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.45 ACP revolvers?

AngelKing

AngelKing

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I have been really thinking a lot about CCW lately now that I've been doing it for a few months. I ended up trading a few guns and arrived at a walther pps I picked up in trade from a NESer - great weapon, I can't find many faults with it and it conceals well. Most importantly, after a few times at the range and really working with the short sight radius, I am able to hit the target and feel good with it.

But...

my brain wanders a lot and I've been thinking more and more about revolvers. I do have a model 60 that Id never get rid of - its accurate and reminds me of my grandfather, who carried one with him as a BPD Detective in the 60s and 70s. Ive never cared for the price point of the .357 round and have always preferred, due to the reams of anecdotal evidence in articles and from my own father, who carried a 1911 in Vietnam, the .45ACP round...which is great, but no matter the work I've done to my RIA piece, I'll always have it on my mind if its going to jam at a critical moment.

So onto the revolvers. Any thoughts here? I've learned that with a good holster, belt and mindset, you can pretty easily conceal a Howitzer, if you so choose, so sizing isnt a concern. Im not yet immediately enamored with the SW Governor, although it does meet a lot of my initial requirements in a weapon. Because the judge won't pack the .45 ACP, its out of the running...I have eyed the model 625 a few times and may hunt one down at the next gun show....does anyone have any experience carrying a .45 ACP revolver? What are my choices?
 
I have no experience CCWing it, but in terms of choice, the Smith Model 22 seems worth considering. I love the feel of it with the Tyler T-grip. Out of the box trigger is pretty rough, but that can be addressed. Here's mine.

SWModel22.jpg
 
the 25 series from SW are N frames and are big and heavy. A few people can and do carry N's but it takes a special person and gear. Dirty Harry carried the 29, also an N frame, but he did it in a shoulder holster. I think the K/L frame is about as big as most people would comfortably carry. Here's a comparison of j,k,n frame snubbies:

3beauties 600x430.jpg


that being said, everyone should have as many N frames as they can afford.....you just might not want to carry one.
 
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I have a S&W 325PD, 26.5 oz, 4 inch barrel and a big fat green Hi-Viz front sight. Very nice CCW and with one or two extra full moon clips in your pocket, your good to go.
 
I have a 5" 625. It is a lovely gun. But it is a monster to conceal and I regularly carry a full size 1911.

I do carry a 4" K-frame on a regular basis. But I don't think I'd want to do the same with a 625 -- just too big and heavy. Also, K-frame speedloaders are hard enough to conceal -- 45 ACP moonclips would be that much harder.
 
I don't have a Model 25, but I do have a 4" Model 28 and a 3" Model 24 and I have carried both without problem. The key is a good holster.

For dress work, I use Don Hume #721s. For field work, I like a semi-Jordan style made by Nevada Holsters. (Despite the name, they are in South Africa.) See:

http://nevadagunleather.com/Field-Revolver-Holster-106.htm

I asked them to make the holster with a thumb break (vs. a snap strap) and they said no problem. While not a true Jordan, this holster rides several inches lower than a pancake, which makes it ideal for field use.
 
I have a 625 that I love, but wouldn't consider carrying as it is bulkier than the 1911 which I prefer. I also have a 2 inch light weight S&W 45 ACP but it is too bulky to carry. What we need is a five shot 45 ACP revolver for concealed carry. Charter Arms has been talking about such a beast, but, to the best of my knowledge, nothing is available so far. I would prefer such a revolver from S&W.
 
ranger4-7 said:
I have no experience CCWing it, but in terms of choice, the Smith Model 22 seems worth considering. I love the feel of it with the Tyler T-grip. Out of the box trigger is pretty rough, but that can be addressed. Here's mine.

SWModel22.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice revolver. I've been thinking of picking up one of these for a while now.
 
Coyote33 said:
Have you considered a .44?

14420 Bulldog, Blue Standard
Click to expand...

No. I shoot a lot of .45 ACP and would love a snubby chambered for this round. My preference is a revolver chambered for a round that I shoot on a regular basis. Also, I think that a full moon clip is the ideal way to reload a revolver. Too bad that the proposed 45 ACP revolver from Charter Arms isn't designed to accept a full moon clip. I'm waiting for S&W to market a five shot 45 ACP revolver that will accept the full moon clip. Are you listening, S&W? Don't let Taurus beat you to the punch!
 
Gammon said:
I'm waiting for S&W to market a five shot 45 ACP revolver that will accept the full moon clip. Are you listening, S&W? Don't let Taurus beat you to the punch!
Click to expand...
Don't hold your breath. 45 ACP 4"+ revolvers, used in USPSA and IDPA, are already a small niche. S&W only sold a small number of 3" 45 ACP revolvers.

