Raven .25ACP?

[Glock19Fan]

Hello.

Just wanting to know what everyones experience with this gun is.

Im looking for a gun to go fishing with, something I can put in my pocket or tackle box, mainly as a snake gun, and somewhat possibly as a last resort SD gun.

Im looking into this gun mainly becuase of the price, and becuase ive heard good things about them in the past. I really dont want to get anything over $75 or so becuase I dont want to loose a high dollar gun if it gets lost or if something happens to the gun.

Thanks!

 

[orangeninja]

I'd say derringer with snake shot....at least it's more reliable. Maybe a CZ 52, but it may be over kill.

 

[WillBrayJr]

You would be better served with a NAA 22mag mini revolver for those purposes.

 

[dastardly-D]

Raven ?

I had a Raven years ago and sold it to get a "better'' 25.My Raven never bobbled a round and was totally reliable,but of course you can't trust it's safty.It's not a bad pick for inexpensive protection,but it is a 25 after all,and you really should use a heavier caliber.There are plenty of 38's out there at a reasonable price,and they can use snake shot.A Raven would be a poor choice for a quick shot at a snake ,but might deter a man. You can find used 38's in the $75 to $125 range.Good luck......... -D

 

[BlkHawk73]

Raven = paperweight. Not much good for anything else.

 

[71Commander]

Raven = paperweight. Not much good for anything else

Not even that. Maybe a sinker for your fishing line.

 

[BluesBear]

I think Glock19Fan would be much better served with a NAA 1 5/8" .22Mag combo in his tackle box.



Around 1979 I did a 250 round torture test on a Raven.

It survived.

It had 7 or 8 minor Failure to feed jams. When dirty or dry you'd have to bump the slide forward to fully seat the round. But other than that it went bang every time

There was noticible galling on the slide rails and the fiing pin spring was a bit shorter. The sear lug on the striker was getting rounded and probably would have failed soon. But I doubt that anyone who ever owned a Raven ever expected to shoot them over 100 times.

I did all of this because at the time I could sell them with an extra magazine and a box of Winchester Expanding Point ammo for $45 and still make almost $10.
I figured even little old ladies on limited income deserved something better than an RG 22 revolver for self protection.

Now I never sold one to anyone I thought could afford something better but at least I could sleep peacefully after selling one to someone who needed it.

 

[Glock19Fan]

Thanks everyone!

I am planning to buy a .22LR NAA, which might come with me occasionally, but it costs $150, which is a little more than I would like to bring with me.

Also, I plan on using Magsafe ammo for the Raven. 22 grains at 1750 FPS should mess up any snake, even though its just .25 caliber. I dont have much experience around snakes, but I would think that the sound alone would make them run away.

 

[71Commander]

but I would think that the sound alone would make them run away.

I don't think so.

 

[GEM]

Shooting a 25 ACP round at a snake might be interesting. Semis don't cycle well with snake shot.

Save the money and get a better gun. Why waste $75 that you can't recoup if you want to resell it?

 

[dasmi]

Get a used .38 spl revolver. Might cost a little more, but I think you'll be happier in the long run. And it's more effective against a two-legged threat, should a situation arise.

 

[HighVelocity]

Any little 22lr revolver with cci snake shot should fit the bill. As mentioned above, semis and shot shells don't usually work well together. And if you can hit a poisonous snake in the head with a 25 acp bullet from a raven under stress then my hats off to you.

 

[cls12vg30]

Also, I plan on using Magsafe ammo for the Raven. 22 grains at 1750 FPS

I would advise strongly against this. MagSafe ammo has such high velocity numbers for a reason. They are loaded to high pressures. I don't know about the .25, but their .380 "+P+" rounds say specifically NOT to use them in Davis, Jennings, or other cheap pistols. (Interestingly, it lists the Grendel P-10, grandfather of today's Kel-Tec P11)

What I'm trying to say is that, while many would call the Raven nothing but a paperweight, a Magsafe in the chamber might effectively transform it into a hand grenade.

If you want to go ultra-cheap on a small-caliber snake gun, you might want to look at a Pheonix .22. They're about as cheap as the Raven, but from what I've read have a slightly better reputation.

 

[Bufford t. Justice]

Absolute trash. Right up there with Davis and jennings, highpoint etc. Junk. Do yourself a favor and just say no.

 

[BluesBear]

I plan on using Magsafe ammo for the Raven. 22 grains at 1750 FPS should mess up any snake,

There is one teensie weensie problem with using .25acp Mag-Safe against snakes.




YOU

HAVE

TO

BE

ABLE

TO​

HIT

THE

SNAKE​

​

Having been in the gun and ammo business for over 25 years lemme give you a couple of hints based on real world experience.
A Raven ain't a target pistol and Mag-Safe ain't match ammunition.

Having grown up in a region populated by Rattlesnakes, Copperheads and Water Moccasins, lemme explain to you a few things about snakes also learned from experience.

Snakes are not frightened by loud noises.
They have lousy hearing.
A frightened snake is an angry snake.
An angry snake will BITE YOU.
Snake anti-venom treatment ain't pleasant!
(However, it is much more tolerable than rabies treatments or a fractured spine)


Now having said that, if you are still confident in your ability to hit a poisonous snake, that is poised, ready to strike, before it can get you, with a P-25 Raven then you go right ahead and carry it. You are one of the world's greatest living pistol shots.

And I hope your health and life insurance is paid up.

 

[444]

This topic has come up before and I told the same story.

