I need an education on .25 and .32 caliber handguns

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jrdolall

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Before someone goes all crazy and recommends a .45 or a .50 cal for a pocket gun please be aware that I own pistols in .22lr, 22 mag, .380, 9x18, 9x19, .38, .357 magnum and .45(nope no 40s, 10mm or 357sig). I am thinking about buying one just because and I have virtually no knowledge about the two cartridges.
I don't currently own either of these calibers. I have shot a .32 a few times but I don't recall ever firing a .25. Current online prices show that the .25 is double the price of .32 ammo? Is that normal?
I am just fishing for info in case I come across a good deal on one of these guns. I have 4 different Kel Tec guns but have always passed on the 32. You know how it goes. I have absolutely no "need" for either one of these guns which is probably why I am looking at them. Kind of like the 9x18 I got a few weeks ago. Need? Not at all. Want? Absolutely.
 
Yeppers, 25 ACP is not cheap,,,

I believe it's because of the low demand for the ammo,,,
The caliber isn't all that popular anymore,,,
So they don't make much of it.

That's the rationale as explained to me anyways.

I own a Taurus 25-PLY that I really like,,,
It's definitely a Mouse Gun,,,
But works very well.

34-charybdis.jpg

I know it's not a blow-em-through-a-window gun,,,
But it has almost no recoil even though it tiny,,,
I can put 10 rounds in center mass close-up,,,
Just as fast as I can pull the DAO trigger.

But yeah,,,
Ammo is pricey.

Aarond

.
 
I had a Beretta Tomcat in 32ACP for a while. The cartridge was very low recoiling (not a whole lot more than a 22). Unfortunately my Tomcat fell victim to the infamous frame crack that this model has become know for. Too bad as this was a great size pistol. Though many would argue against the merits of the 32 for self defense, I never felt uncomfortable carrying it (until the frame cracked of course!)
 
My favorite .32acp pistols are on opposite sides of the size spectrum. These are the tiny Seecamp LWS32 and the large and heavy CZ83. One is for pocket carry and easy concealment and is a jewel. The CZ is a blast to shoot. A nice gun to teach first time shooters because it is soft and easy.
TEST010.jpg
NewGunsCZ83.jpg

Much harder to find but a real joy to shoot is the Sig P230. In .32acp, this alloy framed ergonomic wonder is a blast. It even uses regular .380 mags, but holds 8 .32s rather than 7 rounds. Great trigger, great size, good sights. Can't overlook the venerable Walther PP. Sleek, sexy, a great addition to any collection.
PPandP232002.jpg

My favorite .25acp is the Walther TPH. Tiny, very thin and perfectly made.
tph25011.jpg
 
I enjoy shooting .25s and .32s for fun. Not everything has to be about self defense.

The .25s are pretty much all mouse guns - the best of the lot, IMOP, are the Beretta 950 series. You can find them used at reasonable prices. The 'baby browning' type guns are even smaller, but they are not as safe as modern designs, and the magazine heel release may have a tendency to come loose under recoil. Still fun to play with though. There are modern versions of these guns around too.

Get up into the .32s and you have a wide selection of very nice pistols. I have an old Savage 1907, a Beretta 81 (Israeli surplus), a Walther PP and and a CZ-83, which are all great fun. There are several European and east-bloc surplus guns around, it was a common police cartridge there a few decades back.

The .32, when ammo is available, is a perfect plinking round. It just seems to be more fun than a .22, it still smacks the targets around pretty good, but there no kick and the guns can be small and light.
 
I have the Kel-Tec P32 as a deep-conceal piece that is only carried while traveling to and from my no-carry job site. I'm very pleased with it, for its intended purpose. My initial-impression of it is the subject of this thread:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=599654

The cartridge has one cautionary detail: its rim is slightly wider than the case shell is. This allows it to be fired in revolvers chambered in .32. But, it also may become lodged behind the rim of the case beneath it in a pistol magazine. This condition is known as "rimlock." If the rounds are long enough (such as FMJ-RN), there won't be room for this to happen in most mags. But, if they're shorter and there is room for forward/back movement/rattle in the mag, it can happen. When it does, the round whose rim is behind that of the next round will not feed from the magazine.
Careful attention when loading can prevent this, as can spacers made for and inserted into the magazine (Kel-Tec even offers one for the P32.)

.32ACP ammo is indeed cheaper than .25 is, but more expensive (typically) than is .380 ACP ammo.
 
I think most pocket sized 32 cal pistols are also available in 380 which is a much more available cartridge so I don't see any reason to bother with the 32.

I carried a kel Tec P32 for a number of years but found the recoil of the similar sized P3AT to be only slightly heavier and with the wider variety and much more Avilable 380 round it was the way to go.
 
My favorite .25 caliber gun is the Baby Browning. It's so incredibly small and yet so well built that I am constantly amazed by its design. Another great .25 is the Beretta Jetfire.

I haven't had a .32 caliber auto in quite some time but for me there was just something about the Walther PPK that just seemed so right with that cartridge.
 
My favorite .32acp pistols are on opposite sides of the size spectrum. These are the tiny Seecamp LWS32 and the large and heavy CZ83.
Click to expand...
I have both of these. I pocket carry the Seecamp all the time. I mainly use the CZ83 as a range gun, but would be quite comfortable defending myself with it.

I reload, so I can shoot my .32s for cheap as well.
 
