Someone should make a 25acp plinker

[Robbins290]

that would be cool Apache. I have had there HP22a for about 15 years now. Thing is super reliable. I would assume the 25 ACP would be the same way.

 

[Gordon]

I acquired one of these La Francais in 25acp. a couple years ago. Mine has some wear but is the engraved model and has a 3.5" barrel that tips up like the Berettas. It has a rather stout double action only trigger but is accurate and functions very well. Truly a fun range toy !


View attachment 901710

I have one of those too in perfect shape and an extra magazine. It is the only .25 ACP I have left. Back on the day I may have seen and tried out a Beretta 950 in ..25 with a very small screw on suppressor that was very kewl

 

[ThomasT]

I was thinking it'd be kinda cool if Phoenix Arms did a *Range Kit* for their .25 as well as their .22.


Todd.

I have said the same thing before and others stated no one would want one. I would. I would like to see a 25acp fired from a longer barrel. Or maybe even better a Ruger single six in 25acp since its a semi rimmed round. It will never happen of course. There was a guy over on the firing line forum that did build one. Michael Tinker Pearce said he is a friend of his.

But someone else said he wished there were more 32 long revolvers made. I doubt there will ever be any new ones made but there are plenty of older ones still for sale. I have 3 of the S&W long versions and love shooting them. To me they are the very best alternative to the 22lr round. Except its like the 32 mag. Its best as a reloaders round.

But none of this helps anyone looking for ammo. I am sort of surprise people don't have enough ammo. I thought after Sandy Hook most would have learned their lesson and been well stocked. I learned my lesson in 1996 with the primer scare. I have never been short of anything since then.

 

[sigarms228]

Makes no sense to pay 30 cents a round for a plinker just because there is a shortage of .22 LR ammo right now. Even with the shortage you can go to TSA and buy .22 rimfire for 8 cents a round.

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/22-long-rifle-ammo-c-202.aspx

 

[Antihero]

Phoenix arms makes a 25 ACP. its less in 150 and is pretty accurate. does that define plinker?

If it was in a Rang Kit like their 22? Absolutely

 

[Antihero]

This Mauser Model 1910 has the longest barrel and largest sights of any 25acp pistol I've shot.

It would be cool to have something like a Single Six or bolt action rifle in 25acp so that you could reload your plinking or small game ammo.

Mauser1910

• Tallball
• Jul 4, 2018

I almost bought one years ago actually

 

[bannockburn]

Back in the day I had quite a few .25s; mostly Beretta Model 950s and one Model 20 (was a double action trigger design). They were great if you wanted to slip one in your pocket for a late night run to the local convenience store.
Ended up selling or trading them away as I became more enamored with .38 Special S&W snubbies (typically a Model 36 or Model 38), for such duties.

Yet there was still this long standing desire to get a Baby Browning some day but they were so much money for such a tiny gun that I really could never rationalize buying one. If it was chambered for .32 ACP or .380 ACP then in my mind I could justify it for concealed carry; but as a .25 ACP it was just not going to happen, especially at those prices.

Then one day I looking through the used gun case at the local gun emporium and there on the top shelf was a Baby Browning! And not just a run of the mill model but a mint, in the box, Lightweight model with a bright nickel plated slide and an aluminum alloy frame along with Jay Scott faux pearl stocks! And here was the ultimate kicker: it was priced well below what a good condition blued model would go for! I never was quicker on the wallet draw as I eagerly handed over the cash for this once in a lifetime find!


As far as a .25 ACP plinker goes I think something like the Phoenix Arms HP25A (i.e. relatively inexpensive), with a 5" barrel and an improved trigger design, would make for a fun .25 ACP plinker.

 

[Monac]

There used to be an inexpensive cast-zinc pistol called the Phoenix that was made in two different calibers, 22 LR and 25 ACP. They were called the HP-22 and the HP-25 respectively. It was a pocket gun, about the size of a Kel-Tec P-32, although much heavier.

