Oscar;
Thanks for the kind words. I have a 625-8 JM Special that I consider one of the finest revolvers I have ever owned (and I have owned a BUNCH since about 1949
). After I had such good luck with mine, several of my fellow club members also bought one. Everyone I have shot has been equal to mine. I mostly use .45 Auto Rim (Starline) cases for general range use. However, having a generous supply of older military cases in .45 ACP has also seen a lot of those used without issue. The only thing I did to my JM Special is to change grips to my preferred Pachmayrs (I have rather large hands), and put a JM matched spring kit in the revolver. I set my double action to my preferred 9.0 lbs. pull and the single action to 3.0 lbs. MY revolves are set up to use any standard large pistol primer without issue. Further, I often hunted in cold weather and I had no desire for an accidental discharge using too light a trigger with cold numbed fingers.
MY most used load is 4.0 grs. of Bullseye (or equivalent) behind a Mihec home cast H&G #68 flat base bullet cast of WW's + 2% tin. My revolver will group in under 1" at 25 yards on demand.
I also, shortly after getting the 4" JM Special decided to find a 5". The very next time I attended the OGCA Gun Show, I found exactly ONE. It was an estate sale 625-6 Model of 1989. It shoots as well as my JM. I set it up exactly like my JM. That fine revolver currently resides with my youngest son who shoots it quite well, thank you!
I have also shot these both fine revolvers with the NOE version of the Lyman 452424 (250 gr. SWC). Using a Elmer Keith reccommended load of Unique, I get just over 900 fps and that should handle a hog or large Whitetail deer at reasonable ranges without issue.
I would NOT hesitate to buy a new 625-8 JM Special. Remember, you only hear about the less than perfect ones - you never hear about all of the thousands of really good revolvers turned out. Further, S&W has an excellent reputation for their warranty work.
Standing at 25 yards (with witnesses)...
FWIW
Dale53