S&W 625 conversion to .45 Magnum

J

Justplainbill

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I am thinking of converting my 625 (Model of 1989) to use .45 Win Mag., .460 Rowland or .45 Super Ammunition using moon clips. Has anyone had any experiance with such a conversion or know where the work could be done?. Any advise or suggustions would be appreciated.
 
If your talking of just lengthening the chambers and keeping the 6 shot cylinder, then you can go up to 460 Rowland. The 625 will NOT stand up to the demands of the 45 Win Mag.

Elliot
 
Better yet, save your gun the trouble and get some .45ar brass and load your own "magnums". The .45ar can be loaded to practically duplicate some very popular .44mag hunting loads by using 14.5 grams of Unique and a 255gr lead swc. That's exactly what I plan to do with mine, I just couldn't stand to start cutting, boring and trimming on my 625.
I found this load in a G&A special magazine titled the "Legend of the .45" or something like that, but the author gives several of his favorite target, g.p. and hunting loads. The load I stated above was endorsed by the author for tackling large game such as elk and moose and even suitable for defense against large predatory animals.
This article alone practically sold me on the 625, not to mention the ability to use the same .45acp ammo as my S.A. 1911A1. Otherwise, I'd just would have just bought a 6" 629 .44mag.
 
My 625 is at the smithy as we speak being rechambered for 460 Rowland. I wasn't aware that the 45 auto rim case could handle the extra pressure or I might have just saved my $ and gone that route. I was under the impression that part of the Rowland equation was a stronger case. Clark will rechamber your S&W or Ruger for about $100 but you'll still have to pay the shipping both ways.
 
I wouldn't want to use .45 Auto Rim cases as the basis for anything approaching .44 Mag. I'm not sure case capacity is enough to do it with slower powders, and faster powders are EXTREMELY touchy in small cases when pushed to the wall.

I think I'd simply ream a recent 625 out to .45 Colt and go from there.
 
amprecon - You might want to check your load data again. I think you're going to be safe from grenading your 625 as you won't be able to fit 14.5 grains, much less grams, of Unique under a 255 gr. SWC in an Auto Rim case. The Number 8 Speer manual probably represented the zenith of hot loads in .45 Auto Rim. It lists 8 gr. of Unique as maximum under a 255 gr. SWC. Perhaps you are thinking of 2400, which is shown as having a maximum load of 15 grains under that bullet. I used to shoot some of the listed loads that supposedly pushed a 200 gr jacketed bullet some 1330 fps out of a 6.5 inch barrel using 11.5 gr Unique. I'm here to tell you that these were well and truly stout loads, and pretty much filled the case to the mouth. For your own safety, I would strongly encourage you to double and triple check the source of that data you posted before trying those loads in anything you don't want to put in low earth orbit. God bless. Hugh
 
I've got a 625 and I just love it.

I've tried 45 Super loads in my Kimber and although they worked with strong springs, they did bang up the gun more than I was comfortable with. So I quit shooting 45 Super in the Kimber.

I have been afraid to run 45 Super in the 625.
So far this thread has not addressed 45 Super.
As far as I know, the autorim is about the same brass
with a rim - any other difference.

I never even heard of the 45 ar - what is it?

Colima
 
Huge - You were right, thanks for catching me on that. The publication is from Guns & Ammo and it was a late '98 issue titled "Complete book of the .45". The specific article was titled "A Forgotten Powerhouse" written by Chuck Taylor. On page 65 I quote:
"Actually, the only load that produces recoil in either an M25 or M625 that is sufficiently noteworthy to preclude fast, combat-type DA work is the big 255-grain hardcast Keith #454424 SWC and 14.5 grains of 2400.
Intended to be used against large and/or dangerous game, it generates a whopping 1,083 fps from a five-inch M625 or 1,137 fps from a 6 1/2 M25 and shoots inside one inch at 25 meters. In fact, it duplicates the performance of Elmer Keith's recommended load for the .45 Colt cartridge used in a 7 1/2-inch Ruger Blackhawk-20.0 grains 2400 with the same bullet-with a much smaller case! For hunting elk, caribou and moose or "boondocking" in country where encountering potentially dangerous animals is a concern, this particular load excels, providing excellent accuracy, a full-caliber wound channel and fine penetration."
This article helped me choose the 625 over a 629.
 
The Dan Wesson model 460 fires .45 Auto Rim without moonclips, and .45ACP, .45ACP +P, .45 Super, .450SMC, .460 Rowland, and .45 Winchester Magnum with moonclips. In order to use .45 Win Mag, you need to have cartridges using Star Line brass, as apparently other makes of brass are incompatible with the moonclips. This applies only to .45 Win Mag and .460 Rowland, and I believe that Georgia Arms' .45 Win Mag will work nicely. Georgia Arms used to make .460 Rowland, I am unsure if they still do.

The gun is available in blue or stainless, fluted or unfluted cylinder, and has interchangable barrels, in lengths of 4", 6", 8", and I believe 10".

7460rowland-l.jpg
 
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