S&w 625-5 45 LONG COLT 8"+ BARREL

[sixpointfive]

Gents,

I just picked ths fine revolver up at a gun show today and want to start working up a load for it. I have a 6 cavity 200 gr H&G stlye Lee mould that I plan to cast with WW. What I am wondering is if anyone has had any experience with this bullet/revolver combination. What I plan to use the gun for is 100 yard off hand shooting at 13" car rims and other metalic targets. My powder of choice is Unique please share some load data, I am looking for accurate, pleaseant shooting load.

Matt

[geargnasher]

Any good reloading book will be glad to share plenty of load data with you for 200 grain cast and Unique. Problem with giving specifics is none of us have your exact gun and mould, so it's impossible to say what's best. Just work up from published data and find the best load for your gun. I would expect a boolit that light to shoot low, but only your gun can tell you for sure.

Gear

[GLL]

I would enjoy seeing a photo of your 625-5 ? I have never seen one with an 8 3/8" barrel.

Jerry

[DanWalker]

Sounds like a whole lotta pistola!
I do most of my long range plinking with a 250 grain swc over 6.5 grains of red dot. The same boolit over 9 grains of Unique is a pretty good hunting load. Never had much luck with Unique when trying lighter loads than that.
I'm shooting a 5 1/2" barreled Blackhawk.

[smkummer]

I was with sixpointfive when he bought his gun and he put down the wrong model numbers. We will be initialy casting both of Lyman's 454190 and 452454. We will size to .454 and water drop. Of course the 452454 will most likely be used as cast as these may be dropping at about .453. The load we are searching for will be a 100 yard steel plinker and deer load. We were getting 900 FPS plus with 9 grains unique and the 454190. We know unique is position sensitive and to diminish this the technique of lowering the barrel from 12 oclock before firing can help alot. What we are looking for from these bullets is something that will shoot a 2 in. group at 25 at full Colt pressures. Anybody else have good luck with other powders and long barrels?

[TomAM]

Herco has always given me better accuracy in the 45 Colt than any other powder. 452454 and 9 grains Herco has been a great load.

[DanWalker]

6.5 grains of Red Dot under the 454424 shoots GREAT in every gun I've tried it in. Chrono's at around 900 fps from my 5.5" barreled blackhawk. Not sure of the velocity from my Trapper. I've shoot this load to over 300 yards, plinking at rocks. It's a definate 100 yard killer on deer and hogs as well.
Here's a couple video clips of the ruger shooting this load.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poe9YT84S-Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5iuhAbk9JE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CedHHV43Q4&feature=related

[sixpointfive]

i meant 25-5

[Bass Ackward]

More important than power charge in those is the "correct" sizing. Correct sizing is defined by the gun. More so in that gun than any other I can think of.

Throats can be up to .458 and bores are usually VERY close to .451. That offers a lot of wiggle room. So you MUST check it out and slug your gun. Common logic here is for PB at or just slightly under throat. Of the two guns I have handled, they preferred .453 period. And if you tried larger, it would punish you on paper.

I ain't saying .453 is the only way, just that it is a BIG variable in this situation that will pay dividends if you do the work.

9 grains of Unique is pretty much a respectable load with virtually any lead bullet in any 45 Colt. Good enough for a base line anyway. If you use that load till you get the size "correct" for that gun with any bullet of 270 grains or less, then you can switch to other powders and rest easy that you only have one variable to deal with.