Which one and why

[elk hunter]

I'm thinking about a revolver in .45 acp, a S&W 625 or the Ruger Redhawk in the same caliber.
elk hunter

[hermosabeach]

What / how will you use the revolver?

A friend has a single action in .45 long colt and it fun to shoot.

I don’t know if you can add moon clips
And shoot .45 acp from it or not.


Tell us more about what you want out of the gun

[hermosabeach]

What about the Freedom Arms

A five-shot single action model 83 revolver that is capable of firing .45 ACP, .45 Colt and .454 Casull with interchangeable cylinders.

The .460 Smith & Wesson Magnum cartridge introduced in 2005 is basically a lengthened .454 Casull cartridge and has the same diameter as a .45 Colt or .454 Casull.

Therefore, revolvers chambered for the .460 S&W will also chamber the .454 Casull, the .45 Colt, and the short .45 Schofield (.45 S&W).

[Mystery_Milk]

If you're talking about the Ruger Redhawk that's chambered for 45 Colt but can take 45 ACP with moon clips, I'd try to read more about that gun. From what I understand it doesn't work great with 45 ACP.

The 625 has a good track record, I think it's the most popular revolver in IDPA.

[Xtracrispy]

[ZombieLivesMatter]

Can't go wrong honestly with either Smith or Ruger.

[elk hunter]

Use is multi level. Carry for lots of things like snakes, things that want to make a lunch out of me. Could be used for small game to like grouse or bunnies. Mostly outside carry but might be other. I'm going to get one or the other I just have not used either one in that caliber. I shoot a Redhawk but it's in .44 Mag. even though I shoot more .44 spl than magnum and has a 7 1/2 inch barrel it's a real work horse pistol. I also shoot .45acp out of my Colts and Remington and love them, great pistols. But my hands hurt and loading magazines makes them hurt worse, pain I can live without.

[elk hunter]

I like the double action, just in case things get a little........exciting. The 625 in stainless is a sweet looking rig, maybe S&W is making decent guns again I know the Rugers are good and a real brute of a handgun.

[IVC]

My vote is 625. If you're going to do work on it, get the JM model. Otherwise, get the PC model - it has chamfered cylinder and a few other upgrades.

[hambam105]

Any revolver chambered in .45acp always seem to be a PITA.

Pre 1975 Smith & Weasal Models 27, 28, 29, 57, 58 have always been solid performers. Ruger large DA revolvers while very dependable and accurate are heavy and, technical term, clunckie.

[Ron-Solo]

I would choose the Smith and Wesson simply because I don’t like the way Ruger revolvers fit in my hand. They do make a quality revolver in my opinion.

Personal preference at this point.

Bunnies??? Ain’t much left when anything above .38 Special hits them.....not even fur

[elk hunter]

Ron-Solo, you shoot them in the head just like you shoot grouse in the head with your rifle or pistol. It doesn't do any damage beyond the head.

[redcliff]

Use is multi level. Carry for lots of things like snakes, things that want to make a lunch out of me. Could be used for small game to like grouse or bunnies. Mostly outside carry but might be other. I'm going to get one or the other I just have not used either one in that caliber. I shoot a Redhawk but it's in .44 Mag. even though I shoot more .44 spl than magnum and has a 7 1/2 inch barrel it's a real work horse pistol. I also shoot .45acp out of my Colts and Remington and love them, great pistols. But my hands hurt and loading magazines makes them hurt worse, pain I can live without.

I have several Smith's (Model 25-2 and 625), a Ruger Bisley and a Cimmaron Thunderer in .45 acp. For your stated use however, I'd recommend a 629 Smith .44 mag with a 3" or 4" barrel. I have a pre-lock 629 3" which is a handy outdoor gun (although a similar .357 would in all honesty perform the same tasks). The .44 mag can take snake shot loads, .44 special loads (my favorite for target shooting) or full on magnum loads of various power levels. The weight hanging off your belt will be substantially less than most of the .45acp options.

I love the Smith .45acp revolvers and they are very accurate, as is the Ruger Bisley. The problem is finding one with a shorter barrel; 5" on a 625 or 4 3/4" on a Ruger are likely to be as short as you can find and they weigh a lot; you can find a shorter barrel on an Uberti/Cimmaron with conversion cylinder, etc but you give up adjustable sights which are very handy for different loads and bullet weights.

[Lead Waster]

I have several Smith's (Model 25-2 and 625), a Ruger Bisley and a Cimmaron Thunderer in .45 acp. For your stated use however, I'd recommend a 629 Smith .44 mag with a 3" or 4" barrel. I have a pre-lock 629 3" which is a handy outdoor gun (although a similar .357 would in all honesty perform the same tasks). The .44 mag can take snake shot loads, .44 special loads (my favorite for target shooting) or full on magnum loads of various power levels. The weight hanging off your belt will be substantially less than most of the .45acp options.

I love the Smith .45acp revolvers and they are very accurate, as is the Ruger Bisley. The problem is finding one with a shorter barrel; 5" on a 625 or 4 3/4" on a Ruger are likely to be as short as you can find and they weigh a lot; you can find a shorter barrel on an Uberti/Cimmaron with conversion cylinder, etc but you give up adjustable sights which are very handy for different loads and bullet weights.

I thought the standard barrel length of an S&W 625 is 4" ??

Also for the poster that mentioned preferring D/A ... the Ruger REDHawk is D/A, the BLACKHawk is single action.

[redcliff]

I thought the standard barrel length of an S&W 625 is 4" ??

Also for the poster that mentioned preferring D/A ... the Ruger REDHawk is D/A, the BLACKHawk is single action.

Yes, you are correct if you don't mind the lock; the used pre-lock 625's guns were commonly 5". The problem with the 625 in any barrel length imho, is the heavy lug bringing it in at 40.5 ounces unloaded with 4" barrel. The 325 could be an alternative due to its scandium frame bringing it in at 30.5 ounces.

As a range gun, I love the .45acp wheelguns, whether they be 6.5", 6", 5" or less. But for packing outdoors a compact .44 mag with the ability to shoot .44 specials or decent snake loads, and the much greater availability of ammo type/weight seems like a better choice for snakes and hunting. YMMV