? for S&W experts

[murf205]

I bought a 625-3 at the Hoover gun show yesterday and in addition to a butter smooth action it has a ball on the crane assembly and a detent on the frame in a corresponding spot. I know that custom revolver smith's do this for accuracy to help lock up a wheel gun and 625's in 45 ACP are noted for their accuracy. My question is, did the factory ever do this and is that the reason for these guns to have such a stellar reputation for accuracy?288027288028

[358429]

What kind of groups are you getting that's a cool pistol.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[murf205]

I haven't shot it yet. I have some 225 Lyman rn loaded w/Bullseye and some 253 gr pc'd boolits loaded w/Accurate #5. I think the 253's will be a thumper288035[/ATTACH]288036 It had the ugliest pair of original Pachmayr's on it and I immediately swapped them for the ones you see here.

[dla]

According to my Google, SW produced a small number of these out of the Performance Center around 2000-2001.

[david s]

There is no hammer lock hole older cylinder release and the rear cylinder stop on the left side is the older round plug type. Is the "model of 1989" etched or roll marked on the barrel? If it's roll marked I think the crane lock up was added.

[Kraschenbirn]

Interesting question. My 'no-dash number' 586 has a crane detent but my M24-3 and M17-6 of approximately the same vintage do not nor does my later model 686.

Bi

[murf205]

There is no hammer lock hole older cylinder release and the rear cylinder stop on the left side is the older round plug type. Is the "model of 1989" etched or roll marked on the barrel? If it's roll marked I think the crane lock up was added.
It is etched. My no dash 686, 586, 629-6, 24-6, 27-2, or 25-5 does not have it either. Neither do the K, J, or I frame guns in the safe either.288071 I made a boo boo. These are the 253 gr boolits I'm going to try in the 625.

[david s]

Well you stumped me. The original run of "Model of 1989" had roll marked barrels if I remember correctly. My later one has the etched barrel marking, safety hole, newer cylinder release, MIM trigger and hammer and newer style cylinder stop. Except for the grips yours looks to be one of the older models. I just don't know.

[murf205]

I don't either. My best guess is that someone added the ball and detent later. If that is the case, they did a really clean job and I would like to know who did it. There was an Alabama State Trooper that used to do this many yrs ago and he regularly clean our clocks when the 100 yd handgun silhouette matches at the old Steel City Rifle and Pistol Club had matches. We will see how it shoots with the batch of ammo I have loaded.

[imashooter2]

My Performance Center 627 has a ball detent, however it is on the front of the crane and there is no forward latch pin (which would defeat the purpose of the detent). That might be aftermarket.

[david s]

Power Custom use to and may still sell a jig for holding the crane so it can be drilled and they sold the springs and detent balls with a hollow tip punch to stake the balls. It's not a hard job. Getting the detent located correctly in the frame and to the proper depth without going to deep is the harder part.


https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/64780_600x400.jpg (https://www.jpgbox.com/page/64780_600x400/)

[david s]

Late 1990's early 2000's S&W 625 Model of 1989 dash -8 version. With a -3 I'm thinking yours is the original model of 1989 S&W 625 5 inch gun.

https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/64781_600x400.jpg (https://www.jpgbox.com/page/64781_600x400/)


https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/64782_600x400.jpg (https://www.jpgbox.com/page/64782_600x400/)

[samari46]

None of my 24-3's nor the 624 has the detent. But my Brazilian contract of 1937 has the spring and plunger on the crane which mates up with a matching hole in the frame. Can't get to the safe to double check so going on memory. Frank

[murf205]

Power Custom use to and may still sell a jig for holding the crane so it can be drilled and they sold the springs and detent balls with a hollow tip punch to stake the balls. It's not a hard job. Getting the detent located correctly in the frame and to the proper depth without going to deep is the harder part.


https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/64780_600x400.jpg (https://www.jpgbox.com/page/64780_600x400/)

It is not for the rookie gun tinkerer for sure. I am curious as to whether the gun has a EDM or cut rifled barrel. I cant look at either and tell. I have read that the EDM barrels are super smooth but the cut rifled one are reputed to shoot better. My gun has a BNK prefix serial # and the Standard Catalog of S&W says BNK5330-BNK6905 =August of 1991 but my gun has a number in the 1100 range. Hmmmm more research I guess. Not that it matters as long as it shoots ok but it is a curiosity thing with me.

