Grail gun acquired - a mint S&W 625 Mountain Gun .45 ACP

[AlVine]

I've had a big shift toward revolvers in the last few months and decided to finally make the plunge to get something I've been eyeing for a long, long time - a S&W 625 Mountain Gun in .45 ACP. I was able to get one off Gunbroker last week - one that the original owner bought, cosmolined, and never fired. It's sat in its original box for likely twenty years now and I'm excited to finally let it sing in all its big bore, no lock goodness. That cylinder will never be this clean again! I've got a summer comfort on the way from Barranti Leather and I'll be excited to put it through its paces. Hope y'all enjoy the pi


That’s a beaut. Love those pre-lock big bores!

 

[Slow Hand]

I don't have a mountain gun (yet!), But I do have a Blackhawk Convertible in .45ACP/.45 Colt. I'd be interested to hear that load.

 

[Slow Hand]

 

[92FSTech]

Thanks for that! I've passed up on some ACP revolvers in the past because I really wanted the .45 Colt...but I guess I never considered loading the heavier bullets in the shorter cases. I've never gone heavier than 230gr in .45 ACP. I'll concurr with what the article says about the long jump to the lands not being a huge issue, too...my convertible blackhawk is just as accurate in .45 ACP as it is in .45 Colt, and the short cases are easier to extract.

 

[kjdoski]

Fantastic choice! I had one back in the day in the REAL .45 - the one that ends in "Colt." Enjoy!

 

[vermilionbird]

@Slow Hand the leather is from Barranti Leather! He's all I'll ever use for revolver holsters now.

 

[Slow Hand]

Thanks for that! I've passed up on some ACP revolvers in the past because I really wanted the .45 Colt...but I guess I never considered loading the heavier bullets in the shorter cases. I've never gone heavier than 230gr in .45 ACP. I'll concurr with what the article says about the long jump to the lands not being a huge issue, too...my convertible blackhawk is just as accurate in .45 ACP as it is in .45 Colt, and the short cases are easier to extract.

If one were really concerned with pressure, you could seat the bullet further out in the case since you’re not worried about feeding or magazine length.

I too have skipped over some ACP guns and am mad at myself for that now! I have a flat top .45 convertible that has been pretty accurate for me. I did just pick up the 25-15 listed on the classifieds and am excited to shoot it!

 

[Slow Hand]

@Slow Hand the leather is from Barranti Leather! He's all I'll ever use for revolver holsters now.

Doc makes some amazing leather gear. I really need to get something from him, just need to decide what I want first!

 

[RetiredSergeant10]

OOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo. Daddy like.

 

[Hatchet601]

VERY, VERY NICE! I was after a 625 mountain gun in .45 Colt for a long time, but couldn't find one that I could stomach the price of. I finally ended up with a 2 3/4" Model 69 in .44 Mag, and have been very happy with it...but still drool over the .45 mountain guns every time I see one. I have a thing for the .45.

I do a lot of backpacking, and have this idea that a lightweight scandium-framed 5-shot .45 Colt with a steel cylinder (don't want the hassle of caring for titanium) cut for moon clips (so you could shoot .45 ACP out of it, too) and a 3" barrel would be the ultimate trail gun. Lightweight, compact, manageable recoil while still delivering a solid punch with deep penetration, and the ability to double as a CCW piece with fast .45 ACP moon-clip reloads when I'm travelling to and from the trail (I only want to take one gun, as I don't like the idea of leaving a gun locked in my unattended car at a remote trailhead for days).

Unfortunately, nobody makes that, so a 625 in .45 Colt is about as close as I can hope to get. Maybe someday I'll come across one for a price that I can't refuse, but until then I still enjoy viewing those belonging to others. Congrats on a great score, I hope you get years of solid use out of it!

How does that 44 shoot? I wish S&W would make that 69 in a 41 mag. Think it would be a lot more comfortable to shoot. And fit in my 686 chest holster.

 

[bgcatty]

Very nice find indeed! Just shoot and enjoy!!!

 

[STEEL CORE]

Very nice indeed.

 

[indyblue]

(don't want the hassle of caring for titanium)

Please excuse my ignorance but why is titanium a hassle to care for? It is the second hardest metal on earth and does not rust or corrode.

It might be time for me to get another wheel gun, Since my only one is an inherited chiefs model 36 that I’d rather keep pristine.

