Any salvation for the .25ACP?

Status
Not open for further replies.
If you shot me with a .25, and I found out about it later on, I'd be pissed.
Click to expand...

I know of several cases where someone with that attitude didn't live long enough to be..... :uhoh:
 
Do you know why we have so many brazen criminals?

Because they shoot each other with .25s and .32s and suddenly think they're bad-ass because they survived.
 
First of all, they guy said he already has a Beretta .25 Cal pistol, not that he is going to buy one.

For all those who are making jokes about the .25 Auto, which one of you would be willing to stand in front of that little Beretta while I pull the trigger?? Anyone?? No?? I didn't think so... :rolleyes:

Every firearm has it's place and sometimes when the .45 is out of place and not even a .38 Snub Nose will fit there are the small .25 Auto's to save the day. I find it very funny that the same guys who tell someone to buy a .380 when they are asking about a .32 Auto are now telling this gentleman to buy a .32 Auto when he's talking about a .25 Auto. :banghead:

Funny think happened at the gun show this weekend, I saw 2 guys bidding on the only Baby Browning .25 Auto that a dealer had in his case. It was marked $525 but went for $675. I guess some of you think they were stupid but I think a round of .25 Auto in the eye will quickly end any chance of that person hurting you or anyone else ever again. A 50gr projectile traveling at a little over 900 fps isn't a joke. Even the Winchester 45gr Expanding Point bullet is reported to travel at 815 fps.
 
Yup +1. Like I pointed out earlier, Placement, Placement, Placement! If the BG is wearing a leather jacket and jeans, go below the belt or above the collar! Let's face it, there were made for up close, personal combat. One in the bladder or neck will, at the very least, slow them down!
 
and why carry a 25cal pistol when you can get a good 32 for less than $200 (new).
Click to expand...

That had been my plan but I am still a wee bit nervous about the Kel Tec. I see lots and lots of posts about people returning Kel Tecs to the factory to fix whatever went wrong, although these seem to be the ones in bigger calibers from .380 and up.

Actually I once owned a .380 that was perfect from a design standpoint. It was the AMT Backup. It held 5 rounds of .380 and wasn't much larger than the Beretta .25. I could easily carry it in a wallet holster.

There was just one problem. I kept seeing reports about AMT pistols being unreliable. Although mine fired every time I pulled the trigger, I still felt nervous about carrying a gun with a bad reputation. Just because mine had fired every time so far, that didn't mean it would fire the next time, and this might happen at the worst possible moment.

I do have more powerful pocket guns. I own a S&W M38 and a Walther PPK/S in .380. But those just aren't as concealable as the Beretta Jetfire.

Thanks for all of the recommendations. I will look for some of the hotter European ammo.
 
Nut that's the problem with many .25's! I had one (don't even remember which one - it was a long time ago) that was minute of 55 gallon drum at 10 feet! Seriously... I would aim at the center of a drum and hopefully all the shots would hit the drum.... didn't always happen. That .25 is one of the few handguns I have sold that I have never missed.
 
I recently sold a (don't laugh) Raven MP25. You know what? I regret selling it. That little pistol was utterly reliable, easy to tuck away, and could pop empty 12-gauge hulls floating by in a stream from 15 feet. Not bad for a "junk" gun chambered in one of John Moses' designs.
 
rcmodel commented: "One-Shot Stop? Who says you have to only shoot the BG one time? 7 rounds of .25 ACP is 315%!"

Probabilities are not cumulative. If you get multiple percentages combined the formula works roughly: 45% on the first round, 45% of the remainder of 100% on the second round and so on. So no matter how many rounds you put in the target you will never reach 100%. In theory. A slug out of 12 gauge shotgun runs about 95% according to most sources. Once again, it won't make 100%, but it will get real close with two hits.

Geoff
Who took prob&stat many years agone.
 
Nah, it's time has come and gone. With all the other choices of concealables out there with more potent calibers, there's really no point in carrying a .25ACP, even as a BUG. I sold my Beretta Jetfire through my local shop, and oddly enough, an LEO bought it.
 
If you have to carry a .25, my advice would be to go with FMJ and practice a lot. The round (like .22 LR) needs all the penetration it can get.

If you were looking to replace it, I'd look at a Kel-tec P3AT in .380. Considerably more oomph for the same size / weight.

From a future development standpoint, I think the .25's time is passing. With the new pistols, .32s and .380s can be chambered in a package the same size as most blowback .25s. Little or no development is going into new loads for the .25. Necked rounds are already being tried by necking rounds from .380 to .32 (.30 diameter). Newer cartridges in the small bore sizes are either going to be developed to deliver flat trajectories (hunting rounds), AP capabilities, or the most power you can fit into a micro package. Those who want less recoil than a .32 or .380 in that size will be likely to look at these.
 
Tho it is probably passing, I would feed the .25acp with win 45GR expanding points for close personal protection.
 
I agree with the previous poster. Back in the olden days, a .25 acp made a lot of sense, for small concealable pistols. Nowadays, with guns like the P3AT, it's usefulness has come to a screeching halt. I'm not gonna trash talk the .25, I think that's silly. However, the fact that you can get a .380 in the same size package that used to fit a .25 speaks for itself.

On a related note, I just acquired my first .25 acp pistol. It's an old italian Galesi pocket pistol. I got it because it was cheap, and I thought it was kinda neat. I see it as an interesting novelty, and that's about it.