For the 22 LR version, you could get a long-barreled conversion kit to turn it into a budget price plinker. I believe you could also simply buy the long barrel version directly. I bought the 25 caliber version, because I thought 25 ACP made for a more reliable gun. I always hoped the manufacturer would sell a similar conversion kit for the 25, but as far as I know, they never did. I think they are out of production now, because they could not compete with the new lightweight, DAO 32s and 380s.

Why did I buy one? Because it was a much more elaborate design than most cast zinc pistols. In particular, it had two different manual safeties, one of which was interconnected to also be the magazine safety, an external hammer, and a push-button mag release. Somebody was really thinking when they designed it, and not just turning out the usual "Browning 1910 with the difficult parts left out". A machinist friend of mine also thought it might be cast steel rather than cast zinc, but apparently he was mistaken

PS - And now I see bannockburn has already mentioned the HP-25. Consider this post a "me too!"

 

[silvermane_1]

How about a 25 Magnum? Like a Glock 17. Maybe a 20 round magazine?

Micheal Tinker Pearce was/is working on a revolver .25 Mag round.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Every time I see 25 ammo I wonder why it even exists and then I barely remember that 25 pistols still exist.

I then ponder how many actually useful cartridges have found the fate of obsolescence by disinterest and wonder how the 25 has managed to stay afloat so long.

I guess as long as new guns are made for it then the ammo will be available. As long as those guns are selling they will continue to make them.

So maybe this is not such a bad idea after all. However, the second 25 becomes a viable plinking round is the second it will also be sold out.

 

[scaatylobo]

Why? Because there are tons of it on the shelves of the local stores.

A Buckmark sized 25acp would be sort of interesting. Not really an upgrade at all from a 22lr.....but apparently you can find ammo

A "few" years back [ ok,a few decades back ] a fellow LEO and I took our Beretta .25's to the range.
Just for a good laugh,we set up empty soda cans at 25 YARDS !.
It was pretty easy to knock them down,once you could figure how to use the REALLY TINY sights on the guns.
Always wished that there was a .25 auto with real sights and maybe a 4" barrel.

 

[Monac]

25 ACP survives in production because the "installed base" of guns for it is enormous. People bought them large numbers because they wanted a pistol that was very easy to carry, or that did not cost very much. Very often, when people who are not really interested in guns or shooting decide they need a gun, they buy something small because it is cheap. Hence the large numbers of 32 & 38 S&W revolvers from a century ago that still survive.

I think that the number of new guns being made in 25 ACP is finally dwindling, because you can't make a really practical 25 automatic that is much smaller than the Kel Tec P-32, and if you do, you have to make it out of high-grade materials like steel or high-strength aluminum alloy. That makes it more expensive than the Kel Tec, which takes it out of the running. If we date that change to, say, 20 years ago, then 25 ACP production may have dwindled to the levels that 32 and 38 S&W are at now by the year 2100.

 

[TTv2]

As others have mentioned the only company that would likely ever be willing to do a long barrel .25 plinker is Phoenix, but they seem to have no interest in making a 5 inch barrel for the .25 ACP. If they did it would have been made by now.

Personally if this goal is something reloadable then .32 is a far better choice. It's an easier caliber to reload and the Berry's bullets are a nickel a bullet, by far the cheapest factory bullet you can buy. I have been saying for over a year now how much I wish Ruger would make a Mark IV in .32 ACP.

While I'm well stocked with .22 LR, the reason I got into .32 revolvers was because of rimfire shortages in the future. Now so long as I have primers, powder, and bullets, I'll never run out of ammo to shoot.

 

[Eagle 17]

I have a Colt 1908 25Auto Vest Pocket Pistol that I picked up a few years ago
It's a tiny but mighty little pistol.

 

[blue32]

The only issue I see with a 25 auto sporter pistol is brass availability. A pound of say, W231, would last you well over 4,000 rounds. And a mold dropping 50 grains apiece would stretch a pound of junk alloy to 140 bullets. You could easily get your cost per cartridge to .04 with range scrap and that beats 22 lr most days.

 

[larryh1108]

Another fan of the Phoenix HP25a. A fun little plinker.
As reliable as their .22lr and just a fun gun to shoot.
I won't pay the going rate for the ammo so I reload for it.
It is just a fun, little gun.

