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Posted: 4/29/2005 11:08:04 AM EDT
| OK guys dont go balistic on me but Im in a running feud at another forums about the qaulaties of a .25 caliber handgun bullet. I said a .25 is not a defensive caliber...its a make you feel good that you have something in your pocket. I say they are worthless and most made now days are POS guns. I wouldnt put my life or families life at risk with such a BS round. OK, i know people have been killed by .25s but more than not the bullet will not stop a person from attacking...you might even piss them off more by shooting them with that piss ant round. A couple of guys are giving me shit because Ive stated what I said above. do any of you ever carry a .25 for protection and do you feel about the round. Ive shot a few .25 cal handguns...the cheapies. After about 15-20 feet you cant hit shit with them, they lose power so quick after coming out of an inch long barrel its not funny. Ive never seen one that dependable. I think Id rather carry a Beretta .22 pocket pistol than a .25. How do guys feel....am I full of shit or what????????? |
honestly I only carry .40s&w. but what I'm getting at is: in a life or death situation, a .22 or .25 is better than nothing at all. |
| i can hit you dead center in the forehead with my beretta 25 acp at 25 yards - you're not going to get very far after that. i think i get that accuracy due to the very light recoil. it has never failed on me - ever - no ftf, fte, or anything. unfortunately, after i took it to the range last time, the trigger bar and spring broke, so i will have to buy a replacement gun since it is a discontinued model (model 20) and they do not have parts for it. granted, i would rather have a larger caliber, but during the warmer months, it's hard to conceal the 92fs or the usp. |
| I dont doubt the older beretta was probaly more accurate then the cheapies.....theres a lot of stories out there about .25 bounceing off heavy clothing. Its nothing I would ever depend on. i carry an XD .357sig as my main CCW gun. My secondary gun is a springfield .45. I would never consider using or buying a .25 cal handgun. I also would never put myself in a situation of being withut one of my carry guns. Its sure not a gun of choice......and most of you say if thats all you had then so be it...bet you wouldnt feel to confident in the weapon. Hell BB guns have killed people to...doesnt make me want to carry one for self defense LOL. |
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I carry a 25 or a 22 often. Usually as a back up to a 45 though. But hey I live in Yuma and its hot as hell. Sometimes carrying a 1911 just isn't practical. So yes sometimes I do make a quick trip to the stop and rob armed with only a Beretta 950 or Beretta 21 in the pocket of my shorts. Do I feel as safe with the 25 as with a 45 maybe not but I know I can empty the mag into a bad guy at close range. Better than nothing and I ALWAYS have a gun. I have been reloading 25 for a while now and no you can't get anymore preformance out of it that way. And yes its a bitch to find the cases! Just a bit cheaper to shoot. HPs are worthless IMO. They never go fast enough to open up reliably. I only carry factory made solids. My dad used to tell me about this guy he knew that got shot at point blank range with a 25 back in the 70s. He was shot just above the "right between the eyes" mark. He was a jeweler and they tried to rob him in his hotel room. When he opened the door to his room he was looking down the barrel of a cheap 25. He fainted right about the time the gun went off. The guy claimed that if he hadn't fainted the bullet would have gone straight thru. Because he was falling back when the gun went boom the bullet passed from his forehead around his skull to the back of his head where it was removed. I think alot of the bad rap it got has to do with the guns that its chambered in. Mostly cheapo pocket guns. I stick to the Baby Brownings, Colt Juniors (early ones not the later Astra made ones), Colt vest pockets (aka 1908s), Beretta 950s and other well made specimens. They are a blast to plink with and great pocket guns. |
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i totaly agree its better than nothan but its basicly worthless if you shoot some1 with a 25 i think its gonna really piss them off ive shot an old dodge car door with a 25 it didnt break the outer skin of the door granted it was al old beefy door but my 10/22 was goin threw |
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Hey blime...whats a box of 50 .25cal cost at the store now days...I think at the 6ime I shot one they were $12 a box. Thats been along time ago. candyman thats what I said that really pissed those guys off...I said if you shoot someone with one your just going to piss them off LOL......guys are calling me all kinds of shit LOL. |
I buy pretty good stuff for about 10 bucks per 50. Most gun shops I've found will have a bunch of it collecting dust in the back and are usually pretty reasonable if you offer to buy it all.  Thats what I've done, gotten a pretty good deal on a couple hundred rounds of the federal premium or whatever that comes in 25 rd boxes. I've found the S&B stuff for about $6 and its pretty good ammo but not reloadable.
