Lorcin L25

[Tony50ae]

This past weekend drill I bought a little Lorcin 25 auto for 25 bucks from one of my soldiers. Why? Well I always wanted a 25 auto. Not for self defense, just to own. Now I know Lorcins are cheap. But the soldier I bought it from had it for many years and shot it on occasion. He said he never had a jam. And he let me have it for two months before I had to pay him. If I did not like it for any reason, just give it back. If I do like it, pay 25 dollars. I even got a magazine full of rounds. I plan on shooting it soon, but after those rounds are gone will not be able to buy anymore as for some reason all gun stores have none. ( Never expected 25 acp to be caught up in this craze!)

He never took it part to clean so after looking on Google on how to disassemble, I cleaned it. The gun is chrome with pearlish pink grips ( He initially bought it for his wife but kept it in the car so they both had access to it). I plan on changing the grips. I have been researching these guns and been reading that they can be jam-o-matics. But I also came across a you tube video that could explain partly some of those jams. This guy was shooting a Raven 25 and his big hands were rubbing the slide a bit as he was shooting and causing jams. He himself noted this and explained it was causing jams because the slide was being slowed down. Makes sense to me. He demonstrated as long as he kept his hand from touching the slide the gun ran fine.

I can only test the gun with the rounds that came with it for now, but for 25 dollars I figured what the heck. And even got a warranty of sorts!

 

[hentown]

Now all you need is a cheap hacksaw from Dollar General! Pot metal doesn't require a good hacksaw.

 

[22250Rem]

Back in 1995 my LGS took in several handguns in trade for something else. One of 'em was a Raven .25 ACP; the shop owner told me that he doesn't stock junk like Ravens and for 25 bucks I could get it out of his shop and do him a favor. So just for the heck of it I bought it. Still have it today, checked my log book and found out its had 207 rounds through it since I bought it. Had to replace the firing pin back in 2004 but that's the only problem it's had and its never jammed or had a failure to fire ( except when the firing pin broke). I've heard Lorcins are somewhat similar quality wise and like Ravens, a lot depends on when it was made. I'd never carry something like that as a serious defense gun or want to depend on the 25 ACP cartridge as a defense round although lots of people have been killed by it. So mine's basically a curiosity item. Nowadays some guys have never even seen one of those cheapo's but have heard of them and want to see mine just out of curiosity. So as long as you realize you ain't getting a "serious" pistol; as long as it's only 25 bucks then "What the heck".

 

[Tony50ae]

LOL yes a cheap hacksaw would go through it.

I basically bought it because its a 25 and always wanted one.For self defense I have much better but if i had to use it I would. If it functions like he said it does, then for 25 bucks, exactly, what the heck! If it does not I just give the gun back. Although it is the 13th gun I own, hope that doesn't jinx it LOL!

 

[Jim K]

Oddly enough, when those guns work, they seem to keep on working. When they are bad they are not worth fixing. I wouldn't want to depend on one for serious purposes, but then I would probably not want a .25 if anything better was available.

The reason .25 ACP is hard to get is not that there is a sudden demand, but that the factories are too busy making ammo that is more in demand and have let production of the little .25 slide.

Jim

 

[Shadow 7D]

Worse case, you have a drop gun
OR if they ever have a gun 'buyback' (didn't know we were like mexico were you don't really buy a gun, but rather lease it long term from the Army)
you have an excuse to stand in line and even if you don't buy anything you can still turn a profit.

 

[lowercase]

I'd give 25 bucks for a Lorcin .25. Just because.

When I was a kid back in California (about 1984), the Long's Drugstore chain had a gun counter that just mesmerized me. Anyway, they always had cheapo guns in the display case and that meant Lorcin/Raven/Bryco/Phoenix/Jennings, etc. The price of a chromed Raven (yes, I still remember) was $55 bucks. I used to just dream of getting one of those little beauties. LOL.

