S&W model 25 in .45 acp

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BigJimP

New member
Can you fire the model 25's without the moon clips installed - by dropping a round into each cylinder ?

( the S&W 625's ...) have cylinders ground so the round sits in the cylinder and it can fire without the moon clips )....and while you'd need to use a pencil or something to eject the spent cases...its an option.

Will the older model 25's allow the same procedure....or when you drop the straight walled .45 acp round into the cylinder and tip the gun forward will the case migrate forward in the cylinder....and not allow it to fire ?

I know you always have the option to use .45 Auto Rim.../ but I'm curious about the .45 acp
 
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Dunno about a Model 25, but I can drop 45 ACP into my 1917 Smiths and fire them just fine without clips. The rounds headspace on the step in the chamber, not on a clip. I suspect that Smith has been doing it that way all along.
 
I believe you can shoot without the clips but you can't eject the empties. Have to pluck them out with the fingers or push from the front with a rod.

I have one of those. Lotta fun. The 45 ACP is a pussycat in such a heavy revolver.


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Bear in mind that there are some dash versions of the Model 25 that are chambered in .45 Colt and they do not have the "step' in the chamber for the .45 acp case to head space on, and moon clips won't fit.
 
The older .45 ACP Smiths would properly headspace & fire ACP rounds without clips.
More recent versions over the past 15 years or so would not.
So- it depends on the age of the gun.
Denis
 
@DPris: Thanks for chiming in. That's kind of the way I remembered it, but wasn't sure and so I was hesitant to post. I thought that the older production model 25's had the chamber shoulder cut. Then there was a brief interlude when it wasn't, but the chamber shoulder is cut on recent and present production. As a noted writer in the shooting sports field, I'm sure you have the inside track.

What I do know is that my 5 inch, model 625-2, made in 1995, has the chamber shoulder cut.
 
They all had the "cut", among those I've seen, it's just that the cut or shoulder was not consistent.
On about five guns I had here over 5 or 6 years, some chambers would reliably headspace & fire, others would allow the firing pin strike to push the round forward enough to seat the round deeper into the chamber & not fire.

I argued it with S&W, but didn't get anywhere.
"Our new process doesn't allow that."
Well, yeah, it does, I've had new Smiths here in hand that would not do what my older .45 ACP Smiths would do. :)
Denis
 
I have read elsewhere what Denis describes in #9.
On the other hand, the M25 is kind of infamous for odd size chamber throats, usually large.
 
I personally have never had, nor seen, a Smith 7 Wesson .45 ACP that would not fire .45 ACP without clips. While my experience has been rather limited on .45 ACP revolvers, I have seen some Colt M1917s that absolutely required clips for headspacing.

Incidentally, the best ejector in such cases is an unsharpened red Coca-Cola pencil. Next best was a No.2 yellow Eagle pencil. Once thought of making a spring loaded ejector, but got rid of my DA .45 ACP revolvers.

Bob Wright
 
Not sure what the dash # is (too lazy to go into the vault and look), but my Model 22-something "1917" replica lets the cases head space on the mouth of the case.
 
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I got a 1970 S&W 25-2 45acp in 2002 off a forum for $360.

It misfires too much with moon clips and 45acp.

But it works well with 45 auto rim brass, so that is how I shoot it.

I load it up so it kicks like a 44 mag.
 
Might look at the strain screw & the mainspring.
Definitely something wrong if it's misfiring with clips.
Denis
 
All the S&W 45 ACPs I've owned, and it's been quite a few, have fired fine without moon clips. That includes 1917s, pre-M25s, M25-2s, M-625s & a 325NG.

That being said, I never shoot them that way except when testing ammo (chronograph, etc.). Full moon clips are such an advantage I can't see any reason to not use them, ever. I generally keep an ammo can full of loaded moon clips and can shoot till I'm tired, without having to load or unload them at the range.

Once back home in the shop I use a tool from Brownells to empty the clips and another tool from mooncliptool.com to load them up again. Not much harder than loading magazines but it's all done before I even go to the range.

YMMV,
Dave
 
I have a 625-8 JM in 4inch and a friend also has one just like mine, and neither one will shoot without moonclips. I haven't had the chance to fire a MDL.25 yet but would like to.
 
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