When I turned 21 years old, I wanted to buy a handgun. I already owned handguns and had owned one since I was 9 years old, but had never bought one myself. At the time, I was going to school full time and working part time in a hospital kitchen for $3.35/hour. The point is, I didn't have much money. So, I went to a gun shop and spied a Raven. I could afford it, but more than that, I wanted it. I had never owned a small handgun like that before. I had seen them on TV and whatnot, but never even fired one. So, I plunked down around $50 for it (a weeks pay).
This was long before the internet, so I didn't know the gun was supposed to be a piece of junk. I just bought a box or two of ammo every two weeks and shot the gun on a regular basis. The gun never missed a beat. Fired every time I squeezed the trigger. And, it was suprisingly accurate. Again, no one had ever enlightened me to the "fact" that mouse guns like this wern't accurate, so I used the fundamentals of marksmanship and was pleased with the results. I even had a belt holster for it, and had refinished the stocks. One day, I went out shooting with some guys from school. I had never shot with them before and was shocked when they made fun of my Raven. Again, I didn't know any better, I just shot it and it worked, why would I not be happy with it ? So, one of the guys set five empty 12 guage shotgun hulls on a split rail fence about five yards away and told me that if I could hit them with my Raven, he would give me $20. I couldn't believe it. I KNEW I could hit them easily, and did: five shots, five hits. I almost couldn't take the money because $20 was such a huge sum to lose on a stupid wager like that.
Eventually, I guess I sold my Raven: I don't remember what happened to it now. But, last year, I was in one of my regular gun shops and they had one in the case for something like $25. I bought it for old time's sake.

 

[Zundfolge]

444 reminds us that no matter what a piece of crap a particular make/model of gun is, someone out there has had one that was as reliable and accurate as a top of the line custom pistol

I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

[444]

By the same token I will remind you that finding a " top of the line custom pistol" that doesn't run isn't all that hard.

What I would like to remind you is a couple things: #1) in order to really have a worthwhile opinion on a subject you need to have some experience in the matter. #2) Don't believe everything you read on the internet: most of it is BS. #3) Check your sources. If they make a comment with nothing further to back it up, it is probably BS. For example, if someone says something is a piece of crap and offers nothing about their personal experiences that lead them to this conclusion, then take the comment with a grain of salt. #4) Even after you have information, consider the source.

I am not trying to pretend to be an expert at anything. However, in this case I at least own the gun in question. In fact, I have owned more than one. I have also fired one of them fairly extensively. That doesn't make me an expert, but it at least offers some basis for my opinion.

 

[mtnbkr]

If you're serious about snake protection and serious about not throwing your money away, look at a 38special or 357mag revolver. A police trade in or well used medium frame model should be inexpensive, but not $75.

Last summer, I used 38special snakeshot from my GP100 to kill a 4' rattlesnake from 5' away. The snakeshot nearly removed the snake's head and didn't require precision shooting like a solid projectile (though I did aim).

Chris

 

[orangeninja]

I gotta tell you, between me and my 2 brothers, many a rattle snake and water moccasin has met it's demise at the end of a .22lr. A .22lr is fine for snake killing.

Another thing you might consider is a Makarov. Cheap and looks like a cannon to a snake.

 

[mtnbkr]

A makarov is a great choice if you don't require snakeshot cartridges. It's also not far above the $75 budget and chambered in a useful SD chambering.

Chris

 

[medmo]

Ravens are good for only one thing and that is only after you purchased it from the "used" firearm market.

It is stored in your sock drawer to provoke a "Damn, I guess he did have a gun" from the officer investigating the scene of a perforated burglary suspect when properly applied in the appropriate situation.

That is about all they are good for. Holy smokes, you want to go off and do battle with snakes with this thing? Maybe I'm more afraid of or respect snakes a bit more than that. Snake shot and a revolver, please?

 

[lyricsdad]

for fishing as a youngster, I had my little 410 H&R was short and light enough to carry around w/ a tackle box. Shot 1 snake w/ it in my life. Works. I bet you could shorten the barrel to whatever your states legal limits are and make the stock a pistol grip you would have a nice snake gun.

My dad used to use his 22lr ruger w/ birdshot or snakeshot. would always have a bucket of bullets and if the fish were not biting we would plink.

 

[Watch-Six]

I can't believe that I am going to wade into this and actually defend a Raven, but here goes. 30 years ago when I was young and broke I bought one because I could afford it. I later gave it away. Three decades later I reinherited the darn thing. Laugh if you want, but the silly thing works. 25acp sucks and I would not recommend getting one, but at least this particular Raven always works. No, it probably won't hold up well with a lot of shooting and I certainly wouldn't pay $75 for one. I would recommend a revolver for your needs. NAA makes nice little ones, but they are kind of hard to shoot with any accuracy and .22 "shot" is IMHO useless. Oh well. (I'm regretting talking about a Raven already.) Best. Watch-Six

 

[BluesBear]

The NAA revolvers are NOT that hard to shoot. (That's a bigger internet myth that anything said about the P-25)
With the NAA at least you can afford to shoot it enough to get very good with it.

By the time you have fired enough Mag-Safe through a P-25 to be Minute of Snake with it you'll have spent more than if you had bought a used .38 Special.




I figure that people are gonna go ahead and do what they wanted to do anyway. The only reason most people ask a question on line is to get validation for the decisions thay have already made.




ps
The Snake ain't gonna give you $20 if you hit it.
And those shotshells weren't gonna bite you if you missed.