How I Accurized my Smith & Wesson 25-5

[forestgrump]

Found a little used Smith & Wesson model 25-5. Miked the cylinders. One was .4565 and the rest were .457. Went out and shot it. TERRIBLE accuracy. Started in trying all kinds of bullets. Still sucked! Got an idea. Molded up some .458 300 grain 45-70 bullets and sized them to .456. Well, now were getting some where. Groups shrank down to sub 2" groups. Now I got a pistol I can hit something with. Now I can't wait for Elk season. Chris

[9.3X62AL]

Well, I do love a story with a happy ending! Have you slugged the barrel to get an idea of groove diameter? FWIW, I've sized down RCBS 45-300-FN intended for the 45-70 to .454" for my Ruger BisHawk in 45 Colt, and they shot quite well. They cast too small to be useful in the 45-70 (.4575"-.458"), so I was glad to get some use out of that ^%$# undersized tool.

[HATCH]

U should slug ur barrel and see what it is.


sent from my mobile

[Mozzman]

I would not worry to much about what the barrel slugs. I shoot a 45 caliber SWC sized to .4525 out my Paradox revolver that has a .429 barrel. Thats .0235 of restriction with no problems.

Toby

You shoot a 45 slug out of a 44 barrel? Not safe. Don't do this folks, may hurt yourself. I actually hope one of the mods deletes this from a safety standpoint.

[felix]

Mozzman, it's the percentage reduction, not the absolute that is important. Perfectly safe when the cylinder is large enough to hold the case with boolit inserted with some left over slop, like 0.002. ... felix

[felix]

0.005 is a BIG deal in a 0.224 freebore/throat. ... felix

[forestgrump]

U should slug ur barrel and see what it is.




sent from my mobile

The barrel is .453, which is pretty much standard for a 25-5. Chris

[Catshooter]

I too have a 45 Colt Smith model 25. A .452 bore and .455 throats. So I got a 454424 Lyman and it drops my wheel weights at .457. Size 'em in a .456 die and they shoot great.


Cat

[forestgrump]

You shoot a 45 slug out of a 44 barrel? Not safe. Don't do this folks, may hurt yourself. I actually hope one of the mods deletes this from a safety standpoint.

I've seen the aftermath of a 308 Winchester fired in 270. Kicked like hell and sounded funny. Took a wooden mallet to open bolt. Did not weld the lugs. (Be sure what you put in your pockets.) Chris

[9.3X62AL]

The barrel is .453, which is pretty much standard for a 25-5. Chris

Thanks, sir. I long ago had a Model 25-2, and its throats were outsized (.456"-.457 IIRC) with a .451"+ groove set, not quite .452". It didn't shoot castings worth a darn, but did all right with j-words. BIG throats seemed to be a product characteristic of the N-frame S&Ws of the late 70s and early 80s. Any time I'm looking at N-frame 44s or 45s, pin gauges come with me.

[lathesmith]

Sometimes, when all else fails, hollow-base slugs can be employed to good effect in these huge-throated, smaller-barrel hybrids(I also had one of these model 25-5's). Of course, the trade-off to these is that you can't cast 'em very fast, and you are limited to lighter but still substantial loads.

lathesmith

[forestgrump]

Sometimes, when all else fails, hollow-base slugs can be employed to good effect in these huge-throated, smaller-barrel hybrids(I also had one of these model 25-5's). Of course, the trade-off to these is that you can cast 'em very fast, and you are limited to lighter but still substantial loads.

lathesmith

If given a choice, I'd rather get hit by a light hollow base door knob. Rather than the hole door knob. Boy, that will leave a mark. Chris

[Groo]

Groo here
My m-25 had a forcing cone recut to 11deg and the barrel recrowned.
This gun shoots anything I put in it very well.
I recall that Keith said that the bullet should fit the barrel and go through the
chamber easly, but he used softer lead than we do now.