No. S&W only recessed rims on magnums and rimfires. Eventually they stopped doing it on magnums.

 

Thanks.

 

The barrel is pinned so that makes it pre-1982.

 

My 25-5 .45 Colt (N8259XX) was made around 1980. Pinned barrel, non-recessed rims.

 

S&W collectors, like many gun enthusiasts are a funny lot. S&W stopped pinning barrels and recessing cylinders because they served no real purpose and wasted a lot of time and money in manufacture. Post-P&R Smiths are every bit as good as the P&R ones, yet collectors want the P&R guns and will pay a huge premium just to have an older revolver with those features. Why? Because older is better, and the P&R guns have a perceived advantage in quality over the newer, "cheaper" revolvers.

Same with 5-screw revolvers vs 4-screw, or worse yet 3-screw (gasp!) guns...

 

They also lament the frame mounted firing pin system of later centerfire revolvers even though S&W has been using that setup on their rimfires for over a 100 years.

 

Skeeter Skelton used his contact to get a .45 LC on special order before the M25-3 and M25-5 came out.
He said it was a hybrid of M25 - 3 Ts, and M26 - tapered barrel.

I have argued that the recessed rim on a centerfire magnum revolver was a styling feature with no real function.
Not like there have been magnums loaded in folded head cases like early .45 Colt and Government.

 

I've always cautioned those with S&Ws in .45 Colt to resist the temptation to "hot rod" their loads.
Thier's hardly more than a "wisp" of metal under the bolt notches, cylinder swelling under the notches can occur when pushed hard for too long.
Side note; having had a P&R, a few unburnt powder grains in the recess was always a pia,
In the days of folded-head cases and weak brass it may have served a more distinct purpose.
With todays cases it became an affectation.

 

I think that you are confusing the caliber issue with the mis-marked Model of 1955 issue. About 1500 (IIRC) model of 1955's had the wrong rollmark on the barrel, indicating a "Model of 1950" rather than 1955. The 1950 used a tapered barrel while the 1955 used a bull barrel...

The difference in taper is most notable where the barrel meets the frame.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

That could be. I am not an expert on S&Ws, though I am a fan and have a 1950 Target, and 55 Target. Both in .45 ACP. I do have one -3 in .45 Colt, and a couple -5s.

The Model 25 was nominally chambered in .45 ACP, but could be ordered in .45 Colt. As the series numbers progressed, the dash-3 came out and the 125th Anniversary M25-3 was chambered in .45 Colt, but it was a short cylinder like the .45ACP had. Starting with the dash-5, The M25's chambered for .45 Colt had a longer cylinder and all dash-5's are .45 Colt. Subsequent odd dash numbers are also .45 Colt; even dash numbers are .45 ACP.

My dash-5:
View attachment 777250

I'm aware of the short cylinder in the -3s. It kind of limits the bullet weights I can shoot in mine. All of mine have been good shooters, but they all need at least a .454 bullet because of the wide chamber throats. I also knew of the even/odd - numbers for the ACP/LC line.