Smith & Wesson Model 625

S&W Model 625

One of the shooters at the Midland Shooters Association pistol competition today used a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson Model 625 revolver (see photo, above).  The unique feature of this pistol is that it shoots the same bullet as a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol.  There are some advantages to that.  With the full moon clip it can be loaded and unloaded very quickly which makes it ideal for competition.  Six bullets just drop into the magazine at the same time, and they pop out just as easily after they have been shot.   It's extremely easy. 

The Model 625 revolver has an advantage over semi-automatic .45 caliber pistols because the shooter who reloads his/her own bullets can make them with a reduced load to lessen the recoil in order to reduce the time it takes to re-aim for the next shot.  So, why can't someone shoot a reduced load bullet in a semi-auto pistol?  Well, the semi-auto pistol has to use a bullet powerful enough so that when it's fired it will generate enough pressure to eject the spent cartridge and inject a new bullet into the chamber.  And a bullet with a reduced load might not have the strength the pistol needs to allow it to run through the full cycle. 

There is a disadvantage, though.  The bullets have to be forced into the full moon clip, and it takes strong fingers to do that.  But, there are tools that can make the job much easier.   And, the same thing applies to removing the spent shells from the clip. 

All in all, it's a very impressive handgun.

Update - 1/12/04:The full moon clip for a revolver has a history I learned only yesterday.  The Colt 1911 semi-auto pistol using the .45 ACP bullet was adopted as the service pistol, but the factories couldn't produce them fast enough as the country geared up in anticipation of involvement in WWI.  So, Smith & Wesson developed the "1917", a revolver that would utilize the same .45 ACP bullet when used with the half moon clip.   And, Colt retooled their machinery so that the Colt revolvers could use that same cartridge, too. 

But, the half moon clip was inconvenient, and in the 1920s Remington began manufacturing the .45 Auto Rim which had a thick rim which could fill up the same the space that the clip would have occupied. 

Both S&W and Colt continued making the 1917 until the end of WWII.  Here's a link to an article about the development and evolution of the 1917.   

And, at some point S&W began making the Model 625 which uses the full moon clip rather than the half moon clip, and it has become quite popular with recreational handgun shooters because of the remarkable ease and speed of loading. 

At a speed shooting and loading demonstration Jerry Miculek with a Model 625 was able to shoot six shots, reload, then shoot six more times with an astonishing elapsed time of 2.99 seconds.   Remarkable!

Comments

[Eric]

Well, I learned something! I've never owned a pistol, and even though I have reloading experience, I never considered the implications of reduced load on the pistol action. Very interesting.

I'm also not familiar with the full-moon clips. It appears that the clips stay with the cartridges in the cylinder of the revolver. Do these work with all revolvers, are do some of them have machine tolerances so tight that the cylinder won't close with the clip in place?

[George]

Eric, I'm learning too. It turns this was an idea that came out of the pre WWI preparation period. I'm going to add an update to the original post with links to an article about the history and an article about Jerry Miculek's astonishing speed at shooting and reloading his S&W revolver with the full moon clip. But, in answer to your question, the full moon clip can be used only in a revolver that was tooled to utilize it.

[Eric]

That Miculek guy is something else! 8 shots in 1 second is almost as amazing as 6-reload-6 in just under 3.

[George]

The guy is fast, all right. I've seen him on TV, and he makes it look effortless.

[Alan Baum]

Have an older .45 S&W D.A. revolver. Cannot get a positive ID on it. Found photos of similar revolver but no exact match. Any ideas on a search for photos? Thank you!
Alan Baum

[George]

Alan,
I've had good luck getting information from S&W by simply writing them a letter. And, their website FAQ has this: "How can I request the history of my S&W handgun?" Here's the URL:
http://swcustomersupport.vista.com/pages/history_request

Hope this helps.

George

[B Hall]

What shooting category do you folks use the S&W 625? Was wondering if this could be used bullseye?

[George]

B Hall,
The competition I was referring to where the S&W 625 was used was a practical pistol match using IDPA rules. And, the pistol fell within the Stock Service Revolver Division. (Note: the IDPA rules say that the maximum barrel length for this division is 4 inches - the 625 comes in barrel lengths of 2, 4 and 5 inches.)

And, a person could use the 625 in a Bullseye match - the gun uses a centerfire .45 caliber cartridge, and that's all that's required.

George

[kenneth]

My 625 is quite possibly the best revolver i have ever fired.Chambered in .45 ACP it should make an exellent bowling pin comp pistol.

[Frank Moran]

I have just bought a 625, it came with 5 moon clips. At 86 my old fingers have trouble loading the moon clips.
Any help about tools or a easy way to load them.

[Greg]

Actually you can change your recoil spring in a 1911 style pistol fairly easily and by reducing the power of the spring you can shoot reduced power loads in the semiauto. In the action competitions though, there are minimum standards for ammunition to make major caliber. You should always match your spring to your load to have reliable functioning and to avoid battering your gun.
As to the 625, I want a 5" one. Then I want to take a Scandium .44 mag cylinder, punch it out to .45 Colt, and set it up for full moon clips. Then, since in Ohio you have to have at least a 5" barrel to hunt with, I'd be all set. Plus, I could shoot .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .45 Schoefield, and .45 Auto Rim at any power I want. For me that is the perfect revolver.

[Stephanie Pacheco]

I am getting my husband a .35 revolver for Christmas. I don't know that much about hand guns and I was wondering how much a gun like this would go for..

[Geo]

Ms. Pacheco,

A great way to compare handgun prices is to do a search for the particular gun at gunbroker.com and see what they are going for. Keep in mind that a local gun retailer may have higher prices.

Here's the link:
http://www.gunbroker.com/

George