Precision arms make a new version "copy" of the 25 Baby Browning, they are quite expensive, and would be nice if you had an extra 600+ to throw away at one. But to me I could buy an older one for a lot less if I wanted one. The 25 Bauer, colt, and Baby Browning were the preferred backup guns or off duty guns in the 60-70's for many LEO's.
The main reason was at that time there were very few choices for a concealable gun, other than a snubby or a ppk. Now that situation has changed. I sold my Seacamp,"and took a beating". They were on fire with a 2 yr. wait when they came out.
Right after that around 2000 or so, a ton of small guns started coming out, AMT with their compact 45 was one of the first. Now there are more choices than ever. The calibers that were once so popular, have been for the most part overlooked for the mini 9's and 40 caliber sub compact pistols.
That's really the short version for the op to understand how we got here. The 32 probably was best known in Europe as many police and even military officers had a 32 caliber Walther as their sidearm.
In todays worl they are more often than not, overlooked. The 25 was never considered a great round, most would prefer a 22 LR if given the choice. But they were a small centerfire cartridge and better than a sharp stick.
 
You left out the pistol,that really got the pocket pistol industry rolling, the Kel Tec P32 that came out 1999 which sold 280,000 1st generation P32 pistols from 1999 to 2005.
 
I carry a Kel-Tec P32. I never saw the light, as far as .25acp goes. Sure its more reliable than 22, but costs 10x as much. I also dont feel that a .22 or .25 can get the job done. Oh sure... there are those who will tell you that you can stop a Grizzly Bear on Meth with one of those mentioned, but Im not going to tempt fate with a pea shooter. I also know that the .32acp falls low on the stopping scale, but its controllable, accurate and reliable in the P32. I like a Pocket Rocket, but never liked the LCP(I tried to like it). When I shot the P32 the first time, I knew it was the pistol for MY pocket. If you want a .32acp. its one of the very best.
 
gym

You're right about those PSA Baby Brownings being pricey; last one I saw was stickered at $675! Original Baby Brownings in decent condition can still be had for less than that. I picked this one a couple of years ago LNIB for $400 and it appeared to be unfired. Truly a marvel of design and miniaturization in a pocket pistol.
gunpix1011-1.gif
 
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They look like a piece of jewelry, it's worth having if you can find one like that. I still have ammo for one so its still in the back of my head.
 
I had an aluminum frame PPK in .32 ACP that was a sweet shooter. It was an old gun without a trace of finish, but that didn't stop it from shooting.
I currently have my dad's Beretta New Puma in the same calibre. It was bought new in 1964, I think. I keep it for the sentimental value and don't carry it. However, I was wearing it when a pit bull got loose and came after my future ex-wife and I during our evening stroll. I got my wife behind me and put three FMJs in the dog and it expired. That took some explaining to the sheriff's deputy who came out to do the report. The dog had recently gotten off its chain, mauled another, smaller dog, and bit a neighbor lady. The deputy decided that all's well that ends well and gave the dog's owner a lecture. His advice to me, I might want to choose a bigger calibre.
 
I just won an auction for a PSA 25 Baby Browning!! Cool. Can't wait to see if these are the jewel they're reported to be.
 
Had a Pit come after me 8 months ago, I remember because I had just picked up my Lab Pup. I heard something closing on me fast while out with the pup. Saw him about 20 yards out charging at us, I scooped up the pup and puled my gun, and yelled "no", several times, "sit", the dog stopped about 15 feet away, I had decided to shoot if it broke that imaginary line I drew in my head. He turned around and disappeared. I called animal control and they came out and found a woman driving around who had called about her pit getting out of her yard. No tag or id, the officer said to her, she was dam lucky because he would have shot it if it was him. He had a Taser and pistol.
It was a little too close for comfort, but talk about your gun coming in handy, right in my front yard. The dog was hunting he lived a good mile away. We get hogs possums and raccoons, but those hogs or wild dogs, will come after you .
Vero has a lot of animals, like horses cows etc. not typical South Florida. I won't allow a pit to get my arm, as that will be the end of it, of my baby. You always have to be aware.
 
In my opinion and experience, the "Baby Browning" style of 25's, both old and new, are inherintely dangerous because of the design of their protruding firing pin. I have had two separate BB's accidentially discharge on me while attempting to clear a jam. Thank God both times the guns were pointed in a safe direction. Plus 25acp ammo is prohibitively expensive and only marginally effective by all measures. Pocket carry an LCP or P3at if you must pocket carry. Otherwise, carry the largest caliber you are comfortably shooting safely and effectively.

JMHO.....:cool:
 
One Last Comment on 25acp Baby Browning Style Guns

One last comment. You are supposed to unload the BB by pulling the slide back SLOWLY until the chambered round is ejected. Read any old or new owners manual. What the manual doesnt say is.....SLOWLY....because you are pulling back against the protruding firing pin. This design always bothered me. Yes, its been around for a hundred years, but there are much safer guns these days. Older is not always better.
 
32ACP, 9mm, & 45ACP are my go-to rounds in semi-auto for SD. I skip 25ACP, 380ACP, & 40S&W in the rotation for reasons like capacity & power.

25ACP is more expensive than 32ACP because of production quantities. Not quite twice, but probably more like 50% higher than 32. I'm a big fan of the 32ACP for pocket pistols. It offers slightly higher capacity than 380 and quicker follow-ups. I have 3 P32's and a NAA in 32.
 
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