S&W 625 Mountain Gun

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TomJ

TomJ

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I happened to stop by one of our LGS' this morning and they had a stainless S&W 625 Mountain Gun in 45LC. It's a pre-lock version and while you could tell it's been shot, it's in excellent condition with a great trigger. I've been looking for a larger caliber revolver for woods carry and wound up picking it up for $675 out the door ($650 plus the $25 Cook County IL gun tax). I'll pick it up Monday and post pictures then. It was a spur of the moment buy and I'm wondering how I did price wise. I'm also assuming that I shouldn't shoot the full power loads from Underwood, Buffalo Bore or Doubletap. Am I wrong about that, or could it handle a limited diet of those? Their web sites list the guns which can handle them, and don't mention this one.
 
First off I'm really jealous the 625's in 45 Colt are great :)

Price wise I'm not well informed on Smith's but I believe the 625 mountain gun is pretty hard to come by so I'd guess that you did rather well.

Finally, no it's not really up to the Ruger/TC loads.
 
TomJ said:
I happened to stop by one of our LGS' this morning and they had a stainless S&W 625 Mountain Gun in 45LC. It's a pre-lock version and while you could tell it's been shot, it's in excellent condition with a great trigger. I've been looking for a larger caliber revolver for woods carry and wound up picking it up for $675 out the door ($650 plus the $25 Cook County IL gun tax). I'll pick it up Monday and post pictures then. It was a spur of the moment buy and I'm wondering how I did price wise. I'm also assuming that I shouldn't shoot the full power loads from Underwood, Buffalo Bore or Doubletap. Am I wrong about that, or could it handle a limited diet of those? Their web sites list the guns which can handle them, and don't mention this one.
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They're sweet packing guns, much more so than my Redhawk .45, they will NOT handle super heavy loads but they do not need to be babied like some 19 century Colt. Buffalo Bore and Garret's cartridges make loads for Smith and Wesson .45s that should pack more than enough horse power to do what you need it to, a 250 grain slug trucking at 900-1000 FPS will make most things short of an archangel rethink it's priorities but do not treat it as a Ruger or Freedom Arms.
 
No, they won’t take on a steady basis “Ruger only” loads,
So what?!

I love mine. After a Ruger RedHawk, a Ruger BlackHawk, a New Model “Flat Top” , I finally found a 625 Mountain Gun.
It’s the “keeper” of the bunch. It’ll take .45acp level pressures which is more than enough. Most of my shooting/hunting is with SAA level loads, but occasionally I go a bit higher. Best source for data is an article that Brian Pierce did in an issue of “HandLoader” magazine several years ago.
My favorite “heavy” load is 10.0gr of LongShot under a RCBS SAA .452” 270gr SWC. Gets 1,000fps and will penetrate most anything in N.America.
However, I occasionally hunt Wyoming and they have a minimum energy level. Brian’s top “Ruger FlatTop” load of 11.2gr LongShot makes this from a 4”bbl., so it’s what I take to the cowboy state when I hunt there... (1,150fps iircc).
My favorite load is just above the max for a SAA, which is 8.2gr Universal, or 9.0gr of Unique for ~950-1,000fps under a Lee 255gr LFN.

This load just barely maintains obturation from my 24” bbl Win M1894 Legacy Rifle. Both shoot it VERY accurately. Favorite brass is Magtech. It’s thinner and obturates easier than Starline.
Look closely at my avatar, it’s on my hip...
 
That sounds like a decent deal where im from, everything in AK seems a little more expensive. I dont think you could get a stainless smith here any cheaper unless it was really battered.
 
TomJ said:
I've been looking for a larger caliber revolver for woods carry and wound up picking it up for $675 out the door ($650 plus the $25 Cook County IL gun tax). I'll pick it up Monday and post pictures then. It was a spur of the moment buy and I'm wondering how I did price wise.
Click to expand...

I'd say you got a pretty good deal based on my experience with Model 25-5 and Model 624 S&W's. At $650, I'd have jumped on it.

Lots of folks disagree with me but I do not hot rod ammunition for my 45 Colt handguns regardless of who the manufacturer is. A standard 45 Colt round is pretty potent.

Your gun, your choice. Enjoy your new acquisition.
 
cfullgraf said:
I'd say you got a pretty good deal based on my experience with Model 25-5 and Model 624 S&W's. At $650, I'd have jumped on it.

Lots of folks disagree with me but I do not hot rod ammunition for my 45 Colt handguns regardless of who the manufacturer is. A standard 45 Colt round is pretty potent.

