Smith & Wesson is known for crafting incredibly high-quality revolvers, and the Model 625 is, in my opinion, one of their best. It’s incredibly accurate, easy to reload, and perfect for uses from competition to self-defense. The 625’s barrel, cylinder, and frame are all crafted with quality, bead-blasted stainless steel. The smooth and rounded wooden grip is comfortable to hold, although some extra checkering would be nice for better stabilization and recoil management. However, the fully underlugged barrel makes up for the grip in terms of mitigating muzzle flip and increasing accuracy.

The excellent sight system further aids in accuracy. The 625 comes with a gold bead interchangeable front sight and a black rear sight that’s adjustable for both elevation and windage. It’s easy to focus on your target using the front gold bead sight, which contributes to its superb accuracy. From ten yards, getting 2” groupings is a breeze. In addition, the short cylinder length (about 1.4”) and long forcing cone both keep your shots as accurate as possible.

The 625 is chambered for .45 ACP and has a standard capacity of six rounds, and S&W includes five moon clips to hold up to thirty rounds at once. While you can load the 625 without the moon clips, there’s really no reason to make it harder on yourself. You’ll be able to eject all six spent cases with just one punch of the ejection rod, rather than pushing each round out individually. Using the clips really saves a lot of time when it comes to extracting and reloading.

The trigger on this revolver is, in a word, excellent. You can shoot in either single or double-action, and in both modes, the pull is smooth and consistent with minimal take-up. In single-action, the trigger breaks around 4 lbs, and in double-action, it breaks around 10 lbs. The trigger itself is serrated and wider than average, which helps with gripping and getting a more consistent pull. Although some people might find a wider trigger unappealing, it fits the appearance of the Model 625 well.

With a 4” barrel, the overall length of the 625 is 10.5.” It’s not exactly a compact revolver, but still smaller than others like the Colt Python. Unloaded, it weighs around 38oz, which is relatively lightweight for its size. As far as price goes, the 625 is in the middle-range of S&W revolver prices with an MSRP of $979. It’s not as affordable as, say, the Model 66, but it still won’t break the bank.

The Smith & Wesson Model 625 is a very versatile revolver. It’s recommended for competition shooting, self/home defense, and practice shooting. While it is a bit large, I’ve heard that some people like to even use it for concealed carry.

While you’ll probably want to use something else for hunting purposes, it works well for almost all other applications. If you’re looking for a versatile, accurate, and reasonably-priced revolver, you can’t go wrong with the 625.

Richard Douglas writes on firearms, defense and security issues. He is the founder and editor of Scopes Field, and a columnist at The National Interest, 1945, Daily Caller and other publications.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.