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My grandfather once shot a man with a .25 through a windshield. It hit him in the neck, and he crashed right after getting hit. Mind you, this was in the 1940's, when the windshield would have been normal glass, and most likely flat. All in all, probably very lucky that he hit the intended target with the intended results. Personally, the smallest I would carry would be a .380. |
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I have two stories for you,both true,one involved two Guys I know and the other happened in my presence. Two Guys I used to know,had a dispute over a poker game which ended up in a gun fight.Both had .25s,one Guy got two shots off before his jammed,he took three hits in the exchange.One to the forearm,one to the shoulder and one in the thigh before the other Guys .25 jammed and he threw it at him.None of the hits were life threatening. The next incident happened at a party,two rival Motorcycle clubs called a truce and held a party to mend their relationship.A couple hours into the party,one Guy gets pissed and starts waiving a pistol,a Friend of mine,pulls a .25 and pops the Guy in the forehead almost between the eyes at about 10 feet.The bullet stuck in his skull without penetrating to the brain and he recovered.This incident ended the fragile truce,started one hell of a bad fight and almost got me killed two years later. I've seen four other Guys shot with .25s and none of the injuries were life threatening.I carry a .45. |
| .25 is a marginal round at best. Its better then nothing but only a well placed shot is going to do any damage. As mentioned I doubt it will penetrate the skull of most men even at point blank range. There will always be a soft head somewhere but the brow ridges are one of the strongest part of the skull. |
| For comparision,I was hit in the chest by a deflected.38 spl.The bullet hit me sideways and lodged itself in the rib,just left of my sternum.It hit me hard,but not hard enough to stop me,it was only after everything kinda settled down that I checked for holes and found one.I was hit in the shoulder and peppered with rock fragments at the same time.This incident in May of 89,I was in the ER for about two hours and ended up walking out with a few stiches and a bullet in my chest.Back to work the next day. |
I think RCBS still makes dies though they are quite pricy IIRC. I bought mine used at a gunshow for about 25 bucks with a shell holder.  I'm playing with making a wildcat right now, a 25 necked down to 22. Think I'll call it the 25 Super or Express. Made up a few rounds of dummy ammo already. Why you ask? Because I thought the NAA neckdowns were kinda cool the (32 down to 25 and 380 down to 32). I'll probably just try it in a single shot rifle but I'd really like to butcher a 950 and put a 6" barrel and can on it. |
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When someone gets shot its not like the movies. They dont fall over and die instantly. The only way to instantantly stop someone in there tracks is by taking out the their CNS (Brain or Spinal Cord). I have seen a shit bag run 2-3 blocks before collasping from a 9mm thru the heart. Someone gets hit in the head, they drop like a bucket of bricks. I have also seen a man shot 3 times with a .22, two of which (after seeing the x-rays) were in his spine, he was layin right where he was shot. So to answear the question, yes a .22 or.25 is a "diffensive" round. Just like any other, they have to placed in the right spot to instantly stop someone.
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I carry a junior colt in .25 acp, cute little gun accurate enough for personal protection and very reliable, its not my first choice for the task but its good enough, when i say personal protection i'm talking within 10-15 feet max, i carry it in my strong hand pocket and usually when i'm walking through places where i might need it, my hand is in that pocket. I'd rather have it then not, i'm not a cop so i doubt i'll ever engage targets beyond 20 feet anything within 20 feet i know i can hit accurately, if i empty 7 rounds into someone i dont think their gonna get up. I only carry that gun when i'm wearing shorts like at the beach for example or when i'm riding my motorcycle, i sometimes carry that gun as a suppliment to my main carry guns, either a HKP7M13 or a kimber RCP. Either way a 25 will hurt a hell of a lot more then a bee sting and we all know how bee stings feel. Just my two cents. Joe
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| I realize alot of people have been killed with a.25, many more probably lived after being shot with one. But I have to stand by my original assesment...the .25 cal is not a defensive load.......if it make you feel better more power to you. Im a big guy so concealing my pistols have never been a problem. I really think a .22 is a better choice....at least you have a much better selection of ammo and a hell of lot cheaper. 22 magnum is even better.....that will really put the hurt on you. |
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I still have my S&W Chief Special model 36, .38, 2" snub that I bought in 1970. I can conceal this as well as any .25 or .22 cal. So my question is why would you want to carry anything less than a .38? My carry gun is a Glock 23 and on occasion a Colt Officers .45. I've retired my Chief Special. |
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