S&W Model 25-5

I was given a beautiful, 80s vintage I think, 4" M25-5 today.  Anyone have any experience with these?  Looking for a good recipe to reload.  I have 500rds of 225gr wadcutter @ 1050fps on the way.  But will need to start reloading for it.  Any info is appreciated.

Matt

This in 45 Colt?

Should be!

Yes it is a 45 colt

I’d try 8.0 to 8.5 grains of Unique behind a 250-260 grain Lead bullet.  Crimp is medium roll.

Thanks

I have one that I shoot bowling pins with. I want to knock them off the table but fight big recoil.
I shoot 8gr Unique with 250 grain bullet.
If you are wanting above average accuracy make sure chamber throats are all same size. Also, I changed grips, nice revolver and I’m not even a S&W aficionado.

Before you load anything, measure the ball throat diameters, or another term, the mouths of the chambers. The older guns had large throat diameters.

I had a 25-5 and it did not shoot well with 0.452 cast bullets of any weight. The barrel also leaded. I measured the chamber mouths and they were large. I forget the exact number. This was when I started carrying a0.452 FMJ bullet with me to the gunstore. I would drop that bullet down the chamber mouths and pass up 45 LC pistols with a lot of rattle in the chamber mouth.

Then one day, I found this.


















I had various issues with the pistol and sent the pistol back to the factory for minor refinishing. And that's how I got a factory target!

These were probably the first issue, or at least in the first year, that S&W went to tighter chamber mouths. I found this out by calling S&W and asking when the chamber mouths changed, and these are my phone notes.





Phone notes, S&W customer service 25 March 1991  Talk with Doug Brassard
 
I asked Doug about the chamber dimensions that were allowable for the 45 Colt. This was in reference to a discussion I had with Lee Precision about their carbide crimp die sizing all the 45 Colt cases with .454 diameter bullets. Doug said that Smith and Wesson belongs to SAAMMI and receives their specifications. Only American ammo and gun manufacturers belong to SAAMMI. In fact PMC once asked him to send them all of his SAAMMI specification books. He told them to go join SAAMMI. Anyway, SAAMMI allows a rear diameter of .4862 nominal plus .004 and .4806 plus .004 for front of the 45 Colt chamber.  When I asked him about the 45 Colt ball chamber throat diameters he said that they used to be .4545 to .4565 but now they were .452 . Smith and Wesson has its own standards for the barrel dimensions for the 45 Colt and they are : one turn in 20, 5 groove, lands .444 -0.0 + .0012, groove .451 - 0.0 + .0017. For the 45 ACP it is a 6 groove barrel, 1 turn in 15 inches, lands of .443 -0.0 +.0012 and grooves of .450 -0.0 and +.0017. Interestingly enough the SAAMMI specifications for 45 ACP lead bullets and jacketed bullets are different. Jacketed specs are .452 -.003 and lead bullets .453 -.003.


About the only thing you can do to improve accuracy in a 45 LC with large chamber mouths is to find 0.454 cast bullets, or cast your own. These pistols will shoot well with the larger 0.454 cast bullets made by some commercial casters. Or of course, you can pour your own.

I traded my S&W 25-5 and another pistol from my S&W M25-7 and have been much happier since. My M25-7 is a wonderfully accurate pistol.

I have shot tens of thousands of 250-255 lead with 8.5 grains Unique. Great load, use any standard primer.