JTR Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I’ve had this wild hair for a while now to pick up a model 25 and do things the way they used to be done all those years ago (back in the 80s and 90s I suppose). Is there anyone else out there currently shooting a Smith & Wesson Model 25-? In competition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Right off, I can think of at least three USPSA shooters that are active on the national level who shoot a 25-2: Patrick Sweeney, Kevin Klesser, Sam Carmoney. I'm very happy with my pair of 625s, but if I were starting over from scratch, I'd have a pair of 25-2s with 6.5" barrels instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgsmith Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 +1 on the 25-2 I love mine. I have a couple 625's but cannot brin myself to switch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Wish I could find one. A 6 1/2" Blue 25 is just plain "COOL"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Round_Gun_Shooter Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Like these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underlug Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 (edited) Like these I am waiting on a Randy Lee job on mine Edited August 14, 2006 by underlug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I'm informed that Scheels in West Des Moines has a minty 25-2 for $495 right now. My source told me it's an excellent example of the really beautiful "high blue" finish that some of the older S&Ws have... They also have one with an awful home-applied bake-on silver finish for $349. It would need to be stripped and re-finished before you could look at it without feeling nauseous, but it seemed perfectly fine otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bwana Six-Gun Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 I started out with a 25-2 about 5 years ago. It is still capable of better than what I can do. I bought a 625 this past May, but I just cannot develop the affection for it that I have for the 25. Maybe in time I will, but for now it remains the back-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 One thing to keep in mind.....as cool as 25-2s are, they generally shoot pretty horribly with cast lead bullets. Mine (the one Sam has been shooting since last fall) literally spits 'em sideways unless they're sized at least .454. Years ago, after seeing this problem with multiple specimens, we stopped running our home-cast revolver bullets through the lubri-sizer and shot them unsized with a little liquid alox tumble lube. Every 25-2 I've seen is adequately (but not fantastically) accurate with jacketed bullets, and mine shoots perfectly fine with Rainier plated 230s. But these guns do not tend to like bare lead. So if your heart's set on shooting cast lead bullets, you might want to stick with a 625. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTR Posted August 15, 2006 Author Share Posted August 15, 2006 (edited) Thanks for all the replies guys, I really appreciate it and think it’s great to see so many of these things still being used. Couple questions. Round Gun Shooter, bobbed hammers. Why? I’ve seen this on other revolvers, what’s gained by bobbing the hammer? Also, who did the front sight work on your 25? Carmony, how do these differ from a 625? I’ve shot 230gr LRN through my 625-2 and they’re terrific. For Speed Steel I prefer to use the little 185gr Berry’s Hollow Base RN in front of 4.6gr of Tite Group. Hey guys, thanks for all the replies. Any more pics? ETA: one other question. Do you guys who shoot the 25-2 in competition find the target hammer trigger to be too wide? Edited August 15, 2006 by JTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Round_Gun_Shooter Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 (edited) Thanks for all the replies guys, I really appreciate it and think it’s great to see so many of these things still being used.Couple questions. Round Gun Shooter, bobbed hammers. Why? I’ve seen this on other revolvers, what’s gained by bobbing the hammer? Also, who did the front sight work on your 25? Bobbed hammer allows me a higher grip and better geometry for the hammer fall. Not real radical compared to others but the way I like it. As for the front sight, I installed a SDM sight. Fitted, drilled and pinned. ETA: one other question. Do you guys who shoot the 25-2 in competition find the target hammer to be too wide? Yes and the target trigger too. Since I am slowing down (not to imply I was ever fast), both of these fine revolvers may be headed south soon to someone that can make them win matches. I will use my 625 from here on out. Regards, Edited August 15, 2006 by Round_Gun_Shooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haras Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 If any of you old dues want a 6" 25 barrel theres one on ebay. (not mine, found while prowling) http://cgi.ebay.com/Smith-Wesson-Model-25-...1QQcmdZViewItem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Carmony, how do these differ from a 625? I’ve shot 230gr LRN through my 625-2 and they’re terrific. For Speed Steel I prefer to use the little 185gr Berry’s Hollow Base RN in front of 4.6gr of Tite Group. I never really did a close comparison, but I've always had the impression that the 25-2 had shallower rifling. This was a well-known issue back in the day, it was regularly mentioned in magazine articles and people who shot revolvers in competition knew that 25-2s and cast lead didn't mix. It was one of the first things we all wondered when it was announced they were bringing out the 625. Although the early 625s had multiple other problems, the 625 series has always done fine with lead bullets, so they obviously changed something! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTR Posted August 15, 2006 Author Share Posted August 15, 2006 ETA: one other question. Do you guys who shoot the 25-2 in competition find the target hammer to be too wide? Yes and the target trigger too. Since I am slowing down (not to imply I was ever fast), both of these fine revolvers may be headed south soon to someone that can make them win matches. I will use my 625 from here on out. Thank you. I meant to type trigger and somehow hammer showed up in the post. So, do the rest of you guys shooting 25s find the target TRIGGER too wide? I’ll get it right one of these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 So, do the rest of you guys shooting 25s find the target TRIGGER too wide? Absolutely. I like mine narrow, rounded, and smooth. Those big wide serrated triggers are only good for single-action shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Round_Gun_Shooter Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 So, do the rest of you guys shooting 25s find the target TRIGGER too wide?I’ll get it right one of these days. One thing to clarify. There are several trigger sizes. I prefer the .400 serrated trigger. My second choice is the narrow serrated. I have also toyed with narrowing a .500 Target trigger to the width of the trigger guard which right now is being tested on my 617. The narrow smooth trigger and what was called the Combat trigger (.400 smooth) have their places, but not for me unless it is a winter carry gun being shot with gloves. I do not have a lot of feeling in my finger tips so the serrated triggers work best for me. Experiment and see what works best for you. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopalong Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Triggers on Revolvers are like the grips........pretty much a personal prefference. I have the .325 on all my 625s, but the 25-2 I'm using now has a smooth .400....the same as the 610 I started with, and I seem to like it just a little better than the .325s. For accurate, tight shots, longer shots ect. There is no difference for me from about 18 yds and in if the targets are pretty open. JTR........as I mentioned, I am now using a 25-2 and like it pretty good. for a picture of it see the Area-8 thread...Gman posted a picture of me and it........the gun is way much better looking. I still don't know which is better, they both do great and will do all that is asked of them. Time will tell (for me). SAM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now