Here we take a look at a new addition to the stable. The 325 Thunder Ranch 45acp wheelie. This is an interesting wheelie for a few reasons. Stay Safe and Check 360 Often!
That's my dream carry revolver!!!! I carry a GP100 4" as my carry and actually completely changed over from autos and shooting auto competitions. I just love the using large frame revolvers but its very challenging to me to carry it because the size and I don't want to carry a small revolver, I just make it work!!!
Now that is one sharp-looking revolver. I have never really had any interest in getting a revolver chambered for a semi-auto round (although I could not tell you why) but I could see myself getting this gun. Thanks for the video!
Well, the good thing is, you have so many moon clips, once you get them all loaded, you'll be shooting for quite a while before you have to worry about them again!
It a fine revolver for outdoor carry. Moon clip holders allow for to carry 4 extra loaded moon clips on your belt completely out of the way. Those loaded with Federal +P 230gr HST will handle most anything. Don't care to shoot +P in a pistol verses regular HST. In a revolver that +P is just fine. I did swap the open back OEM grips for regular 629 rubber grips. Closed back grips just feel better in my hands.
+Ross Henderson I do like it but I have found myself not taking this wheelie out of the safe much. I guess its the moon clips....but regardless it is a nice revolver!
Very nice revolver, man. Always great to see one on the other side of a camera. A Model 22 was my first revolver 'crush' back many years ago, the sort of old-school cousin of your new Thunder Ranch. It was my uncle's, and he told me that keeping the moon clips straight and flat is imperative to having a smooth operation (but I'm sure a knowledgeable person such as yourself already knew that :)
The 45 Auto Rim is a great cartridge for the 45 ACP revolver because the bullet crimp is a roll crimp. A roll crimp is needed when shooting a heavy bullet at decent velocity to prevent bullets from being pulled out of the cases in unfired chambers. I like to load the 45 AR to duplicate original 45 Colt ballistics, a 255gr bullet at 1000 fps. That loading has been traditional in the 45 Colt since 1873, when the cartridge used 40 grs of black powder to achieve 1000 fps with a 255 gr bullet. Because rimless auto pistol cartridges head-space on the case mouth, a taper crimp is used to prevent deformation of the case mouth. A taper crimp will not hold heavy bullets against being pulled from the cartridge case under recoil in a revolver cylinder. For heavy hunting loads in a 45 ACP revolver, the 45 Auto Rim is the cartridge to use.
Nice! The Rimed 45 ACP is more common than you realize. Buffalo Bore make a loading. I live life by facts and the facts show a home defense pistol must have a light. There are too may failure to identify accidents and a 10lb trigger is easier to back off than a 1911's SA. Also, the 45 ACP was a good choice! People will argue the 357 all day long, but a 45 ACP has just as much energy going down range, another fact! Some people don't understand the age-old debate/problem/compromise of cartridge development between the rimmed and rimless.
mia1shooter It's an additional mechanism that can fail, making the gun inoperable. In earlier examples, people have had issues were the lock jammed & they had to send it in to S&W to get it fixed. I own a Govenor & a M&P R8... I personally have had no problems, after a 1000+ through each, but it still that extra thing to worry about.
Thanks for sharing that. I love a S&W revolver. Don't have one in .45 but I love the idea of it. My favorite .45 is the Glock Model 21. I shoot it better than a 1911. The Thunder case is cool. I use that kind of case when my gun bag is full. I was thinking of getting a 4 inch barrel Smith for fun and occasional carry, maybe another 686, but I would consider the model 325. However, all my revolvers have a stainless steel finish. Thanks again.
sorry about posting so much, but there is such a thing as half-moon clips and even these tiny little ones that hold 2 rounds a peice...those would help with tactical reloads if you feel the need to
Wow that's a sweet wheel gun.I started to like light rails on revolvers ever since I seen a trr8.A light is practical on a revolver if you plan to use it for home defense as well as a laser.I like the trr8 better because it's in .357 mag,but a 45acp is still practical.
***** I had one once, I sold it. It was a rare run OD frame Remington R1. If I get another 1911 it'll be the Colt Rail gun like you have there. Which is awesome you got one by the way, it's helping me out.
I've got the model 327 trr8 .357 mag and it's awesome. It looks like a much similar design to yours. I needed to .357 though because I need a better caliber for hunting.
The scar on the aluminum frame created by the overtravel pin on the trigger drove me nuts. I ended up gluing a small stainless shim to the frame where the pin hits. S&W ground my pin very poorly, so I fixed that as well.
