chuck Whitlock]

I don't post much here, as I am usually able to glean what knowledge I need from just using the search option. But, as of now, that has changed. I recently divested myself of my last Glock to a relative who needed it more than me, that gets me down to just an LCR.



When I was at the LGS, we discussed the 686, but he did not have a new one (nor a used one) on hand. He did have a blued 3" GP100 Wiley Clapp that was needing a job. Would that be comparable?



Based on point 3 and the fact your only other gun is an LCR, the 3" GP-100 is about as perfect as you can get for someone in your position.

I concur. The 3" GP-100 would be a great compliment to the LCR.

[SkiDevil]

I shot one of the 325 TRs shortly after they were first released. I thought it was a nice pistol, and seemed fairly accurate with 230 gr ball ammo.

In my opinion, it is on the large size for a concealment side arm.

What stood out the most to me was the owner stating that it had been sent back to Smith and Wesson twice for service related to lock-up and timing problems.

If I was looking for a compact .45 revolver, then I would search for a short barreled 625 in stainless steel. I had the opportunity to shoot a 625 with a 3inch barrel and it was a great pistol.

That said, for your proposed use in a pistol, I think it would be hard to beat a Glock 30 or 29. I would lean more towards the 30 because. 45 ACP is usually easier found than 10mm rounds. Plus, if you install a heavier NYPD connecter it would provide a revolver-like trigger. Lastly, a compact 30 or 29 is much more concealable than an N frame revolver.