I've been bitten by the .25 bug. They don't take up near as much room in the safe, leaving more for N-frames. I would like to see a gun about the size of the old Mauser with a double column magazine.
.25 ACP ballistic test-vs .22 Long Rifle
- Thread starter David LaPell
- Start date
681ismyfavorite
Member
www.goldenloki.com has ballistic gel results for a .22lr fired from a mini auto.
comparing the .25acp and .22lr from the same bbl length guns the .25acp is "superior" if you can say that with either of these, but its because of the more reliable cartridge design.
comparing the .25acp and .22lr from the same bbl length guns the .25acp is "superior" if you can say that with either of these, but its because of the more reliable cartridge design.
Pasifikawv
Member
I have a Beretta .25 950. I am temporarily letting my brother (an LEO) hang on to it. He sometime uses it as a BUG or his wife will use it as her car/purse piece.
I asked him once if he thought it was a large enough caliber for his wife. His comment: "It isn't much, but it'll make a rapist loose his erection real fast!" I suppose he is right....
I asked him once if he thought it was a large enough caliber for his wife. His comment: "It isn't much, but it'll make a rapist loose his erection real fast!" I suppose he is right....
469Shooter
Member
I investigated two homicides in the 80's with .25 cal weapons. Both point blank single head shots, both DOA. One female shot in the right temple; the other a male shot behind the right ear. The guns were, surprisingly enough Berettas. So, I guess the .25 has taken at least two lives in the modern era. Everone knows that a well placed shot with a .45 will kill you, but people tend to underestimate the .25s and .32s for that matter. Plus, you just can't beat the conealability of that little Colt vest pocket pistol!
Last edited:
NFrameFred
Member
In the Ian Fleming novel Ari Goldfinger was discussing his use of the .25 acp against Bond's "powerhouse" .32 Walther.
He said something to the effect that he "didn't need anything larger because I aim for the right eye and I never miss"
He wasn't claiming to be a great shot . . . just, that when he used it, it was up close and personal.
Lot's of better things to carry, but they'll all kill ya . . . .
He said something to the effect that he "didn't need anything larger because I aim for the right eye and I never miss"
He wasn't claiming to be a great shot . . . just, that when he used it, it was up close and personal.
Lot's of better things to carry, but they'll all kill ya . . . .
jhvaughan2
Member
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2009
- Messages
- 364
- Reaction score
- 117
Darn it. I've got to clean-up my keyboard, again.
The .25 acp double gun story was a gem. It is amazing what some people will do. Only a true gun NUT would even think of such a thing.
G.T. Smith
US Veteran
.25 target shooting
I was reading all these posts about .25's and so I grabbed the old Raven and went out to shoot a little. Here is a picture of the target, shot at 5 yards 7 rounds as fast as I could and hold it on the target. The bottom hole was the first shot out of the holster, but it got better. I was surprised. I've had that pistol for a long time and it has always run smooth. never has jammed on me but I keep all my weapons very clean. I'm still glad nobody saw me shooting it though
I was reading all these posts about .25's and so I grabbed the old Raven and went out to shoot a little. Here is a picture of the target, shot at 5 yards 7 rounds as fast as I could and hold it on the target. The bottom hole was the first shot out of the holster, but it got better. I was surprised. I've had that pistol for a long time and it has always run smooth. never has jammed on me but I keep all my weapons very clean. I'm still glad nobody saw me shooting it though
Attachments
I'd like to see a Marlin tube fed, bolt action in .25acp. The cartridge has been negatively stereotyped by the cheap pocket autos, but I think it has a lot of potential. With the rising cost of quality match grade .22 long rifle ammo, I would think the reloadable and tunable .25 has a future.
Even a lever action plinker/vermin killer would be nice to see. And I have thought about a full auto, belt fed machine pistol, about the size of my Glock 20. The belt could sit down inside of the "magazine" and be pulled straight up through the top. Oh well, even if someone does make these, they'd only use cheap plastic or cast pot metal parts.
Edited to add one more, lengthen the case and make a round to compete with the 5.7x28.
Even a lever action plinker/vermin killer would be nice to see. And I have thought about a full auto, belt fed machine pistol, about the size of my Glock 20. The belt could sit down inside of the "magazine" and be pulled straight up through the top. Oh well, even if someone does make these, they'd only use cheap plastic or cast pot metal parts.
Edited to add one more, lengthen the case and make a round to compete with the 5.7x28.
Last edited:
Several years ago the local leo's were playing around with an old mobile home. One of them fired at it with his 25 bug. The round went lengthwise through the trailer. It didn't hit anything, but thin aluminum, but it didn't stop.
