.22LR or .25 ACP?

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ArchAngelCD

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First off, if you refuse to answer the question as asked please don't bother to post. I know someone will not honor my request fairly quickly but I'm hoping to get a few educated answers before I have to ask the Mods to close the thread!

THIS IS NOT A SHOULD I USE THIS CALIBER THREAD! I know all the arguments against using a sub-caliber for self defense.

IF, and only IF someone for one reason or another would have to choose a very light caliber for self defense which would be a better choice, a handgun in .22LR or one in .25 Auto? I know a .22LR will generate more energy than a .25 Auto but the .25 Auto in centerfire is more reliable. So, hypothetically, which would be a "better" choice?

Please explain why you would choose one over the other but not why you would choose something else. Lets see if we can actually be adults in this thread and just answer the question as asked.
 
wrong section as you can not reload .22lr

but, out of the same sized gun the .25acp and .22lr are equals as far as "power".

the ammo cost goes to the .22lr, the reliability of the center fire goes to the .25acp.

if you want a realistic comparison you must use the beretta model 20 .25acp and the beretta model 21 .22lr. however, neither of these guns have an extractor, so id stay away from them for defensive use if i had a choice.

given the choice of comparable guns in these calibers i'd pick the .25acp.
 
as a owner of many pocket pistols, my Beretta 950 .22 short gets carried an awful lot lately. Not like i would grab that since i carry 2 guns mostly at all time, but it's a classy touch. That being sad. The .25 auto was made as a pistol round were the .22lr is not. The velocity and energy never has time to get to it's full potential in a short barrel pistol for the .22 yes the .25 is underpowered but that wont stop my baby browning from biting and barking.
 
Of the two, I'd prolly use the .22 lr. With high speed solids, the bullet will ricochet around in the body cavity causing a lot of damage (I've read Dr. state the .22 is a "dirty" round and does a lot of damage). Reliability? I haven't had a misfire in .22 lr in years, since I stopped using Remington ammo. Neither is a fight stopper and out of a pocket pistol w/2" barrel both are just bearly better than a sharp stick.

With over 11K posts you should know where this thread should go...:rolleyes:
 
The 25 ACP is the better choice if you like the firearms it is commonly chambered in. I personally would choose the 22LR simply because I don't like the "boom" associated with the 25 ACP and the cost of ammo.
 
From a cost standpoint alone, the .22 LR wins. For last-ditch defensive use, I'd rather be using .22 High Velocity Hollowpoints than a .25 FMJ, too.
 
My preference is the 22. I can't remember the last time any of my 22s failed to go bang, but each of my two 25s and several others I've tried give the occasional misfire. These little guns seem to be very sensitive to slight variations in load or something.
 
i seem to be getting alot of misfires with CCI Stingers lately and i push stingers on .22 shooters. Even in my revolvers thats how i know it was'nt the auto's. And yes the BANG on my .25's are LOUD. A warning shot in the dark sounds like a 9mm. Fired one in a ally once my ears rang for days so i could only imagine what it sounded like to them being on the buisness end of it.
 
If I could pick a revolver as the gun I would use in this hypothetical then the 22 wins for my needs. It is without a doubt cheaper ammo wise. So cheap that you can stock up on it no matter how low your budget and most can afford to shoot it enough to be good with it in the gun they are going to carry. In decades of shooting I've never had one misfire with a centerfire round. I've had a handful with 22lr. With a revolver it becomes a non-issue.
 
My brothers wife has an older 2.5 inch barrel H&R 929 9 round revolver that I would take any day over a 25 ACP semi auto.
But I would gladly take a Berreta 25 ACP Auto any day over my brothers crappy jamomatic Berreta 21 22 Auto.
So half a dozen of one or six of the other.
 
I'd take the .25 ACP because it's centerfire but also due to the CC guns chambered for it. The caliber is a little archaic since small guns usually aren't all steel anymore, but at least a vest pocket or a baby browning has a little classic swagger.
 
I'm not sure where I saw it, but someone did extensive research of the fatality rates for various calibers in human shootings, both accidental and intentional. He researched several years worth of shootings nationwide with particular attention being paid to fatalities. This invoved 1,000s of shootings. The researcher concluded that their is no significant difference between calibers and that a .22 is just as likely to be fatal as a .45. So, by this research there would be no difference between the .22 and .25. Intuitively, one would think the .25 has more oomph, but apparently not so. His research demonstrated that the most dangerous gun is a tie bewteen shotguns and centerfire rifles.
 
I think it all depends on the type of gun, which you didn't specify. If you're considering a vest pocket type like a Colt or Baby Browning the .25 ACP would be preferable due to it being center-fire and originally designed to be used in a miniature semiautomatic pistol. Rimless cases feed more reliably than rimmed in these guns. I bought a pair of Colt Jr.'s a few years ago. One was chambered for .25 ACP and the other for .22 Short. The .25 is by far the more reliable.

If you're considering a revolver or a larger auto the .22 would be my choice simply due to the cost of ammunition. Ballistically speaking, they're practically identical given similar barrel lengths.
 
I agree with Rick if it's a little vest pocket size I'd go with a 25. The 25 has as much or more power from a 2" and it'll be more reliable.
 
My experience, .25 hands down.

35gr. XTPs function flawlessly for me and I trust them for the ranges they are intended for. Better priming system as well.

.22LR cartridge has been around longer than the .25acp.
If Browning, Walther, or Colt had intended the .22LR to be used in their respective pocket designs, they would have got them to market.

Fast forward to the newer designs of pocket pistols.

Even with the advancements made in ammunition quality, the .22LR suffers with its small, hollow, rounded, and radiused rim. 99 out of 100 successful extractions are not good enough for me.

JT
 
For me it's the 22. I have a baby browning and don't feel comfortable carrying with a round chambered. My walther tph 22 is safe carried chambered and ready to go,also it has a second strike ability in case of a misfire.So for me it's the platform more than the caliber. They did make the tph in 25acp but it is rare,and the ammo is many times more expensive.
 
Simply for the slightly larger bullet and the relaibility of a center-fire primer, I'd choose the .25

Out of the pocket pistols, there is little chance of expansion and the edge goes to reliability, IMO.
 
Of these I would prefer a .25 as I would buy one of the various vest pocket pistols. The reliability would make the deal for me.
 
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