The S&W Pre-25 Model of 1955 Thread

H

Hammer It

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Hello All
I Looked long and hard for a S&W Pre-25 chambered in .45 acp and finally came across one in decent shape. These seldom seen revolver's in my area normally command higher prices but I Lucked into this one for $600.00 about Five Years ago. I Promptly took it home and hand loaded up some Remington Auto-Rim cases for it I hate fooling with Moon clip's and headed off to the Range with it. I think I found the load it likes shown with the actual six shot target shot @ The 25 Yard range off of a sand bag rest. Let's see and hear about your S&W Model of 1955 .45 Target revolver's the unsung hero True Big Bore Revolver's.;) Regards, Hammer it


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That is amazingly good shooting at 25 yds with a revolver. Looks like a keeper to me. I've only owned one M25, and it was a 45LC which I eventually sold or traded off for the stuff I tend to collect.
 
About 35 years ago I saw a new 25-2 in a local shop. I had never seen one and I bought it. It was beautiful, but I was disappointed when I shot it. I was all into Magnums with big report and big recoil and the 25 with it's weight made the 45 ACP a pussycat. I quickly traded it away (did that a lot when I was younger and now I cringe at the thought of some of the guns I let go).

About 8 years I saw a 25-2 on Gunbroker with a $375 buy it now price. It seemed like a good deal so I bought it. Being older and wiser I can appreciate the qualities of this gun far more than I could in my youth.

Mine was made in 1980. The 25s traditionally came with 6.5" barrels but in 1978 S&W changed all 6.5" barrels to 6". However, this one is 6.5" so I guess they were using up barrels in inventory.


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That is amazingly good shooting at 25 yds with a revolver. Looks like a keeper to me
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Hello 22Rimfire
The gun can shoot better than I am able to hold it. I firmly believe in a Ransom Rest that this gun would shoot one Ragged hole results. I focus on Pre-Models as I feel that they had more Craftsmanship than the later Model stamped revolver's.;) This one is very odd for a Five screw variant as it shipped Very late for a pre-Model stamped gun it left S&W In December of 1959. According to Roy Jink's the factory was using up a surplus of five screw Frames that were Intended for the Fierce Pre-29's that were chambered in .44 Magnum so this is why this gun shipped late being a five screw variant. That was great news to me as those Frame's Were heat treated to take the recoil Punishment so I have little worries about loading this one with Hot hand loads, it also Sport's a shorter 5-7/8" barrel so it may have been a special ordered gun back then so Know's and I really don't care as I shoot this one often it is Not a Safe Queen.


I in the past have had a slew of Model 25-2's as well as many Model 25-5's that are chambered in the famous .45 Colt, but they have been Traded off due to Poor accuracy Potential on Target and in My Book, if this Dog Don't hunt it does not stay in my collection very long. Nothing against those model Marked gun's, but it has been my Own experience that they do not show the accuracy of a pre-model stamped Five screw gun. They all had very nice finishes on them as far as the Bluing went, but they all had larger than acceptable cylinder throats , and being that I am more of a shooter than a Purist S&W Revolver collector they simply did not stack up well on target...:( This one has Been Packed in my Factory S&W shoulder rig in the wood's during Deer Hunting Plenty of times, I hope one day to drop a fine buck with it shooting one of my own hand Loads while doing so. ;) Hammer It
 
Beautiful gun! I have one, a newer model with the 6 inch barrel. Bought it right before they stopped making them. I used it for bowling pins, especially with 255 grain .45 Colt bullets. It was okay accuracy-wise, but never really impressive. I'd shoot it once every 4 or 5 years. Anyway, last Thursday, I took it out to the range and fired some 200 grain SWC's. I'd never tried them before. 18 rounds in the 10 ring of a reduced silhouette at 15 yards. Off hand, shooting DA. I tried some of my regular 230's and it was back to so-so accuracy. I just needed the right bullet. I'll be shooting it a lot more now.
 
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50 shots, 15 yrds off hand.

Here is my Pre25 that was worked over decades ago. Excellent trigger, coke grips and fun shooter. I will try and get out with her this week again.
 
Very nice looking revolver and a shooter to boot.

I'm not an S&W expert but I've always had the impression that the Model 25 was kind of a 'sleeper' in the S&W lineup. Not nearly as famous as the Model 27 .357 (gorgeous) or the Model 29 (gorgeous an d 'the most powerful handgun...' well you know the rest of the Dirty Harry rant.
 
