629 v 625-- ammo cost, recoil,&hassle

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old_yout

New member
I've been looking around at ammo prices and 44spcls (not to mention 44mags) are really quite expensive. So I've begun to consider more the possibility of getting a 625 over a 629 and I'm back again with the questions of moonclips and recoil.
I like the muted push of the 44spcl but I have yet to shoot a 45 out of a revolver. How does it compare to the 44spcl and/or a 45 out of, say, a Sig220 --a weapon with which I'm less than precise?
And the moonclips. I understand the weapon can be used without moonclips, but at the sacrifice of a fast reload. Are moonclips easily concealed on a person? Is moonclip loading really that much of a hassle?
Or should I eschew all of that and pay $19 a box of 44s as opposed to the $13 of 45s.
 
OR consider reloading. Once you get into the larger calibers, the cost savings really becomes significant. You'll be able to manufacture quality .44 mag loads for less than the price of the potentially so-so .45 loads that your $13 is capable of buying.

Plus, there's just something about a .44 mag......
 
I've considered reloading, but I have neither the space nor the initial capital to start up an operation like that.
 
Compared to the cost of the gun, the cost of a set of beginner's reloading tools is low. Yes, I'm talking about Lee, but Lee will do the trick to get started (and keep going in most cases-I've been using my equip for nearly a year and it's doing just fine). You can get started for less than $100 (not including consumbables). Actually, you could push the entry cost down as low as $50-$75 if you shop around.

Regarding space, I live in a small apartment. My reloading press (Lee turret) is mounted to a board that I C-clamp to my desk (which is rather heavy, btw) when I need to load a few rounds. When not in use, I remove it and place it on the floor of my closet. I've loaded a few thousand rounds this way. Another way to go is with a hand press. Lee makes one as does another company (Lyman?).

Chris
 
Have all the guns you have mentioned. The recoil of the Sig P220 and the S&W 625 are different. The P220 tends to slightly flip up and back, the 625 just goes back under recoil. That makes the recoil feel stronger from the 625 revolver. But since the 625 does only recoil back and weighs more, it is also easier to control under rapid fire.

As for the cost of shooting, only 9mm is going to be less expensive than 45acp. And both these cartridges are much less expensive than the 44 caliber cartridges.

No firearm on the market carries better than a revolver with moon clips. They may not be as light or trim, but the ease of use and maintenance is unparalleled. Personally use the moon clips exclusively for carry. Hand load and eject the cylinder when cutting paper. It slows down the pace, allowing me to concentrate on the task and reduces the volume of ammunition needed to develop good skills.

Robert
 
First of all, ZeusOne has the right idea.:) When any handgunner move's into the big bore class, handloading
custom ammunition should always be a consideration.
The investment for the "set-up" will be realized in a very
short time. Besides Lee, one can get and RCBS Master Reloading Kit in the neighborhood of $249.95-$279.95; depending upon which dealer whom you decide to do business
with.:D With that said, the kit contains all the basics;
except for powder, primers, and bullet's. The kit even
contains a copy of Speer's #13 manual.

Recoil of factory ammunition in the .44 Magnum caliber is
tremendous; especially to a beginner; while the .45 ACP
fired from the same frame size revolver would be less noticeable, and in some cases just as accurate.:):D
Initial cost of the firearms, S&W 625 vs. S&W 629; would
be about the same. So, you choose!!! Why not "grab a tiger
by it's tail", and step up to the S&W 629 .44 Magnum?:eek:

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
While I enjoy unleashing...

...the .44 Magnum "beast" as much as anyone, I enjoy doing it from my Bisley Vaquero with its 4 5/8" tube. (Most .44 Magnum shooting gets done single-action anyway, regardless of the launch platform, BTW)
I do have to say, however, that my 625 is just about the sweetest wheelgun I've ever owned. Also, Clark Custom Guns ( http://www.clarkcustomguns.com ) offers a .460 Rowland conversion for $99, making the whole .44 Mag question moot, if you can set up for reloading the beast...
 
old_yout...I've got several N-frame S&W revolvers...the one I shoot the most is a Model 625 in .45 acp. Its MUCH MORE PLEASANT to shoot at the range than either of my 629's...and I LOVE the "full moon" clips...they make for a super-fast reload. As you've surmised, if you are currently limited to factory or commercially-reloaded ammo, the 625 is cheaper to feed...and as Tamara has pointed out, if you ever feel like you're missing something by NOT having a .44 Mag, you can always have the 625 rechambered to .460 Rowland!!! That'll romp n' stomp with the livliest .44 Mag out there!!!....mikey357
 
Why not 625 LC?

I was looking at the same equation, and went with the 625 in long colt. Unlike the .44 mag, it is fun to shoot. Of course, the bullets are expensive unless you get a good deal on a case. But there are a variety of loads available, including hunting loads. SInce I like shooting .45 auto, it gives me another caliber that I enjoy.
 
