Breaking the Rules in 25 ACP

[Decoy80]

I have a better understanding after your reply.
I've got some new dies for 380s and some brass. I just have fat fingers and have been wondering how I would make out.
Good luck,happy shooting the 25

 

[Dudedog]

Decoy80, AA#2 works well in .380, and as I mentioned meters well in small charges.

 

[larryh1108]

I do load for the ,25ACP and I have XL meaty hands. I use a single stage for my reloading since I reload for quality of ammo and for serenity and relaxation. I load 50 at a time when I reload. I have a Llama .25ACP and a Raven (Saturday Night Special) and love them both. I shoot them just for fun and when I shoot them, it is fun. I won't pay $16 to $20 for a box of factory ammo for such a small round.
I use 1.2gr of Bullseye. I weigh each drop. They are not hot and cycle the slide just fine. If I did not reload for the .25 I wouldn't shoot them due to the high price of ammo.

 

[Dudedog]

OK I don't own a .25 but on the .25 size charges I decided to retest AA#2, and test a few others.
Same setup, GEM 20 scale
Lee 3 Hole Turret
Lee Auto Drum
9mm case and powder drop
(note didn't fiddle a lot trying to get the exact desire charge more concerned with charge to charge variation.)

HP38 BE86 CFE-P AA#2
0.092 0.089 0.0754 0.102 powders VMD
1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 Desired charge
HP38 BE86 CFE-P AA#2
1 1.66 1.56 1.6 1.66
2 1.7 1.5 1.62 1.64
3 1.78 1.58 1.6 1.66
4 1.66 1.48 1.56 1.66
5 1.68 1.48 1.56 1.66
6 1.62 1.46 1.52 1.64
7 1.74 1.4 1.62 1.68
8 1.68 1.48 1.56 1.66
9 1.68 1.5 1.62 1.64
10 1.72 1.54 1.58 1.66

1.692 1.498 1.584 1.656 Average
0.16 0.18 0.1 0.04 ES
0.0454 0.0520 0.0337 0.0126 SD

So it still looks like charges of AA#2 can be thrown with this setup, the other three you would end up throwing a lot of charges back.
If I was going to load .25 I would invest in a lb of AA#2, then if you wanted perfection, trickle, but it sure gets you close. A lb should be good for 3500 rounds give or take so $25-$30 worth of powder would last a long time
Sure looks like it would make life easier when loading .25
(AA#2 also works well for .380, .45 ACP, ok in 9mm but I like something slower for 9mm)
Edit, fixed screen clip

 

[someguy2800]

Just put a magnum primer in it and forget the powder!

Seriously though since AA2 meters so well as shown above I think I would just make a powder dipper out of a 22lr case to throw a mid range charge. Solder or glue a handle on it and load away. A narrow dipper like a 22 case should be able to measure very accurately.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I was gifted a .25 ACP Phoenix Arms Raven 25 years ago. 1992.
I take it out at least once a year and fire two magazines (12 rounds total), clean it, reload the magazines, and put it away for next year's test.
I have carried it, empty chamber, loaded magazine, as backup more than once.
It has never failed to function in 300+ rounds so far and if I maintain sight picture it has stayed on a 8.5 x 11" target at 7 yards.
Only recently have I tried reloading for it. I intended to continue to test it annually until it fails.
I have much better primary handguns that I have relied on for self defense.
I have much better handguns I use for sports or target shooting.
Yes a steel frame .25 ACP is preferable over zinc, Zamak, or aluminum.
But the constant dissing of the .25ACP and the Raven model has perked my interest in pushing that envelope til it falls off the desk.
I am tempted to invest in a replacement slide and recoil springs while they are available just because of all the trash talk on the .25 and Raven.
Some European writer opined that .25 ACP has killed more rapists than any other caliber; that's high praise to me.

 

[FROGO207]

My reloading of the .25 ACP uses AA#2 and a cut off .22 MAG case that I turned into a scoop for the exact charge once I dialed it in. At first I scooped and weighed each charge but after I built confidence I now no longer weigh every charge. Just a random sample of 5 in 50 rounds. The rule I break is not filling the curse jar with quarters when loading this stinkin' small round using ten thumbs.Did I mention to you I hardly ever shoot mine lately?

 

[hdwhit]

Well, I've got the Bullseye, 700X, Red Dot and HP-38 and I can't see buying a pound of powder just to use a few hundred gains of it loading 25 ACP when I already have suitable powders, so I'm going to pass on the AA #2 and stick with one of the ones I already have.

Trickling the charge up to weight on a dozen or so rounds is not an inconvenience, so I think I'll just go that route rather than investing the time in making a custom dipper that I'll probably misplace from one batch to the next.

I think I'm going to try 700X first since I have it, don't load it into anything else (any more), have enough to meet all my 25 ACP needs, but not enough to make it worth my while to develop more than one load for it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[wrench459]

I cant help myself with the custom dripper.

 

[hdwhit]

wrench459 wrote:
I cant help myself with the custom dripper.

Looks to be a quality job. Nicely done.

 

[Dudedog]

hdwhit,
hope one of the powders you have works out well for you.