Beretta .25 Cal Auto

K

Kentucky Rifle

New member
I have several concealed carry pistols ranging from .32 cal to .40 cal. I never wanted a .25, until yesterday. My gun shop has a SS Beretta Jetfire. I think it would be a good "range toy". I think the price is good at $200.00.
Does anyone have one? Also, is it a pretty dependable little pistol?

Thanks,
Will


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Mendacity is the system we live in.
 
Its should function well but I would go with the 21A or the tomcat.(22lr and 32acp).That way if you like it you could allso carry it
for a deep carry or whatever.Wouldn't do that with a 25.Ammo is allso very expensive for the 25.

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beemerb
We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world;
and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men
every day who don't know anything and can't read.
-Mark Twain
 
I had one. Utterly reliable and as accurate as one could expect from such a tiny pistol, it has been replaced with a Tomcat in my personal collection. All things considered, there were a lot of concealment options offered by that little single-action Jetfire that even the little Bobcat or Tomcat are too large for. I'd buy another one...

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"..but never ever Fear. Fear is for the enemy. Fear and Bullets."
10mm: It's not the size of the Dawg in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!
 
I had one but not any longer. It was good to me. No malfunctions as long as it was clean but get a little grunge built up and watch it turn into an instant jamamatic. I had one of those little wallet holsters for it but found it a little bulky for rear pocket carry. Everytime I sat down it tried to realign my spine "OUCH". For a front pocket gun it would be just fine. $200 is OK on it being the SS and all.
 
I got one a few months ago. Never really shot it that much because mine had some problems. After about 2/3 of the shots the slide stayed back and the safety engaged. One of these days I'll get it sent into customer service one of these days but its on my low priority list because a CCW permit isn't in my near furture. But when it does work its a fun gun and reasonably accurate.
You might want to opt for a .22 mouse gun though, they'll be just about as powerful and a heck of a lot cheaper to shoot.

I bought mine used for $80 in great shape other than the malfunctions(probably why I got such a good deal).

Sincerely,
Adam

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Self improvement is a hobby of mine :)
 
I have one and shoots great not one jam or misfire! I have put about 200 rounds thru it so far!! I would get one good price too!!
 
Wow, quick replies!
I have a Kel-Tec P-32 and a Guardian for pocket carry. (And some serious calibers for belt carry.) However, the little stainless Beretta Jetfire just struck me as a good looking little pistol. I think I'll get it tomorrow. :) Even as a toy though, it HAS to be reliable. I just couldn't pass a lemon on to some unsuspecting person looking for protection. I have enough trouble sleeping at night.
Thanks for the replies. I'll keep checking back.

Will

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Mendacity is the system we live in.
 
Get it, they are very reliable little guns, mine has never jammed. Very handy little pocket gun, carried it alot until I got my P-32 Kel-Tec.


7th

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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE, KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT.
 
I love my Jetfire .25, but I'm seriously thinking of trading it in for a larger caliber... probably either a .38 Special or Bersa .380ACP. I really don't want to have to cock the hammer in the heat of the moment. I'm certainly NOT going to leave the hammer cocked over a live round with NO internal firing-pin blocking devices. I want a DA first shot... Maybe a Beretta Tomcat if I can find a good deal.

It's a great gun, and I'll sell it for $150.00 (I know it's a lot, but I was guaranteed full purchase price if I sold it back to the same dealer for $179.00)... save you 50 bucks, NEVER carried, I bought it in 1998 NEW. You'd pay all the nonsense fees. 100% reliable with about 400 rounds of Hornady hollowpoints. Let me know... I like the looks of the black Jetfires FAR better than the stainless version. After everything, you probably wouldn't be saving any $ now that I think about it... so nevermind ;)

anyways,
Ben

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Almost Online IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"

[This message has been edited by Ben (edited May 02, 2000).]
 
I have a 950 and a 21, both in .25 ACP. I heartily recommend the .25 caliber since it is WAY more reliable than the .22 in this genre. I love both machines, the 21 give me a double action first shot, the 950 gives me single with a hammer cock (21 can do the hammer cock single action also). I also own a Tomcat and a couple of derringers. Say what you will about mouseguns, it's way better to have on you than the .45 that is at home. Sometimes all you can carry is a mousegun. It is simply incumbent on the user to realize the limitations of the weapon (or tool) that they are employing and act accordingly. These little Berettas will never qualify as target pistols. They may very well save my life someday.

YMMV
 
Sorry to be a contrarian, but my brother and I were shooting his late production Beretta Model 950 .25 and experienced many failures to feed. The rear of the cartridges simply did not want to climb the breech face as the slide moved forward. I think the breech face was simply too rough for proper function.

Also, I used to have a Model 21 whose barrel release was kinda sensitive. This pistol basically disassembled itself while I was shooting it. Beretta repaired it, but I'd lost confidence in it and traded it away.

From the earlier posts in this thread I gather that my negative experiences with Beretta .25s are the exceptions.
 