Don't forget that you can shoot .45 auto-rims in the 625 as well as .45 ACP, so you still have the option of rimmed cases. I don't reload (yet), but my neighborhood gun shop stocks 200 gr hardcast .45 AR target loads for me in new brass loaded locally. They aren't cheap ($22 for 50) but I consider it an investment in the cases for future reloading projects.

IIRC the .45 AR has a slightly larger case capacity than the ACP and can be loaded to equal "safe" .45 Colt loads in the *&* revolvers. I chose the 625 in ACP/AR over the Colt chambering for this reason - the AR about equals the longer .45 Colt case plus being able to shoot all the.45 ACP choices.

My .45 colt is a Ruger Bisley - twice the *boom* of the ACP/AR in the 625 !

-ric
 
.45 autorims in .45colt revolver?

I'm unfamiliar with the .45 autorim. Can it be shot in a .45 colt revolver? How do its balistics compare to the .45 auto and .45 colt?
 
The .45 autorim is essentially a rimmed .45 ACP that was developed to be fired in the 1917 model *&* and Colts without the need for the moon-clips used with the .45 ACP. While it will usually chamber in a .45 Colt cylinder, it has a very thick rim which prevents the cylinder from closing in a DA or turning in a SA.

IIRC the older 1917 model guns have thin chamber walls and shallow rifled barrels so .45 autorim loads should reflect standard ACP loads in these guns.

The .45 auto-rim in Model 25 and 625's, according to some, can be safely loaded higher - I've seen published loads for a 255 gr hardcast Keith at about 1080 fps for around 675 ft-lbs ME.

IMHO the .45 Colt, since it was orginally a blackpowder round, has a fair amount of under-utilized capacity in the 625. Recall that the ACP (and the autorim) were orginally designed for smokeless powder.

To get more out of the .45 Colt you need at least a Ruger or T/C (325 gr @ 1300 fps). To get the *most* out of the .45 Colt takes a 5-shot custom (360 gr @ 1500 fps).

-ric
 
.45AR vs .45lc

Ric,

About your comment that "the AR about equals the longer .45 Colt case" - is the .45ar really the equal of the .45lc? I find that hard to accept, since I would think the AR is esentially a .45 auto, but I have to admit I don't know hardly anything about the AR.
 
ric- what did you mean?

Ric,

I don't understand your comment "To get more out of the .45 Colt you need at least a Ruger or T/C (325 gr @ 1300 fps). To get the *most* out of the .45 Colt takes a 5-shot custom (360 gr @ 1500 fps)."

Do you mean that you don't think a 625 is safe with the heavier or higher power .45lc hunting loads?
 
I have two S&W 45 LCs and two 625 45 ACPs. Both of the latter have the 460 Rowland conversions. I also have a Ruger .454. I used to own a few .44 magnums but got rid of them. This is what I've learned along the way. The .45 LC can do anything the .44 magnum can. It can be pushed to overlap with the milder .454 loads. Plus it has an advantage for the reloader in that you can use the same bullets for the .45 ACP and .45 LC if you want. If you don't need (usually want!) the extra power, the 625 .45 ACP will do you well with the Rowland conversion. This gives you a lot of versatility and puts you in the mild to medium potency range of the .44 magnum. The .454 is to be shot when you have done something bad and feel you need to punish yourself. Or when you're bored and have forgetten how your hands felt the last time you emptied its cylinders a few times.
 
NO!!!!

The 625 is NOT safe with modern heavy-bullet high-performance ammo.
It's not a 'weakling', but's it's also not a Ruger.

Consider a milder semi-high-performance load, like a 300g LFN at 1000fps.
 
Weshoot2 has it exactly right.

When I said that the .45 Colt has under-utilized capacity in the 625 I should have added that it should *NOT* be loaded to the Ruger-T/C high performance levels.

My point (not expressed very well) was that IMHO there is no need for the 625 in .45 Colt. Since the "safe" .45 Colt loadings in the 625 do not exceed those of the .45 AR, why bother with the .45 Colt when you can get the same performance with the handloaded .45 AR. And still have the advantage of shooting the myriad of available .45 ACP rounds in the same gun with rapid-reload moon-clips.

I had orginally intended on getting the 4" barrel 625 Mountain gun in .45 Colt and shooting the higher performance Ruger loads in it. Some research showed that wasn't a safe option. I got a 5" 625 in .45 ACP/AR and have been very happy with it.

-ric
 
Thanks

Ric & Weshoot2,

Thanks for filling me in. Unfortunately, I have just purchased my 625lc 3", and so the Ruger is not an option for now. I've been assuming that any .45lc loads commercially available (putting aside handleading) can be safely fired in this gun.
 
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