Fascinating link, thanks!
Very apropos to the conversation, 7000 in 28 days. Amazing.
Terry
Gald to know someone else with similar interests
I am glad to make your acquiantance! I am one of those strange people as well because I reloaded for the 25ACP before I had one. I looked for a bullet mold but could not locate one, I thought that would be a kick. I finally bought a Taurus PT-25 to fire my handloads with. The Taurus went back to the factory for repair this afternoon, it would fail to extract about 20% of the time, this was with the commercial ammo. My handloads were a bit worse. The recoil spring is extremely hard, too hard I am convinced. I think it is wha is causing the FTE.
Best regards,
Terry
I am glad to make your acquiantance! I am one of those strange people as well because I reloaded for the 25ACP before I had one. I looked for a bullet mold but could not locate one, I thought that would be a kick. I finally bought a Taurus PT-25 to fire my handloads with. The Taurus went back to the factory for repair this afternoon, it would fail to extract about 20% of the time, this was with the commercial ammo. My handloads were a bit worse. The recoil spring is extremely hard, too hard I am convinced. I think it is wha is causing the FTE.
Best regards,
Terry
amd6547
Member
I picked up this Beretta 21A 25acp at a gun show two years ago in a private sale from a dealer for $150...no paperwork or tax. It came with a rug, a spare MecGar 9rd mag, a IWB clip-on holster, a pocket holster, and 50rds of winchester pellet nose ammo.
It has been 100% reliable, and is surprisingly accurate. My club has a set of bowling pin silouettes you can reset from the firing line, and I love impress folks by knocking them down with well aimed shots to the top of the pin.
It does get some pocket carry from time to time...ten rounds can be fired extremely rapidly into a tiny group at close range. I dont mistake it for any kind of super gun, but if those ten dont stop the threat, there is always the Spyderco Endura to fall back on.
I wish there was an FMJ 25acp round that would give an honest 1000fps...
It has been 100% reliable, and is surprisingly accurate. My club has a set of bowling pin silouettes you can reset from the firing line, and I love impress folks by knocking them down with well aimed shots to the top of the pin.
It does get some pocket carry from time to time...ten rounds can be fired extremely rapidly into a tiny group at close range. I dont mistake it for any kind of super gun, but if those ten dont stop the threat, there is always the Spyderco Endura to fall back on.
I wish there was an FMJ 25acp round that would give an honest 1000fps...
35Rem
Member
So if 2 9mm's = 1 .45....how many .25's = a .45?
I was pleased to hear that you are doing an article on the .25 ACP. Most gun writers dismiss it with a sneer and probably without ever firing a single shot. Granted it isn't the most powerful round, but the rimless design and round nose jacketed bullet make it feed great in tiny semi autos that frequently balk when chambered for the .22 rimfire. I have a Beretta 950 Jetfire that is totally reliable and surprisingly accurate. Being shot with a .25 ACP in a vital spot can kill a perpetrator just as dead as a .44 Magnum.
LouisianaMan
Member
Just bought my first-ever 6.35mm Browning (sounds sexier than .25 ACP?) and love it. It's a Beretta Mod. 20 whose slide touched up nicely with a bit of cold blue; overall, it's in excellent condition. It rolled nicely thru a batch of old S&B FMJs and some Hornady 35g XTPs the previous owner gave me with the gun. Back when I was a second lieutenant in the early '80s, a buddy and I both bought Beretta 950s in .22 Short & enjoyed shooting them for fun, but they jammed a fair amount. I'm leery of the little rimmed cartridges. . . .
I'd spent almost 40 years despising .25's, having read the old stories common in the gunzines about this miserable, no-'count cartridge that nobody in his right mind would ever carry. I never actually needed to shoot one to know it was beneath contempt and essentially suicidal for its user, cuz Jeff Cooper and others told me so.
Nobody on this forum would ever advocate wearing a .25 on his belt for a general purpose sidearm, of course. Count me, however, as another convert to this type of gun and caliber for the use it was intended for: concealed carry by a guy that the BG doesn't expect to offer armed resistance, because I'm dressed in light clothing in the brutal Louisiana August heat & couldn't possibly be carrying concealed, right? I also have a .32 Tomcat, .32 Beretta Mod. 1953 (?), .380 Mod. 84F, and 9mm Mod. Px4 sub-compact, as well as my trusty revolvers in .38 S&W and .38 SPL. . .but welcome the tiniest of them all as a handy tool within its limits, when other options may not get carried at all.
