reloading .25 auto

[trigga]

recently purchased a .25 auto and was wondering where i can find a decent deal on bullets and brass. just seeing if it's even worth loading this caliber. Not looking to load very much, just enough to have on had and train new shooters.

1k 50 gr bullets for $60, reasonable. $93 for 1k brass... a little much...

http://rmrbullets.com/shop/bullets-...mm/25-50-gr-full-metal-jacket-bullets-pulled/

http://rmrbullets.com/shop/cases-fo...ederal-cartridge-brass-primed-cases-1-pulled/

 

[medalguy]

PM me your name & address. I have a few pieces of .25 ACP brass around here......if I can see them. You're welcome to them. Range brass I picked up. Can't stand to leave any brass on the ground.

 

[chris in va]

Curious why you want to train new shooters with the 25? I'd start with a 22 or 9mm. My Lyman manual has two bullet types listed but as a caveat, "Due to it's small size, the 25 ACP is rather difficult to reload."

Charges are around 1 grain.

 

[Reefinmike]

Considering that brass is unfired, all one headstamp and primed, i wouldnt consider that a bad deal at all for a relatively uncommon caliber. Get a magnifying glass and tweezers while you are at it!

 

[trigga]

sure why not .22lr but for what i paid for it and the reliability for a centerfire, it's something different. trust me .25 is not among my choice for reloading if i could choose it either, just finding a cheaper solution to feeding the thing. I was shooting about 40 rounds today and only recovered 20. they look like .22lr on the ground pretty much.

Reefinmike, thanks for pointing that out, I must've misread the part where it said "primed". that's knocks off about $26-30 (what I would have to pay for primers)

 

[rcmodel]

IMO: A .25 ACP semi-auto is the last, and least safe gun on earth you should try to train a new shooter with.

Don't even think about it!!

rc

 

[lightman]

My personal rule is that I don't load anything that is shorter than the width of my fingers! I would not think you would shoot a 25 enough to justify the start-up expense.

 

[TimSr]

I have loaded quite a bit of 25acp. I got a giant bag of brass at a gun show years ago.

The key to 25acp is that everything you can measure is critical, and makes a big difference in the outcome, so its hard to have the kind of consistency you get with larger rounds. Don't mix cases. .1 gr of powder might be 10% of your charge, so measure carefully. I've loaded with Bullseye, Red Dot, and Unique. Unique shot slightly tighter.

I've loaded 50gr cast bullets, Hornady 50gr jacketd, and Speer 35gr Gold Dots. The cast shot all over, the 50gr jacked shot like factory ammo, and the Speer Gold dots were by far the most accurate.

Reloading 25acp has a huge cost savings because factory ammo is so expensive, and the bullets are cheaper than other rounds, and a lb of Bullseye will last you a lifetime.

I think RCBS used to be the only company to make dies and shell holders.

 

[cheygriz]

I've loaded a 500 round batch of WW brass twice.

If you need to clear your mind, forget the day's problems, and concentrate on one thing only, it's a great Zen experience!

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

When I was reloading the .25, I would use a
red sharpie to color the brass on the loaded rounds.
That did help to make it stand out from .22s on the ground.
(I also learned the hard way to pull on a pair of latex gloves when doing this!)

JT

 

[snuffy]

I loaded 25 auto back when I was young and foolish, well anyway young! I even went so far as to get a mold for the 50 LRN, size, lube and load. IIRC the load was 1.5 G. of bullseye. The cast shot as good as the Remington 50 grainer's. As noted, the problem was finding the brass among 22 rimfire MT's on the ground or indoors.

I had a Bauer stainless, a company now gone. I wish I still had it, I hear they're worth a bit as collectors.

Somebody on one of these forums talked me out of the RCBS dies, the Lyman mold and whatever brass I had. I will never own a 25 again or certainly not load for it.

It darn near drove me nuts loading for it. Maybe that explains my mindset today,,-- they're coming to take me away, they're coming to take me away,,-- to funny farm with all those people weaving baskets..--!

 

[steve4102]

IMO: A .25 ACP semi-auto is the last, and least safe gun on earth you should try to train a new shooter with.

Don't even think about it!!

Care to elaborate?

 

[jmorris]

IMO: A .25 ACP semi-auto is the last, and least safe gun on earth you should try to train a new shooter with.

I would pick a Beretta .25 over an NAA/Freedom arms mini revolver...

 

[amd6547]

The only reason I would load 25acp is to get it up to the higher end of acceptable pressure and velocity.
I'd like to have a an FMJ moving as fast as the little case can push it.

Back in the '80's, I was buying GECO brand and S&B .25 ammo. Beautiful ammo with cupronickel silver bullets, brass cases, and red Laquer sealed case mouth and primer.
It seemed quite a bit hotter than the US FMJ's. At the time, I had a Beretta 950 and a Mauser 1910...they both loved that ammo.

Now, I have a Bauer 25 I bought as a project. Sold as a parts gun, I stripped it apart and worked it over until I got it working.

 

[joem1945]

Neighbor reloads it for his wife. Too hard for arthritis hands to reload this.

 

[mdi]

Dangerous to have a new shooter shoot a .25 ACP? Silly statement. If there were a problem it would be the general size of a .25 auto pistol. But I have big hands and one of my favorite "fun guns" is an Iver Johnson DA .25 auto. Kinda small for me, but certainly not dangerous. It's the Erma (similar to Walther) design and while small, far from dangerous. My daughter's small hands were no problem either. Any gun is dangerous if you don't pay attention, whether it's a .25 ACP, 22 LR. .32 ACP, 9mm or 45 ACP.

If one is considering a SD pistol, then that's another story...

 

[Dudedog]

Rocky Mountain reloading are great people to do business with and offer THR members a 5% discount. Include the code (start of BDSs PIF thread here) and your THR screen name.
They are primed cases so that makes them more. (usually more expensive than its worth to buy them primed IMO, but for odd size cases prices are higher.)

 

[hdwhit]

Particularly when you factor in the cost of the dies, storage boxes, etc., it is probably cheaper to buy ammunition for the .25 ACP. I load it because I like to brag that I load EVERYTHING I shoot (except .22 rimfire, of course).

I load the .25 ACP with a 35 gr. Hornaday XTP bullet on top of 1.7 grains of Bullseye (per the 2014 Alliant Guide) which chronographs at 1,000 fps from the 2 inch barrel of my RG25. That works out to muzzle energy of about 77 foot-pounds.

I echo the other posters who have said to pay close attention to this caliber because everything is done on such a small scale. In particular watch your powder charges. I use an RCBS powder trickler to trickle powder directly into the pan of a beam balance for EVERY round to make sure I don't over- or under-charge.

If you're willing to be patient and devote the time to it, you can craft some really nice ammunition.