Looks like a Jovino special?Originally Posted by overton
Looks like a Jovino special?
Adam
It’s a lock model, made in 2008. The lower price I paid compared to a classic 25-5 made the compromise worth it. Plus I won’t cry (as much) if I drop it on the gravel at the range.
Being a 2008 vintage Smith has its pros and cons. On the pro side it has the latest lock work and can be serviced by the factory.
The con side is that the action is a little clunky. Not bad, just nothing like a pre-1965 gun. I find the 1990s through recent Smith revolvers to be this way. The cnc machining removes the need for a lot of hand work, but the guns still kinda need it. More recent Smiths and Rutgers I’ve purchased (last 8-10 years) have had tighter cnc tolerances, with markedly better actions. Nothing hand fit, just smoother over all.
My biggest peeve on the gun is that the trigger serrations are sharp! I’ll either get them deburred or maybe get a second trigger fitted that smoothed out, leaving the original unmolested.
I’m loading up some .45 Colt to moderate S&W level and trying it out. A 255 grain bullet at 900 to 950 fps. Just a nice, full power, non magnum loading. If I need a magnum, I’ll use a .44 magnum.
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I don’t think the model 25s can be convertible. The .45 acp versions have shorter cylinders and longer forcing cones that protrude into the cylinder window. The .45 colt versions take up the full windows, as normal.
Plus using moon clips on rimmed cartridges are a pain in the butt. I’m fooling around with a model 627 and 327 and am having no end of trouble with inconsistent groove diameters in cartridges not designed to have a groove.
For .45 acp I use plastic moon clips from Rimz. No screwing around with mooning and demooning tools. Much easier for casual shooting.
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It does, but the Jovino Specials were in .45 ACP. The expression außer der Beschuss doesn't make sense to me, it seems to mean only rarely shot.
@P30?
"Der Revolver ist wie neu, außer der Beschuss" means: The revolver is like new, but it was shot in the proof house (of course).
"außer der" = except for
"Beschuss" = test firing in the proof house (in the above context)
PS:
Smart-ass mode: Better German would be "außer dem Beschuss". But I had to look up this myself ("außer" should be in dative, here).
Last edited by P30; 09-18-2022 at 05:07 AM.
Because several people seem to be interested, I want to add more information.
I noticed that online translators don't translate "Der Revolver ist wie neu, außer der Beschuss" correctly. I suppose this is so because "Beschuss" has several meanings: A general meaning and a meaning in the sense of a special German law. The general meaning of "Beschuss" means the process of being shot. The legal meaning is an official proof test of a firearm.
The special law I mentioned is the "Beschuss·gesetz" ("Gesetz" = law). You can find the "Beschussgesetz" online. The word "Beschuss" occurs there many times. In order to be explicit, we can say "amtlicher Beschuss" where "amtlich" means "official". Then it becomes very clear that we mean "Beschuss" in the sense of this law.
PS:
An online translator can translate the sentence quite well, if we modify it slightly:
"Der Revolver ist wie neu, außer der amtlichen Beschussprüfung."
Last edited by P30; 09-18-2022 at 01:20 PM.
Don't know the history of this new-to-me S&W 25-5 chambered in .45 Colt. There's some wear near the muzzle so it appears to have been carried some, perhaps in a duty holster? Regardless, it's a great revolver and my favorite revolver.
Last edited by Exiledviking; 09-19-2022 at 01:18 AM.
I'm wondering how the durability/reliability are compared between modern made Model 25s with the new lockwork and parts vs the old school Model 25-5's. I want one, but I want to shoot it a lot and am well set up to reload .45 Colt (I think. I have inherited a metric ton of .45 Auto components. I gotta think the bullets and primers could be used).
I haven't owned one, but from what I've read they're not fragile, you just can't shoot rhino stomper loads through them. Standard velocity/pressure ammo should be fine. A 250-grain bullet at 850-900 fps ain't nothing to sneeze at.
As for the components, the primers will be the same (Large Pistol). The bullets might cause some issues if they're lead. Early 25-5s were built with original .45 Colt chamber/throat dimensions, and the throats tended to be .454 - .456". .45 ACP lead bullets are usually .452" and had a reputation for leading and poor accuracy in those guns. Jacketed bullets apparently worked fine. The easy way to check if .45 ACP lead bullets will work okay is to drop one of those bullets through the chamber from the rear of the cylinder. If it falls right through, it's one of the bigger throats; if it gets stuck in the throat, it's made for the .452s. If it's one of the bigger throated guns, there's no shortage of places that will size .45 Colt bullets to .454 - .455.
I assume with a new production Model 25 they fixed that throat issue, right? As far as loads, my attraction to the caliber is being able to have a big bore, relatively low pressure and relatively pleasant to shoot large .45 cal slugs going standard velocities. I wouldn't plan to be running any of the nuclear-powered loads that one might run through a Super Redhawk Alaskan or something.
I primarily have FMJ projectiles.
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