Gunfan, you are following the exact advice / statement that James Bond made when someone asked him about the 25 ACP he carried. Bond said he always shoots for the eye and never misses.

"Thus, the famous line from Ian Fleming's "GOLDFINGER," in which the villain himself, speaking to James Bond and brandishing a tiny Colt Pocket Model .25 ACP, exclaims, "I always shoot for the right eye... and I never miss!"

I thought Bond made the claim, but perhaps it was the villian. Anyways, shooting for the eye seems to be the tactic to use with the 25 ACP.

At most, I believe that I'll be 1 yard from my opponent. It will likely be dark, and if feeling threatened, I'll probably have the pistol in my hand (palmed) cocked, with the safety off. At the "time of need" I plan to rearrange my grip, swing to the ready, and fire two "double taps." This will leave me with two final cartridges to either shoot, as I'm running away, or firing at his partner.

Scott

Well....you've certainly planned for every eventuality.....except those that are more than 3 feet away, during times of not darkness, when you've not had time yet to feel threatened and rearrange your grip and take care of the problem with two double taps before being able to run away. Other than that, I think you've got it covered. By all means, get the .25.

It beats no gun at all! I'd rather have a .25 (at the ready) in my hand, than a .44 Special hanging in my shoulder holster from my clothes hook in my bedroom at home!

Scott

I would follow the same tactics as gunfan states except I'll have a Ruger LCP in my hands. Another poster has posted several pics of this gun and a Colt 25 Auto. They look to be the same size.

quote:

It beats no gun at all! I'd rather have a .25 (at the ready) in my hand, than a .44 Special hanging in my shoulder holster from my clothes hook in my bedroom at home!

How much more inconvenient would it be to carry something more substantial?

quote:

Originally posted by gunfan:
The .25 Auto will be carried only in what is considered low risk, low threat level situations. It is not a carry gun that will be relied upon at any great length. I always carry my SOG Flash II (assisted-opening) large knife too. Right now, I have a Berretta Tomcat (.32 ACP) and my Charter "Undercoverette" (.32 H&R Magnum) at my disposal. If I want to move up from there, I'll grab my Bersa .380 and tuck it in the small of my back for a short jaunt.

I regard the Excam .25 as a "last ditch" piece before resorting to my knife. I will not be carrying it as either a primary, or even a secondary weapon. It may fill a "tertiary" role to other arms that I carry, such as my Charter Arms Bulldog (1991, 3-inch in .44 S&W Special.)

Scott

If I am counting correctly, the Excam would be the 5th handgun of your collection. If I had that many guns I would sell several of them and invest in a quality brand ultralite 2" revolver in either .38 +p spl or .357. I currently carry a S&W 642 everyday. The best gun to own is the one that is comfortable to carry everyday and dependable enough to bet your life on. Because that is what you are doing. I would never carry an off brand small caliber semi auto that might jam when I needed it most. But this is America and you can do what ever you want if you are willing to pay the price.

I'll bet just about any of those .25 Semi Autos will tip the scales at over 13 ounces and some a lot more and that's empty. You can carry a .357 Mag J Frame that weighs less than that. I know the Beretta I had weighed more than my 340PD.

My .40 Cal Kel-Tec P-40 only weighs 14.8 ounces empty. The Kel-Tec PF-9 that's a 9mm only weighs 12.8 ounces. The P-3AT .380 1st Generation only weighs 7.2 ounces and the newer model still only weighs 8.4 ounces. Any one of those would be a better choice than a .25. Why risk your life knowing that the gun your choosing would do good to kill a mouse at 10 feet. Don't make since to me.

Smitty

quote:

Originally posted by Smitty500Mag:
I'll bet just about any of those .25 Semi Autos will tip the scales at over 13 ounces and some a lot more and that's empty. You can carry a .357 Mag J Frame that weighs less than that. I know the Beretta I had weighed more than my 340PD.

My .40 Cal Kel-Tec P-40 only weighs 14.8 ounces empty. The Kel-Tec PF-9 that's a 9mm only weighs 12.8 ounces. The P-3AT .380 1st Generation only weighs 7.2 ounces and the newer model still only weighs 8.4 ounces. Any one of those would be a better choice than a .25. Why risk your life knowing that the gun your choosing would do good to kill a mouse at 10 feet. Don't make since to me.

Smitty

I agree 100%. Stopping power, dependability and easy concealability are the minimum requirements to make it to my pocket. My S&W 642 weighs 15 oz's empty.

If so inclined, I could also grab Shelley's Charter Arms Undercover .38. I have a few options, but only so many holsters. Perhaps I can carry my Bersa .380 in a UM "clip-on" IWB (in the SOB position,) the Beretta Tomcat (.32 ACP) in another clip-on (in the front of the waistband) and the Excam in a pocket holster.

