Finally: a used Mountain Gun.

M

Marko Kloos

Inactive
Today at the show in K-town I finally stumbled across a pre-owned Mountain Gun. I'd been trying to track a used specimen down for a year now, with no luck. It set me back $495 out the door, tax and all.

This one's a .45LC variant, with the firing pin where it belongs: on the hammer. It will be my winter carry gun, since I also bought a Strong pancake three-slot holster for it (and my other toteable N-frames.) It even had a proper set of hardwood grips on it, so I didn't have to track one down. The new ones all come with Hogue rubber from the factory, which I don't like.

Those things are among the most stylish wheelguns ever made, IMHO.

mountaingun.jpg
 
My favorite gun

They were made in so many calibers that there's one for everyone. The .45Colt has even brought down elk at 50 yards. I've been looking for one in
.45ACP as it's the only one I've never had and that's my fav. cal.! go figure....dewey
 
I was wondering what you'd pick up there, buddy. I'm surprised you missed the beautiful M58 for $495, or the S&W 1917 in great shape for $295.
 
I hope this makes you feel like a good trader. I paid $600 for a S&W Springfield Commemorative 625 45acp. Mine is a lot rarer than your pistol but if I had seen yours first I would have jumped on it. I am on the prowl for a 629 Mountain Gun at the right price. Regards, Richard
 
I did see the M58 and the 1917, but I only had the spare change for one, and I'd been looking for a Mountain Gun for a while. Both the guns you mention were on the table of a very nice local gentleman (I bought an M1 Carbine from him at the last show.)

Roomie got herself a ported M629 3", and she is considering calling up that nice older gentleman to claim that M1917. Wait until she tells you about the full-auto electric airsoft MP5SD. :)
 
lendringser - - -

Congratulations on your find!

I shot the .44 Mag "Mountain Revolver" (note difference in name) several years ago and really enjoyed it A gun writer friend had it for evaluation and I coveted it, but couldn't justify to myself and my bank account owning another .44. Friend later bought his eval gun and still loves it.

But, soon thereafter, I saw the [EDIT: I had written "625-5" but it is really "625-6"] Mountain Gun in .45 Colt at a SHOT Show in Dallas and HAD TO HAVE IT! Called up my dealer buddy and said to order me one, and to keep bugging his distributors 'til he got one. Didn't even ask the price. Lo and behold! A week later he called and said it had arrived. That was about the time that S&W had started policy of not announcing until they had some already produced, but it astounded me! Drove to Dallas and picked it up same afternoon.

Didn't care for the Hogue rubber stocks wth finger grooves and substituted Pachmayr round butt type. Elder son later gave me a set of Wilson's Miculek smooth stocks, sans finger grooves, which I love.

Mine came with the different thumb latch piece, which I like, but I'd be happy with one like yours, too. What is serial number range on yours? I'm at office now, but will check mine this evening and post it later.

Mine likes the 250 cast SWC and 8.0 grains of Unique, Universal, or W-231. I also have the grand old Lyman/Ideal 454424 mould, and mine throws the big slugs at 276 grains. My favorite load with that one is - - - Well, a leeetle beyond published max. But the .45 Colt is a joy to shoot at 800 to 900 fps. I like my revolver far too much to try to magnumize it.

I just hope you enjoy yours as much as I've enjoyed mine.

Best,
Johnny
 
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The serial number range is CAP44XX, so it's a post-1994 gun, just before they switched to frame-mounted firing pins.

I've been wanting one of those for so long...it really hurts to walk past NIB ones at gun shows, with a wad of cash in the wallet, and sticking to the boycott. Finally someone got rid of one, and at a righteous price, too.
 
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Serial Number on mine - - -

- - - is CAU13XX. This is the latest S&W I;ve examined, and I have no idea how the numbering sequences run. I presume it would run to CAU9999 and then go to CAV0001 or CAV1001, or something like that. Does this make sense? Could mine have really been 20,000-odd after yours? Mine also has the hammer mounted firing pin.

I went looking for the box and papers to see exactly when I bought mine, but I think I put it in my remote storage locker.

Anyone have serial numbering information on these fine resolvers?

Again - - Happy for you.

Johnny
 
I don't like the firing pin on the hammer I have seen one break off when I worked in a gun shot back in my college days from a customer dryfiring the gun. The new design is much better.
PAT
 
The frame-mounted firing pin design requires a 25% stronger hammer spring to ensure reliable ignition, which makes a gun with a frame-mounted firing pin harder to tune in the trigger pull department. The weight cannot be reduced sustantially if you still want to dent primers reliably. So, technically, the old design is "better" if a smooth and tuneable trigger is an issue to you.

All my Smiths have hammer-mounted firing pins, and all of them get dry-fired a lot. All firing pins are still where they belong.
 
The new design is much better.
Click to expand...

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That'd explain why used 625-4's sell for more than new ones with the frame-mounted inertial firing pin around here. If and when I break one of mine, I'll let you know (but don't hold your breath; I've been dryfiring that 625 almost nightly since 1995). Then I'll replace the pin and drive on...
 
Pat may be right, in theory

I asked my smith about hammer-noses breaking or bending. He said that he's witnessed only 4 or 5 out of conservatively 5K revos through his shop in 20yrs. Personally, I have bent one myself, and it was a simple replacement. Now, I believe in the use of snap caps to help prevent it.

As to the new system, I am already aware of once case of the firing pin return spring binding and temporarily locking up the revolver. Heck, it's a VERY tiny little part. But, they've used the same system in the .22s for years without issue.
 
Breaking the firing pin is ...

not so much the issue with the design change. The wallowing out of the firing pin channel is primarily what the new frame-mounted firing pins are intended to prevent.

But in preventing this potential problem, you give up the trigger that has made S&W revolvers famous. So it's a trade-off. Do you want to prevent frame wear after thousands of rounds .... or have the best trigger this side of an old Colt Python?

I'll take the trigger ... I'm not going to put *that* many rounds through my MG to wear out the firing pin channel. That's why God made Rugers.
 
That is a great looking gun. I am about to get the 629-5 which looks close to that but is in 44mag. However, I would love to get my hands on lonegunman's 625 in 45 ACP.
 
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