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Thanks for the replies. I'll go with the 5" barrel and upgrade it as necessary. Chris

I'm thinking of replacing my worn-out 625-3 (5" barrel) My choices are a new 5" barrel 625 for $600 or a 4" barrel Jerry Miculek model for about $650. The gold-bead easily replaceable front sight is an advantage of the JM model. However, I am concerned that the shorter barrel will have more recoil and muzzle jump and require hotter loads to make PF. Has anyone made head-to-head comparisons between the two? Every other round-gun shooter I see uses a 5" barrel except for a few using a Model 25 with a 6.5" barrel. I'm a C level shooter and have fairly good recoil control (consistent .40 splits) with the 625-3 by taking a very high right hand grip and using 230gr Frontier bullets over 4.0gr. N-310. Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Chris

3.9gr N-310 provides 170 PF with Precision 230gr RNFP bullets in my S&W 625 5" barrel. N-310 both smokes less and meters much better than Clays. The cost difference per round between N-310 and Clays is minimal. Chris

I recommend WST for the beginning reloader in .45 acp for all the reasons stated above. Use the extremely fast powders like Clays, N-310, and Bullseye after you get some experience with the reloading process. Chris

I try to keep the cylinder moving at a smooth, steady pace. The trigger reset should be at the same speed and tempo as the trigger pull. (Think of your trigger finger as a metronome.) Miculek demostrated this in his "Advanced Revolver" Video. He cautioned against letting the cylinder stop moving ( having "a dead gun" as he described it) then "running at" the trigger when your sights finally are on target. Hard pulls on the trigger to make up for lost time degrade accuracy, at least for me. Dry fire practice will prove that you can make transitions from target to target while the cylinder and trigger are moving relatively quickly. When you synchronize this technique with the recoil of the gun, you may see great results. For me, this works well with paper targets and steel target out to ten yards. With more distant steel targets, I try to stage the trigger, often end up yanking it, and have the blessed opportunity to take another shot at the steel, curse under my breath, and figure out how to get back on reloading sequence. Chris

I recommend using .44 spl with moonclips in your Ruger Redhawk. You can buy moonclips from TK Custom (www.moonclips.com) along with instructions for machining your cylinder to accept moonclips. Moonclips may also be available from other suppliers as well. (A machinist here n Denver machined the cylinder on my GP-100 for $25.) You will still be able to load your rounds without moonclips after the cylinder is machined. You will avoid fiddling with speedloaders and can work on reloading with moonclips, a skill you'll need when you get a 625. Use lead roundnose 220-240gr bullets over some fast powder and the recoil should be very mild. Installing different spings and lightly polishing the mating surfaces could improve your trigger. Don't go too far with any abrasives unless you know exactly what you are doing. That should get you underway. And you will still be able to use your revolver for metallic sillouette shooting and bear hunting. Good luck and welcome to the revolver clan. Chris

I've shot 1,500 Precision 200gr .45acp and about 1,000 230gr through my 625. I get no noticable leading in the barrel or forcing cone after 150 rounds. There is a dark "residue" left in the barrel that comes out with some wet patches and a few passes with a brass brush. Unlike cast lead bullets, Precisions cause no crud build up in the cylinder. I used 5.1gr of WST with the 200gr and 3.9gr Clays or N-310 with the 230gr. These combinations create almost no smoke. (Titegroup will make much more smoke with these bullets.) I weighed 20 of the 230gr Precision Bullets and found that the weight variations were very, very small. Others use their .40 caliber products with good success. Chris

Hello: 4.6 Universal Clays under a Winchester 124gr. FMJ gave 1,100 fps with 10 - 15 fps standard deviation in my CZ 85 Combat. I would think that you could reduce this by .1 or .2 gr. My OAL was 1.155, Winchester cases, Winchester small pistol primers. Accuracy was acceptable but I've decided to use 4.0 to 4.1gr N-320 with these bullets. Chris

+1 to Precision bullets (230gr.) and Clays (3.8 to 4.0 gr) in your 625. This combination is clean, accurate, and produces little smoke. N-310 (3.8 to 4.0 gr.) with the Precision 230gr. produces almost no smoke. Chris

TK Custom (www.moonclips.com) can send you moonclips, a moonsetter, and the instructions a machinist can follow to set your .38/.357 revolver up to shoot with moonclips. Moonclips and instructions are available for S & W K, L, and N frames, the Ruger GP-100, the Ruger Security Six, and several Colt revolvers. Be aware that TK Custom's .38/.357 moonclips work best with Federal or Starline brass. Have fun shooting your wheelgun in competition. Chris

I think the high nitro content of Bullseye causes more smoke with Precision bullets. I shoot N-310, N-320, and Winchester Super Target with .45 acp Precision bullets and have almost no smoke. Clays causes a little more smoke than the VV powders and WST. Titegroup also has a high nitro content and may the same amount of smoke as Bullseye. Chris

For 200gr. .45 acp lead bullets: 4.9 to 5.1gr Winchester Super Target. or VV-N320 as directed in VV reloading manual. Both work very well with lead bullets. Clays creates some smoke with lead bullets but much less than Titegroup. Chris

The part of the video that has been buffered (first 3 minutes) plays fine. I left the computer on all day today and it buffered another 30 seconds of the video. If I leave it on all night, it should be done. Chris