[david s]

I realize you don't have the full history of the gun but is there any chance of a re-barreling? Any odd ball marks or stamps on the grip frame under the grips from maybe the S&W shop? The cut rifle barrels have a reputation for squarer/sharper lands and grooves. This is suppose to help when shooting cast. The second run of "model of 1989" also seem to have been barreled with both the EDM and traditional rifling. And one last wild guess. Maybe a S&W lunch box gun? That would explain an odd serial number and an action job and the crane lock. The joys of new gun owner ship. Some one really need to teach pistols to talk so we can have "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey use to say.

[murf205]

David, I'm not so sure that I would want my guns to talk. They might tell my wife some of the tricks of "sneaking 1 into the house 101". Lunch box gun? Who knows, I posted the question on the Smith and Wesson Forum too. If I get an answer, I'll share it. In the mean time we will see how it shoots with my old geezer eyes!

[murf205]

Well, I finally narrowed the "born on" date to within 30 or so guns before mine. On the label of a box for a 625-3 for sale on Gunbroker, the Spec. Ord. number is the Julian date. and the G'broker gun is about 30 serial numbers before mine and it calculates to August of 1992. I know that S&W may make a bunch of frames and put them aside to be completed on down the line but and you might get a higher numbered gun shipped before a lower numbered gun, or that is what I was told by a S&W fitter. Never the less, I am close enough for for my purposes. It still all boils down to how it shoots but fun learning something new.

[david s]

August of 1992 says you've narrowed it down to a pretty fine point. Except for a factory letter I doubt you'll come any closer. Now for the true test the shooting.

[243winxb]

SMITH & WESSON
PERFORMANCE CENTER
PRODUCT CODE INFO.

Gun info. See date & Manufacture link. http://www.nramuseum.org/

I dont see a code for the balll thing? Under "S & W ABBREVIATIONS"

[murf205]

I'm pretty sure it was added after it left the mother ship. I shot it today and it shows a definite affinity for Bullseye powder and Lyman 452374 boolits. I had some old Hornady swaged lead boolits that it shot pretty good but my 253 gr Accurate spits lead pretty bad. Might be the powder coating but it does not spit lead with the other loads. I'll post pics when I get them photo'd. I had to cut the range session short because of the remnants of Ida. Lots of lightning!

[ddixie884]

Nice gun, congrats....

[murf205]

Thanks Gary, I was not blown away by the accuracy but it seems to like the old 225 gr RN Lyman and Bullseye powder. Might do better with some tweeking but these old worn out eyes don't contribute a lot to accuracy.288217288218288219288220288221 I was a bit disappointed with the 253 gr load from the Accurate mold and the 252 Lee which has shot well in other 45's) but the gun will always tell you what it wants! That particular load spit a bit of lead/powder/ powder coating from the cyl-barrel gap. It was the only one that did and I think it may be a bit too fat at the forcing cone?? The cylinder throats are a pretty tight .452 and these were sized to .4515.

[murf205]

I think I solved the spitting problem. When I sized the 253 gr Accurate boolits in my Lyman 450, because I don't have a push through in 4515, I didn't get the full stroke and size the boolits all the way down into the die. This resulted in a .4545 section just above the crimp groove consequently that stuffed a .4545 band into a snug .452 throat. Next range trip will get these properly sized boolits a new test.

[dswancutt]

I have a 1995 era 625-4 and I think they were the last of the forged hammer, no hole guns.

[murf205]

The no hole, or pre-lock as they are sometimes called, will always be an investment. The lock era was when S&W caved in to the Bill Clinton gun control measures.

[Geezer in NH]

I would write to S&W and ask for the real answer.

[imashooter2]

This is the factory detent ball on my Performance Center 627. Note the larger ball on the front of the crane and no latch pin for the forward end of the ejector rod. The ball locks into a groove that appears hand fitted into the frame at the bottom of the underlug.

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/detent2.jpg