The .25 ACP

[ACP230]

What do you all think about the .25 ACP?

I have a stainless Bauer pistol, a clone of the Baby Browning, which I bought on impluse. It is a neat gun, but isn't reliable, usually fails to feed on the last round. It is small, and I have carried it a few times when even guns like a Beretta 21A seemed too big.

I have seen lots of stories of failure to stop with the .25. I know one guy who was shot in the head with one, but was barely injured. I have also seen reports of "one shot stops" with the despised .25ACP.

The round can be reloaded. I know a guy who does it.

I have put less than a box of ammo through my Bauer, so you can see I'm not a huge fan of the caliber.

 

[10-Ring]

In a somewhat strange twist of fate, I call my Beretta 950 my little "False sense of security"
I know 9mm or better, but the 25 is the perfect size for daily carry. Do I wish I could carry bigger...absolutely, but for an emergency "gut shot", my Jetfire has been 100% loyal & dependable and ready.

 

[Mike Irwin]

I think the .25 could simply become obsolete and I wouldn't even both to take notice...

 

[HSMITH]

The 25 is better than fingernails, but that is about it.

 

[KMKeller]

Meanwhile, Granny capped her son-in-law at 220 yards with a lowly .22...

It's all about placement folks.

 

[para.2]

I have always thought that the mini-guns ( no, not miniguns!) were good to have when you're not carrying a gun. If I can possibly pack something larger, I do, but they beat standing there saying,"Please don't hurt me!"

 

[Oleg Volk]

I shot a Bauer 25 about half a year ago. It was an interesting gun.

1. Too small for my hand.
2. Accurate enough in the sense of 5" group at 20ft, but 3" up and right of the point of aim.
3. In theory, it is not drop-safe (striker-fired, no striker block) but the striker catch is much bigger and more substantial than a Browning Baby or Colt Vest Pocket.
4. Sights are relatively prominent but still marginally useful (entirely non-adjustable).
5. Short 1 1/4" barrel with a slow 50gr slug mean rather poor penetration. Except eye or throat shots, I expect it would have minimal effect.
6. Relatively quiet (compared to a NAA Mini-mag) and easier to fire rapidly.

IMO, Jetfire is a better 25 and a P32 is a better mouse-gun than either. Theoretical advantages of a 25 being center-fire are hard to appreciate in view of the severe ballistic limitations.

 

[4v50 Gary]

While most of us collectively sneer at the 25 acp, none of us would want to be hit by one. I'm talking about the bullet and not ducking a thrown gun like Superman does. It's better than going empty handed or giving the guy the finger when he's about to kill you.

 

[Boats]

I have a Beretta Jetfire for those occasions where I am not permitted to carry or the social scene precludes carrying some lump of iron or plastic in a service caliber, (the James Bond problem).

The logical flaw in this thread is speculating about a one shot stop from a mousegun in .380 or less. First, it is the threat of death or serious bodily harm to your average cowardly perp on the mousegun's unexpected presentation that has the most value with these pistols. No matter the caliber, few perps want to be shot and most of them are cowards when faced with equal or worse odds of survival and no avoidance of jail if they wind up at the hospital. Secondly, I consider a mouse gun as a fire-until-emptied type weapon to break contact and make one's way clear of the encounter. Counting on one shot, or a double tap, from such a weapon to stop someone is folly. Fire six to eight of them in quick succession and it's an attention getter which will probably end the encounter, especially if you use it to gain safety. Because of its anemic ballistics, I always carry an extra mag with any mousegun should I run out of peashots in the ready mag.

If you use situational awareness, you are unlikely to ever need a mousegun even more than a regular pistol, but if you do need it, the most common scenario would be a one on one, one on two, or two on two mugging attempt on the way out to the car in some kind of parking structure. To even the odds my wife sometimes carries a Beretta Tomcat in a thigh rig (hubby likes ) when we go out to the big city at night in semi-formal or formal wear, depending on where we are going and how late it will be before we make it back to the car. When we go to downtown Portland Oregon we usually avoid this theoretical threat by parking only on well traveled streets near hotels with 24 hour doormen. I have never even been close to pulling the Beretta.

 

[dairycreek]

I have a Browning 25 and have had it for years.........