 

[92FSTech]

How does that 44 shoot? I wish S&W would make that 69 in a 41 mag. Think it would be a lot more comfortable to shoot. And fit in my 686 chest holster.

It's excellent. The trigger was a bit rough from the factory, but I put a Wilson Combat mainspring in it (had to shim the strain screw a bit to prevent light strikes) and it now has the best trigger of any revolver I own.

I tried numerous grips on it, and finally settled on a Hogue Monogrip that I modified to remove the finger grooves and shortened up until it's just the right size to fill my hand. It's a good combination of controllability and concealabiliy.

It's smooth, has solid lockup, and is incredibly accurate.

.44 can be a handful, but I don't shoot tons of full-house stuff through it. I handload and I have a Unique load with a 200gr bullet that runs about 1100fps over the chronograph. It's a great "light magnum" load. But if you want/need to push the really hot stuff through it, it'll handle it just fine. I just put 30 rounds of really spicy stuff through it last week doing some load development, and it really wasn't all that punishing

 

[92FSTech]

Please excuse my ignorance but why is titanium a hassle to care for? It is the second hardest metal on earth and does not rust or corrode.

It might be time for me to get another wheel gun, Since my only one is an inherited chiefs model 36 that I’d rather keep pristine.

The titanium cylinders on the S&W "PD" guns have a special coating on them that can be damaged by certain cleaning solvents and abrasives. Once the coating is compromised, the cylinder can begin to erode. I shoot a lot of lead...sometimes this requires pretty strenuous scrubbing to get it out of the cylinder. The couple of oz of weight savings isn't a fair trade for the ability to do that, at least not for me.

Here's a photo that I found online that's purported to be straight from the S&W Manual, and I've heard the same from multiple sources:

 

[Hatchet601]

It's excellent. The trigger was a bit rough from the factory, but I put a Wilson Combat mainspring in it (had to shim the strain screw a bit to prevent light strikes) and it now has the best trigger of any revolver I own.

I tried numerous grips on it, and finally settled on a Hogue Monogrip that I modified to remove the finger grooves and shortened up until it's just the right size to fill my hand. It's a good combination of controllability and concealabiliy.

It's smooth, has solid lockup, and is incredibly accurate.

.44 can be a handful, but I don't shoot tons of full-house stuff through it. I handload and I have a Unique load with a 200gr bullet that runs about 1100fps over the chronograph. It's a great "light magnum" load. But if you want/need to push the really hot stuff through it, it'll handle it just fine. I just put 30 rounds of really spicy stuff through it last week doing some load development, and it really wasn't all that punishing

Good info! I really like the concept of that gun and glad to see a little work makes it great. I need to look at some WC springs for my 686. Recoil wise I shot a mountain gun the other day and it was a hand full for me, I fear the 69 with full power would be same, but always less spicy ones to shoot like you said, then hot for when you need it.

 

[yetti462]

45 colt mountain and a 45acp. Gotta love the n frames.

 

[92FSTech]

Good info! I really like the concept of that gun and glad to see a little work makes it great. I need to look at some WC springs for my 686. Recoil wise I shot a mountain gun the other day and it was a hand full for me, I fear the 69 with full power would be same, but always less spicy ones to shoot like you said, then hot for when you need it.

How I shimmed the strain screw with the Wilson mainspring, just for reference. The Wilson spring would light off Federal primers reliably, but had a few light strikes on other brands. I couldn't have that, so I shimmed it to add a bit more tension and it's been 100% ever since. I used a spent large pistol primer, I had to file the cup down a bit to allow proper clearance, but there's still enough of a rim left to keep it from slipping out from under the screw. I did have to polish the hooks of the Wilson spring a good bit as it came out of the box with a lot of flashing and burrs. DA is now quite light and extremely smooth and consistent throughout the entire pull. SA is almost scary light.

Here's a group at 7 yards, with some modified Altmonts that I had on it at one point. They were nice and concealable in my hiking rig, but slippery and kind of hard to maintain a consistent grip:

Here it is in current config with modified Hogue Bantam grips:

 

[Nazgul]

Sweet!! Had one in my hands 15 years ago or so. Never bought it, always wished I did.

Have a S&W 696 44 special that is nice.

Don

 

[indyartisan]

Not a Mountain Gun but how about a S&W 1917 Plains Piece.