 

[jmorris]

Reminds me of a guy I know that sold a Ford Pinto some years back telling the buyer it was really valuable because there were not many left in existence.

He didn’t tell them that was because most smart people already crushed them and turned the metal into something more useful.

That said, I spent many hours in a pinto station wagon and still have at least one .25 but I know better.

 

[jdh]

I have a Colt 1908 25Auto Vest Pocket Pistol that I picked up a few years ago
It's a tiny but mighty little pistol.

The pawn shop has one one the shelf. Asking $500 for it and won't deal. It calls to me.

 

[zaitcev]

I have been saying for over a year now how much I wish Ruger would make a Mark IV in .32 ACP.

You may be on to something. Now that Ruger successfully made a cheaper FN FiveSeveN, I would not put it past them to make a cheaper Walther GSP. Yes, perhaps using Mark IV as a template. Or, I dunno, 10/22 with a pistol grip.
https://waltherarms.com/gsp-32-expert-right-m/

 

[barnetmill]

I have said the same thing before and others stated no one would want one. I would. I would like to see a 25acp fired from a longer barrel. Or maybe even better a Ruger single six in 25acp since its a semi rimmed round. It will never happen of course. There was a guy over on the firing line forum that did build one. Michael Tinker Pearce said he is a friend of his.

But someone else said he wished there were more 32 long revolvers made. I doubt there will ever be any new ones made but there are plenty of older ones still for sale. I have 3 of the S&W long versions and love shooting them. To me they are the very best alternative to the 22lr round. Except its like the 32 mag. Its best as a reloaders round.

But none of this helps anyone looking for ammo. I am sort of surprise people don't have enough ammo. I thought after Sandy Hook most would have learned their lesson and been well stocked. I learned my lesson in 1996 with the primer scare. I have never been short of anything since then.

In a single action revolver no rim is really needed. If I recalled there were .45 ACP cylinders for the rugers at one time.

.32 S&W long used to be common in Europe. There are expensive target pistols made in it. Perhaps smith and wesson has stopped making new ones. I checked their website and did not see any. Ruger does offer a .327 mag revolver I see.



I brought a lot of fighting ammo in 9mm, 7.62x39, etc. But not extensive amounts in .25, .32, etc. A box or so is enough for defensive use for a face gun. These are used for concealment and fighting at bad breath distances and are only fired enough to verify function and familiarity with the gun.

 

[ThomasT]

The 327 isn't in the same context as a plinker 25acp. Its a good round and I am all for anything that promotes 32 caliber guns. A 32 long makes a good 22/25 replacement. Easy to reload and can be a very gentle round or turned up well past factory loads if you have a modern gun. Thankfully they were popular at one time and S&W made many swing out cylinder models 30 and 31. Enough that anyone who wants one should be able to get one.

But my favorite 32 guns are the two single sixes I have with adjustable sights and 5.5" barrels in 32 mag. They shoot 32 longs well enough to squirrel hunt with and when loaded with 32 mag they give me all the power I want in a 32 caliber gun. I cast most of the bullets I shoot and the price to shoot them only amounts to around 3 cents a shot. I think. I really don't know since I have had my supplies so long I really don't remember the cost.

And yes I knew that in a single action the rounds can headspace on the case mouth. I had a BH convertible in 357/9mm. I shot more 9s than I did 357s.

 

[barnetmill]

The 327 isn't in the same context as a plinker 25acp. Its a good round and I am all for anything that promotes 32 caliber guns. A 32 long makes a good 22/25 replacement. Easy to reload and can be a very gentle round or turned up well past factory loads if you have a modern gun. Thankfully they were popular at one time and S&W made many swing out cylinder models 30 and 31. Enough that anyone who wants one should be able to get one.

But my favorite 32 guns are the two single sixes I have with adjustable sights and 5.5" barrels in 32 mag. They shoot 32 longs well enough to squirrel hunt with and when loaded with 32 mag they give me all the power I want in a 32 caliber gun. I cast most of the bullets I shoot and the price to shoot them only amounts to around 3 cents a shot. I think. I really don't know since I have had my supplies so long I really don't remember the cost.

