The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Handguns => Topic started by: alfsauve on October 12, 2025, 10:15:58 AM
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Foolishly 10 years back I sold my S&W 625 (4” .45ACP) Regretted it more and more to the point that I finally decided to get another. I really wanted. 325 Thunder Ranch, but they rarely come up for sale and atypically go for ~$1,500. Been following Gun Broker for several months and checking Cabela’s Used Guns regularly. Finally pulled the trigger on one this week.
Most go for $900++ and I believe a lot depends on the marketing of the seller. I started getting picky and only going for ones taht are chamfered. This one had a tapered under lug and the chamfer looked clean. In some I’ve noted they they damage the extractor a bit doing the bevel. It has the multicolored laminated grips which I’ll replace with Hogue rubber ones.
6 days on the market and I was the only bidder. I placed my bid an hour before closing. $850. Fully expected to be out bid, but nada. I think the reason for lack of bids was the rather plain description, lack of pictures AND the seller A+(505) did not take credit cards.
Bank check off Monday.
Amazingly I still have all the moon clips and holsters. Will evaluate this gun to see if action job is needed, new grips and FO sights are on order already.
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I'm glad you got a "deal" on this one. Only one bidder...c'mon...it was meant to be.
Let us know all about it and the fun you have with it.
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I have wanted one for years, should have bought it 20 years ago new, but you live and learn.
selling guns is bad, never do that.
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A nice looking 4" model with full underlug just closed for $991. I think what sold it was the very attractive dark walnut grips and the very clean looking pictures.
DRATS: Banks and USPS are closed today. They're celebrating some European dude, who had great PR and a good biographer. The Vikings are pissed, I hear.
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Yeah the banks have me on hold today too. I'm trying to buy a couple of 48V 280 Ah LiFePo4 batteries.
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I'm trying to buy a couple of 48V 280 Ah LiFePo4 batteries.
They've come way down in price in the last 12 months. Been thinking about upgrading my 12V 200AH gel cells. I can't go to 24/36/48V because I opted for 12V solar cells. That's okay, not trying to run the whole house, just keep the frozen food so. Not sure what I'd do with the gel cells anyway. Can't mix on one charger.
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Check on your solar panels. I would really be surprised if you cannot wire them in series to get 48 volts without damage. They may not be as efficient as panels designed for higher voltage but they should work. A thing to look for is the open voltage rating on them to sum up for sizing your charger/inverters. Wiring mine in series produced a rather high failure voltage...I'm going to say around 180...so I had to opt for 250 V inverter designs in case I had a general panel failure which should be design overkill.
I have 12 volt panels I will wire in series. Higher voltages and lower amperages to achieve a given wattage will help with smaller wire size requirements lowering a portion of overall costs. And the higher the DC voltage the cheaper inverters and such cost. Victron seems to be a solid choice for long term performance.
I am somewhat pleased to see the price for the 280 Ah batteries. I had been looking longingly at 48V 100 Ah batteries for some time now planning for 4 and wishing for 5. When they came down to $832 per 100 Ah when you buy 6 of them I justified getting 6. I was going to go with 4 but the price kept on coming down, down, down until it made sense to get 600 Ah of storage.
I just saw the 280 Ah batteries this week and I really like the (taking a little chance, they are new) pricing. With the price per 100 Ah on the 280's being $768 that is nearly an 8% drop from $832 per 100 AH on the 100 Ah batteries and that new pricing did it for me. I suspect the pricing will not last and I am figuring, this time, on an impact from tariffs and a general trend toward price increase in solar energy products. I've already seen the 100 watt solar panels I've purchased go from $59 plus tax delivered to $69. So I jumped out and got these batteries.
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So here's the deal. Putting cells in series certainly lowers wire cost with higher voltage lower current. However, it comes with problems. Mainly if one cell in the series has an issue then the whole string may become unusable. This can include any harsh shadows or coverings (leaves) over one cell. So there's a trade off.
I opted, with 4 cells to have two pairs in series then parallel each pair. Giving me ~24V coming down to the charger. If one cell has a problem I only loose half capacity. My wire size is bigger than if I had put all 4 in series but not that significant for my setup.
