New Gun

My new S&W 625 showed up yesterday, and I’m very excited about getting this gun out to the range for some IDPA practice.  It’s not the JM special edition pictured on S&W’s website, which means I’m going to have to do a little bit of work on it to make it “better” for a competition IDPA revolver.  I snagged a quick picture with my crackberry this morning.

From Gun Nuts: The Next Generation

In it’s standard configuration, it still has the “black on black” sight picture, and the godawfulhuge factory wood S&W grips on it. Those wood grips fully enclose the backstrap of the gun, making the trigger reach even longer – and everyone knows that the N-frame already has a pretty long reach. The trigger is heavy, but it’s smooth. There isn’t any grit in the take up, and the break is even and predictable.

As far as modifications go, I’m actually not going to do that much to it. I’m going to change the stocks to an open backstrap set of Pachmayr grips, which will reduce the length I have to reach for the trigger pull and allow me to get a better “high hands” grip on the gun. I’m also going to swap out the front sight for a Hi-Viz fiber optic, and that is pretty much it. I might get the charge holes chamfered, but that’s down the road a bit. This is going to be my primary IDPA gun for a while as I learn this whole “revolver” thing, so my practice is going to be on developing the muscle memory and motor skills necessary to reload this gun in a hurry. Right now, “glacially slow” about describes my skill.

8 Comments

  1. The stocks cover the backstrap? On an N?

    Wonder who’s doing ’em for Smith right now. I know they were buying a lot of Ahrend’s last I looked…

  2. Yeah, they’re fucking huge. I mean just enormous. I ordered a set of the smaller Pachmayr Professional for the gun. I like the Pachmayr grips, they make the gun feel all “west coast”.

  3. I have an older Model of 1989 5″ 625 and the only 2 thing I did to it was trade the factory hammer spring for a Wolff’s reduced weight and then an extended firing pin from Wilson. The gun was bought used and had already been worked on, but the Wolff spring chopped a good 2-3 pounds off the trigger pull. The extended firing pin was put in because I would always get one light hit per cylinder. $40 woth of parts and an hours time resulted in a 100% reliable 625 with about an 8 pound DA trigger

  4. be aware – the 625 version of the N frame – at least the old ones circa 1989 – have a grip frame that will fit a K-frame grip. So make sure that the grips you order are for a 625, and not for any generic N frame.

    This is the kind of thing that a local friendly gun store can be really useful – take the gun in and try some grips on for size.

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