Your gun, your choice. Enjoy your new acquisition.
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The replies I’m seeing are confirming what I suspected, that it’s not meant to handle the hot loads from the manufacturers I mentioned. I’ll stick with the loads the gun was meant to use. Thanks.
 
Cant comment on the price. I can tell you same as most others, dont use a steady diet of hot 45 colt rounds through the mountain gun. A warmer load here and there wont kill it though. Good thing about 45 colt as im sure you know, its plenty powerful for most things. A heavy hardcast bullet with a large meplat ,even at 800 fps is still dang good.
Enjoy the new revolver!
 
I'm curious about what these guns can handle. Clark does a .460 Rowland conversion on the 45acp 625. Smith has stated that 45acp +p are fine. Many people run 45 Super through them. I agree that Ruger only rounds should be avoided, but it seems obvious that you can run 1000+fps with 250gr no problem.
As always, do your own research here.
 
Based on condition of the gun you did OK on the price, especially if it is a pre lock gun. I would not shoot any hot loads out of that gun just standard .45 Colt loads. The standard .45 Colt load can do quite a lot. You'll find the recoil to be tolerable with standard loads making it fun to shoot.
 
@no.5enfield,
I'm convinced of the same, I'm considering a bag of starline 45Super brass. The only thing stopping me is an already excellent 629 in my safe. Plus thr 629 is a 5", and the 625 is a 4" and I need a 5" for deer hunting per ODNR's regulations.

If the regs permitted 4"-er's or I had a 5" 625 I'd already be loading a 230-250gr@1000fps.
 
Nice!

I like my 629 MG, I think you'll really like the 625 MG.

As was stated don't try and match the elephant-stomping Redhawk/Blackhawk loads in it, but you can go a tad warmer than Peacemaker level loads and be well served with the power and still be within the safety margin for the S&W.

Let us know how it shoots when you get a chance :thumbup:.

Stay safe!
 
CD6163C0-3A1C-4AB9-92F9-79DB3FE8AFD8.jpeg

I picked it up Monday and should be able to make it to the range tonight. I’ve only been able to dry fire it a little, and the trigger is even better than my first impression at the LGS.

Edit: In the picture it looks like the trigger has rust on it. There's no rust, it's just the lighting.
 
Welcome to the 625 Mountain club! Mine is one of my favorite shootin' revolvers (and I've shot a few revolvers). I'd trust my life to it. No need to hotrod it; just run it with standard loads and it will serve you well.
 
4BF8D72E-CA73-4455-9474-F6047E717C53.jpeg

I was a little pressed for time today and only had time to load 18 rounds. The gun was fantastic. Me, not so much. It’s been a while since I shot a DA revolver and it took a few rounds to get dialed in, which is why the target looks like I was shooting a shotgun, but the last 6 rounds were in the 10 ring from 21 feet. It’s definitely a keeper, and I’m looking forward to putting more time into it.
 
I have a 625 Mountain Gun in 45 ACP and its a great handgun! Its the first handgun I ever purchased. I'd trust my life to mine as well.

When I ran into financial problems awhile back this was the one gun I was never going to sell
 
Do I need to do anything to the cylinder to use moon clips for 45acp ammo? I have quite a bit of that on hand already. If I need to make any changes to the gun I’ll leave it as is and buy more 45lc brass.
 
TomJ said:
Do I need to do anything to the cylinder to use moon clips for 45acp ammo? I have quite a bit of that on hand already. If I need to make any changes to the gun I’ll leave it as is and buy more 45lc brass.
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Yes. With the Mountain Gun you would need to get it cut for moonclips. I know TK Customs does the work for sure, there are probably others as well. Personally I enjoy the 45 Colt more than 45 ACP anyways even if moonclips are really fun.
 
zanders said:
Yes. With the Mountain Gun you would need to get it cut for moonclips. I know TK Customs does the work for sure, there are probably others as well. Personally I enjoy the 45 Colt more than 45 ACP anyways even if moonclips are really fun.
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Thanks. I thought that might be the case and I’ll leave it as is.
 
Master Blaster said:
.45 Auto rim brass will let you shoot .45 acp in the gun without moon clips
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For those that don't know, you still need to have the cylinder cut for moon clips to use 45 Auto Rim ammunition or the revolver designed for moon clipped 45 ACP ammunition from the get go. The rim on 45 Auto Rim simulates a 45 ACP with a moon clip installed. The 45 Auto Rim rim is lots thicker than the rim on a 45 Colt.

TomJ said:
Thanks. I found a good price on 45LC and ordered a couple hundred more.
Click to expand...

Starline makes good 45 Colt cases.
 
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