And here's another sticky wicket, the National Electrical Code. To protect first responders there must be away, during an emergency, to shut off the solar cells so that there's no voltage beyond one foot of the cells. Only applies to roof mounted systems on permitted structures, so simple storage sheds and pergola's, as well as free standing cells aren't covered. There's two cheats. One is that "no voltage" is defined as less than 30V. Ah-ha. Since my cells only put out, nominally, 24V, I don't have to worried about cutoff.
The other cheat has to do with non-storage, direct feed solar cell systems, where the inverters are mounted underneath the cells. This systems are connected directly to the commercial mains and sense the commercial voltage, mainly to synchronize their frequencies. When the commercial mains loose power, as when the fire department pulls a meter to shut power off to a building on fire, the micro-inverters shut down by themselves. Neat, huh. No shutoff switch required.
Just looked on Amazon. One brand 12V 300AH is $320. That less than I paid for my two 200AH Gel Cells. I may change out this winter. For $700 I can run my freezer and frig for over week easily.
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Yes if you have a bad cell it's like the old Christmas light dilemma of finding which bulb is out. The unit I'm getting will be hooked to wifi so I will see when I have a dropout...but I hadn't thought a lot about that otherwise. I was focused on the low cost of the panels themselves.
I'm putting the cells on the ground along a fence line and will be bringing DC into the barn for charging. I'll have a couple of shutdown switches available...one at the panels and another in the house where the feed comes in. I'm also going to have some lightning protection installed.
It's all pricey but when I look at the differential cost between conventional and a solar installation (700' of power to run underground vs. solar) and the monthly minimum bill the payout on this system is looking to be under 5 years. I am somewhat certain I could drop one of the batteries and save some $$$'s but who knows....with future electrical consumption and current expansion plans we might need that extra.
Yep...the price has really fallen on storage. But I might not wait too long because of the proposed tariffs. So far they have not been a problem...but dealing with the Chicoms to prevent WWIII may change the tariff equation to where it bites.
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MR. Bang on Gun Broker actually called me when he got the bank check to verify shipping. A reason why he's 505 A+ ratings. (I'm a 25+ myself) Miss Kitty loves this gun based on the multicolored grips. It's also how she buy wine, beer and spirts. On how cute the label is, which I don't let her do any more.
I picked it up yesterday and promptly put 100 rounds through it. Shoots well. A little stiffer than I want. It came with two spare parts. The original gold bead front sight the JM like. (Not for me) And an extra cylinder release. Not sure why as it's the same as the one on the gun. Realized I have no brass other than what's loaded so order brass and bullets. Need to go by Very Big Gun Store and get Fed Large Primers. What's loaded is for the 1911 and much hotter than I need for IDPA (PF105) or ICORE Big 6 (PF155).
So here's what I did today.
- Extended firing pin. Last on in my stock. Probably need to order a couple for the future.
- Removed Hammer block. Large collection of these.
- Replaced front sight with LPA Fiber Optic one. See picture for my collection of SW OEM front sights.
- Swapped the very pretty but not great to shoot with grips for a SW one piece rubber.
To be done.
Hogue 1 piece molded grip.
LPA Fiber Optic Rear sight. Will wait on this until my 929 come back from Jerry and I can take stock of all my LPA sights.
Lighten trigger reset a hair.
Lighten Hammer spring.. after I get reloads done with Federal primers and can test with them
I've also 3D printed a double Moon Clip Holder just for IDPA. 2 clips on each post. Not for EDC as the clips aren't "secured" only light held in place by friction with the belt plate.
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As I said the first thing I do with a new Smith is put in an extended firing pin.
