Tell me about your S&W 625

Moon Clips & Accuracy

Does JM use a revolver w/moonclips at the Bianchi CuP where accuracy is paramount? Since the man shoots for Team S&W do you think he might be using the most accurate revolver they can produce? Mooncips anyone? JM might be using moonclips? I don't know.

Anyone using moonclip equipped revolver ever set a accuracy record above a conventional revolver in; 1) NRA Centerfire Pistol, 2) PPC, or 3) Revolver BenchRest? Anwer...no, no, and....no.
 
Anyone using moonclip equipped revolver ever set a accuracy record above a conventional revolver in; 1) NRA Centerfire Pistol, 2) PPC, or 3) Revolver BenchRest? Anwer...no, no, and....no.
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They don't set those records because they're not the best tool for those events. A moonclipped .45 revolver is ideal when reloads are on the clock and/or high power factor ammo offers some advantage, such as USPSA. Otherwise, in target events, where reloads are off the clock, it's tough to beat the good ol' .38. Not because moonclipped guns are categorically less accurate, but more that it's tough to beat the accuracy of the tried and true wadcutter.
 
I have never had any accuracy issues with Moon Clips. I am a combat shooter, and not a bulls eye shooter however.
Jerry does use moon clips by the way.
I currently own the following Moon Clip Revolvers:
442 Pro Moon Clip (38 Special)
625-3 (3" Power Custom Combat 45acp/45AR/45 Super/460 Rolland)
310 Night Guard (2.5" 40 S&W/10mm)
610 (4" Power Custom Combat 40 S&W/10mm)
686-1 (Power Custom Combat w/Clark Moon Clip Conversion)

I have also owned other 625's, 25-2's, 1917's and Weblys converted to 45acp.
Advantages:
They are quick to reload.
Have more positive ejection of all rounds doing a speed reload.
The moon clip reloads are far more compact than speed loaders.
The moon clip carriers are more concealable, and easier to access than all but competition speed loader carriers.
Moon clips are cheaper than speed loaders.
When shooting a match you pick up all your brass with your moon clips at the end of the Stage.

Negatives:
Loading and unloading the clips might take a hair longer. Made up for when picking up your brass off the ground if you shoot combat Matches. Finding and picking up 6 cases in a moon clip is far quicker than searching for 6 cases scattered in the grass after you pick up your speed loader. Most Matches will not let you recover your brass. Using moon clips you still get to recover it.
You need a loading tool. They are $40 no big deal. I loaded them with a pair of pliers and unloaded them with a 3/8" bolt for years before spending the $40 on a Delux Moon Clip Tool. I have been shooting moon clip guns for 40 years. They did not have a loading tool when I first started using them.
By the way I still have my 3/8" Bolt as well as a 6" piece of 1/2" Copper Pipe in my shooting Bag to unload my clips some times.

Bob
 
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Okay, it has been established that moon clips are a non-issue.
Don't bring JM's race gun into this. How much of that gun is stock?
 
Take a Dremel to your moon clips and remove the edges of them where they grip the rims. You can make them much easier to load or unload and save a great deal of hassle. For defense purposes, use unmodified clips. I paint the range use only ones red. I shoot a 25-5 and a 610 and I haven't found a better tool than the ones from Brownell's that look like a fat screwdriver.
 
Okay, it has been established that moon clips are a non-issue.
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I haven't gotten the kind of accuracy out of my 625 I have with my 686 or K-38, but my 686/K-38 seem particularly accurate. Or, I haven't yet found a load my 625 likes as much.

Nonetheless, I've been able to get 1" at 15 yards (unsupported) with my 625, though that's with cast bullets. It doesn't seem to like plated bullets as much, so I suspect the throats on my 625 are larger than optimum for plated or jacketed bullets.

Fletcher625targets002.jpg


Edit: I just remembered I had this one, too. It was shot with a friend's stock 4" 625. It was shaping up to be a nice group, until I looked over the front sight to peek at the target just as the shot broke. :mad: There didn't seem to be any accuracy issue with the gun, though. :o
williamson625-3Target.jpg
 
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If not for ICORE Moonclips would be a non-issue

Like it or not, if moonclips added versitilty to revolvers then Colt and S&W would not have dropped the moonclip option by design some 60 years go.
 
