25 acp Ammo

to answer jearger106's question, I've seen three people shot with .25acps, two were alive and one was dead (i had to stop and reflect a bit). I don't think the particulars matter to some as they have their own views one way or the other. as posted above, it is not the best, but it IS lethal.

shot placement has been the deciding factor in all the shootings ive investigated and the one i was involved in; caliber didn't seem to matter in any of them.
 
Quote:
caliber didn't seem to matter in any of them.

Ditto. Ergo why I refuse to get very much involved in caliber/weapons/bullets
debates.
About the .25 vs rivet. Everything I post is the truth. I found the bullet in the victims underpants. Why was I undressing a woman with a welt?
Because she was dead. She'd been shot twice, distance from victim to shooter was 35 yards. (from a Raven?-yup) The other .25 hit her in the side of the neck. She was very small, about 85 pounds & the neck shot clipped both carotid arteries causing bleeding into her throat. She ran 5 blocks to a friends home. The friends, not knowing what to do held her head back allowing blood to flow into her lungs & she drowned else she would likely have lived. Sad. It was Christmas day, I got called out for this from home.
The 2 sons of the woman, ages 5 & 6, saw it all.
The shooter, estranged hubby, shot himself in the right temple with the .25.
Bullet takes out both optic nerves, lodges against opposite side of skull.
He lived to learn & use his white cane in prison.
Bullets, even the .25 & .22 r.f. can kill. Shot placement and a bit of luck, good or bad, mean much.
Personally I wouldn't depend upon such a small & ballistically weak round to save my old cripple butt. But that's only my opinion.
An opinion based upon way too much real life & death events.
Charts, stories, data, often mean little in the real world.
I could tell true stories that sound more like fiction.
Investigated a hunting accident with Game Warden. Kid, 15, maybe 100 pounds, took a contact wound from his buddy's 12 ga., 1 1/4 oz of 5 shot & the kid walked near half mile to the road for help.
He lived & survived many surgeries, will poo in a bag for life, has not many guts left ya know.
My 1st call my first night on the job was a s.g. shooting.
Woman took a 12 bore contact wound to the left breast, blowing out lung & ribs, & lived. ???? Beats me!
 
That's not the first point plank 12 ga story I've read. There's been quite a few accounts of people, kids even, getting shot with shotguns multiple times, point blank, and walking away.
 
That's not the first point plank 12 ga story I've read. There's been quite a few accounts of people, kids even, getting shot with shotguns multiple times, point blank, and walking away.
Click to expand...

a long time ago the OSHP used #4 buck in the 870, but went to 00 after it failed to penetrate some intermediate barriers.... of course the AR has since become the preferred "shoulder gun" for obvious reasons.
 
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

I got 25 acp Colt 1908 ~15 years ago and worked up loads to the point of case failure.

I got a Beretta 950 ~ 11 years ago. Knowing how much the first pistol could take and seeing the similarities in case wall thickness, chamber support and firing pin hole fit, I started the work up on the Beretta at double powder charges and worked up from there.

The 25acp factory ammo sound and kick like a 22 rimfire.
The 25acp hot handloads sound like a 9mm [same amount of powder] and kick with more pain than full house 44 mag [due to the small size and weight of the pistol].
 
Clark, you didn't show any load data, but you could let us know what bullet weight and what velocities you got up and until the failure point.... I think a 50gr .25acp should be moving at 850 fps from a Beretta 950.
 
attachment.php


In a 25acp work up the weak point in a good pistol is the extractor groove expands, the primer falls out, and the case may be stuck in the chamber.

But before this happens, the recoil become intolerable.

In a poor 25acp, the firing pin fit to firing pin holes is loose, and the primer pierces before the brass fails.

The work up in the pic is with Bullseye, but Power Pistol works better.

link below same as image above.
 