Thanks to Bryan and the OP for all the interesting tests, as well as to many posters who've provided a lot of evidence that this cartridge has survived for over 100 years for some discernible reason.
I'd spent almost 40 years despising .25's, having read the old stories common in the gunzines about this miserable, no-'count cartridge that nobody in his right mind would ever carry. I never actually needed to shoot one to know it was beneath contempt and essentially suicidal for its user, cuz Jeff Cooper and others told me so.
Nobody on this forum would ever advocate wearing a .25 on his belt for a general purpose sidearm, of course. Count me, however, as another convert to this type of gun and caliber for the use it was intended for: concealed carry by a guy that the BG doesn't expect to offer armed resistance, because I'm dressed in light clothing in the brutal Louisiana August heat & couldn't possibly be carrying concealed, right? I also have a .32 Tomcat, .32 Beretta Mod. 1953 (?), .380 Mod. 84F, and 9mm Mod. Px4 sub-compact, as well as my trusty revolvers in .38 S&W and .38 SPL. . .but welcome the tiniest of them all as a handy tool within its limits, when other options may not get carried at all.
Thanks to Bryan and the OP for all the interesting tests, as well as to many posters who've provided a lot of evidence that this cartridge has survived for over 100 years for some discernible reason.
Mule88
Member
No one wants to be shot....not even with a .25
Just bought my first-ever 6.35mm Browning (sounds sexier than .25 ACP?) and love it. It's a Beretta Mod. 20 whose slide touched up nicely with a bit of cold blue; overall, it's in excellent condition. It rolled nicely thru a batch of old S&B FMJs and some Hornady 35g XTPs the previous owner gave me with the gun. Back when I was a second lieutenant in the early '80s, a buddy and I both bought Beretta 950s in .22 Short & enjoyed shooting them for fun, but they jammed a fair amount. I'm leery of the little rimmed cartridges. . . .
I'd spent almost 40 years despising .25's, having read the old stories common in the gunzines about this miserable, no-'count cartridge that nobody in his right mind would ever carry. I never actually needed to shoot one to know it was beneath contempt and essentially suicidal for its user, cuz Jeff Cooper and others told me so.
Nobody on this forum would ever advocate wearing a .25 on his belt for a general purpose sidearm, of course. Count me, however, as another convert to this type of gun and caliber for the use it was intended for: concealed carry by a guy that the BG doesn't expect to offer armed resistance, because I'm dressed in light clothing in the brutal Louisiana August heat & couldn't possibly be carrying concealed, right? I also have a .32 Tomcat, .32 Beretta Mod. 1953 (?), .380 Mod. 84F, and 9mm Mod. Px4 sub-compact, as well as my trusty revolvers in .38 S&W and .38 SPL. . .but welcome the tiniest of them all as a handy tool within its limits, when other options may not get carried at all.
Thanks to Bryan and the OP for all the interesting tests, as well as to many posters who've provided a lot of evidence that this cartridge has survived for over 100 years for some discernible reason.
I agree 100%. I have a lot of large caliber options for concealed carry but usually end up carrying either my S&W 638 or my Ruger LCP. I also have a NAA .22 mag mini revolver that I sometimes carry. If I had my druthers I would be carrying a vaporizer gun. However, since this is real life I make do with what I can comfortably carry.
S&WIowegan
US Veteran
.25 ACP ammo
I have owned a Beretta 950 for many years(and reload for it). The primary advantage of a .25 over a .22 in an auto is feeding reliability. The .25 also has a LOT fewer duds in a box of 50!!
Lee's comment on European .25 ammo being 'hotter' needs to be qualified. I bought a box of Fiocchi .25 for my Beretta( Italian gun/Italian ammo).....makes sense.....right? That Fiocchi could NOT work the slide of the 950!
I have owned a Beretta 950 for many years(and reload for it). The primary advantage of a .25 over a .22 in an auto is feeding reliability. The .25 also has a LOT fewer duds in a box of 50!!
Lee's comment on European .25 ammo being 'hotter' needs to be qualified. I bought a box of Fiocchi .25 for my Beretta( Italian gun/Italian ammo).....makes sense.....right? That Fiocchi could NOT work the slide of the 950!
7shooter
Member
A man in Benton County MN was sentenced yesterday for killing a man he was playing cards with. He had placed a .25 caliber pistol to his victims chest. The bullet went through his heart and lungs and came to rest in his shoulder. He got 30.5 years.
Last edited:
Faulkner
Member
I just don't think you could get a .380 ACP in a package the size of this Colt .25 ACP.
