Favorite .25’s experiences etc.

[Polecat]

You know you have them, maybe even put em in your pocket from time to time, but won’t admit it🙂 what are your experiences good and bad, do you reload for it? I recently bought a “gunsmith special” Bernardelli VB .25. It said “ missing firing pin” on the label. Aesthetically it was beautiful, smaller by a smidge than my Baby Browning. Well, on disassembly the firing oin was broken, the slide bolt / sear spring, cocking indicator spring were all missing. Got all the new parts, went to the range and when withdrew the slide and let it load “Boom” a huge KB with sharpnel! No injury, was at the range, bullet lodged in barrel. It obviously fired out of battery, case ruptured. Finally got stuck case out of the action, dislodged bullet from barrel. So, Somehow the sear spring fell out during reassembly, which basically didn’t allow allow sear to catch the firing pin and the firing pin was protuding and acting like an open bolt gun and boom!

Disassembled, reproduced problem, reassembled properly! Gonna try again in a day or two. I had an old VB than ran like a sewing machine. Nervous until I really vet this last one. Moral of story is just be so careful! I had almost chambered a round at home the other day prior to my range outing and would not have gone well as wife was home🙂

Honestly, these are novelties I just enjoy from a mechanical standpoint. Marvels of design, some better than others. I have owned a bunch. For me in quick summary the Berettas are flawless, 8 to 9 rounds with either DA/SA or SA your pick. The Baby Browning is a marvel, also runs like a swiss watch.

I was again inspired by JCN’s recent Walther Model 9 acqusition, and brief range report. That thing is tiny, now I want one!

Current loads suck, are anemic at 650 to 750 or so for 50gr FMJ. There is some room, as those more adventurous and with more fingers than I, have loaded to 900 fps without issue and some reports of 1100 to even 1300 fps is ome extreme.

Just curious of others good or bad experiences.

[fatdog]

I have a Colt Vest Pocket M1908 that has been passed down through my family. Over the years it has broken several parts and I have always been able to source replacements so it is in working order still. Trigger is awful, accuracy is minute of stop sign at 7 yards, performance aside, another experience I had with the same model/25 acp cartridge has lead me to the decision NEVER to throw it in my pocket for defensive purposes.

Summer 1977 I was working EMS in a small town in Central KY (Paris) and we got an attempted suicide by firearm call. Arrived on scene before the local PD did (and I eventually understood to NEVER arrive before them at any shooting scene, but that was another story). Very intoxicated large (guessing 240lbs) male patient in late 30's or early 40's. Conscious, in pain, small bullet entry wound immediately below navel, stellate exit wound above his buttocks. It was apparently not a perfect contact shot as there was no significant powder burning around the entry wound. He later admitted that he had shot himself, confirmed by several witnesses, and the .25 ACP Colt 1903 Vest Pocket that looked identical to mine was laying next to him on the ground with an empty case near by.

We transported him to the big ER in Lexington, he remained stable during transport, but in pain and a bit combative. I was used to fecal matter and more bleeding on that type of gunshot in that vicinity, but both wounds were not bleeding profusely. They took him to surgery and the next day we were back at that ER with another case and I asked (this was long before HIPPA and all that confidentiality stuff was so strict) and the ER doc told us the bullet had entered, struck his peritoneum, traveled all the way around his waist under the skin layer and exited in the back. Never penetrated his peritoneum wall at all.

That was the day I decided .25 ACP was only fit for killing mice, not for fighting. It made a big impression on me at that young age.

This family relic will remain a museum piece in the safe. Story was one of my uncle's came home from WWII and started gambling and going to card games a lot, and bought that gun to keep in his pocket, but my Grandfather took it away from him at some point.

[Joe in PNG]

I've noted my fascination with pretty much all the various and sundry .25acp prewar pocket poppers. At one point, I pocked a pair of Baby Brownings, but sold the one and traded the other for a Colt 1903 32. I actually made money on that deal, as I bought that particular Baby for $120 because it needed to be re-blued.

I currently just have a FN 1906... which is basically the same as the Colt. Neat, but I get cut up every time I shoot it.

I'd also jump on any reasonably priced .25acp Velo Dog revolver if I come across one.

[spyderco monkey]

You know you have them, maybe even put em in your pocket from time to time, but won’t admit it🙂 what are your experiences good and bad, do you reload for it?

Current loads suck, are anemic at 650 to 750 or so for 50gr FMJ. There is some room, as those more adventurous and with more fingers than I, have loaded to 900 fps without issue and some reports of 1100 to even 1300 fps is ome extreme.

Just curious of others good or bad experiences.

My buddy is mechanical engineer and dedicated reloader; loads all sorts of boutique weirdo cartridges. Everything from 5.7 to 9x25 dillon to .45 automag, he's loading for all of them.

