[Teufelhund]

I have a .45 Colt Mountain Gun 625-6, well almost, the S&W service shop has it now.

 Mine has a large cylinder gap, .450 cylinder throats and a huge amount of constriction in the barrel, though though frame. This all led to the predictable results of leading, blow by and poor acuracy.
 
I bought it nearly new "as is" at a gunshow for a decent price, after "bullet slip testing" the cylinder throats and slipping it a feeler gauge. So I really didn`t get any surprises. The bore was clean, but a .45 Colt, with a light barrel contour, just about guarantees fire lapping was in order.
 I was really looking for a clean M-24, but couldn`t find one. Since I had recently bought a Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt (my jump on the .45 Colt band wagon), the Mountain Gun seemed a good idea at the time and I took it home.

I put up with the leading and poor acuracy for awhile and somewhat lost intrest in it. Then out of the blue, I e-mailed S&W. Even though I wasn`t the original owner they said send it on back, they paid all the shipping.

Now I`m awaiting the results of thier "inspection" and what they intend to do about the revolver. I`m not sure what to expect. I hardly ever buy new fire arms and have never delt with any firearms companies service department.

Concerning loads, I was shooting mostly 255 RN-FP at 900 fps. I have some heavier LBT`s, bought for the Bisley, but the way the Mountain Gun was leading it seemed a waste to shoot them.
 There is a good article on John Linebaughs web site concerning loading the .45 Colt in S&W revolvers. John recommends staying around 25,000 psi. for "everyday" loads and a 32,000 psi max. Then goes on to say he has shot hundreds of 32,000 psi loads with no ill effects in his several M25-5`s.

J. Linebaughs loading data, has a 260 grain "Keith" bullet running 1426 fps at 28,000 psi and a 315 grain NEI bullet running 1283 at 29,400 psi in a 7" presure barrel.
I had shot 255 grain loads at 1200 fps in my Mountain Gun and they where plenty spunky!
     
When I get my Mountain Gun back I`m going to put some effort into working up some good loads for it. I`m intested in finding out if all the .45 Colt "hype' has any truth to it, come hunting season. I know very well how my M29 and Bisley .44 mags kill.

Teuf,

 

[Teufelhund]

Something I forgot to mention about my 625-6.

In order to zero at 50 yards with 255 grains/900 fps loads, I had the factory rear sight nearly bottomed out. I swapped it out for a Millet rear sight from Brownells. They sell three different heights .312, .360 and a .416.
 I found the .312 was just the ticket for the hotter loads.

I like the all black "target" Millet rear sights and have them on several S&W and Ruger revolvers. I have yet to have one fail. The Millet offers a huge advantage in sight picture over the standard rear sights IMO.  
 
 On my short barreled N-Frames, I like the flat, gold bead "McGriven" front sights. I asked S&W to install one on my 625-6 while they have it.
 
 My Ruger Bisleys have the standard, fixed, ramp front sights. When I get around to it, I`m going to mill the "blade" off the "base", then mill a dovetail. So I can install a "proper" front sight on them as well. I find that that my standard Bisley front sights, are nearly too low with hot loads and 50 yard zeros.

Coldfingers,
I hope you have better luck with your 625-6, but you know how it is, luck of the draw really. Seems most firearms get shipped as "assembled kits" with the buyer serving as quality control. Rather pathetic cosidering the advances in CNC manufacturing.

Teuf,

 

[Teufelhund]

m141a,
 Whats the difference between the 625-6 and the 625-7? I just can`t seem to keep up with all the new offerings. Not that I don`t like them, I just can`t keep up with them all!

 I know everyone has thier own thing going with handguns. In my opinion, I don`t find 50 yards by any means stretching the capabilities of a .44 mag or .45 Colt 4" N-Frame. I`ve always though of it more as a comprimise general purpose zero, crowding on the close side.

Excepting 12 years in the USMC, I`ve spent my entire life roaming the Wyoming and Montana back country ( I live in Wyoming). I`ve been killing big game with various revolvers, mostly S&W N-Frames, since 1978. Maybe I`m just unlucky or clutsy, but I can hardly find a bear even when I`m hunting them.
 It`s been sping bear season since May 15, dammed if I can even come up with decent sign. I`m not intrested in hauling donuts into the mountains for bait stations. I worry if I don`t get a shot and kill the bear, it will die later of heart disease. I`m not above finding winter killed big game or cattle and using them as a starting point, thats worked good for me in the past.

Point is though, that lots of handgun shooting goes on between bear charges. In Wyoming a 25 yard zero is on the short side for "general purpose" use, I rarely practice closer than 75 yards on a 8" gong.

Concerning shooting Cor-Bon ammo, months and months go by before I ever drop the hammer on any factory ammo other than .22 rimfire.
In my experience killing mule deer, whitetail deer, both mature and imature elk (big difference between the two), the assorted blackbear, various pest, stray dogs and housecats. A .44 Mag. 250 grn/1250 fps load will get the job done quite nicely without alot of wear and tear in a M29.
 
 Latley, I`ve gone to a 280 grn/1200 fps in my .44 Mag. S&W N-Frames. Does it make a diffence? I havn`t been able to tell yet, if I manage a good shot, I get a clean kill.

