Can You Have 'Plinking Fun' w/ a .25???

[D-Man]

I was looking around at getting a small pistol for some plinking-type fun, and the local shop is selling the Beretta Bobcat .25 model for $199.

A lot of the reviews about them debate the merits of the .25 caliber, and I understand it is slower/slightly larger than a .22. But can this gun be a fun companion for the occasional trip to the range, or shooting bottles/cans out back?

I know that the .25 ammo is more expensive than a .22, but how bad is it? And price-wise, how does it compare to the .32 round?

And would the Beretta Tomcat .32 be a better plinker choice? They are selling the Tomcat for $269, so for the extra $70, is it worth it?

 

[osteodoc08]

When I think of a plinker, I automatically think of 22. When you can get a decent 22 for around the same price and spend a whole helluva lot less on ammo, I'd consider it a no brainer. Also, if you forget your ammo, I doubt the local store out in the boonies will be carrying 25acp ammo, so I'd think twice before picking up the 25acp.

 

[AllisonDT]

We had a Tomcat. It's definitely NOT a plinker! In that little package, the .32 is quite a kicker. I didn't like how my finger would hit the trigger guard after every shot. Honestly, I'd rather shoot 50 rounds out of our Super Redhawk in .44mag than shoot 50 rounds out of the Tomcat.
Our plinking handgun is a Walther P22. Not the most accurate gun out there, but we've had fun with it.

 

[M2 Carbine]

My idea of plinking is putting a big dent in a brick or two of 22LR.
Shooting 8 or 10+ boxes of 25 or 32 can put a dent in the budget.

I've got a Beretta 22LR and 22short and they are fun to shoot.

 

[cmidkiff]

Another Opinion... At the volume that I shoot from my buckmark, any difference in price between that gun and a quality plinking .22 would be made up in a single trip to the range. To get the full enjoyment from .22 plinking, you really need a fair sized gun. Better sights make it easier to hit what you're aiming at (which is much more fun than missing), and greater weight makes it easier to enjoy shooting 100's of rounds at a time without getting tired.

A little .32 (or better yet, .380) makes a great backup or deep concealment gun, but fun to shoot? Not for me!

 

[GMorel1916]

Agreed. My uncle has a Beretta (the bigger model) in .380 and I can't stand to shoot it. The recoil is awkward and its just plain bad to shoot.

Greg

 

[Rob1035]

I think you can have fun with a .25. My SO's dad has an ancient colt vest pocket pistol, and its a lot of fun to shoot because its so small, and doesnt really recoil much at all (about like a .22LR honestly). Its very reliable, but inaccurate as heck, which is part of the fun I think, just know your backstop

That being said, if you're actually buying something to plink with, .22LR all the way, every day and twice on Sundays. Its the cheapest ammo out there, and many of the guns can be very accurate. Then get a .22LR rifle......so on and so forth

 

[Shear_stress]

As said above, a 22 is going to be a better choice for most plinking, both in terms of ammo cost and choice of guns.

Still, as one who wiled away an afternoon or two in his youth perforating a Hawaiian Punch can with a Raven .25, I can say that shooting anything is better than shooting nothing.

 

[gunfan]

Does the word "handload" hold any meaning for you? You can enjoy the.25 Auto, providing that you lay a large polymer tarpaulin, or other sheet of thick plastic beneath you and save the brass. You may then handload the brass and learn the joys that can be derived from it.

Good shootin'

Scott

 

[MICHAEL T]

You can plink with a 25 its a might expensive comparied to 22. We fire a box now and then out of my Bauer and Beretta 25's I can buy S&B 32 ammo for same as I buy 25 locally. I would get a good Ruger MKII or III

 

[ACP230]

I spent a few pleasant minutes shooting an old oil can with a .25 auto a friend had many years ago. I have a Bauer .25 now, but rarely shoot it.

I've spent many hours plinking with various .22 handguns, including a Beretta 21A.
For plinking the .22 guns win hands down.

 

[Dr.Rob]

My ancient Colt .25 Vest pocket pistol is far more accurate than you'd think, and yes they are fun to shoot.

But the cheap aluminum cased ammo, nobody re-loads .25's.

 

[wally]

If money was no object I'd have a ball with .25ACP as I really have a thing for super small guns. OTOH at current prices for .25ACP ammo I'll always have more fun shooting something larger. For me .380ACP is as small as I can handle comfortably to reload.

--wally.

 

[gunfan]

Buy the cheap aluminum cased ammo, nobody re-loads .25's.

Uhhhhh, sure! I saw some wonderful reloading data in Gun's and Ammo's "Pocket Pistols" In which Jan Libourel stated, "Unless you have a severe neuromuscular disorder, manipulating the little cases should be no trouble." I saw data suggesting a "hot" load of 1.2 grains of Red Dot propellant behind a 50-grain bullet. It yielded something in the neighborhood of 75 ft.-lbs. of energy.

Nah, no one loads the .25 ACP. At one grain per round, you can load an average of 7000 rounds! What's not to like?!

Scott

 

[Dave R]

Of course you can plink with a .25! Plinking is an activity, not a caliber.

I know people who plink with a .45-70. They just don't shoot as many rounds per session as the guys with the .22's

I plink with my .45acp, and with my K-31 rifle. I reload for 'em, so cost is not an issue.

 

[treebeard]

I used to go plinkin' with my Browning Buckmark 22. I used to buy the "ammo in a bucket" (it really was ammo in a plastic bucket) at Wal-Mart and sometimes I would go through two of them in one session. So......heck yeah it's fun!

 

[roo_ster]

My buddy owns an Astra .25ACP pocket pistol. What an unlovely, nasty, backbiting little critter!

 

[Manedwolf]

It's sure fun with a Beretta 950 .25...if a bit expensive.

Thing is accurate and comfortable. If you can find a good deal on S&B .25 ACP, (I find it for $6/50 locally) it's not too bad. Still a lot more expensive than .22, of course!

 

[mr.trooper]

Sure you can plink with a 25, as long as you reload....with tweesers.

 

[Stasher1]

IMHO, you'd be better off spending a bit more $$ and getting a plinker in a more economical caliber. You can pick up a faily decent 9mm for about $100 more than the Beretta, but you'll make up for that in ammo savings.

9mm is roughly half the price of .25 ammo, so you'll save money in the long run and have a "plinker" that you could actually defend yourself/family/home with if necessary.

 

[Majic]

You can have fun plinking with any firearm in any caliber. Plinking is just informal shooting and only you know what is fun for you.