Attachments

  • 25acp50gr.910BullseyeWSP work up.jpg
    25acp50gr.910BullseyeWSP work up.jpg
    42.6 KB · Views: 98
Risk vs. Benefit

Why work up hot loads for the .25acp, isn't it safer to just buy a gun with a bigger hole? Folks overload 9mm instead of buying a .45 acp, even in rifles this takes place. Unless you are doing it with expertise to work on the edges or for fun. The average shooter who may not be an expert in handloading beyond standard loading specs would be better off saving their lunch money for a bigger caliber ... just my opine of course. Handloading is good and fun and saves money, but handloading isn't just for hot loads, standard pressure loads will get the job done without the slight differences hotter loads make.

RISK VS. BENEFIT:D
 
Shot placement.

I've got a nice little CZ 49 8 shot that I paid. $40 W/2 mags. I go to the range & put up a. 6" pie plate. & run it out 10 yds. & practice till I can put 8 rounds into that pie plate in under 3seconds. Doubt many perps. would walk away from 8 head shots with that little 6.35. But I do know it's not a man stopper.
 
Ah. Street stories.

Saw a guy that attempted suicide, .25 to the side of the head. Long nasty furrow up to the part in his hair and exit. Pounding headache.

Jilted boyfriend, one shot to the side of head. Exactly opposite result. DRT. He had just bought the gun at a pawn shop. Ballistics showed the same gun had been used in an unsolved murder about a year prior. I'd worked that shooting too. That guy had been hit 3-4 times in the torso. That gun had bad mojo.

Two gangbangers playing with a .25. One shot straight to the sternum, DRT.

Buddy saw a fight a block away. Heard a pop. One guy dropped. He jumped in his squad and hauled over there, one car (with shooter) fled. Guy on the ground already expired, one hit with a .25 in the femoral artery.

Every .25 I've ever seen on the street was loaded with ball.
So, I don't underestimate the .25 at all.
 
Some may remember the late Flim Flam [Jay Philips] from the rec.guns forum in the 1990s.

A a disappointed customer in his pawn shop in Crystal Springs FL impaled impaled him with a Samurai sword, and then Flim Flam shot and killed the customer with a 25acp.

I sold Flim Flam a 12 ga shot gun receiver. None of his posts ever indicated he used a wimpy 25acp. Then the incident happened, and even those who engaged in flame wars with him became concerned. He sold the pawn shop and died a few years later.
 
I have a sweet little Dusek Duo 25acp made in 1941..great little shooter. I also read where someone shot an intruder from his couch in his living room and dropped him dead with a 25..

Just my 2 cents
 
From Google groups on rec.guns from 2000

R.M.R.
10/1/00
Owner attacked (Very important)please read
Just got off the phone with FlimFlam.(813-870-4000 room 511)Talked with
him for about a half hour and he sounded very good.He told me the story
and the details of it I'll leave up to him but the reason for the 25 was
as this guy came in and stabbed him he was sitting down,His Glock next
to him on the desk,his chair had wheels and as he pushed back,he pushed
so hard he fell out of the chair and couldn't get to his Glock because
he was on the floor.The guy didn't only stab him he but beat him with
the butt of the sword.Dave wanted space between the two and went to his
back room as the fight went on and grabbed a peace but it wasn't
loaded.At this time it was pretty hand to sword combat and the guy was
down and come up and stuck him again,in the lower stomach out his
buttocks cutting his colin,A
through
and through.Dave pulled the sword out of himself.At that time he
realized he had his Beretta 25 in his pocket (ball ammo) and fired 4
shots in his head.He went down and yes died.This was very emotional for
me and I think I need a beer now but Dave sounded good and when I told
him of the concern in the group he just said WHY.He's a pretty humble
person when you get to talk to him one on one.He was very appreciated of
the concern on this NG and said thank you all very much.This nutcase has
been under investigation for 2 months because he had this thing for a
local weather tv channel lady.His van was loaded with .357 ammo and
ninja clothes and swords.The police assume Dave was his jumping off
point for something bigger.At FlimFlams expense he did a public service
and took him out.Got to get that beer now.Thanks for listening.PS he
said the nurses are real pretty and treat him real good and should be
leaving there the middle of next week if everything checks out good but
he's going to be laid up for a long time....Thanks again
Ray,
(SI vis pacem,
para bellum)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top