I inquired about this little pistol a few months ago and got nothing but negative replies. I still love to hold the little thing when i visit my fav gun shop, but hesitate to buy one because of all the negativity. I think beretta and taurus need to get rid of that flip up barrel design and focus on making the gun more reliable rather than neat and full of gadgets.

Tim :)

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Why dont you get rid of that nickel plated sissy pistol and get yourself a glock. :::Tommy Lee Jones:::
 
Will, Several years ago I bought a 950BS (.25ACP) and it ran fine for the first 75 rounds. Then I encountered a trigger problem. So back to Beretta it goes. Eight weeks later I receive a new gun. OK, take it to the range ,load it up and fire away.. The gun broke on the first shot.. similar problem to what I had with the original gun.. Back to Beretta with the replacement. Another eight weeks later I receive yet another new gun. Took it to the range, loaded up, fired one full mag and the firing pin broke.. Again back to Beretta another eight weeks and another gun comes back. Sold it without taking it out of the box.. Hope you have better luck... Mark / FL
 
I happen to like my 950 BS. It has been quite reliable with MecGar magazines. The factory magazine had poorly formed feed lips and needed some file and polish work before it would feed consistantly. It acted just like what jimmy describes happening with his brothers gun. The MecGar mags (2) that I have are better overall than the factory job. My 950 is very accurate IF you can see the sights well enough to get a good sight picture, I can hit soda cans at 10 yards with it in good light. Depending on how big your hand is, you might only be able to use three digits to fire the gun. The ring and pinky fingers get curled under the base of the magazine or you risk the slide dragging across the top of your hand on each shot, which will cause malfunctions.
As a self defense weapon the little thing leaves much to be desired, better than nothing of course but I'd rather have a .45 ACP when TSHTF. Finally, .25 acp ammo is a little costly but it cost 7-8 dollars a box 25 years ago and still sells in the that same price range, very little else held so steady a price for so long, count your blessings!
 
Well, I picked the little Jetfire up from the gun shop this afternoon. All in all, I think it's a pretty good deal. Slightly over $200.00, and stainless (or alloy). I also purchased a box of Winchester 50gr. FMJ. They had some hollow point, but being as it is a .25ACP, I thought FMJ would be better. The shop owner told me that he had some "expanding" FMJ due in later this week. He stated that the expanding .25ACP is supposed to make a .32 caliber hole in whatever you shoot.
Around the house I carry a "mousegun" in my pocket, usually a North American Mini or one of my .32's. Tonight I carried the Jetfire. It felt good in an Uncle Mike's nylon pocket holster. This little pistol is in no way my first line of defense, more like an addition to my defense plan.

"Backwoods": Where did you get the Mec Gar magazines? I'd like to buy a couple.
Thanks for the opinions friends.

Will

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Mendacity is the system we live in.

[This message has been edited by WLM (edited May 03, 2000).]
 
If that 'expanding' stuff is Winchester's 'pellet point' HP, you're just as well off staying with ball. The BB that they insert in the nose of the round is supposed to increase feed reliability in older or junkier .25's. This it does. It also pretty much guarantees that the round will not expand, making it a rather expensive form of FMJ.

I always carried my Jetfire with a Glaser in the chamber followed by a Hornady XTP (also unlikely to expand, but since the HP cavity isn't pre-clogged, at least it has a chance) and alternating the two through the magazine. I never expected 'stopping power' from the little gun, just 'slowing power', enough to allow me to win a footrace or drive off in the confusion and powdersmoke...

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"..but never ever Fear. Fear is for the enemy. Fear and Bullets."
10mm: It's not the size of the Dawg in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!

[This message has been edited by Tamara (edited May 03, 2000).]
 
There are several places to get MecGar mags but the one I used was Ajax(The grip makers)and they usually have a 2 page ad in the Shotgun News and also some of the gun magazines. I think I paid 12.95 each for them plus S/H and they were worth every cent.
 
Tamara: I think the new expanding ammo is Federal. I'll check and get back to you. I don't expect the little Jetfire to be much of a "stopper" either. It's just a neat little pistol that I can put in a pocket when I'm around the house. I have some Glaser "Blues" alternating with Hydra-Shoks in the mag of my Colt Mustang (.380 cal) Maybe I'll buy some in .25ACP. They've got to be fast! My wife keeps her Taurus .38 special loaded with Glaser Silver Tips. Nasty!!!

Backwoods: I'll look for the magazines. Thanks for the info.

Will

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Mendacity is the system we live in.
 
The expanding point is made by Winchester... it has ONE large BB in the front and is supposed to expand when it hits something. Hornady, Speer Gold-Dot, and Winchester EP were all tested, and the ONLY one to expand was the Hornady. Therefore, it's the only ammo I carry in the gun. I've put about 4-500 rounds of Hornady hp's through it with 100% reliability.

and there ya go,
Ben

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Almost Online IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
 
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