s&w 625 45 acp 460 rowland

[zachs]

I recently picked up a very nice used s&w stainless 5" model 1989 625 in 45 acp. this gun had been rechambered for 460 rowland and had an action job done by clark guns. the first time i took it out the trigger was so light it would only fire about 50% of the time with 45 acp in full moon clips. after a quick call to clark the told me to straighten the spring until it had enough snort to fire consistently, did that and it works fine now and still has a very smooth trigger, question is would I be better off replaceing the spring with an aftermarket that hasn't been straightened? this gun is very easy to shoot and accurate but I don't want to have issues down the road. does anybody have any experience with the 460 rowland? mainly worried about safety and wear and tear. any tricks that I shoot know about 625s? should I shoot 45 super in this?
whats the value of the gun and did the modifications lower the value? thanks Zach ps I finally figured out how to shrink photos so I'll try to post some pics of the new toy

[Ramoel]

Unless you are only going to use it for target shooting, I'd replace the spring with a stock one for sure. As far as the .460 goes, I have no experience with that loading. A quality revolver should have no problem with .45 Super. It's not that much hotter than your normal +P .45 ACP.

[zachs]

I only plan to use it for targets and whitetails at close range

[mnglocker]

Don't be breaking the , when ever a new toy is aquired, pics are a must.

[Seismic Sam]

EDIT: WOOPS!! I mis-read this as a 1911 and not a 625!! As such, the information below probably doesn't apply, except for the part about the reloads and brass. 460 Rowland brass is probably RARER than 41 Action Express brass, and impossible to find, and pricey if you do find it. 45 Super brass and moon clips would be the way I would go.

To begin with, here's the scoop on the 460 Rowland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.460_Rowland The case is NOT the same size as a 45 ACP or 45 Super, so you will need to get a 45 ACP barrel (1911 45 ACP barrels are cheap and plentiful) for the gun. As it stands, the gun you have is pretty rare and collectable, so hang onto the 460 barrel in case you ever want to sell the gun. I WOULD definitely get the 45 ACP barrel, because it's my personal opinion that the 1911 really can't handle a steady diet of 44 magnum strength loads and survive. The evidence?? Try and buy a LAR Grizzly in 50 AE or 45 Winchester magnum. You won't have much success, because most of these have given up the ghost and succumbed to frame cracking, even with the beefed-up frame of the LAR design. The 10mm and the 50 GI are about the most potent loads you can run in a stock 1911, and trying to go higher than that will put too much stress on the gun.

The 45 Super is a hell of a lot more powerful than a 45 ACP +P load, and the "factory spec" from Ace Custom Guns (home of the 45 Super) is a 230 grain bullet at 1200 FPS. There isn't a 45 +P load that can come close to that, and I have no idea what you can do with the 185 grain bullets in a 5" barrel. In my EAA 45 gun that I have worked up to 45 Super, the 185 grain bullets come out the front at 1260 FPS, and that's with a 4.4" barrel! In addition, 45 Super brass is easy to get (John-Boy has a whole box full of it), and it's not too expensive. Good luck finding any 460 Rowland brass at all. Power Pistol is THE powder for the 45 Super. The recoil spring that came with the 460 Rowland barrel should work with a 45 Super load if it's hot enough, and you can always buy a slightly weaker spring (22# - 24#) if it doesn't.

[Ramoel]

You're right Seismic, I replied before I engaged my brain. The .45 ACP +P is 23,000 chamber pressure and the .45 Super is 28,500. The average velocity runs about 300 fps over similar bullet weight in .45 ACP.

While that probably won't blow up a S&W 625, it is a stout load. I've got a S&W pre-Mod 25 (Model 1955 Target) and I wouldn't shoot .45 Super in it.

[Seismic Sam]

Even though there appears to be a filter in here that does not permit the name "Joel" to show up, I do know for a fact that JR of TCC "fame" has a 625 and has shot the smokin' hot 45 Super factory loads that come out of a Texas company. Besides, gun metallurgy has come a LOOOOONNNNGGG way in the last 50 years. The gun steel they had available back then is primitive to the stuff they use now, and particularly in the area of Quality Control.

[zachs]

finally added pics, now I hope the ammo shows up soon

[zachs]

put 50 rds of 185grn ghp 460 rowland through my 625 today between rain showers... what a blast! definetely more ompf than 45acp but seems alot more controllable than 44 mags I've shot. only pain is the different point of impact over 45 acp ammo. anybody else shootin' 460?? next time out Im going to try the 230 grn rds.

[Seismic Sam]

I doubt you will EVER come across another person shooting a 460 at a range just by chance. I actually did come across two guys who were shooting a brand new Nighthawk in 460 Rowland (price, $3600!!! ) at the short range at Oakdale, and I passed on the chance to shoot it. With a black slide and an Olive Drab frame I thought it was butt ugly, but to each his own I guess. Seeing as the short range is for members and guests only, they MAY be members at Oakdale, but I'm not sure and didn't see any name tags. Other than those two guys, I have never even come across another person who shoots 45 Super, much less 460 Rowland. You might as well get used to being a loner with that particular gun.

[45usp45]

I've seen a couple 460 Rowland's at the range in 1911's..they were louder than my 45 acp by a fair margin.
Have yet to see a 50 GI at the range.

[Seismic Sam]

I've seen a couple 460 Rowland's at the range in 1911's..they were louder than my 45 acp by a fair margin.
Have yet to see a 50 GI at the range.

There is at least one other in the state. Somebody brought me a 50GI case from Bill's North, and I haven't shot there in over a year. I'd like to ask Alex Zimmerman who the other owners in the state are, but there are all sorts of good reasons why I shouldn't ask that and he can't answer it.

[goalie]

I've seen a couple 460 Rowland's at the range in 1911's..they were louder than my 45 acp by a fair margin.
Have yet to see a 50 GI at the range.

There is at least one other in the state. Somebody brought me a 50GI case from Bill's North, and I haven't shot there in over a year. I'd like to ask Alex Zimmerman who the other owners in the state are, but there are all sorts of good reasons why I shouldn't ask that and he can't answer it.

I've seen/met someone shooting one out at the Minnetonka Sportsman's Club this year.

[mnglocker]

I've seen a couple 460 Rowland's at the range in 1911's..they were louder than my 45 acp by a fair margin.
Have yet to see a 50 GI at the range.

There is at least one other in the state. Somebody brought me a 50GI case from Bill's North, and I haven't shot there in over a year. I'd like to ask Alex Zimmerman who the other owners in the state are, but there are all sorts of good reasons why I shouldn't ask that and he can't answer it.

There's a guy at my club who's got classIII toys and a Glock 21 in .50GI.

[Seismic Sam]

I have seen the Glock 50GI conversion, and quite frankly I think it's an abomination that must be the most top heavy gun in the whole world. I can't imagine what the muzzle climb on that thing must be like. And if you look at the slide in relation to the frame, the slide looks just freaking huge compared to a normal Glock slide.