Anyway, he ended up with a brace of .25 Berretta Jetfires, which are very strong, high quality .25's, and so he starts loading .25 acp.

He figured out that given the tiny case capacity of the .25, and its limited hoop stress on the chamber due to the narrow cartridge, the sturdy Jetfire was nearly unkillable. So he began working up +p and eventually +p+ and then ".25 Major" loads for the Jetfire.

The ".25 Major" loads were 50gr @ 1100fps and 35gr @ 1300fps.

These were around 2gr or less total of powder, which filled the tiny .25 case to the rim, so the loads ended up as compressed powder loads. So very high pressure, but relatively low energy due to the tiny overall powder charge. Basically like a .32 acp powder charge in a .25 case.

He's fired over 1000x of those .25 Major loads from his Jetfire, and its still working fine, and brass showed no ill effect.

This has convinced me that a ".25 AutoMag" cartridge built for modern pistols could be pretty cool for a high capacity pocket pistol.

[DDTSGM]

I've had this one since 1977:



Carried it in a handcuff case with KTW(?) teflon coated rounds. Horrible trigger but shot every time. Terribly advanced for the time - shot it one handed, laying suoine, etc. on B-27ish aiming for head. Head accurate at 3 yards - maybe 4 supine.

Oh, how nice to be young with nary a clue as to what you really don't know.

[spyderco monkey]

In terms of the coolest .25, the Lerker takes the cake.

20rd .25 ACP machine pistol firing 1200rpm designed for CCW.



https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ler...achine-pistol/

[Polecat]

My buddy is mechanical engineer and dedicated reloader; loads all sorts of boutique weirdo cartridges. Everything from 5.7 to 9x25 dillon to .45 automag, he's loading for all of them.

Anyway, he ended up with a brace of .25 Berretta Jetfires, which are very strong, high quality .25's, and so he starts loading .25 acp.

He figured out that given the tiny case capacity of the .25, and its limited hoop stress on the chamber due to the narrow cartridge, the sturdy Jetfire was nearly unkillable. So he began working up +p and eventually +p+ and then ".25 Major" loads for the Jetfire.

The ".25 Major" loads were 50gr @ 1100fps and 35gr @ 1300fps.

These were around 2gr or less total of powder, which filled the tiny .25 case to the rim, so the loads ended up as compressed powder loads. So very high pressure, but relatively low energy due to the tiny overall powder charge. Basically like a .32 acp powder charge in a .25 case.

He's fired over 1000x of those .25 Major loads from his Jetfire, and its still working fine, and brass showed no ill effect.

This has convinced me that a ".25 AutoMag" cartridge built for modern pistols could be pretty cool for a high capacity pocket pistol.

Yeah, I recall seeing some bold loads. What’s frustrating to me is Hornady, federal et.al. Come out with “FTX critical defense” and they are like proud of 6-8” of penetration. I mean where is the 40 grain truncated solid doing an honest 900 + from these tiny guns! C’mon guys get with it. I hav finaly assembled the components just haven’t had time lately, but it is on my to do.

[DrkBlue]

I
That was the day I decided .25 ACP was only fit for killing mice, not for fighting. It made a big impression on me at that young age.

This family relic will remain a museum piece in the safe. Story was one of my uncle's came home from WWII and started gambling and going to card games a lot, and bought that gun to keep in his pocket, but my Grandfather took it away from him at some point.

Great shooting story.

Similar backstory to the 6.35 my Grandmother kept for about 70 years.
She was in Europe in the later 1940s with my Grandfather, occupying the former Germans. My Grandfather gave her a pistola in case the Werewolves came out.

The other part of the story was that they were friendly to the still starving locals. Grandma never was terribly explicit, but in case things went south, such as partisan warfare or the Russians getting confused about the border location, the plan seemed to hideout with the locals. I suspect Grandma also would have capped the first Russian or two coming through the door. With a .25, that would have likely just aggravated Ivan.

Later in life, she helped Austrian acquaintances emigrate to the US. And hosted a lot of Japanese visitors. And then the SE Asian boat people. She was pretty magnanimous after seeing the ruins of Europe in post-war period.

[Joe in PNG]

I have a huge regret on passing up a nice DW Ortges .25 back in 2020 for under $300. But I was using that money to get a HiPower, so it kinda balances out.

[ACP230]

I shot one owned by a friend many years ago. Target was an
empty oil can. The kind made of cardboard with a foil liner. I
shot from about six yards. The gun was one of the larger .25s I'd
seen.

I popped about seven rounds at the can. It didn't fall over, or even
move as far as I could see. When the mag was empty we walked up
to the can. Every round had hit and passed through it. I expected
more reaction, even from a .25.

Despite that I bought a Bauer later. It looks like the Browning Baby.
But, doesn't feed the last round most of the time and has been disappointing
to shoot overall. Can't remember what I was thinking when I bought it.