S&W 625-3 .45 Colt: New to Me Purchase...Paid Too Much???

S

Southern Shooter

New member
I recently fell prey to my friendly LGS. I walked in to just look and chat. And, ended up dropping more cash AFTER I swore off buying for a while.

Did I pay too much???

-S&W 625-3
-.45 Colt
-"45 Cal Model of 1989" lasered on the barrel
-outside of pawl mark on the cylinder there are no other blemishes on the gun
-included was 100 handloads of 250 grain cast bullets
-Total out the door: $700.00

P.S.
The trigger on this gun is the smoothest, easiest trigger that I have ever operated.
S&W 625-3 a.jpg

S&W 625-3 b.jpg

.45 Colt 250 grain handloads.jpg
 
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You stole it, even without the ammo. Only a fool would shoot someone else's reloads, that's what bullet pullers are for.
 
Only a fool would shoot someone else's reloads, that's what bullet pullers are for.
Click to expand...
+1, and I'd like to add a little extra emphasis to this warning because .45 Colt S&W N frames are generally NOT considered safe to fire with "+P" aka "Ruger / Freedom Arms Only" loads. (I put +P in quotations because a SAAMI pressure standard for +P does not exist for this cartridge.) The N frame was designed around a .44-caliber cartridge and the cylinder walls get kinda thin when you bore it out to .45 caliber. If you want to push the limits of the .45 Colt cartridge, this is the wrong revolver to use!

BTW yes, that's a good price- in my area, ANY really clean N frame under $750 is a good buy. :)
 
3 years ago I gave nearly 900 for a Model 25 4 inch.

And I felt lucky to have finally found one after looking for over a decade.
 
I wish that chambering had been available when I was really interested in a DA .45. I had a Model 625-? in .45 ACP with 5" full lug barrel. Only bad feature was the round butt. Considered re-working a Model 629 and mating it to that barrel. I was experimenting with the .45 S&W round at the time.

Bob Wright
 
Handloaded Bullets---Load Data Question

I was able to talk with the guy that loaded the bullets and I pulled a couple to verify what he said.

-250 Grain Cast Bullet
-7.5 grains of Green Dot

Anybody ever use that load?

250 grain .45 bullet.jpg
 
Years ago a friend of mine quit shotshell loading and gave me nearly a full eight pound keg of Green Dot.

After a little experimenting I used that for loading middle of the road .41 Magnum cartridges. It worked very well and produced some accurate loads. Sorry can't give you any better data than that.

Bob Wright
 
I'll repeat, I wouldn't shoot the reloads. 7.5 grains of Green Dot is a load that could accidentally be doubled in the case and still hold a bullet on top. 15 grains of Green Dot would probably blow up the cylinder.
 
Yes, I would never shoot an unknown person's reloads. I would have trepidation over shooting a friend's reloads, but never someone I don't know.
 
I have a 5" 625-3 in .45 ACP that I paid $775 for almost two years ago, so I would say you did well. If yours is like mine, it's a very accurate revolver, don't be afraid to stretch it out to 25 and 50 yards.
 
You should be OK but it’s a little stout
My number 10 Speer manual lists a
260 GR jacketed at the following
Green dot, MIN:7.2 GR MAX 7.7. GR 856 FPS Colt single action.

For a 250 Lead
Green dot, MIN 7.1 GR MAX 7.6 GR 798 FPS shot out of a Colt single action.
 
Bob Wright,

A round butt is not a bad feature at all. Round to square conversion grips are readily available from most grip makers, so you can easily make it a square grip.

Those of us who prefer round grips don't have square to round conversion grip options; any conversion would require major metal work, and would harm resale value.

Edit: OP, I had looked for one of those for a while. You got a good deal. I would even consider trading my 629 no-dash transitional model 6" for that.
 
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