And there is simply no way S&W would spend the money to engineer a 5-shot, 45 ACP snubby -- that market consists of fewer than a dozen people.
 
M1911 said:
Don't hold your breath. 45 ACP 4"+ revolvers, used in USPSA and IDPA, are already a small niche. S&W only sold a small number of 3" 45 ACP revolvers.

And there is simply no way S&W would spend the money to engineer a 5-shot, 45 ACP snubby -- that market consists of fewer than a dozen people.
Click to expand...

I disagree. 45 ACP is one of the most popular rounds amongst competitive shooters and reloaders. A lot of these people would jump on a snubbie in this caliber.
 
Gammon said:
I disagree. 45 ACP is one of the most popular rounds amongst competitive shooters and reloaders. A lot of these people would jump on a snubbie in this caliber.
Click to expand...
Right. Like all the guys who bought a 3" 625?

The vast majority of competitive shooters who shoot 45 ACP shoot a semi-auto -- 1911, Glock, etc. The majority of those guys carry a semi-auto. Furthermore, a 45 ACP revolver is, by its very nature, large. Those long, skinny .357 cases allow a J-frame cylinder to be small. But those short, fat 45 ACP cases result in a much larger diameter cylinder. And if you are going to carry a big 5-shot revolver, you can also carry a big 6-shot revolver.

Look at IDPA, where you can compete with a .38 caliber revolver or a 45 ACP, moon-clipped revolver. At Friday's match at Harvard, there were 71 shooters. 6 were shooting .38 caliber revolvers using speedloaders. None were shooting a 45 ACP moon-clipped revolver. Not one.

Furthermore, the N-frame is just a very, very large gun, and that is the only frame that S&W has that they've built for 45 ACP. And they are simply not going to build a custom frame for it. Look at all the varieties of calibers that S&W has for revolvers, and yet they only build about 4 frames - J, K, L, and N. There is a reason for that -- developing a new frame is very expensive.

Think about all the guys that you know who carry a gun. What do they carry? Most of them are probably striker-fired semi-autos, maybe a small semi-auto (e.g., Kahr, Ruger's new little gun, S&W's .380, etc.) or an airweight J-frame. How many guys do you know who carry a steel-framed snubbie?

I like revolvers. I compete in IDPA with my Model 66. I carry my snubbie 66 and my 4" 19. I own a 5" 625. But there simply aren't many of us.
 
I had a really beautiful model 25-2 that I sold to a friend of mine. Every now and again I regret selling it. Like right now reading this thread [crying]
 
back to the OP's question, i have a 625, its a heavy gun, it does shoot

very well and is very accurate, but for every day carry i would suggest

a 642 with and IWB holster, they shoot and conceal well and with the

IWB you'll forget your wearing it.
 
M1911 said:
Right. Like all the guys who bought a 3" 625?

The vast majority of competitive shooters who shoot 45 ACP shoot a semi-auto -- 1911, Glock, etc. The majority of those guys carry a semi-auto. Furthermore, a 45 ACP revolver is, by its very nature, large. Those long, skinny .357 cases allow a J-frame cylinder to be small. But those short, fat 45 ACP cases result in a much larger diameter cylinder. And if you are going to carry a big 5-shot revolver, you can also carry a big 6-shot revolver.

Look at IDPA, where you can compete with a .38 caliber revolver or a 45 ACP, moon-clipped revolver. At Friday's match at Harvard, there were 71 shooters. 6 were shooting .38 caliber revolvers using speedloaders. None were shooting a 45 ACP moon-clipped revolver. Not one.

Furthermore, the N-frame is just a very, very large gun, and that is the only frame that S&W has that they've built for 45 ACP. And they are simply not going to build a custom frame for it. Look at all the varieties of calibers that S&W has for revolvers, and yet they only build about 4 frames - J, K, L, and N. There is a reason for that -- developing a new frame is very expensive.

Think about all the guys that you know who carry a gun. What do they carry? Most of them are probably striker-fired semi-autos, maybe a small semi-auto (e.g., Kahr, Ruger's new little gun, S&W's .380, etc.) or an airweight J-frame. How many guys do you know who carry a steel-framed snubbie?

I like revolvers. I compete in IDPA with my Model 66. I carry my snubbie 66 and my 4" 19. I own a 5" 625. But there simply aren't many of us.
Click to expand...

I bought a 3 in 625 as a collector's item. No one carries such a gun because the N frame is simply too large, short barrel or not.

A five shot snubby can be easily carried and concealed; the Charted Arms 44 Bulldog is a good example. I have carried a SS model 60 for 30 years so I guess at least one person doesn't mind the extra weight of steel vs aluminum.

