.22LR v. .25

[opr1945]

I was talking to two guys at a party when the subject of hand guns came up. One guy pulls out a small Beretta .25 in a pocket holster with a hole in it so it could be fired while in the holster. (1. isn't this illegal? Federal or State?)

The other guy said I carry the same except in .22LR because it will do more damage than the .25 caliber. (2. Is this correct? why?)

thanks

 

[RickMD]

I'm aware of no law that makes it illegal to fire a handgun out of a holster or a jacket pocket for that matter.

.22 long rifle cartridges and .25 ACP's are roughly equivalent in energy when fired out of a 2" barrel. The advantage of the .25 ACP is that it feeds much more reliably when used in a semiautomatic pistol.

 

[Old Fuff]

And a second (and important) advantage is that the .25 has a center-fire primer which is more reliable then the rim fire. Two reasons: The rim fire case is thicker, and the priming compound is not always evenly spread.

Also in a mouse-gun the full jacketed bullet will usually penetrate deeper, and that's more important then expansion.

A second identical pistol in .22 LR does offer an inexpensive way to practice.

 

[Coyote3855]

From the ATF website: Scroll down.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/guides/identification-of-nfa-firearms.html

Wallet Holsters


Notice: All “Any Other Weapons” have a mandatory tax of $200.00 for making. Transfer of an “Any Other Weapons” is an additional $5.00.

Classification
Any Other Weapon with firearm
Distinctive Characteristics
Holster has hole to fire weapon

Rate of Transfer Tax
$5.00 with firearm; no tax without firearm

Not illegal, but considered an "Any Other Weapon" and subject to registration and tax.

 

[BYJO4]

I not fond of either caliber as a defense gun.

 

[amd6547]

"...I not fond of either caliber as a defense gun..."

Neither are the criminals shot with them.

 

[usp9]

I'd carry a .25acp over a .22lr. I don't know about the holster. I thought they were illegal if they had a hole through which the trigger was pulled.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I thought they were illegal if they had a hole through which the trigger was pulled.

That's what it boils down to. If the wallet has to be opened to operate the firearm, not AOW. If it can be fired while still enclosed by the wallet, it is an AOW.

.22 long rifle cartridges and .25 ACP's are roughly equivalent in energy when fired out of a 2" barrel. The advantage of the .25 ACP is that it feeds much more reliably when used in a semiautomatic pistol.

This, and the fact that .25 ACP bullets actually have a jacket, makes them preferable. Price, however, does not.

IMO, the only .25s worth carrying are the Baby Brownings/Bauers. Anything else is just as large as, and notably heavier than, a Kel-Tec P32 or P3AT. The Baby/Bauer, however, are truly tiny guns, only 10 ounces loaded and much smaller than a P32:

 

[MCgunner]

I quit carrying a 25 when pocket sized lightweight .380s came out (Grendel P12). When I got my CCW (that's right, carried the .25 when it was not legal and it managed to save me a stabbing once) the subcompact 9s were new and the Kel Tec P11 was pocket sized and only 2 ounces heavier than the Grendel. I'll never go back to the .25, though it'd be my pick over a .22 auto. However, I do carry a .22 mini revolver as a back up and I have a Black Widow in .22 mag I carry occasionally when I need to go REAL small.

When carrying a .22 in a hot, sweaty pocket in summer, it's quite necessary to change out the ammo regularly. I do mine every Sunday. .22LR ammo will misfire from moisture contamination in a pocket given enough time. I've never had this problem with centerfire ammo.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Does that holster cover the entire gun (other than the hole to pull the trigger through) and disguise that there is a gun, or does it leave the slide exposed? The former is now classified an AOW, the latter is not. As for the .22 vs. .25 in a little gun, every gun scribbler I've read for the last ~35 years says the .25 has better ignition and feed reliability. A long, skinny, rimmed cartridge that was not originally designed for autoloading actions in the first place is going to be at a disadvantage.

 

[ATW525]

Ballistics By The Inch (http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/) has chrono tests for various .25 ACP rounds from a Beretta 950 Jetfire and various .22 LR rounds from a Beretta 21A. Taking the numbers and calculating power factor and muzzle energy, it's clear that .25 ACP is pretty much equal to the hottest .22 LR loads when fired from the same length barrel. For defensive use I'd go with the .25 for the reasons already mentioned above.