At one time in our history (1920's & 'early 30's) small, pocket guns were"all the rage". Men carried them in vest pockets and women in evening bags. So, I keep it for its "historical" value. Would I carry it? They are notoriously unreliable and ineffective. If it was the only gun I had ? Well, yeah - I guess. But I sure wouldn't feel good about it. Good shooting

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Even though my Seecamp is smaller and my P-32 is lighter, I sometimes carry my Jetfire in my pocket. It's got nine Hornady XTP's in it and I like the XTP. I'd never carry a Jetfire *only, but it's strength is it's reliability. Nine quick rounds of Hornady XTP's might take the wind out of anybody's sails. I've read posts from one of the mods that he "Sits on my Jetfire all day, every day".
Another one "Keeps a Jetfire in my coat pocket 24/7". (But THIS one also keeps a model 296, .44 Special snub in her purse and who knows what type of cannon on her belt.)

KR
P.S. Besides, I like to shoot the little devil.

 

[tomkatz]

I also have a jetfire and boats is right on the money. Always think about emptying the little thing into the badguy, think hit and run. Think eye and ear shots to get to the CNS. Now about that thigh rig, I'm picturing my wife in one as we speak....tom

 

[wun_8_seven]

i was shot with a .25 & didn't know i was shot till someone notice blood running out the back of my leg. the treatment of the wound at the hospital was way worse than the gun shot. 187

 

[Wildalaska]

While most of us collectively sneer at the 25 acp, none of us would want to be hit by one.

A voice of reason in the wilderness!

WildanygunsbetterthannogunatallAlaska

 

[p35]

We had a serial killer working this area (he's on Death Row now) whose MO was to pick up a prostitute and, at a convenient point in the proceedings, shoot her in the head with a .25 auto. One thought he had hit her with something, ran off, and didn't realize she'd been shot until a couple years later when she got an x-ray for some other reason. Hardly an impressive performance.

 

[KMKeller]

I'll second Boats analysis. Pretty much wraps it up.

 

[DeltaElite]

I had a Bauer, but I sold it. Stupid, stupid, stupid me.
It was a great little gun, but........ the 25acp is so very lame.

 

[denfoote]

.25ACP. Better than nothing. Maybe better than an ink pen. Rather have 7.65mm, although that's not much better!! Adolf Hitler didn't even trust the round to off himself with!!!

 

[DFBonnett]

Obviously there are many schools of thought on this. A couple of points to consider. A .25 in your hand is far more powerful than the .44 magnum at home. Also, and this from experience, the bore of any gun pointed at your face appears identical in size to a sewer pipe. All things being equal it should never be a first choice, but if it is all that circumstance allow, certainly better than nothing.

 

[deputy tom]

I have lots of options and guess what? Yesterday I picked up a slightly used Beretta Jetifre just because.These little guns are reliable.I regulate any mouse gun to contact distance shooting only.Yes there are many ways to use a ball-point pen,keys ,etc. for self protection but I'll take the mouse gun and a tactical folding knife to nothing.tom.

 

[Coltdriver]

I have a Browning Baby that I picked up for next to nothing. It was rusted and ugly but functional.

Took it home, cleaned it up, re blued the slide. Replaced a couple of the internal parts.

It is very reliable although I would never carry it cocked.

As a last resort you could surprise the heck out of someone with it. It will pop off six .25 rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger. The noise alone would have someone cover up and look away - while I run in the opposite direction

It almost never gets carried, but to carry it is pretty effortless. It will slip in a shirt pocket and not bother you.

Better than nothing, but not much. Give me a small revolver any day

 

[GeorgeH]

My first Seecamp was the 25. It sure as hell beats a rock.

 

[Al Thompson]

A couple of years back my cop bro-in-law and I were discussing this. Seems his small southern town had three killings in about six months with .25s. Cartridge of choice was Blazer FMJs. Three face shots, three DRTs.

Not high on my list of choices, but not ineffective.

 

[firestar]

The .25acp is officialy worthless now that we have guns like the Kel-Tec P-32. When the Kel-Tec P-3AT is available, all .25acp and .32acp guns will become obsoleat.

The reason the .25 has stayed in service for so long was because it was more reliable than a .22lr in a tiny pistol. Also because they are often made in very cheap guns that cost less than $100 new.

A 25acp is a sad joke. A 32acp is only a joke. A 380 is a good idea. A 9mm is a plan. A .357mag is a good plan. A 12ga is a answer!

 

[Boats]

My Beretta Jetfire will never be obsolete for three basic reasons:

1) It is a reliable cocked & locked capable jewel that is better made than any Kel-tec I have ever examined.

2) It's paid for.

3) If I had to buy a new one it is still less expensive than a Kel-tec and easier to find used.

In fact, I still like my Beretta Tomcat better than any Kel-Tec I have ever seen, though it is bigger and heavier, because it can still be carried C&L. If Kel-Tec ever makes a pistol that looks worth the asking price and doesn't need an eraser stuck behind the trigger to deal with overtravel, I may reconsider.