And yes I knew that in a single action the rounds can headspace on the case mouth. I had a BH convertible in 357/9mm. I shot more 9s than I did 357s.

My future .32 will be my nagant 95 revolver. I have a .32 ACP cylinder somewhere that I need to fit to it. .32 long cases will fire in it, but they bulge a lot. Likely I could wrap with paper and that would stop the swelling of the .32 long cases. If you cast and used scrounged lead for your reloads, my guess is the primer is your biggest cost.

 

[ThomasT]

My future .32 will be my nagant 95 revolver. I have a .32 ACP cylinder somewhere that I need to fit to it. .32 long cases will fire in it, but they bulge a lot. Likely I could wrap with paper and that would stop the swelling of the .32 long cases. If you cast and used scrounged lead for your reloads, my guess is the primer is your biggest cost.

I have read about shooting 32 longs in the Nagant in the Backwoodsman magazine. I have wondered if the cylinder couldn't be sleeved and then rechambered to the 32 long? am sure it would be expensive and the money better used to find a gun made for the round you want to shoot.

It used to be 32 longs were cheap to buy. But it seems folks have figured out how cheap they are to shoot and how much fun they are and that raised the price because of the demand. I like the newer made 32 longs like the S&Ws I mentioned. Those are strong and will take loads that are too strong for the old top break guns. The Ruger single sixes are about bullet proof. I don't need a 327 but I would like to have one of the new single seven single actions with 7.5" barrel. What a great trail gun. Sorta heavy though.

I tried to get Hamilton Bowen to put adjustable sights on the 4" model 31-1 I own but he wasn't interested in doing the job. I have an article from Handgunner magazine about adding the adjustable rear sight. Thats a kitchen table job just needing files and D&T one hole. Milling a groove for a taller front sight is the big hurtle. I wish my dad still had his machine shop and I had access to his mill. This would have been done a long time ago.

 

[barnetmill]

I have read about shooting 32 longs in the Nagant in the Backwoodsman magazine. I have wondered if the cylinder couldn't be sleeved and then rechambered to the 32 long? am sure it would be expensive and the money better used to find a gun made for the round you want to shoot.

It used to be 32 longs were cheap to buy. But it seems folks have figured out how cheap they are to shoot and how much fun they are and that raised the price because of the demand. I like the newer made 32 longs like the S&Ws I mentioned. Those are strong and will take loads that are too strong for the old top break guns. The Ruger single sixes are about bullet proof. I don't need a 327 but I would like to have one of the new single seven single actions with 7.5" barrel. What a great trail gun. Sorta heavy though.

I tried to get Hamilton Bowen to put adjustable sights on the 4" model 31-1 I own but he wasn't interested in doing the job. I have an article from Handgunner magazine about adding the adjustable rear sight. Thats a kitchen table job just needing files and D&T one hole. Milling a groove for a taller front sight is the big hurtle. I wash my dad still had his machine shop and I had access to his mill. This would have been done a long time ago.

I do not know the model, but I did have a .32 S&W long that had adjustable sights (put on by local gunsmith, now dead many years) and 4 inch barrel that had been someones squirrel gun. It was badly rusted due to a little dog urinating on it when it was put under a couch. I found an old cylinder in new condition to replace the cylinder and a gunsmith reamed out the last 3/4" of the muzzle where it was rusted. With some reloads I purchased it had a little kick to it, but it was a very nice small little gun. It was on the the equivalent of a J frame, but it was an old gun made long time ago I assume.

The higher front sight was somehow IIRC correctly put over the original sight and was secure.

 

[22250Rem]

I’ve had a FIE Titan Tiger in 25 Auto in my safe for the last 18 years. I think I took it out shooting once. I have about 200 rounds for it. That’s about another 40 years worth of ammo.

...... Kind of like me except my 25 ACP safe queen is a Raven and I probably have at least 100 rounds for it . But somehow I just don't get the urge to plink with it. Put a couple magazine fulls through it a few years ago as a function test.... It works great but there's still no motivation to go plink with it... Or use it as a carry gun.