Also, I like things that go bang. :)
 
NAA offers the NAA Guardian in .25NAA caliber (Corbon). This new super .25 caliber round gives new meaning to the .25acp but needs to catch on before I would take a chance on it. It would be nice to see conversion kits for existing .25acp autos to the new .25NAA round. To my knowledge Corbon is the only ammo manufacturer producing this round.

The .25NAA is a bottleneck cartridge made from a .32acp case necked down to .25 caliber.


:evil:
 
Lowest?

.32ACP in my KT is the lowest I feel comfortable carrying - and its only being carried 'cause of need for deep concealment (my mom is down for X-Mas :D).

Better is a .38spl snub / Buly Mak in a pocket - better still is my G19 in an IWB on my belt.

But my P-32 has been rock solid reliable - have no qualms of recommending them to others and even the P3AT seems to have worked out most of the bugs. Great pocket pistols for the money.
 
Did corbon also make a .32 NAA a while back?...I seem to recall the makarovniks got some interesting ballistics oout of a Makarov with a conversion barrel installed...both in hP and ball loadings.
 
Did corbon also make a .32 NAA a while back?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is derived from a .380acp case necked down to .32 caliber and departs the 2.5" barrel of the NAA Guardian at over 1200 fps.

:evil:
 
The endless debate between 9mm and .45 has always been the "light and fast" vs "heavy and slow" argument.

The .25 brings something new to the table "very light and slow".

Someone asked who would stand in front of his .25? I wouldn't do it voluntarily, but if I had my .45 and you had your .25 I'm pretty sure you're a dead man.

When it takes five of your rounds to equal the weight of one of mine...........
 
Shot placement matters regardless of caliber. According to the current Baal of Ballistics (Fackler, at this time), penetration is extremely important. A larger hole couldn't hurt. The .25 suffers from low weight and velocity, which makes for a lower momentum, thus a lesser overall penetration, thus a lesser chance(how much lesser is always a question) that it'll make it all the way to the vitals.

An interesting study in semi-opposites would be the .455 Webley cartridge (ultimate in big and slow), throwing a slug around 260 grains at around 650 FPS... because the British had the notion, apparently, that the slower the bullet travelled, the more likely it would be to rip and tear the insides instead of just puncturing 'em, thus causing more damage. No idea if that theory was disproved, if there was any basis in fact for it at all, or whether Lord Know-it-All decided, over a glass or two of brandy at the Drones Club, that it must be so.

but if I had my .45 and you had your .25 I'm pretty sure you're a dead man.
Click to expand...
If both have time to take their aim and fire at the magical kill-'em-dead spot, the .45 will probably kill faster, since it could probably arrive a fraction of a second earlier, due to slightly higher velocity. :p

The size of the gun is pretty handy in the drawstroke. Less extraneous movement. Easier carry (in the pocket for many/most .25s, allowing a surreptitious grip on the gun at any time you please, considerably speeding the draw).
 
Fu-man Shu, I've been wanting a Galesi, do you know if the frame is steel or is it aluminum?
thanks
 
HisSoldier . . .

My little Galesi in .22 short is all steel. Kind of a neat little paperweight. Rather nice fit and finish on mine.
 
Too much emphasis is being placed on EVENTUAL LETHALITY. Sure the .25 might somehow reach in and pierce a liver or lung, but your concern isn't whether or not your attacker dies eventually.

Your only concern is whether or not he stops what he's doing RIGHT NOW. I'd put little faith in the .25 stopping him before he stops me. Eventually isn't good enough. In a gunfight you're not playing against a clock, you're playing against HIS clock and we all know what happens to second place.
 
Last edited:
HisSoldier, the little Galesi I've got has a steel frame.

I don't know a lot about this little gun, only what I've
been able to dredge up off of google. Evidently, it was
made in the 1950's, and it was...how shall we say...
"manufactured to a price point". It's a solid little guy,
but the fit and finish on it don't seem as nice as a lot of
other older little pocket guns I've seen from the same
period.

I'm looking forward to getting it running again, so I can
take it out and run a few through it. It was missing the
firing pin and a few springs. Fortunately, Numrich is
coming to the rescue. :)
 
I'll toss my $.02 into this one.
First off, my weapon of choice is a .45, take that into consideration as you read this.
If the .25 is all you had, all you will ever have, and that is it, I would stock it with Glasser safey slugs or Magsafe's, might as well get all you can out of it. It is not a long range weapons by any means, and if you must shoot it, there will be no points deducted for emptying the magazine.
There are many fine, similar sized .32's and .380's out there, I would gently guide you toward those options.
I have seen men take bullets (Multiple bullets) to the chest and walk to the ambulance, or drive themselves to the hospital, sit in the waiting room for an hour and finally mention to the nurse that they have been shot and would really, really like to see a doctor. I also held a man in my arms as he died from a .22lr to the leg, just above the knee. There was no mortal reason he should die, he just believed if he was shot, he would, and talked himself into it.
A self defense situation has far too many varyables in it already without adding the stress of a...let's say less than adequate caliber to the mix.
Just my thoughts.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

K
  • Locked
25acp
Replies
17
Views
1K
Kentucky Rifle
K
J
  • Locked
Best .25 acp pocket pistol ever made.
2 3
Replies
65
Views
23K
Tacoma
Tacoma
G
  • Locked
.25ACP...Any worth owning?
Replies
23
Views
2K
lbmii
L
G
  • Locked
Kel-Tec P-11 or Taurus P-111
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
Goodshot
G
P
  • Locked
Anything New!
Replies
1
Views
299
Spiff_P239
Spiff_P239
Back
Top