TxD Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 (edited) I am rescuing an abused and uncared for 25-2 from a local pawn shop. It was just minutes away from euthanasia. It's got a little mange near the muzzle and side plate, which can be cleaned up with steel wool and a little cold blue. Also the left ear of the rear sight is broken off, but I have one at home with an installation kit, left over from a mid 80's PPC fetish. The left grip is cracked with the back 1/4 missing. No problem, I fell in love and can't wait to get it home and feed it. Actually the bore and cylinder holes are slick with no rust or build up, and there is minimal end shake and good lockup. I have ordered the shoot the moon holders and moon clips. I have an old N frame Davis leather competition 6 in. holster with a forward rake and Safariland belt. I have read all the posts and followed Merlin's travails, including the excellent reloading videos made by Bubber, and I am ready to give it a go. But, of course, I have a question. Where can I get a pinned F/O front sight to match the S&W rear? SDM's are too tall. I have seen posts about Pinnacle and EGW but nothing is listed on their web sights. Ahh, Ok, two questions: What is a good bullet for the 25-2? In the meantime, if you see a tall fat guy walking around the Houston area matches with a black belt and a state of the art brown leather "speed" holster with something in it that looks like a gardening tool, stop and say, Hi. Edited October 10, 2006 by TxD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Ahh, Ok, two questions: What is a good bullet for the 25-2? Ah, this one I can answer..........almost anything jacketed should work fine. Plated bullets will probably be OK. Cast lead bullets will probably spit sideways and tumble their way in the general direction of the target. Never figured out exactly why--just the nature of the beast with a 25-2. Great rescue story -- you're going to enjoy that old heater! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viggen Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 SDM makes both the .250 pinned and .300 pinned, likely you tried the .300 Which notch or rear sight do you have - how deep(shallow,medium,deep)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxD Posted October 10, 2006 Author Share Posted October 10, 2006 SDM makes both the .250 pinned and .300 pinned, likely you tried the .300Which notch or rear sight do you have - how deep(shallow,medium,deep)? Thanks, Viggen. I need the .250, but the SDM web sight only lists .300 for pinned sights. I guess I will call them. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelshooter3 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Brownell's has both the SDM and EGW fiber optic front sights listed in their latest catalog. They have both sizes (.250 &.300) listed for the SDM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viggen Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Dillon also carries SDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Sounds like she's a little rough outside, but got lots of Heart left. What a find. Jacketed/Plated Federal Primers and Clays seems a good combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxD Posted October 10, 2006 Author Share Posted October 10, 2006 Brownell's has both the SDM and EGW fiber optic front sights listed in their latest catalog. They have both sizes (.250 &.300) listed for the SDM. Yep, I appreciate the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxD Posted October 10, 2006 Author Share Posted October 10, 2006 Sounds like she's a little rough outside, but got lots of Heart left.What a find. Yeah, I think I'll name her "Lucky". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
festus1 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 If the .250 sight doesn't work out you can order a taller rear blade from Smith. I can't remember the height, but they make a shorter and a taller blade than the stock one. Millet makes different height rear blades for their sights too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slughammer Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 If the .250 sight doesn't work out you can order a taller rear blade from Smith. I can't remember the height, but they make a shorter and a taller blade than the stock one. Millet makes different height rear blades for their sights too. Good point. If your current rear has a very shallow notch, I'd recommed going to a taller rear right from the start. My 625 came with a .100 rear and the notch was way too shallow compared to my other guns. I changed to the .160 and the sight picture shows me what I need to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slflr Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 "If your current rear has a very shallow notch" Try some crack spackle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revchuck Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Ahh, Ok, two questions: What is a good bullet for the 25-2? Ah, this one I can answer..........almost anything jacketed should work fine. Plated bullets will probably be OK. Cast lead bullets will probably spit sideways and tumble their way in the general direction of the target. Never figured out exactly why--just the nature of the beast with a 25-2. Great rescue story -- you're going to enjoy that old heater! THREAD DRIFT ALERT!!Mike (or anyone) - Any experience with Precision and/or MasterBlaster coated bullets in the 25-2? Back to our regularly scheduled program... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwx40x40 Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 I too, just picked up a nice 25-2. Just as Carmoney stated lead 230RN shot so poorly I thought I had been ripped off. 12" groups w/ bullets slung sideways. Switched to plated 230 and 185 HBRN and things improved vastly. Strangest thing I have ever seen. I may still try to Lead sized to .454 later , just to experiment Carmoney is right about the cast stuff in the 25-2. I too, just picked up a very cherry 25-2 w/6 1/2" tube. First loads I ran through it were cast 230 RN and was horrified at the results. My first impulse was that I had been ripped off. Then I tried some 230 RN Plated, 185 RNHB Plated and 185 JHP's . Boy , what a difference. I went from a 12" group with wallowed out bullet holes to roughly 3" groups with the jacketed and plated stuff.Strange , but true. I may experiment later on with cast bullets sized to .454". Unless you guys have been there and done that can tell me not to bother and just stick to the jacketed stuff. mws Forgive me for my redundant statements mws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Hey mws, as long as you keep saying "Carmoney is right" you can go on being as redundant as you please! Try the .454s, they may shoot just fine. Back in the day, several of my pin-shooting buddies figured out it worked pretty well to use unsized bullets straight from the mold (yes, we cast our own), tumble-lubed with Lee Liquid Alox instead of running them through the lubri-sizer. My kid is shooting 230-gr. plated RN Rainiers through my old beater 25-2, and they shoot perfectly fine. Less expensive than true jacketed without the smoke. I'm getting to where the smoke bothers me a little in certain lighting and weather conditions... Mike (or anyone) - Any experience with Precision and/or MasterBlaster coated bullets in the 25-2? Nope, but I'll bet Hopalong would know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bwana Six-Gun Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 I have an S&W 25-2 that I have been shooting for about six years. I have never experienced any problems with using lead bullets through it. When I first considered buying it, I tried it out with some 200 SWC from Valiant and it shot like a dream. After I bought it I tried it with 230 Montana Golds, 230 Precision Deltas and finally with 230 Precision swaged lead. It shoots equally well with all. I guess some us just get lucky once in a while. I am using a steady diet of the 230 Precisions in it and the 625 I got this past May neither will outshoot the other in my hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxD Posted October 12, 2006 Author Share Posted October 12, 2006 I have an S&W 25-2 that I have been shooting for about six years. I have never experienced any problems with using lead bullets through it. When I first considered buying it, I tried it out with some 200 SWC from Valiant and it shot like a dream. After I bought it I tried it with 230 Montana Golds, 230 Precision Deltas and finally with 230 Precision swaged lead. It shoots equally well with all. I guess some us just get lucky once in a while. I am using a steady diet of the 230 Precisions in it and the 625 I got this past May neither will outshoot the other in my hands. Bwana. Thanks for the info. Can you tell us the size (diameter) of your swaged lead bullets? Thanks Again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bwana Six-Gun Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 According to the box and my handy dandy clipers they are .4515. Shoot me a PM with your address and I will drop a handful in themail for you to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Carmoney is right. Make your life easier and stick with plated or jacketed bullets. They'll be accurate and won't smoke. Carmoney is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Freeman Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Carmoney is right. Make your life easier and stick with plated or jacketed bullets. They'll be accurate and won't smoke. Carmoney is right. Have to agree because Carmoney is always right. Make your life easier and stick with jacketed bullets. They will be accurate and won't smoke nearly as much as lead. Carmoney is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 God I love this forum......I get so little positive reinforcement in real life....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemo Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Carmoney's right? Although he hasn't said it, Precision's Moly-Coated 230's work just fine in my 625. Why wouldn't they work the same in a 25-2? Right Carmoney? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 (edited) Well, now hold on, Nemo. The 625 has always been fine with lead bullets. The 25-2 was always notorious for not being accurate with cast lead. Something about the chamber dimensions, the chamber throats, or the rifling. All I know is that most (perhaps not all) 25-2s will not properly stabilize lead, and you get all sorts of keyholing, etc. Very well-documented, very well-known "back in the day." Written up in magazine articles, etc. When the 625-2 was first introduced back in '88, we noticed three things right away: (1) they shot fine with lead bullets (that's good!), (2) the chambers were so tight the frickin' moonclips didn't want to go in right (that's bad!), and (3) most of them had bad DA trigger pulls that couldn't be fixed without yanking out the "floating hand" (that's bad, too!). All in all, pretty disappointing. But--to my surprise and to S&W's credit--almost immediately they fixed the two problem areas, the Model of 1989 was born, and everything has been fine since. There may be individual specimens of the 25-2 that are fine with lead. You have to expect that lead will not stabilize well in an unknown 25-2, though, until and unless proven differently. Edited October 13, 2006 by Carmoney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear23 Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 I tried Moly (precision and Billy's) in my 25-2 when i had it...tried various powders, 320, TG and Clays...They all seemed to tumble down range. They all ran well in my other 625's. A friend of mine now has the 25-2, not sure what he is using in it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxD Posted October 13, 2006 Author Share Posted October 13, 2006 (edited) Carmoney is right. Carmoney is right. Took "Lucky" to the range yesterday afternoon. ( rescued 25-2) I forgot to mention, among her other maladies, she has a red ramp front sight with the "red part" missing. It kind of looks like a hang nail. Anyway, I put her on sandbags at 15 yds.with the following six shot results. Both loads with 4.4 Tightgroup: 230 LRN sized .452....................................................4"........ Smoky 230 LRN moly coated sized .4515.............ragged hole 1.5"...... Little smoke WW WB 230 JRN.....................................ragged hole 1.5"...... No smoke Repeat twice at 25 yds. groups opened about 1". I think she likes me. Edited October 13, 2006 by TxD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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