But I got to thinking. I always measured the firing pins by their full length. Stock S&W are ~0.49" while the extended ones are ~0.51". This morning it occurs to me that may the more important distance is the actual length of the pin rather than the base. Though now I'm thinking both are important. Anyway, I go down stairs to measure, when I dropped on and discovered I can't pick it up with my magnetic retrieval tool. None of the stock S&W pins are steel, it turns out. Haven't tried the extended one because it's lousy day outside and I don't feel like stripping the gun. I'll measure it next time I'm inside it. What is the integral firing pin on S&W Revolvers, J/K/L/N, made of? Don't guess, give reference. The guess is titanium. S&W mentions titanium in reference to their 1911 firing pins, but I couldn't find anything about revolver ones. APEX, TK Custom and Cylinder and Slide don't say. Midwest Gun Works says the Apex is steel, but they're a dealer and my have just assumed, as I've done all theses years.
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After consulting the all knowing experts on the web, baring finding a reference from S&W, I’m going with the guess of
austenitic stainless steel
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Okay, just to obsess over firing pins.
The OEM S&W firing pin is 0.49" and weight 6.2gr +/-
In my collection I found 2 that are outside the box.
The one on the left is shinny, extended, has a larger retention notch further back towards the base, is magnetic and weighs 10.9gr.
The one on the right is also shinny, standard length, hollowed out and magnetic. weights 7.8gr.
Oh i could fixate on these suckers. Maybe after I get bored with my 3D printing I'll get CNC machine and churn out my own pins.
Wait, just got an email. "Welcome to the Dull Men's Club."
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So are you heading towards lighter for performance or heavier for longevity or some other reason(s)?
Also what are your thoughts on being magnetic or not? I can see how magnetism could have tiny effect. Or is it more a function of what material are they made of? I suspect lighter is better and something like titanium would be stronger than steel or stainless steel for the same profile.
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These were in my Box o' S&W Revolver Parts. More than likely I took them out of a used guns I bought. I tend to go with Apex extended. Since all my Apex's are currently installed, I'll have to pull one to weigh it and test it's magnetic properties.
I've never given a lot of thought to all of this minutia involving firing pins. Just trusted Apex. But like Newton and the apple, it was me and the retrieval tool that suddenly peaked my interest. And of course what about the return spring? Size? Material? Windings? Temper?
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S&W recently started making revolvers without the infernal lock again. And the S&W Model 940 is available for the first time in 27 years. A new 625 without a lock could possibly be made again.
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It’s possible but not holding my breath.
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It’s possible but not holding my breath.
;D ;D ;D
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Ha, was working on the strain screw and weighed the Apex extended pin. It's steel and 8gr. So many combinations to try I could spend all day at the range trying different combos.
Saturday is ICORE. I'll shoot the new Big 6 division. And Sunday is IDPA in which I'll use the 625 with moon clips as opposed to my usual 686 with speed loaders. All predicated on the upcoming rain events for those two days.
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So you have an 8g in the gun but you have a 7.8 and a 6.2 as well? So they all work, right? Now...is there anything weight wise that you think makes a difference. All I can come up with is that with lower mass the lighter pin gets there quicker so maybe you have a sliver of a sliver quicker ignition time? But that is predicated on first contact and who knows the lighter pin could be ahead of the hammer and bounce back on a hard primer? Interesting...
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A lighter pin will accelerate quicker and achieve a higher velocity, but carries less energy in the end. A heavier pin will probably have the same momentum but more energy. Longer lock time. I would think a lighter pin with a skeletonized hammer would be the right combination. But then again it may not be significant enough to make a difference.
Ignoring the weight I’d rather have the longer pin.
I haven’t reloaded .45 in over 8 years and turns out I need to put more crimp than what I used loading for 1911. Had one bullet back out while testing today. Had to demoon 150 rounds re-crimp then Re-moon them. What a pain.
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<snip>
I haven’t reloaded .45 in over 8 years and turns out I need to put more crimp than what I used loading for 1911. Had one bullet back out while testing today. Had to demoon 150 rounds re-crimp then Re-moon them. What a pain.
Yes but now you are ready to go!
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Shot a 6 stage ICORE match in the BIG 6 Division Saturday. We did all classifiers. Hmmm. I don't want to do really good because that'll just put the peak classification time higher. No I did try. There were two of us shooting Big6. Then on Sunday a 7 stage IDPA match.
