03-11-10 09:09 AM - Post#91463    

A recent accident a friend of mine had with a low-end .25 Automatic started me thinking about this topic.
So first, the accident happened when he was inserting the magazine into the his .25 Automatic pistol when the slide released, causing it to slam fire(somehow???) the thing into full-auto sending one bullet at his big screen T.V. and the remaining ones into the ceiling. Thankfully nobody was standing in front of him. The T.V. has a .25" piece of plastic protecting the screen, the bullet passed through the plastic and lodge in between the plastic and screen but didn't even scratch the actual T.V. screen!!! I have always known the .25 ACP was way under powered but this really brought it home when he showed me this. I hope he learned from this incident and keeps away from this type of junk!
So first off, all the 'Ring of Fire' .25 automatics and those cheap imports can not only get you killed in a gun fight but could also kill those you are trying to protect from a simple act like inserting a magazine.
Second, even with a good quality .25 Auto is the cartridge so under powered as to be useless in self-defense? I think so. For me the .25 ACP can't even be used as plinker due the high price of ammo. In My mind this leaves the .25 automatics in the "fun to collect" category only. Is the .25 ACP a useless cartridge? What do you think?

03-11-10 12:05 PM - Post#91473    

    In response to JohnMallory

The .25 is probably second only to the .22 in number of people killed every year.

Is it a good choioce if you're going into harm's way?? Of course not. Is it better than no gun at all? You bet it is.

Especially in summer, I often drop a Beretta 950 .25 in to my pocket if I'm not going anywhere that is normally dangerous. Many LEOs carry a .25 as a "deep cover" back up. I did!

It may not be a .357 magnum, but it beats the hell out of a knife or a broken bottle.

I've heard a lot of young "macho" types tell me they'd rather have a stick in a fight than a .25. But none of them ever offered to pick up a stick and come after me when I was only armed witrh a .25.

"Diplomacy" is the final hiding place of liars, thieves, murderers and back-stabbing cowards. Locutus

03-11-10 12:36 PM - Post#91475    

    In response to locutus

I agree a .25 Auto like you mentioned is better than no gun.


The .25 auto being second in gunshot causalities every year is probably due to the lost cost of such guns makes them easy to obtain for criminally minded individuals intent on murder. A .25 Automatic used in a murder scenario will be very effective. But used in a legal self defense manner its effectiveness of stopping a aggressor I think is still small.

03-11-10 10:33 PM - Post#91493    

    In response to JohnMallory

The .25 Automatic is better than no gun at all. But no one should be in that situation in-less:

1. Before you are in the confrontation you find a you have a .25 by happen-stance(you are taking it to a shooting range etc.).

2.It was all you could afford for a pocket pistol.


Now days there are so many options for pocket carry that are close to the same size as most .25 autos. Some .32 auto, .380 and even 9mms are only a little bit bigger and deliver much better performance.

03-18-10 01:37 PM - Post#91888    

    In response to JohnMallory

I have a .25. It's a cheap little gun to begin with, and ammo is oddly expensive for it. I take it out and clean it every year or so, and that's it.

All this is because it's not the only gun I have or can afford. If it was then I would carry it and hope for the best. It is, after all, much better than a pointy stick.

03-18-10 05:51 PM - Post#91918    

    In response to WvHiker

Now days just about everyone thinks BIGGER is BETTER!
It seems that as soon as everyone decides "This is the best cartridge" then someone else yells "No this one is Bigger and Better and More Powerful! The other is no good anymore."
And everyone follows along like a bunch of bleating sheep.

This is especially true of Americans.

ANY round has the potential to be fatal.

Remember the .22short was originally introduced as a self-defense round, and at the time it was considered effective and popular.
During the American Civil War it was even taken into combat.

As late as World War II many nations still issued .25 caliber handguns to rear echelon support troops.

For a whole generation the .32 S&W was considered the perfect round for both self-defense and police work.

Until just recently the .380 was the standard police round for most of the world.

Remember it is good shot placement that matters.
A .50 BMG placed in muscle tissue would probably not be fatal.
BUT a .25 placed directly into the heart could leave a person dead before they even had time to hit the ground.

School teaches us the Precious Metals are Gold, Silver and Platinum. Life teaches us they're really Brass, Copper, Lead and Steel.

03-18-10 05:57 PM - Post#91919    

    In response to PAConstable1

would a .22 or .25 bew my main choice NOOOOOOOOO but if i had nothing else but i would adapt and use it but like ive read here and agree all rounds have the potential to be fatal no matter what it is. its still flying lead

KIMBER .45 because you don't need 17 rounds when you carry the lords caliber of choice

03-18-10 09:44 PM - Post#91924    

    In response to PAConstable1

I Agree The .25 ACP has can be lethal as any gun, but I still think there are so many better options now days, the day of the .25 Automatic being a carry option should end.

I know it is better than no gun at all and yes the .25 has a long history of use but still, why carry one in 2010?

