Wife says i need a" restraining order"

[Shooter6br]

Went to local gunshop ( Tanners) to check on a gun up for sale. (H&R 32 long) Well in next to it was a Smith Model 25 with 6.5 in blued barrel in 45 ACP. I thought " be still my beating heart"Well it followed me home ( again) Wife say I need a court ordered " restraining order" to keep me 110 ft from all gunshoops. ( She said get it) QUESTION: anyone have favorite target load for 45 ACP revolver ( unique or Universal) Thanks Rick[smilie=w:

[9.3X62AL]

Check the revolver throat dimensions--some of the late-series 25-2s and 25-5s had ENORMOUS throats but .451" grooves. That doesn't mean they won't shoot well, but boolits will need to fit the throats--and round-nose or round flat-nose designs get along better in such environments than square-shouldered SWCs.

[t_dickinson]

Congrats! I saw one of these at a pin shoot last month and it drew a crowd. What a fantastic looking revolver it was!

I don't recall how the owner did with it on the line but he won the show and tell behind it:D

[358wcf]

In my older 25-2 I use a 200gr SWC (Lyman 452460), sized .452, over 6.5gr Unique- any primer you care to use, all the Auto Rim cases are Remington, although I think Starline might make some. An accurate load for sure, everything in the X ring at 25 yards for me- Makes me look like a better shot than I really am!
Enjoy- that is one of the true classic target revolvers!!!

Chuck 358wcf [smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1:

[Char-Gar]

I have had half a dozen of these over the years. I still have one, which is my favorite. It has had the barrel chopped to 4 inches.

Tis true the cylinder throats will run .455 - .456, but I have had good luck anyway. I have two loads that I use with some regularity.

1. 7.5/Unique with the 246 grain Keith 452423. I run these through a .454 sizer to lube them. This load will give 950 fps out of a 4 incher and 1050 through a 6 to 6.5 inch barrel . This load has plenty of stomp for anything you want to kill in Texas. I put these up in the 45 AR case.

2. The second load is 6 grains of Unique over most any good 200 - 210 grain SWC. Again I run these through the .454 die just to lube them. I put these up in the ACP case and use moon clips.

[Thumbcocker]

I had a gun just like this and it was a thing of beauty. it never shot well for me and it was before I knew to check cylinder throats. I am sure that was the issue. Traded it in on a 5" model of 1989 that is scary accurate. My all time favorite .45acp revolver load is a 452460 (200 grn swc) sized to cylinder mouth diamater over 6.0 of 231. That is a max load in the old lyman manuals but has shot well for me in smith and ruger .45acp revolver. I have hit soda can sized targets at 100 yards with it a few times when I had sandbags and held my mouth just right.

[wallenba]

I don't use Unique or Universal, but I find the Lee 452-200-RF works really well in my 625. It drops in real fast and easy, has a crimp groove and the flat nose punches a good hole.

[Olevern]

restraining order.....that's funny.

[Dale53]

My favorite target loads in my two 625's (.45 ACP) features a Mihec moulded clone of the H&G #68 200 gr SWC bullet ahead of 4.0 grs of Bullseye (or equivalent velocity with 231, Dupont PB, or my current favorite, Titegroup). This is super pleasant to shoot and is quite accurate (well under 1" at 25 yards from either revolver and also shoots well in my Ruger .45 Colt/.45 ACP Convertible in the .45 ACP cylinder).

My "heavy load" is 7.0 grs of Unique behind the NOE clone of the Lyman 454424.

My revolvers call for .452" bullets (light press fit in the cylinder throats). I have never shot anything but cast bullets through my 625's.

Dale53

[songdog53]

My wife wants one for me but wants one not to let me within a mile of gun shop.....even thinking of blocking my Gunbroker page.

[376Steyr]

H&G 68 clone 200 SWC, cast "hard", over 5.8 WW231 in AutoRim brass. I find AutoRim brass gives better accuracy than ACP cases in full moon clips. If you have trouble working up a target load in ACP cases, try the AR ones. I think its an alignment issue.

[GabbyM]

I’m casting bullets for one of the 1960’s IIRC era model 25’s. It indeed has large throats. Close to .455”. I size in my largest die at .454”. He shot 250 of them last week which were lubed with Felix Lube with zero leading. With light loads only the 200 grain bullets over Bullseye will stay low enough on the target. My Magma 200 grain rnfp drops .455” from 2/6 and makes an excellent bullet for the revolver. If I had a .455” die it might be better but I’m thinking if it does not lead up the forcing cone there isn’t any blow by going on in the throats. Does that sound about right? He did say the fellow at the station next to him got a little spray from out the side. That may be normal? I wasn’t there to see it. But anyway it shot great and had no leading issues with the .454” bullets.

My set of H&G #68 copy molds will drop .454" bullets too.

[Patrick L]

Well, here's the thing. For years I shot my pre 25 .45ACP with .452" boolits. I was so ignorant, I didn't know any better. At 25 yards it shot like this (the flyer was called)
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/patrickl_01/Bullets/GunStuff053.jpg

As I became more enlightened and acquired the tools and skill to measure things, I was shocked to discover my gun had those aforementioned .454-.455 throats, but a .451 bore. I was so embarrassed!

I immediately loaded up some .454 boolits (the largest I had on hand) and shot them. They shot just like the .452 boolits. No better, no worse.

Now, I'm not saying it doesn't matter, but for my needs in my gun...

[wellfedirishman]

Nice gun, I have the same one and it superbly accurate.

You could point out to your wife that guns are an enjoyable investment that go up in value, while shoes and handbags go down in value. For proof, compare the prices of old guns on Gunbroker (far above their original price) versus the price of old handbags/shoes on eBay (far below their original price) :)

[greenwart]

It would have followed me home also if the price was right. I am not at the restraining order yet. I just get the roll of the eyes and "not another gun" response. I have been lusting after a Webley 45 acp that I get to shoot at the disabled vets shoot ,but I haven't seen one I could afford.

Bob

[Artful]

I used 452460 in mine - start about 6 grain of unique - I use full moon clips and WCC cases usually - you might also want to look at the 230 round or TC bullets they fall into the cylinder so nice for speedy reloading.

[smith52]

A nice light target load I use is 4.5gr of Unique under a 200gr SWC, it worked in my 1911 wade gun so tried it out in my 4" 625 and it shoots just as well in it.

[justashooter]

excellent stuff. i have a 25-2 wiht a barrel marking of 1950. apparently there were some left-over barrels found in 1973 and screwed onto 25-2, rather than throwing them away.

my favorite load is 9.8 blue dot with 225 KSWC at about 1100 fps. it's a real pussycat in a big gun like this. second favorite load is 1/2 ounce of birdshot over 4.5 grains green dot in 8X57 cases cut down to 1.5" and fire-formed into cute little bottlenecks...