I bought a used Model 25-2 in excellent condition in 2005 for $450.00. It has a 6.5" barrel and was made in 1972. One of my favorite handguns and I still use it in Bullseye matches-the mode of competition this revolver was intended for.
 
Hello Peter M. Eick
That is some fine shooting it look's as though your's Group's as nice as mine does. ;) Those of us that have these Pre-25's aren't about to let them go soon. Regards, Hammer It
 
I recall a story I read years ago in which the hero tells his sidekick, "Don't worry, nobody can hit you at over twenty feet with a handgun." Yep.

Jim
 
That rates right in there with the movie cowboy walking in to a general store and requesting 2 boxes of rifle bullets and one of revolver bullets. Or the Shadow serial where the Shadow is carrying 6 1911's and just throws them away as he fires them dry(after 6 shots). To those that don't know any more than the writer it all sound right.
 
Hello Peter
One reason I use the .45 Auto-Rim Cases, is that you can load them a bit warmer than the .45 auto cases. Regards, Hammer it
 
Great thread and superb pics Hammer and Peter. I share your enthusiasm for the venerable Smith, though mine is a 25-2, but, I think will shoot with yours for accuracy. I too prefer the auto-rim case, if only for ease of ejection and the royal PITA of using half-moon clips.

For bullets, Keith's old 452423 (?) works well and is easy to score if that's your gig. I've also had good luck with Lyman's 452374, the military hard ball home cast duplicate. Powders: Unique of course, Win 231/HP38, Herco & Bullseye all work to perfection. Groups at 25 yds will run well below 1-1/2" if my casting is up to snuff, and my glasses aren't fogged.

For the most part, mine wears Pachmeyer Signatures...'cause they fit me!!...but I do have the original stocks somewhere and the wooden case with all the accoutrements. Couldn't find the stocks for the pic, but you get the idea. BTW, I just measured mine and found the barrel was 5-7/8" from muzzle to the rear of the forcing cone.

I had one of the early Smith efforts with the .45 LC version...back in the late 70's early 80's. My example, a 4" bbl'd one, had lousy accuracy. Hard ball, cast, swagged; it didn't matter. Groups ran over 4" at 25 yds. I was living in CT at the time and took it up to Springfield to their service dept. They did some work on the trigger, but told me that the 0.457" throats vs. the 0.4515" groove dia. were within specs. After a year of frustration trying to find one combination that worked, I traded it in on a M29 over at Lyman's Blue Trail Range gun shop. Any one know if S&W ever got the throats vs. groove dia. sorted out? The Mountain Gun in .45 LC has always interested me, but I'll not take the leap if there are accuracy issues.

Again, thanks for the pics and rekindling my interest in an old friend who's spent too much time in the safe for a cpl yrs.

Rod

 
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Peter, please tell me more about the odd thumb-piece on the hammer? Cracks me up how many zillions of little details are brand new to me as I come across them. That thumb-piece is obviously very, very much to the left hand side, I suppose for some manner of target single action work, but it sure seems like more "show" than "go" -- but easy for me to say as I much prefer double action shooting. ;)

Seeing an odd variance like this reminds me of my 19-3 Texas Rangers Commemorative -- apologies for no picture, but half the trigger guard is shaved down and smoothed nicely and beautifully blued... the idea of which?! "Quicker to the trigger?" No clue, but a neat little variance that is easily noticed but probably doesn't have much effective advantage...?
 
I had a Texas Wagon Train commemorative S&W, model 544, and it had a hammer like I haven't seen before or since. It's a wide target hammer, but the spur has a distinct, half-round shape that hugs the frame when cocked, rather than the flat(ter) spur shown in the pics above.
 
Peter, please tell me more about the odd thumb-piece on the hammer? Cracks me up how many zillions of little details are brand new to me as I come across them. That thumb-piece is obviously very, very much to the left hand side, I suppose for some manner of target single action work, but it sure seems like more "show" than "go" -- but easy for me to say as I much prefer double action shooting.
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Hello Sevens
That is what is called a cockeyed Hammer. It was made by The King Gun sight Corp. I believe... ;) Hammer It
 
Thanks for answering the question above. Yes it is a cockeyed hammer and it works great. I have been offline for a bit and am trying to catch up.
 
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