Hello: I downloaded the Todd Jarrett video about the proper way to grip a handgun. The video is about 4:25 in length. I also downloaded the Google video player needed to run the video. When I tried to play the video a "buffering" process started that has gone on for about 12 hours and is still not complete. Other video players would ususally take 5 to 10 minutes, at most, to buffer a video of this size. My computer in a new HP with an AMD Athlon 64 processor, 1 GB RAM, and XP Media Center. Any diagnoses of the problem or suggestions on how to speed this up? Thanks, Chris

You may or may not be able to make 165 PF using Clays and 200gr bullets. Review load data from Hodgdon's Annual Manual and get out your chrono. In my limited experience, Clays easily makes 168-170 PF with 230 gr lead, Precision moly coated, and plated bullets, both in my revolver and semi-auto. Only downside is that smokes a little more and does not meter as well as N-310. Chris

To prevent case lube gumming up powder and primers I place about 10% of my cases mouth down in rows on a thin towel or sheet of newpaper. I squirt one side of the cases with Dillon case lube and use one of these cases out of every ten to lube the resize/decap die. No lube gets inside the case. Chris

I've used 124gr. and 115gr West Coast (now X-treme) and Berry's plated bullets at 130 PF in my CZ85C. Use moderate crimp to avoid cutting through the copper plating and they should function well. They had acceptable accuracy but were not as accurate as quality FMJ bullets. I've pushed them as fast as 1,200 fps without separation, keyholing, etc. A moderator on CZ Forum swears by 124gr Berrys hollowpoints and Winchester Super Target for competition. Chris

In my experience Titegroup was "snappy" not "soft" with 124gr bullets and would be even less soft with 115gr bullets due to the larger powder charge. Titegroup is very soft with 147gr. bullets because a 3.0 to 3.3gr powder charge can be used. Folks I know use medium speed powders such as AA5, Universal, N330, and even Unique for 9mm 115gr bullets. For a wealth of information about loading 9mm for our sport, go to the Reloading section of CZForum. Chris

I've used about 3k Montana Gold 115gr. FMJ over 5.3gr Winchester Super Field. These loads have a little more recoil and muzzle rise than my 124gr Winchester FMJ over 4.1gr N-320. However, they are a very accurate load. I use a 14lb recoil spring when I shoot the 115gr and a 12lb when I shoot 124gr and 147gr bullets. Chris

I can add little to what the others have said. I'm a C shooter but here are my observations. For me, the critical starting point is finding a grip and stance that is repeatable and allows the front sight to return exactly between the rear sight each time and lets you keep the same grip through all six shots. If you're a klutz like me, you can use some little ammo finding this point. Once you find that point, dry fire a lot. I dry fire at three small bullseye targets on the garage wall. Put two shots on each with exactly the same time between shots. Jerry M's advice to keep the cylinder turning at all times is important because it makes you more accurate. (For me, "running at" the trigger ruins accuracy.) You can do this with confidence if you know your front sight will return to the same place in time for the second shot on paper targets and that you will get the gun on the next target while the cylinder is turning. Think of the trigger as the metronome and your eyes keep up with the trigger. (On steel plates I revert to the "get sight picture - pull trigger" sequence.) I reload with my left hand for two reasons. First, I don't have to take my strong hand off the gun. When I get a good grip out of the holster, I keep it for the entire stage. Second, the muzzle is always pointed downrange with this technique. No RO will holler "muzzle" at you when reloading righthanded if, in your haste, the skyward pointing muzzle drifts near or slightly past the vertical 180. It is also very easy to cross the 180 using the right hand technique if you are facing targets on the left side of berm as you reload. Enjoy your practice. Chris

American Eagle 124 gr. FMJ averaged 1084 fps for two 10-round strings in my CZ 85. ES was less than 40 fps. Standard Deviation was somewhat less than my 124gr handloads using WSF and Universal. Chris

I've shot several thousand Precisions in my 625. They are much cleaner than lead bullets, cause no leading, and produce little smoke. I use Winchester Super Target and N320. I don't use hot burning powders like Titegroup with lead or coated bullets. Chris

4.1gr Vithavouri N320 under a 124gr FMJ is a very clean target load that averages around 1,050 fps in my CZ. Other clean choices include 4.4 to 4.6 gr Universal, 5.8gr IMR 4756, and 4.9 gr Winchester Super Field. VV N340 is also clean but may have more velocity than you need for minor PF even at minimum load. Chris

Firing pin bushing need to be replaced because it became recessed behind recoil plate causing primers to back out and bind the cylinder. I understand that it's an uncommon problem. Here's the thread from S & W Forum that explains the diagnosis. I assume it was just wear and tear. http://smith-wessonforum.com/groupee/forum...04/m/2941097031 Chris

I called S & W last week to find out how long it would take them to replace the firing pin bushing in my 625-3. They told me it would take eight weeks. I was also interested Peformance Center (express - 5 day turnaround) trigger job. I asked if the firing pin bushing could be replaced while they were doing the express trigger job. They said they couldn't do that and the job would still take eight weeks. I brought it to a local smith instead and had Brownell's send the part to him via overnight mail. The smith noticed a timing issue while examining the gun and I also ordered an oversized hand for him to fit. If all else is equal, I'll support the local 'smiths. Chris