What's funny is that for me, now in my 40s with some very respectable firearms, "the one that got away" is a darn chromed Lorcin or Raven Arms .25 with red plastic grips.

 

[Kiln]

I've got lots of experience with cheap guns and most of them are not as bad as their reputations.

The Lorcin is a lot like the Raven. I currently own an MP25 and have fired the L25 a couple of times. Both were pretty good pistols but the Lorcin had a fuller grip and ejected casings to the right instead of directly into the air, which were positive features.

As long as it works well there's nothing wrong with having it. I just recommend testing any gun before relying on it for any defensive purpose. Sounds like you got it for a good price too.

 

[TennJed]

I would buy any gun for $25 just because. I have spent $25 on worse things than cheap guns

 

[Clark]

Lorcin pistols would be as good as anything else in a self defense or police situation 99% of the time.

What other guns provide:
Status
Jewelry
longer serviceable life
Image for the police
Moral
Looks kewl
feels good

If we found some carpenters building a house, and replaced their $50 framing hammers with $2 framing hammers for the rest of their lives...... How fast and how good a house could they build.
It would be so close to the same we could not measure it.
But you could never do it because the expensive hammer gives them:
Status
Jewelry
longer serviceable life
Image for the police
Moral
Looks kewl
feels good

If we replaced $40k Rolex watches with $2 digital watches.......

As it said in the 1960s book, Future Shock, the hells angels cannot wear wing tips, it would not be part of the costume.

Just imagine if you were a cop and they issued you a Lorcin
And a Yugo for a squad car.
And a pink uniform.
Being a cop would be too embarrassing, and you would quit.

What does it all mean?
The Lorcin works, but it will not give you status, and you may think you don't need status, but most likely you are not a pure nerd going for 100% form follows function.

 

[Kiln]

What does it all mean?
The Lorcin works, but it will not give you status, and you may think you don't need status, but most likely you are not a pure nerd going for 100% form follows function.

Good post. I've personally got lots of cheap stuff along with the higher dollar guns. I just enjoy guns and don't expect $700 target gun performance from my HP22a.

 

[1goodshot]

My dad had 1, when we took it out to shoot it it broke into a couple of pieces after the first shot. I would run a bunch of ammo through it before carry it.

 

[Dframe]

I've never had a Lorcin but I used to have a Raven. The gun was 100% reliable and surprisingly accurate for it's size and quality. For the small price you paid, you did very well. I'd go straight to the range and enjoy the gun.

 

[Tony50ae]

I didn't expect that many replies to my post but glad it did. I don't know if I would ever use it for carry. But mainly I bought because its a 25. Always wanted one. Mainly because I like guns in general and my collection is made up of guns I bought for enjoyment. Some are good for defense but I like collecting guns because I like them. And the Lorcin has the distinction of being the smallest pistol I own. My Desert Eagle is the largest so I have both ends of the spectrum covered. I like the little gun. I can't wait to shoot it.

 

[Sicari]

Classic post by Clark. The gestalt laid bare!

 

[Farnorthdan]

How can you go wrong for $25, like someone else said, its about shooting and having fun, of course your not going to carry a 25 for self defence but you can have some fun with it. I have a Walther model 5 which is .25 and its great fun to shoot from time to time and a collectors piece, I have never carry it for protection but its a cool little gun never the less.

 

[Jim K]

FWIW, I never cared a rat's patootie about status and I never depended on a gun to give me status. When I was a LEO, I carried either a Model 19 (in uniform) or a Model 36, 3" barrel (in plain clothes). The caliber (.38/357) was mandatory, but I would probably have carried that caliber anyway. Any status I had came from the badge, not the cost of my sidearm.

The main thing is that I KNEW those guns would work if I needed them and that I could do with them what needed done. (Fortunately, I never needed to fire a shot.) I have also been a gunsmith and have tried to fix a number of those small SNS autos. I will say that the basic design is OK; the bad part is in materials and workmanship. If they were made of good steel with quality springs and good quality control, they would be OK. But they wouldn't cost $50, either, they would cost $250 or more.