That would make 3 small handguns on my person with enough firepower to get the task accomplished. BTW, Washington is an "open carry" state, and unless local statutes prohibit open carry (with approval from the state legislature) I can carry openly without fear of "brandishing" charges.

Perhaps I'll be best off with the .32 Magnum "Undercoverette" in that well-known "SOB" carry. That has the power to git-'er-dun!

Scott

This Colt is Always in my back pocket in a Mika holster. It is the BUG to my BUG at work, does 2nd gun duty the rest of the time.[URL= ]made in 1913[/URL]

Here is a link that shows a side-by-side picture of a Colt 25 ACP and an LCP. The LCP is slightly longer and taller, but it weighs less than any all steel 25 ACP. I'll gladly take a tiny bit of extra length and height of the LCP for the major power upgrade.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/500103904/m/9691079303/p/2

My 3 boxes of Buffalo Bore 380 ACP 100gr LFP +P arrived yesterday. According to the Gunblast review of the Ruger LCP, this load was running 1110 FPS. Twice the bullet weight of a 50 gr 25 ACP at a much higher velocity.

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-LCP.htm

I'm not going to mention how much the Excam is going to cost me. (If there are no more bids on this little piece, I'll be paying a modest sum for it.) I am locked into my bid now. I have no regrets for plunking down such a small sum. I simply hope that I can have some fun and have a little added protection on the side. It's not a cannon, but it could come in handy for squirrel attacks, a chipmunk uprising, you know, serious stuff.

Scott

Think twice about the Excam. My ex had one, given to her by her father. Frankly, I doubt he loved her very much, the damn thing was as reliable as a Yugo. Please, please do NOT carry that thing loose in your pocket "cocked and locked". The odds are overwhelming that the person who's gonna get shot is you!

My daughter (not hers thank God) got a 3" Model 60, dehorned and DAO only from her Daddy!

I own two .25's, a Bauer and a Beretta. I have never, ever carried either for self-defense. .25 Auto is generally considered to be the absolute WORST self defense caliber. It's only real possible advantage over .22LR is a potential for greater center-fire reliability as a center fire cartridge in an auto-loader.

Don't get me wrong, I like small guns and in warm weather will sometimes carry a KelTec P-32 or S&W 432 PD in low threat environments. The KelTec in particular is so small, so light and so concealable that it trumps any .25 Auto I have ever seen. No, it isn't as elegant as a Baby Browning, but it's a tool, remember?

I have a Colt Mustang Pocketlite and a Pony Pocketlight in .380 and a Kahr PM9 too, but they live in the safe these days. I almost always go for more firepower on my belt and under a t-shirt.

Ever have to actually use a gun to protect yourself? Believe me, there simply is no such thing as "too much gun". Of course a .25 is better than no gun at all... but alot of things have to go very, very right for it to be effective. And if you have to actually use it, I have to assume things are NOT going right to start with.

quote:

Originally posted by gunfan:
I'm not going to mention how much the Excam is going to cost me. (If there are no more bids on this little piece, I'll be paying a modest sum for it.) I am locked into my bid now. I have no regrets for plunking down such a small sum. I simply hope that I can have some fun and have a little added protection on the side. It's not a cannon, but it could come in handy for squirrel attacks, a chipmunk uprising, you know, serious stuff.

Scott

If it is the one on a certain well known auction site (the only Excam .25 currently on there), you're actually over paying once you figure in shipping and transfer fees. It's also one of the guns assembled in Florida and not one of the Italian ones. Pawnshops should have these things ranging from about 50 bucks for a Raven to maybe a C note. If you ask around, you can get deals on "Saturday Night Specials" as some shops have ones that they want to get rid of languishing somewhere.

If you google it, there's a forum you can check out for the Jennings, Bryco, Lorcin and assorted SNS handguns. I don't say that in a derogatory manner, as I'm a member there myself and there's interesting information and POVs on these little pistols, but you can also learn what good real world prices on them are. These guns still interest me, though less so than in the past, as yes, they can be fun to own and shoot/collect. I have never carried one for self defense nor would I if I had any other options.

If you can find one, a new old stock SW brand suede holster will feature a rather nice metal clip on their IWB models. I paid 10 or 15 dollars for mine, meant for a 4" k frame, off Ebay. These are far better than the UM's holsters. Another option are Vega suede holsters, though these feature a less desireable plastic clip on the IWB models. They are still inexpensive though. Any gun show and many gunshops will have a box of old holsters and ones with secure metal clips can often be found therein at low cost.

If all else fails, wrap the grips of your Charter with rubber bands and jam it your waistband or make a pocket holster for it out of cardboard and Gorilla tape. (I made a holster for my 2" 12-3 out of a Cheeze it box and Gorilla tape, worked fine for months).