Best .25 acp pocket pistol ever made.

[bannockburn]

Though I am still amazed at the design engineering and build quality of my Baby Browning, I would have to say the Seecamp LWS25 is probably the best .25 pocket pistol, followed by the Walther TPH and the Beretta Model 950.

 

[sgt127]

Another vote for the Seecamp. I've carried a .32 for close to 30 years now as a last ditch bug.

As soon as they announced they were bringing back the .25, I got one. Just outstanding.

 

[natman]

The Kel-tec P32 because it weighs less than 10 oz loaded, fits in a shirt pocket, fills the role 25 ACP pistol is supposed to and is chambered in 32 ACP so it does it even better.

 

[Kendal Black]

I would say the Jetfire, but for one thing. It does not work or handle like other pistols you may use. It has no extractor, so tap-rack-bang is out. To unload it you do something so unusual that few other pistols require you to do anything of the sort. The peculiar Le Francais pistols, a few other Berettas and a couple of guns from Taurus have tip-up barrels too but by any stretch it's unusual. The Jetfire's mag release is peculiarly sited: Like a Beretta 51, thus not where either Americans or Europeans expect.

So ingrained training with other pistols is unlikely to carry over to the Jetfire, and may even foul you up. It's a wonderful gun because it solves so many design problems brilliantly, but that's the trouble with it, too. I'll vote for the CZ 45 or 92.

 

[GRIZ22]

Beretta 950/Jetfire gets my vote. I've had a bunch of 25s and the Beretta is the best. It's very accurate if you can deal with the tiny sights. I've had the Baby Browning and Bauer. While they usually worked well you can't carry them safely with a round in the chamber. I got the Browning from a guy who shot a hole in his pants when he banged his leg into something. Fortunately for him the only things to get a hole in them were his pants and the floor.

 

[Gun Master]

Agreed!
Maybe the "Best" .25 ACP, is the one left at home.
Otherwise, the Beretta 950 is probably the best.

 

[Deaf Smith]

I used to have a Beretta Jetfire .25acp pocket pistol that I let get away and of course Beretta no longer makes them. So I was thinking, what is/was the best tiny .25 acp pocket pistol ever made? Tell what you think.

I am not interested in any .22 rimfire versions because I don't think .22 rimfire is reliable enough for selfdefense.

JJ

Stainless Jetfire 950. Saw one for $400 but gad, I can get a Glock 42 for that.

Deaf

 

[Monac]

deleted as redundant

 

[evan price]

I lean towards the Beretta 21a Bobcat. Da/Sa trigger, not much bigger than the Beretta 950 Jetfire which is SA only, Beretta tip up barrel.
Of course today a gun that size can be had in a 9mm caliber.

 

[Gun Master]

Well, similar to the above (clone?) is my Taurus PT22 (in .22RF).
It's never failed me, but I don't shoot it much, and I don't frequently carry it for personal defense. I didn't say never, however. I've carried it with my Bauer .25, a few times, and didn't feel vulnerable. This is not recommended for FULL TIME CCW defense.

 

[toivo]

In form, "Le Bebe" (Baby Browning) is a gorgeous and excellent quality ultra tiny .25, fantastic guns. So cool.

But for a "fighting .25" (is that an oxymoron?) I think the Beretta 950 wins as the best in it's class.

I have both of those, and I agree 100%. (My "Bebe" is actually a PSA, but it's an identical clone.)

The 950 is much easier to shoot quickly and accurately, especially if you add some slightly meatier grips, like these:

 

[Onmilo]

Stainless Jetfire 950. Saw one for $400 but gad, I can get a Glock 42 for that.

Deaf

Personally if I was going in for a .25 it would be a Walther Model 8 or a TPH
I had a .25 Jetfire and a .22 Short Minx and preferred the Minx.
I'm with ya on that cost factor.
For the money spent there are better options.

 

[JFrame]

My Jetfire .25 cost $140 when I bought it at Sports Authority 20 years ago...

Thinking back to the days when Sports Authority had cases and cases of handguns on display...

.

 

[Zeeemu]

No vote for the Colt Junior?

 

[Kendal Black]

No vote for the Colt Junior?

The odds that you'll see that are Astra-nomical.

 

[Zeeemu]

But it's so cute.

 

[TimSr]

35 years of faithful service.

 

[Kendal Black]

The Colt Junior is a good enough pistol of the sort, but it is difficult for me to think of any way in which it stands out.

 

[toivo]

35 years of faithful service.

You're shooting a .25 pocket pistol at 75 feet? And all shots are at least on the paper? You're my new hero.

 

[Kendal Black]

Best in only one way (pretty lackluster attempt in other ways): The Tula Korovin would shoot standard .25 ACP, which was available throughout Europe at the time, and it would shoot a Russian +P loading made specifically for it. Not that a .25 ACP +P is still anything much. The TK is big and chunky for a .25. (Korovin is on the right.)

 

[aarondhgraham]

Define, "best",,,

I have no idea what is the "best" out there,,,
But I can say that my 25-PLY has never jammed on me.



I bought 6 boxes of ammo (300 rounds),,,
Not one malfunction in all that shooting.

Just sayin'.

Aarond

.

 

[Kendal Black]

The 3D game target is a nice touch! Somehow I overlooked that one in the Field Logic catalog.

 

[Gun Master]

How about the damage to the potential attacker?
A .22 Short?

Response meant for posting # 37.

 

[jeepnik]

Hard call. Toss up between the THP and the Seecamp. The Berretta 21 comes in a very close third. Though I've never been enamored by a mini auto for self defense.

The.25 acp is as small as I'd go in a semi auto. I do tend prefer the Beretta 21 over the other small autos. I like the SA/DA and being able to load the barrel without manipulating the slide on such a small auto is a plus.

 

[Archie]

I know they[refering to the FN/Browning pistol of 1905 or 1906 and the 1908 Colt vest pocket pistol] were beautifully made, and a remarkable achievement that early in the development of the automatic pistol, but being SA-only and too small to get a good grip on doesn't affect your opinion?

The initial poster asked about the 'best' .25 ACP pistol. I find the pistols mentioned to be delightful examples of the sort. Are they perfectly suited to self-defense or combat use? Hardly, but the word 'best' is relative.

Or to put it another way, in your opinion, there has been NO progress in 25 ACP pistol design since the very first one?

Actually, yes. The 1910 Mauser pistol was such an improvement. It was easier to shoot and had a better (relative term) trigger. But it was a monster compared to the trim and petite little early pistols.

The current (or almost current) examples by Seecamp are probably the 'most developed'. However, 'best' is still a matter of individual hand size, tastes and preferences.

Personally, I have two .25 ACP pistols: a Beretta 418 (I think, the Berettas were not marked for model specificity) and a Colt 1908. Both shoot to sights, both are reliable in feeding, extraction and ejection, and neither are the first pistol I'd take to a fight.