03-19-10 12:01 AM - Post#91928    

    In response to locutus

I would not waste my money on a 25 mouse gun or anything smaller than a 9mm. I own two Keltec P11 9mm handguns. It takes a flush fitting 12rd Mecgar mag giving me 13 rds of firepower and measures only 5.5 inches overall length. It will comfortably fit into my front jeans pocket. I keep it full of new Ranger Talon hollow points 147 grainers. It can be had thru Gunbroker for aprox 250.00 at times. It has yet to jam on me. I polished the feedramp with a drimel tool to a mirror finish. For those who think this is too much gun maybe you should let your wife or girlfreind carry it for you.

Lewis

03-19-10 12:04 AM - Post#91929    

    In response to PAConstable1

As for the 22 short I have used a bolt action 22 with shorts on squirrels and lost so many wounded squirrels I went back to the 22 long rifle cartridge which drops them 99.99% of the time.

Lewis

03-19-10 12:09 AM - Post#91930    

    In response to PAConstable1

You obviously do not know much about a 50 BMG!
If it hits you anywhere it is going to remove large pieces of your body that I know you will not want to part with. If it gets enough over to be more than a surface graze you will lose body parts! Do a little searching and watch some of the Marine Sniper pics and videos.

Lewis

03-19-10 12:17 AM - Post#91931    

    In response to kimberman

If I owned a 25 and had nothing else I would toss it into the nearest lake so I would be forced to go buy something else!

Lewis

Edited by Lewis on 03-19-10 12:32 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

03-19-10 01:50 AM - Post#91938    

    In response to Lewis

A life long family friend who is retired now from his position in a hospital tells a story of two shooting victims that came into the ER one night.

They were two lovers that had been discovered by the husband fooling around in a parked car. The enraged husband unloaded the .25 auto on both of them at point blank range through the window. Both survived with what he called minor wounds. Most of the bullets only pierced just under the skin and traveled a few inches.

Now obviously if any of the bullets hit key points on the body they would have been done for, but as luck would have it they did not. Now they just carry the scars of infidelity.

I’m not a fan of the .25 auto, but it is much better than just yelling BANG!

"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty."

03-19-10 07:43 AM - Post#91951    

    In response to PAConstable1

I don't think bigger is always better; shot placement is going to be the key factor, but There are just so many better calibers out there that are a lot more effective than .25 ACP, in guns that are close to the same size.

03-19-10 07:45 AM - Post#91952    

    In response to Lewis

I agree with you completely. A small 9mm is a much better choice.

03-19-10 07:52 AM - Post#91953    

    In response to JohnMallory

The .25acp has little value aside from a curio. As you pointed out with your comment about the "ring of fire", the biggest trouble with it is the majority of pistols chambered for this caliber are junk. At 10 feet, it is certainly better than a knife and a couple of slugs in the face will certainly give an attacker pause. You must remember that people are softer than plastic and bones are hollow.

03-19-10 07:58 AM - Post#91954    

    In response to kimberman

I want to make it clear that I agree the .25 auto is better than a "sharp stick","broken bottle" and "yelling bang". My point has been with a little planning you could make it possible where you would never be in a situation where that was your only choice.

In less you are unarmed and you pick one up of the ground you will never have to use one for self defense, if you always carry a gun that has more effective stopping power you won't have to worry about that situation ever arising.

03-19-10 08:05 AM - Post#91955    

    In response to Jess

Yeah, your right about the plastic. But I think it would not penetrate a skull though. In less it went through an eye.

03-19-10 08:38 AM - Post#91959    

    In response to JohnMallory

ok guys think about this, i don't know how many of you have been in a gun fight....but the most current statistics are 98.4% of all gun fights are within 2-3 ft. so if that is the case you can carry a s&w 500 if you want..if the guys thats holding you up has a .25 or even a .22 snub pistol your in trouble, because by the time you pull your weapon hes done unloaded a clip in you and your on the ground bleeding and he's runnin away with whatever he got off you....so they do have there ups and downs like i said, i carry .45 acp but if he is rite behind me with a .25 stuck in my back im in trouble cause by the time i move to get to my kimber ive done been shot numerous times....and he gets away wallet, watch, and possibly gun to. so they do have there good and bad points range is a big one within a few feet ya they're not bad for emergencies, any farther and they are junk

KIMBER .45 because you don't need 17 rounds when you carry the lords caliber of choice

Edited by kimberman on 03-19-10 08:40 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

03-19-10 09:55 AM - Post#91972    

    In response to kimberman

• kimberman Said:

Yeah, it is more important to be aware of your surroundings if somebody is able to get the drop on you, you are probably done for.

I didn't say a .25Acp could not kill you, it most definitely can. But in the scenario you presented the person would be killed no mater what gun they had. The person defending still had a better chance with a .45 Kimber than a .25 automatic. If he had a chance to use it.

Edited by JohnMallory on 03-19-10 09:57 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.