Those who compete with the 45 ACP and reload this cartridge may carry semi autos, but many, such as myself, would love a concealable snubby chambered in this caliber. We don't carry such a pistol simply because it doesn't exist. No one shot such a revolver at the last IDPA match for the same reason. Popularity in competitive events is not necessarily a good indication of suitability for concealed carry.

I realize that building such a revolver would be expensive but I believe the market is there. So does Charter Arms as they have such a gun in development. I would prefer to have this gun built by S&W, designed for a full moon clip. One can only hope.
 
jobowker said:
IIRC, Dirty Harry carried a 29, but loaded it with 44 specials, right?
Click to expand...

Harry admitted to using 44 Specials at a match or some form of qualifying event. This was the movie where he wiped out a bunch of rogue motorcycle cops and their leader, played by Hal Holbrook. I forget the title of the flick. I don't recall any mention of his carry ammo in any of the movies. Given the nature of "Dirty" Harry Callahan, they had to be full house loads. Remember the first movie where he showed up at a stakeout with his sniper rifle, a 458 Winchester Magnum. Harry was overkill personified.
 
Gammon said:
Harry admitted to using 44 Specials at a match or some form of qualifying event. This was the movie where he wiped out a bunch of rogue motorcycle cops and their leader, played by Hal Holbrook. I forget the title of the flick. I don't recall any mention of his carry ammo in any of the movies. Given the nature of "Dirty" Harry Callahan, they had to be full house loads. Remember the first movie where he showed up at a stakeout with his sniper rifle, a 458 Winchester Magnum. Harry was overkill personified.
Click to expand...

Magnum Force.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
 
Personally if I were going to carry a pistol in 45 ACP it would be a Glock-36 or the newer Kahr model - a lot smaller than any 45 ACP revolver! I did carry a G-36 for quite awhile and still enjoy shooting it.
 
TonyT said:
Personally if I were going to carry a pistol in 45 ACP it would be a Glock-36 or the newer Kahr model - a lot smaller than any 45 ACP revolver! I did carry a G-36 for quite awhile and still enjoy shooting it.
Click to expand...

The snubby revolver has at least one advantage over an auto. It is the true "pocket pistol" as it can be fired from a pocket more than once.
 
Gammon said:
The snubby revolver has at least one advantage over an auto. It is the true "pocket pistol" as it can be fired from a pocket more than once.
Click to expand...
Only if the snubby can actually fit in a pocket. My 642 can fit in a pocket. My 2 1/2" model 66 can not, and that's only a K-frame. I suspect that a 45 ACP snubby would be at least the size of a K-frame.
 
M1911 said:
Only if the snubby can actually fit in a pocket. My 642 can fit in a pocket. My 2 1/2" model 66 can not, and that's only a K-frame. I suspect that a 45 ACP snubby would be at least the size of a K-frame.
Click to expand...

Depends on the pocket. A barn coat or other coat, sure.
 
The 45 ACP snubby I want would be about the size a Charter Arms "Bull Dog" 44. I may be wrong, but I believe that the 44 "Bull Dog" would fit in a pocket.
 
When they first came out, I had a S&W 325 with the 2 3/4" barrel. carried it in a Tucker leather IWB. Nice gun. I was using it for IDPA and then they changed the divisions. That gun would NOT take a lot of full power loads without developing severe end shake so I scrapped the idea of competing with carry gear.

S&W will NEVER make a 5 shot 45APC gun. The R&D people have concluded it made no sense because they could not remove enough metal safely to make the gun concealable. The chambers ended up weak and too close together. Sales concluded that the market just was not there. They would want sales on the thousands not the hundreds and that is all they would get. Even with the growing popularity in USPSA in revolver division they dropped the 5" 625 from current production.

A true "pocket gun" should not need cargo pockets [wink]
 
TY43215 said:
When they first came out, I had a S&W 325 with the 2 3/4" barrel. carried it in a Tucker leather IWB. Nice gun. I was using it for IDPA and then they changed the divisions. That gun would NOT take a lot of full power loads without developing severe end shake so I scrapped the idea of competing with carry gear.

S&W will NEVER make a 5 shot 45APC gun. The R&D people have concluded it made no sense because they could not remove enough metal safely to make the gun concealable. The chambers ended up weak and too close together. Sales concluded that the market just was not there. They would want sales on the thousands not the hundreds and that is all they would get. Even with the growing popularity in USPSA in revolver division they dropped the 5" 625 from current production.

A true "pocket gun" should not need cargo pockets [wink]
Click to expand...

If this gun can't be built and there is no market for it, why is the Bull Dog so popular?
 

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