Jim

 

[TennJed]

Well said Jim

 

[Ash]

As far as the small calibers, I can't comment.

But in centerfire pistols, Lorcin doesn't even get respect among cheap shooters. I once hung around a forum dedicated to Ring of Fire pistols. Hi Points were king, of course, but Bryco/Jennings pistols had respect. I owned one, a Bryco 9, my first purchase, and I discovered it was not well-made and no longer own it. First hand knowledge - though I kept the 13 round magazine just because - taught me that there was a difference, particularly since it was not pleasant to shoot. Anyway, the Lorcin was considered junk even by Bryco.Hi Point shooters. Again, this was in larger calibers that I remember the sentiment, not in the 22/25 size. But when Jennings users consider something junk, it's junk.

I don't worry about status as I don't show my firearms off to anyone local. But I did learn in my odyssey that there were some pistols that are not good. They would serve to threaten and would fire, but I would not trust one loaded with the safety on. I didn't like the fact that take-down was not easy on the Bryco, plus, there were no slide rails in the design. The Bryco was no Hi Point, and the Lorcin is no Bryco. My experience was solely with the Bryco/Jennings 9, the model with the fixed rear sight molded into the slide. But if Bryco shooters, who have lower expectations than Hi Point shooters, look down on a Lorcin (along with the Hi Point guys), much is said.


Take cheap Indian or Chinese-made wrenches to a mechanic. They break more quickly, they have less precise clearances and so round off fasteners, their jaws spread under torque. Ditto for cheap ratchets, which have teeth that break, sockets that crack or round off fasteners, etc. You don't have to be a Snap On snob to know that a certain wrench is a piece of junk and can be more of a hassle to use than to ignore.

 

[Analogkid]

Meh....

I have plenty of Lorcins that run just fine. If one of them didn't then I would fiddle with it until it did. Just like everything else I bought used.

I have never had any of the ROF guns "blow up in my face" I have seen the cobra 380 slides crack but that's more from not cleaning the buffer spring bores out and keeping them lubed.

Make sure you put everything back together properly if you decide to dismantle it and make sure to work the slide after doing so. You'll be fine.

It's not like its a Sedco.... . Where's Kiln?

 

[CZguy]

I once hung around a forum dedicated to Ring of Fire pistols. Hi Points were king, of course, but Bryco/Jennings pistols had respect.

It takes a big man to admit that.

 

[marb4]

A box of ammo will probably cost more than what you paid for the pistol. Even if it falls apart after one range session I'd say you got your money's worth.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

If we found some carpenters building a house, and replaced their $50 framing hammers with $2 framing hammers for the rest of their lives...... How fast and how good a house could they build.
It would be so close to the same we could not measure it.

Crap. I wasted all that money on Rugers and a Sig. And to think a Lorcin would be so close to the same thing I couldn't measure it.

 

[Sicari]

As a defensive weapon it would be hard to measure the difference.
How many British soldiers were lost because they used a Sten instead of something "better"?

 

[Kiln]

Meh....

I have plenty of Lorcins that run just fine. If one of them didn't then I would fiddle with it until it did. Just like everything else I bought used.

I have never had any of the ROF guns "blow up in my face" I have seen the cobra 380 slides crack but that's more from not cleaning the buffer spring bores out and keeping them lubed.

Make sure you put everything back together properly if you decide to dismantle it and make sure to work the slide after doing so. You'll be fine.

It's not like its a Sedco.... . Where's Kiln?

I've already posted a couple of times on this one. My opinion is that so long as your gun is reliable and you've tested it, the name on the slide doesn't matter.

I like my cheap guns and they've always served me pretty well. Granted I've had a couple of problematic RG revolvers, I've got a couple that work too.