I watched your video. nicely done btw...You said was is an old fashion, "Pin Sear"?...Well, I think you are talking about a Sear pin and the sear is a part of the trigger that holds the hammer, or striker until the trigger has the proper pressure applied and then the hammer is released forward firing the round. In semi auto rifles it is the sear pin that is replaced to allow the gun to fire multiple times with one trigger pull, AKA full auto. In engineering, a Sear pin is put into any mechanism to be a fail safe such that if something is going to cause a catastrophic failure that the sear pin is designed to sear off or spilt and save the rest of mechanism from being destroyed, so that the mechanism shuts down and all you do is replace the sear pin and you are back in business. I hope that helps
Man that thing is a cannon. It looks tactical. That's home defense for that bump in the night. Don't dig moonclips tho. That's enough to keep me from ever buying a 9mm or .45 revolver
+ray hanes Its not really a hand cannon by any means (I consider those to be say a .41mag, 44mag 454, 460, 500). Very easy to shoot. But yeah the moon clips can be a pain I will admit this. I've had a few get bent (8-shot 357mag) which makes loading the freaking gun not possible :( The 45 moons seem very sturdy though but...
...but it's less then reliable. I actually hate moon clips which is why I stick to the typical revolver cartridges. Gotta admit I carry the G26 more then anything tho.
It was brought to my attention that Crimson Trace indeed did make a light and laser combo so I looked it up and its their "Rail Master Pro" Appears to be activated at the trigger guard but doesn't mention if it will fit revolvers.
Tampa Bay Blaster interesting...too bad, they should design something for full size revolvers but the demand is not there. Seriously when I'm at the club practicing and I pull out the Pug Nose people are like shocked that is what I carry as a primary. They are like, "wow I don't know anyone that carries a revolver as a primary gun"
A little back story on the AR cases after WW 1 when the 1917 and New sevice revolvers were released to the surplus market 1/2 moon clips were hard to come by so the Peters Ammo company introduced the 45 Auto Rim cartridge Peters was purchased by Remington hence the RP on headstamps and ammo boxes with the popularity of bullseye shooting in the 50s and 60s that requires a rim fire a centerfire revolver and a 45 ACP weapons a lot of shooter built up 1917s and S&W released the model 25 the AR became popular again
Nice pick up and it looks that it was a good trade value too. I have the TRR8, which is basically the same concept but with a 5-inch barrel, an additional top rail (that I do not use but good to have to compete) and 8 shoot of .357 magnum. It is not my favorite wheel gun, it is my favorite firearm period!
***** It is a dream and shoots anything comfortably. Basically, it is the same frame as your pug nose with a steel cylinder and a 5-inch barrel. The first 3 shots of .357 magnum I put through it at 7 yards touched each other and while I am decent shot, I am no pro :)
I started acting like my son when he was 5 years old, I was standing on my tippy-toes going open the box, open the box, lemme see, I wanna see, after this vid I took a long breath, smoked a cigarette and slept like a baby....
muzzleblast1911 I know! LOL. I just like the black smiths for some reason. I'm not a huge fan of stainless although I can't deny a 627 Pef.Center is a sweet revolver... But a lot of people do not seem to like the scandium type frames... I personally like them because of that weight savings. The titanium cylinder however, kinda concerns me on my Pug Nose... My j-frame also has a titanium cylinder but it appears to be holding up.
I would have thought 30 rounds was hardly enough to decide if you liked a revolver or not. You will find that the demooning tool will be a real thumb saver.
1957Shep I was surprised at that as well. He said it was an impulse buy/trade. He was watching some Clint Smith vids on YT I guess and he just "had to have it" but then when he got it I guess he really did not have to have it!? Yes I've used it and it works like a charm!!
I have a S&W 640-1 on layaway for me so excited, must wait for birthday next month they have done a trigger job today as out the box it seemed "stiff" I turning into a revolver guy : ) I have a S&W Pro Series 3" barrel sitting quietly next to me
I know Georgia Arms loads .45 auto rim. The load once fired and new mfg using Starline brass they are at all the shows around here in SC know they go to FL, GA all over the south but you can order online too. I know they load Gold Dot and I know I have seen some of their new mfg .45 auto rim loaded with Gold Dot, as well as 230 FMJ, I think some lead bullets too. It isn't much different in price to their .45 ACP so if you just wanted to have some they load it and you can order it from their website. Should be able to fire .45 GAP too with those moon clips kinda nice if that was all you could find, the Governor too with the .410, .45 Colt, .45 ACP, auto rim, and GAP.