Does moving up to the .45 Colt make a practical difference? I`m going to find out this fall, with a General and three additionals on mullies and whitetails, with a little luck maybe an elk will blunder in close enough.

I think the .45 Colt Mountain Gun holds alot of potencial. I`m not sure it offers any real advantage over a standard .44 Mag., blue 4" M29 though.

Good shooting folks,
Teuf

 

[Teufelhund]

m141a,
Thanks for the S&W link, intresting place.

Coldfingers,
I got word on my 625-6 today from the technition known as Vito (sp?). #### of a nice guy who seemed competent enough. He is going to set my barrel back, re-face the barrel and re-cut the forcing cone to tighten the gap. He wouldn`t give me a straight answer if S&W felt that cylinder throats that .452`s have to be driven in "require attention". I guess I will find out later this week, when I get it back!
I quizzed him a bit why the barrel required setting back and was told it`s a result of "normal wear and tear".
 He didn`t have much to say about my suggesting that the original owner had only put about three or four hundred "cowboy" loads though it. Then I shot maybe two thousand slightly warm FP-RN though it. The revolver has never had a jacketed bullet shot though it.
I didn`t get much of an answer to that either. I suppose he had to tell me something and figured I was lying to him anyway.

Never the less, they are charging me $80 for the labor of "repairing" the revolver and also providing and installing the new front sight. Not a bad deal, I suppose, if the revolver comes back running good.

On the bright side, a buddy of mine found a dead moose this weekend, fishing. He said it had bear sign everywhere. I`m going to mount a four day expedition later this week, see what I can do. This drought, wev`e had the last three years is playing #### with my spring bear action. With little snow pack up high they are spread out all over the damm mountains.

Good luck in your bear endevers,
Teuf,

 

[Teufelhund]

Well ####, guess I can`t say ####.

I`ll just have to clean up my laungauge, I suppose.
Teuf,

 

[Teufelhund]

Coldfingers,
 I think the 625-6 is going to work out just fine with the level of loads I intend on shooting in it. If you checked out the J.L. sight you will find his 32,000 psi loads are pretty damm hot! 260grn. Kieth at 1491 fps. in a 7" test barrel, probually around 1350 fps in his 4" M25-5.

I shot a few 260 LBTs at 1250 fps in my 625-6. The recoil is pretty stout in the light Mountain Gun, not the kind of load I would enjoy a 200 rounds of practice with in a Mountain Gun!  

He also shows a 315 grn. NEI at 1283 fps at 29,400 psi in the test barrel, for a drop of 2600 psi and a gain of 55 grains of bullet weight. The numbers seem to show the .45 Colt is a little more efficent with the middle weight bullets.  

I`m going to go with 280 or 300 grn. LBT`s at 1100 and see how things go. This will be plenty for me in a general purpose "packing" revolver. This should also keep the preasure down and not beat the revolver up too bad. If things work out this way, the .45 Colt Mountain Gun will be a step up from my 4" M29-2. If I need more than that, what I really need is my Ruger Bisley.

 My idea of a 4" N-Frame is that of a general purpose revolver, that I normally carry conceiled in a Milt Sparks rig.  
 I don`t agree with the "back up the hunting rifle" way of thinking. When I`m carrying a rifle, I prefer a Ruger MKII Target in a shoulder hoster. This makes a much more versitile combo for me.
In my years of Western hunting, I`ve never layed down my rifle and drawn my pistol to harvest a big game animal. I have shot truck loads of small game while rifle "big game" hunting though.
The idea of the sidearm "finishing shot" escapes me as well. By the time I walk up on a rifle shot big game animal, it`s dead. It seems to me, that if folks can walk up on a rifle shot head of big game and it needs "finished", they need to spend more time in practice or a more powerful rifle.

I guess in short, the compact, powerful N-Frame revolver is what I carry when I`m not carrying a rifle. It`s what I`m carrying when I`m pheasent or grouse hunting or flyfishing the back country with a general deer, bear or elk tag in my pocket. Of course, it would also work just fine in a personal confrontation.
 When I`m "handgun hunting" I prefer my .44mag, 7 1/2" Ruger Bisley loaded "heavy". This year I will be "handgun hunting" with a .45 Colt Ruger Bisley. These revolvers don`t fill the role of "general purpose" in my opinion though.
   
The factory tech wouldn`t admit it, but my 625-6 was shipped with a loose cylinder gap. I knew it when I bought it and it didn`t change at all though the shooting I did with it.
My Mountain Gun did lock up tight with little end shake and good timing.
 It seemed to me someone got a little heavy handed with the barrel facing tool. Since there was a big "burr" kicked up all the way around the forcing cone.

Never the less, I am excited to get it back and see what they did to it and how well it runs. Handguns just aren`t any fun, if they aren`t going boom!

One more thing, you mentioned small game loads for your N-Frame. I shot a spring turkey this year with my M29-2. Shot it "though the wings" at about 45 yards from the side with little damage. Last year I shot several Blue Grouse with the same pistol while out flyfishing. All of them with my standard 280 grn LBT load. They just go though and though with little damage. Got to pick the shot though and stay out of the breast.  
Teuf,