Like it or not, if moonclips added versitilty to revolvers then Colt and S&W would not have dropped the moonclip option by design some 60 years go.
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This is, of course, a logical fallacy, as there are many other reasons for manufacturers actions rather than perceived versatility.
 
If not for ICORE Moonclips would be a non-issue

Like it or not, if moonclips added versitilty to revolvers then Colt and S&W would not have dropped the moonclip option by design some 60 years go.
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The moonclipped .45acp was developed solely as an emergency measure to fill a hole left by a production backlog of the newly-developed 1911 .45acp in WWI. Using half-moon clips, it did it's job well.

What saved it was 1) the development of the full moon clip by a garage tinkerer in the 60s or 70s, and 2) the rise of action pistol shooting around the same time, with USPSA pre-dating ICORE. ICORE wouldn't likely exist without the moonclipped revolver.
 
sw_625jm.jpg

625JM

408.jpg

not a 625 but a 1938 Brazilian Contract ..parkerized and other custom work...

I like the 45acp in a revolver format
 
Hey guys, can you do me a favor?

GET OFF THE FRIGGIN MOON CLIPS ALREADY!!!!!

Take that discussion elsewhere. My question about them has been answered.
 
I have a couple hundred moon clips because all of the bowling alleys in my town let us back a truck up the rear door and give us all the pins we want. That's how it starts kids.
 
Mr B, I do appreciate the input. This thread was heading off the deep end over moon clips. That was not the main point of the thread.
I'm trying to find out if I' d be happier with a 625 or 25.
 
While I'm not a competitive shooter, I like precision tools.
I could not care less about collectors value, vintage, or pretty rainbow grips. Chances are good that it would be modified to fit my large paws and have the action tweaked to give me that perfect feel.
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I'm trying to find out if I' d be happier with a 625 or 25
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Based on your wants, I'd suggest a later type 625 with a pinned front sight and frame mounted firing pin. A pinned sight obviously makes it easier to replace. As far as the frame mounted firing pin (FMFP) set up, there are aftermarket pins and hammers available that help one tune the action lighter. And if the pin ever does break, it's trivial to replace it. It's definitely not trivial to replace a HMFP.

Where the FMFP setup really shines, though, is if you bob the hammer for DAO. The lighter the hammer, the better, and traditional hammers just can't be made as light as FMFP hammers. I'll admit to being a fan of radically-bobbed hammers myself (see my vid, for example).

With the pinned front sight and FMFP design will likely come MIM parts. You may have read negative things about MIM parts, but IME, they work well, and even make tuning a bit easier. No one's harder on their revolvers than USPSA/IDPA/ICORE wheelgunners, yet most opt for newer MIM-infested guns for the reasons we both articulated. If those guns didn't hold up or perform, they wouldn't continue to be used.

The 4" JM version is popular, but be aware that it's got a serrated trigger and JM grips, which Jerry likes, but you may not. It also mixes MIM & forged parts, which can be an issue. More on that here. OTOH, it's got an interchangeable front sight, which is a terrific option that allows one to swap the front sight in seconds. You can get a Weigand interchangeable sight base installed on a standard 625 (that's what I did), but it costs.
 
Sorry about missing that Mr. feets. Must have been distracted with all those smile-lee faces. I'd say the two-five. The 625 has the alot of $$ competitor gizmos on it.

Now before you pull the trigger on either one, I'd at least wait until you get a chance to look at the orginals out of the 1920s & 1930s & 1940s. Good Luck.
 
Most people nowadays seem to prefer the stainless guns for their lessor maintenance. But I wouldn't trade my old 25-2 for any of them. I just NEVER liked the look of stainless guns. They always looked "In the White" to me, so I'll keep to my blued guns for the most part.
 
I hate to mention clips again, but...

+1 "Mines a 4 inch mountain gun in 45 Colt. Couldn't be happier with it. Excellent accuracy and very smooth action."

It is my never sell gun, I even had mine cut for moon clips so I could shoot 45acp and 45C
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I don't understand how you can shoot BOTH 45 ACP and 45 Colt. Wouldn't there would be WAY too much headspace for 45 Colt in a clip cut cylinder?
 
I have two of them, they are the best revo for games with reloads by a good margin. If you use 45GAP brass you can moon/demoon without tools and the small primer allows lighter trigger pulls while maintaining 100% ignition.
 
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