Beretta Jetfire Help!

M

Model12Win

Moderator
Hey gang! :)

Just bought a 950 Jetfire in .25 ACP off Gun Broker. LNIB, we'll see once it gets here but it looks fantastic from the pictures. Seller has perfect feedback and the price was solid. Been wanting one for years and years, I do not like the newer 21As.

Two questions guys:

1) What is the best defensive ammo for these? I've read .25 ACP hollow points do not expand and are a waste of time, penetration is preferred so FMJ is recommended. Who makes the highest quality/most reliable/hottest .25 ACP out there?

2) Can I carry the gun with safety off and a round in the chamber, so that I can draw and simply cock the hammer and fire? Or is this unsafe and the gun has to have the safety on?

Thanks so much all! Can't wait to own this gun. And you can bet it won't be a safe queen, once I become proficient with it and it proves itself reliable it will be used for carry.

-M12
 
Not an expert, but I have had a Jetfire for many years. I believe it is safe to carry with the hammer down and cock upon presentation. I always carried it that way in a spare handcuff case while at work. IIRC it has an inertial firing pin which adds a margin of safety. When I carried it as a BUG, I loaded it with Dynamit Nobel FMJ as it was as hot as any .25. I eventually went with Hornady XTP, figuring they are deep (well, in most calibers) penetrators. If they don't expand, they should penetrate as well as ball. Hornady QC is good and they have been reliable. I ultimately replaced it with a .32 Seecamp.
 
The XTP does expand.
If you've got a half-cock notch on your Jetfire, should be reasonably safe to either carry loaded-chamber on that notch or fully cocked with safety on.
Denis
 
I prefer ball for low velocity subcalibers.
Years ago a member of another forum had a signature line that I always liked: "Shot placement is King, penetration is Queen; everything else is faeries dancing on the heads of pins."
Not an absolute maybe, but pretty sound.
 
Years ago I did some waterjugging with .25 caliber loads through a Beretta.
The Hornady had the best combination of expansion & penetration.

Little point in a small FMJ that does very minimal tissue disruption as it travels.
I prefer the XTP for the damage it does as it travels, even if it penetrates an inch less.
Denis
 
NEVER carry a Jetfire on half cock!
Carry hammer down. The firing pin is inertial. Half cock is to catch the hammer if it slips while cocking/decocking.
 
DPris said:
Years ago I did some waterjugging with .25 caliber loads through a Beretta.
The Hornady had the best combination of expansion & penetration.

Little point in a small FMJ that does very minimal tissue disruption as it travels.
I prefer the XTP for the damage it does as it travels, even if it penetrates an inch less.
Denis
Click to expand...
I have read that water jugs are a poor medium for realistic bullet testing. People are not water jugs and rounds that won't expand reliably in flesh often expand in water etc.
 
We all know water jugs are not people.
They do give good indicators of potential performance in tissue, though, and they are also useful indicators of comparisons between different bullets in terms of expansion.

As far as the half-cock notch goes, on a bigger pistol I wouldn't, on my little Beretta I have.
Denis
 
Back around 1991, I had a Beretta Jetfire for awhile, and had some West German Geco .25 ACP ball ammo, it was pretty hot stuff as I remember it. Sort of a plus P round without being labeled as such. Nice little pistol but I traded it for an all steel 49 S&W .38 Bodyguard, which just felt better in my coat pocket. Love .38's!!!
 
I wouldn't spend the money on hollow points for .25, I don't trust any older firearm to handle them. Maybe the 950's from the 90s/00s were tweaked to function perfectly with them, but even if they did, hollow points aren't good in .25 ACP.

For a headshot, yeah JHP is fine, but if the only shot you have is to the torso, it will not penetrate deep enough.

I prefer FMJ and in that regards, I prefer PPU for its price. All the factory FMJ .25 ammo is going to be held to SAAMI spec, no one load is going to be much higher than another.
 
Hey Bill,

Could you please explain why hammer down is safer than half cocked? I am carrying a Beretta Tomcat chamber loaded, safety off, but half cocked. I thought that keeps it from hitting the firing pin. Thanks!
 
The firing pins are shorter than the channel they ride in. If the hammer is fully down it is impossible for the firing pin to hit a primer. When you cock the hammer, the firing pin spring causes the rear of the pin to protrude from the slide. When the hammer hits it, the pin travels through the channel by inertia-causing the pin to hit the primer.

If your gun is on half cock, and you drop it & break the half cock notch-the hammer is far enough back that the gun can fire.
 
My wife carries her 950bs, hammer down on a loaded chamber. She uses Herters/S&B 50gr FMJ in her pistol. She pocket carries it in a Sticky Holster size SM-1. I hope this helps Model12Win.
 
Thanks Bill! I guess the hammer being all the way down leaves no travel to strike the primer. I'll start doing that from now on.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
The firing pins are shorter than the channel they ride in. If the hammer is fully down it is impossible for the firing pin to hit a primer. When you cock the hammer, the firing pin spring causes the rear of the pin to protrude from the slide. When the hammer hits it, the pin travels through the channel by inertia-causing the pin to hit the primer.

If your gun is on half cock, and you drop it & break the half cock notch-the hammer is far enough back that the gun can fire.
Click to expand...
Hello Bill, I'm new to this forum and I'm aware this is an old thread, but I thought my anecdote is relevant for the safety of a lot of the people here.

I don't mean to undermine any of your comments, you are exactly right on all your points and are very informed in the matter. Having said this, I would like to add the following:

I own a Beretta Jetfire 950B (without the safety)

I carry it very frecuently as a backup in Condition 2 (magazine loaded, hammer down (not half cock), round in the chamber)

I loaned it to my brother once for target shooting, he is not as careful as I am when handling firearms.

He dropped the gun by accident while in Condition 2, I saw it happen.

The gun fired when it hit the floor (luckily didn't hurt anyone).

I know that this may be a freak accident of some sort and it may not be everyone's experience (hopefully no one ever drops theirs), but I think it's important to realize that dropping a loaded firearm is never good and there is always a risk of a negligent discharge.

Once again, I'm sorry for reviving a necro thread, but I just felt it was important people know that it is possible for a Beretta Jetfire 950B to fire when dropped in Condition 2.

I still carry this way, with a lot of care and knowing the fact that dropping it may cause it to fire.

Good luck to everyone, be safe.
 
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