Be prepared to handload .45 AR.
Factory ammo, if you can find it, will be very pricey.
You can shoot ACP without clips and punch them out. I pluck then out with fingernails on my 625.
Be prepared to handload .45 AR.
Factory ammo, if you can find it, will be very pricey.
You can shoot ACP without clips and punch them out. I pluck then out with fingernails on my 625.
I’ve owned a Scandium S&W N frame in .45acp and a 4” Ruger Redhawk in .45 Colt. The Scandium gun kicked worse and the finish wasn’t durable. I couldn’t learn to like the ergonomics of the Ruger even as a devout Rugerite. FWIW, I love my 3” GP-100 in 10mm and it’s quite useable sans moonclips, but after owning two Redhawks I’m sworn off them.
If I were in your shoes and wanted a target gun I’d get the 6” S&W M25 shown above. If I intended on carrying it I’d find a 4” S&W M625 or M25 Mountain Gun.
I have a 625JM. I use either ACP loads using with and without moon clips or AR loads.
For range duty moon clips, I like the Rimz plastic moon clips. I can load/unload them without tools.
I load 45AR using ACP dies and an AR-specific shell holder. Because I'm working with plated bullets, I haven't changed my crimp die from the ACP-specific taper crimp die. When I switch over to cast bullets, I'll replace the internal crimping part (forgot the actual name) with one that gives a roll crimp.
My current pet load is a 230gr plated RN with 4.5gr Bullseye.
Chris
If Ruger would make the 4" .45 convertible on the RH frame with the SRH grip stud, I'd sell something on my "never to be sold" list to fund one. Of course that's assuming I can get it with the correct (or at least undersized) throats and it works out of the box as it should.Originally Posted by Rick R
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
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I gushed about mine recently:
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....25-and-me-fate
I would grab the 6" shown earlier in a heartbeat. But the 5" full underlug has near perfect balance for me.
If you get a TK Custom demooner, clips are no big deal. With cheap 230 grain ball, I can remove cases with my fingernail, as another poster already stated.
You might want to check my .45 Colt v .44 Mag thread that turned into a discussion of hotloaded .45AR in 625s. Also the .45 AR thread in the handloading forum.
IMO, .45 ACP in an N frame gives you a big revolver that can handle most game animals (without handloading, if you go Buffalo Bore), has a great selection of self-defense loads, and is a joy for target shooting as well. What else do you want out of a sixgun?
You should probably buy both of the specimens in the photos. One for home, one for carry. 😈
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REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
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What did you dislike in the Redhawk ergonomics? Handling them in gun shops they've felt fine.
Then again there's some things you only learn by firing. For instance, Colt 1917's have a hump in the frame. If I adopt my usual high grip that hump hammers the nerve cluster right above my thumb webbing. Makes itself felt with authority more so than a lot of big bore magnums I've shot. On those I've found a grip adaptor forces the hand down just enough to avoid the hump.
I’ve used the stock wooden grips and Hogue rubber grips. Off the bench I could turn in some very nice groups, standing on my back legs and shooting like a man I was all over the place. With my 4” Mountain Gun real world groups were half as big and that was with 270gr magnum loads. Something about how the Redhawk points for me just doesn’t translate but the S&W N frame or GP-100 does.
Amen brother! And that’s considering that the SRH and GP-100 haven’t gotten the after market support from grip makers that they should have.
That tracks with my experience of SP101 versus J frames. For instance, the wife's SP101 3" was bought used and I suspect had tuning or at least lightened springs. One of the smoothest, cleanest DA triggers I've ever felt. Between the trigger and sight radius I expected it to be a tack driver but could shoot circles around it with almost any J. Don't know why.
That's way too much for a 25-2.
For the OPs stated purpose, the current production 625 should be perfect.
I would strongly advise against the 325. Too many reports of failure in the scandium guns.
I will never understand the objection and rejection of Moonclip use when the same folks will fool around with a stack of magazines every time they go to the range. And with the various tools available these days loading and unloading Moonclips is relatively easy. For years now I've kept an ammo can full of loaded Moonclips ready for any time I want to shoot a 45 ACP revolver, and I've owned a bunch of them.
First was a M25-2 that a previous owner had cut down to 4". Who ever did the work did a very good job. That was an excellent revolver and I've long regretted getting rid of it. I got another 25-2 and had my own gunsmith friend cut it to 5". I shot that one in steel matches (before the Steel Challenge) when they didn't even have a revolver class, just for fun. Had a couple 5" 625s, one of which I shot in the beginning of IDPA, before they outlawed anything longer than 4". Got a 4" 625 when S&W introduced them, sold it for something else and years later bought another one.
Didn't have a 45 ACP revolver for a couple years and decided I should fix that. Looked at the first Mountain Revolver in that caliber but didn't like stainless much anymore (I live in the arid SW desert). Smith never offered a blued one so I had my gunsmith build one from a M25-2 I found with a Model of 1950 tapered barrel installed. Cut the barrel to 4", pinned the ramp to the barrel rib, then pinned the front sight to the ramp, just like they used to do. He round butted the frame for the pair of flat sided Combat stocks I had, cleaned up the insides and smoothed the DA trigger, and finally bead blasted and blued the whole business. It's the 45 ACP revolver I still have and If someone could tell me how to post pictures on this forum I'd show it to you. (smile)
Dave
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