S&W 25-2, 6.5", heavy barrel, full underlug info needed.

[AlloyJohn]

Hello, all.
 This looks like the place to ask these questions.

 A friend of mine recently purchased a S&W 25-2, 6.5" barrel, heavy frame (so he says. Supposedly built on a 44Mag frame), full underlug, in very good condition with box .  He now wants to sell it, and I asked for first refusal rights on it.

 My questions are: 1) does this sound like it is some kind of special pistol or are there enough of them out there to keep the price     down to a realistic level?
                          2) I know that it takes .45acp & .45Auto Rim, but how can I check to make sure that it has not been "reamed " out to accept .45Colt(and thus prohibit the use of .45 AR)? In other words, what should the chamber dimension be?
                          3)how can I check to be sure that someone has not used HOT loads in it? (any excess wear to look for.)
                          4)what price are we looking at (he says $600)?
                          5) anything else I missed?

 I appreciate any help that you folks can give me, as I am not a wealthy individual and I will have to struggle to come up with this money. However, I would like to buy this pistol. I have heard that the S&W 25-2 is one of the most reliable six shooters around. If I take my kids fishing I'll need something very reliable for black bears. There seem to be more and more black bears in our area every year. I think that is a good thing, I only want to keep things safe.
  Your help will be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Hammerdown]

Hello
 This model started in 1955 and was made until 1991.They called this revolver a Heavy Barrel revolver.All 6.5 Barrels were made in 45 ACP for the model 25-2.A 45 Long Colt cartridge would not fit this revolver due to the shorter cylinder.This revolver seems to draw a lot of collector interest, as the cheaper .45 acp cartridge is available more frequent than other revolver caliber's.A basic FEEL should show you if it has been abused by simply rotating the cylinder from side to side, with the hammer down, then try this again with it fully cocked. If there is alot of movement, then the revolver has had many rounds down the barrel. Hold it up to the light and check the forcing cone looking from the side of the revolver. The forcing cone is the Tip of the barrel of which the bullet first enters when it leaves the cylinder. See How much gap is present. A tight gap is desireable and around .006-.009 is the norm. Also look close all the way around the forcing cone, looking for micro cracks. Make certain it has none, as a lighter weight hot load could have cracked it, and this repair could be costly.Look close at the Face of the cylinder, and check to see if it has been scrubbing on the forcing cone when cycled. A scrubbing could mean improper cylinder alignment, and can sometimes be fixed with an internal shim kit. Before closing the cylinder, spin it while making sure it has no wobble. A wobble could prove to be a bent extractor rod, caused by slamming it closed or hot loads can do this as well. Roll the revolver over, and look close at the upper top strap just above the forcing cone. a Flame line should be there straight across the top strap, but not too deep, and should not have any cracks.These are simply revolver checks I make on all model's and one needs to be dilligent in performing them prior to the sale. As I said, this revolver will digest any cheaper millitary round, so you need to check close as some of the cheaper stuff is not all that easy on a revolver. His price is about what they go for, but he is not doing you any favors as a friend. if Bear were my concern, I would also look at a .41 Magnum, or the .44 Magnum revolver's as well. I believe they will have more force than the standard .45 ACP and the price of one will be more in line with what you would rather pay. Nothing wrong with a model 25 other than the fact that they are expensive in my eyes, when compared to other offerings.If I was going to be in the bush with Bears I would choose a .44 Magnum with a shorter 4" barrel as well. I hope this helps, Hammerdown

[AlloyJohn]

Hammerdown:
  Thank you, sir, for the much needed advice.  I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my questions.
  It would be nice to have the 25-2 as far as keeping the ammo supply simple, but I should realize that every applicatin has it's partcular tools. Bear WOULD be better served by a .44 Mag. 

  I'll keep everything you said in mind when I look this revolver over.
But please be so kind as to advance me one more bit of information.
"Is the full underlug on this particular model a .44 Magnum or a 44 Special frame? And as such, would either make it any more durable than a .45acp frame?"

  Again thank you.  And I look forwad to repaying the favor one day.

                           Sincerely,
                           AlloyJohn (alloy, as opposed to "iron John")
                                         (not necessarily an improvement)   

[Hammerdown]

"Is the full underlug on this particular model a .44 Magnum or a 44 Special frame? And as such, would either make it any more durable than a .45acp frame?"

Hello Alloy John
I have Both Full underlug revolver's and Non Underlug revolvers. I believe they have NO differences in durability issues. I know that S&W came out with it's underlug in a model 586 along about 1980. This was a marketing strategy to me as Colt had the same option, and all bragged on durability. Durability to me in internal pressures exerted on action parts like the cylinder hand, Star wheel of cylinder's, and frame around the cylinder, Not the underlug area. The underlug's have little to do with any of this, but make a revolver look more rugged as eye appeal in my opinion, and this becomes a selling strategy. I carry a 4" revolver in the field, due to a quicker draw and Less weight. I also carry a .41 Magnum model 57 revolver, that sadly is not made any more. Mine is an early example, pinned and recessed and 4" examples were harder to find. I have had .44 magnums and can say that the .41 Magnum round will do everything the .44 Magnum can do with a little less recoil and also can be a flater shooting caliber for longer shots due to lighter bullet weight. If I were you, and were considering a carry protection revolver for bear, I would look heavy at the current mountain guns offered by S&W. these are trimmed down lighter weight revolver's that are a dream to carry all day long. they currently offer a Mountain model 57 and a Mountain model in .44 Magnum. I believe both can be had in stainless as well. Weight will be an issue if you carry it all day, and I can not see the added weight of an underlug revolver being worth it in the long run.I use a factory S&W leather shoulder holster for mine, and the 4" barrel allows it to ride comfortable under my left arm pit , and is easy to draw with the shorter barrel. I hope this helps, and here is my pick for Bear a model 57 S&W. Hammerdown