JesseLJohnson Thanks for the heads up! The Double Tap and Buf Boreammo also uses Starline brass. I talked to some guy at the club who told me to save my autorim brass as he will buy it off me. But I'm gonna check out GA Arms as I'm intrigued now. Honestly I have not seen GAP in a long time. A few years ago a shop had a ton of it but no more because they will not sell the Glock GAP anymore.
***** Here is what is showing on their site. They load .45 GAP too. It seems like they have more to pick from then this when i see them at shows could be they don't list their entire inventory online though. Not bad though 50 rounds loaded with solid lead bullets new Starline brass for $23 or you can get them by the 1000 probably 500 too if you call. At the shows they always offer 500 or 1000 in ammo cans. www.georgia-arms.com/45-auto-rim-1/
Interesting with the auto rim. Definitely an interesting Gun. Hows the recoil? My buddy's got the governor and we shot some .45acp with moon clips. For the 325 here tho, strictly for .45 acp??
I checked out Clint Smith reviews on GunTalk.TV and he explained to just leave the light on and retract your hand to a safe firing position because the perp already know you are there anyway. Awesome vids.
i was hopping for a governor they are really sweet i own a public defender and my friend has the governor i want to buy one but i was hopping they would make a thunder ranch or pro series governor for home defense with a 4 inch barrel and a light rail i love the idea of 45acp our of a revolver and 4 pellets of 000 buck is a nice man stopper cant beat also i carry the hornady 410 one 41 cal 110 grain slug and 2 000 buck pellets which make a 1 inch to 1 and a half inch group at 21 feet will you get a governor at any point sense you have all the moon clips now?
down trodden I don't think I would get the Governor... I mean never say never but it has not been on my list of guns to get. I had a friend that had one. I've shot it and it is interesting for sure... we shall see!
that's cool the effectiveness has increased in the last few year sense alot of 410 round have been built for it when it first came out most rounds were built for long barrels. cant wait for some more video's om the 325 thanks for all the great informative videos
david fong I noticed moons for an 8-shot 38/357 are much more fragile in the pocket. I've had 2 bend on me already and one lock up in the 627 Pro which is a recreational wheelie. So... the 45acp moons seem much stronger.
Why the hell would you limit yourself to 6 rounds and increase your reload time by opting for a .45 ACP revolver instead of a 1911 or other more modern .45 polymer pistol? I guess technically you could argue its more reliable but not really in a significant way compared to a good semi-auto like a Springfield or Kimber 1911. Now the R8 is cool because you get 8 rounds of .357 magnum, but this? This brings nothing to the table compared to a good semi-auto .45.
Generally speaking I dont like revolvers at all, literally the only revolver I would like to own is the S&W R8/TRR8 which is unfortunately pretty rare. Call me a tactifag but those stainless steel wood grip revolvers just scream "I'm a trailer park trash fudd from Florida."
+John Doe A 327/627 makes sense because 8 shots of .357Mag(if full powered) keeps up with any semi-auto. And it also has moon clips which makes it loading it just as fast as a semi-auto. And the icing on the cake is that it can be shit without the use of moon clips or speed loaders. A semi-auto will always need some sort of magazine to feed it. With all that being said. I believe the only reason to purchase this 325 is because you like revolvers and of course if you're a .45ACP and have tons of bullets, as the poster stated.
+John Doe I have a 627-V and I can tell you that 9 would make then cylinder way too fat. I seriously doubt that semi auto cartridges in revolvers would make sales that much higher or kill magnum cartridges. Remember that we mainly put up with them because of the power factor. I like you would like to see more that are cut foe moon clips and also a non competition 9mm revolver. If S&W can make one with 7 to 8 shots and cut foe moon clips, itbwouod be fun and cheap to shoot.
***** I'll have to do a vid on this next month or so... but don't get me wrong, I still understand Glocks (great tools) and absolutely love 1911s. Just that at this time I feel so confident with the wheelie. I think it has to do a lot with the j-frame. I wanted something that could be on me at all times and the j-frame fit the bill. I knew I had to train/practice with that thing because it only has 5 shots and its complicated to reload/manipulate. From there it made sense to move over to a larger frame revolver that I could use as a primary because of all the time spent in training and practicing with one. I'll try to put something together in a video some point...thanks!!