I learned that my short N frame holster doesn't have cutouts for Pic rail rear sights. It fit my 6" ICORE/USPSA holster but not my 4" IDPA. ALWAY TRY BEFORE THE MATCH. Two things. I hacked away a cutout with my knife and that worked for Sunday. Look ugly. Got home and applied the Patented Michael Bane Dremel tool and made the cutout look pretty. But the other thing is the Picatinny rear sight is only temporary until I get a regular flat sight.
I also learned that HS-6 powder is messy, at least in .45ACP. Lot's of residue, WHICH made it difficult on reloads. Some of it even getting under the extractor. I had to clean the cylinder after each stage. Still had to push the clips in sometimes. That was Saturday. Saturday night I polished the cylinders with Flitz which helped a little. Was able to get through Sunday's IDPA. Only have about100 rounds of HF-6 left so I'll practice with them and switch to Tight Group. I already have a load developed so not a big deal. Was just using the HS-6 because I had more of it than TG.
Still futzing with the strain screw. Order a couple of more extras since I only have one that's original length and I'm about to file it down some.
On the very positive side, my squad was most complementary of my groups on target. I had no misses, no hits on Non-Threats and a very high percentage of Zero-downs.
ALSO: I didn't realize in ICORE but the Big6 Division gets to count the B ring the same as the A ring. So we're dealing with a 10" zero-down scoring circle instead of an 8" one.
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This weeks "improvements" to my 625.
In order to make the trigger pull as light as possible, I'd screw out the strain screw 1/2 turn and if the gun shot reliably, I'd make a few passes with a small file and try again. When I got to the point where if I loosened it 1/2 turn and it misfired, I'd stop right there. Put Loctite on the screw and tighten it up.
Of course now of days, being so much older an wiser I though I'd measure all my extra screws. The critical part is from the base of the head to the tip. There's no guarantee that all the heads are the same size. And of course going from gun to gun such measurement is meaningless since you don't know the tolerances on the frame, or the depth of the screw's hole, or the exact placement of the main spring. But for working with one gun I know what I need. (See picture.) I used the depth gauge to measure. A very repeatable measurement unlike other ways of measuring.
The strain screw that came with this gun was 10mm long. (yes I've gone metric... for some things) My longest spare screw is 9.4mm and produces misfires. Best I can tell the pitch of the screw is 0.4mm. So half a turn is 0.2mm. Next trip to range I'll take micrometer and files and work it down in 0.1mm increments. Just hoping I don't go too far.
THIS ISN'T THE PROBLEM. It's a pain but it's the sacrifice to have a really slick gun.
Since all my screws are much to short for this gun, I ordered some spares. I assumed they'd be around 10mm. WRONG. They are all 9.36mm. They might be usable in some of the other guns, but totally worthless for this one. Now I've got to find out how I can get the specs from the manufacturers before I order more. At ~$7 a pop I could order one each from the other 3 makers and hope at least one is long enough.
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It's those hidden "understandings" that no one knows about unless they do it all the time that is the buggerboo. Can't tell you how many times I've been bitten by the same issue.
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Alf, in the past when I had the strain screw too short I took a spent small pistol/Rifle primer removed the anvil and used a small punch to remove the dent and placed it over the end of the screw and tightened it up. its a cheap quick fix in case you can't get or find a proper length screw.O r need the pistol right away .
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A little weld bead would lengthen each of the screws, and allow them to be ground down to any length.
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Thanks guys. The primer trick is okay, but I'd suspect after a while it'll wear down. I'd weld a little bead on there if I knew how to weld.
I'm good right now. I've got a 9.7mm in there that I think (key word) will be reliable. I'll test it Thursday. I hesitate to take it down any further without a backup. (originally it was 9.9mm, so I know they make them longer)
Checked on the S&W forum and the "standard" for round buts is 9.7mm, The ones Brownells sent are 9.4mm. Of course they don't list the specific length, they just say these are for round butt frames. So I guess I'll do 2 things. One check with my two favorite smiths to see if they have extras and will sell me some (after I measure them), or, I'll just order one each from the other manufacturers. I could order a Square Butt screw which is longer (much longer) and grind it down.
Wait, wait. Maybe that's what this was? Maybe the previous owner put a square butt screw in there. More checking