Got a .25 ACP question.

T

T-90

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Through family I received an old Bauer .25 ACP auto which is a copy the Baby Browning .25 ACP. It is not the greatest round in the world but I was wondering if there are any decent loads for it that at least give it some umph! I was thinging of the Gold Speer loads. Any other suggestions?
 
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A number of years ago I experimented with some of the hyper velocity frangible bullet ammunition that would supposedly give your .25 the stopping power of .45 hardball (or something like that, anyway). The Glasers or MagSafe rounds wouldn't feed reliably in my PSP Baby clone. Granted, the experiment was of limited duration since a blister pack of 6 rounds cost more than a full box of fmj. I doubt that conventional hollow points expand all that much out of the miniscule .25s anyway. May as well stick to hardball and practice shot placement.
 
Most 25 ACP shooters tend to favor ordinary 50gr FMJ because the penetration of the available JHP loads (35gr Speer Gold Dots and Hornady Critical Defense, and 45gr Winchester Super-X) is generally less than 12" and usually less than 8". That said, the 35gr loads do expand fairly reliably and leave a nastier wound track than FMJ, so some shooters prefer them regardless. (FWIW I don't personally carry .25 ACP for defense, although I have a Beretta Jetfire that I shoot for fun. :))

In addition to the potential feeding issue, JHP loads are known to suffer double-feed jams in certain individual .25 ACP pistols. This occurs when the rim of the top cartridge jumps over the rim of the cartridge below it under recoil, causing the upper cartridge to get stuck; removing the top round may then require disassembly of the magazine. :( This is a particular problem with JHP bullets because the overall cartridge length is generally shorter than standard; most .25 ACP pistol magazines have almost the exact same inside length as a standard 50gr FMJ round, so these cartridges don't have room to shift around and cause double-feeds. I don't know if Bauers are particularly prone to this problem, but I would recommend extensive testing with your chosen JHP load to make sure that it won't occur.
 
It is best to accept the fact that a pistol in .25 ACP is what it is, a small concealable weapon for an expert at anything but arm's length range. No magic bullet or super load will make it a .44 Magnum. A bullet in the right place will be lethal, but there is zero margin for error.

Jim
 
multiple shots of FMJ in the thoracic triangle; face preferably. think triple tap at a minimum.
 
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With a muzzle energy from 63 to 68 ft lbs there isn't much to work with. Keeping in mind that the 380cap round that is considered minimum for SD by many, but also inadequate by quite a few has 190 ft lbs in the standard WWB range ammo fmj load. Over 3 times the ME as the 25.
Where any gun is better than no gun, the 25cap is a gun, but it's effectiveness against a determined attacker is very limited, and nothing can be done to improve it.
Speer Gold Dot is on the low end of the ME, and Seller & Bellot fmj on the high side @ 68 ft lbs. If I were to only have a 25acp available I would load it with the S & B fmj ammo in hopes of at least getting penetration. The JHP ammo, if it expands at all doesn't expand enough to make a difference, and penetration is limited.
 
T90, I've been working on new handloads with Gold Dots, and am very impressed with preliminary loads near 1000fps. Yes, its a .25, wth limited potential and I'm sure you are well aware of that, but since your question is about how to get the most from it, I'd suggest some Gold Dot loads. I've got no idea what the feed issues are about. With 50 rounds, I had none, and I'm shooting a Raven, which wins the inferiority contest hands down.
 
This was posted by Super Sneaky Steve on another post. Its a pretty good read.

http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-25acp-and-stopping-power.html

A man who owned a gas station my dad had an account at used a 25 auto on a robber once. He saw the robber reach over the counter and grab the cash box. Bob came into the front room of the station and ordered the thief on the floor. The thief leaned down to set the cash box on the floor and came up with a knife in his hand and charged Bob the station owner.

Bob emptied the 25 into the robber. He made it across the small station and died at Bobs feet.

Bob was no billed by the grand jury. On his way back home he stopped and bought a 357 magnum. He opened a used car lot down the street from the gas station. He had at least one chance to use the 357 on a second robber. It worked as expected. I seem to remember he shot a third robber but thats just been too long ago to say for sure. That was in the early to mid 1970s.
 
I've been working on new handloads with Gold Dots, and am very impressed with preliminary loads near 1000fps. Yes, its a .25, wth limited potential and I'm sure you are well aware of that, but since your question is about how to get the most from it, I'd suggest some Gold Dot loads
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By "loads" I think it is very likely the OP did not mean "handloads", but rather factory loaded ammunition. Speer Gold Dot's factory ammo is listed at 900 fps, 100 fps slower than your handloads.
I really doubt if home made ammo was his intended question.
I don't see even the boutique ammo makers like Buffalo Bore, and Double Tap offering anything in 25acp. Even though they are known for making "souped up" ammunition.
 
BUG or fun toy. You won't find many here that will recommend it as a primary SD weapon. But if you choose to do so, realize its limitations and practice, practice, practice.
 
@Cheapshooter.

That is really cool that you are experimenting with different loads. One of these days when I have more room and time I would like to learn how to reload.

So Gold Speer or a decent FMJ load is the consensus here. The .25 I keep mainly in the back of the house as a little backup.
 
T-90 that was a quote in my post from TimSr, post #9. He is working on 25acp loads.
380acp is about the smallest case these not so nimble old fingers care to try to slide in a shell holder.:D
 
T90 said:
Any other suggestions?
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Love my little Beretta Jetfire, but won't carry it, as the 25acp is pretty anemic. But it can certainly be lethal. In my limited experience, FMJ seems to be the way to go in this caliber.
 
It is best to accept the fact that a pistol in .25 ACP is what it is, a small concealable weapon for an expert at anything but arm's length range. No magic bullet or super load will make it a .44 Magnum. A bullet in the right place will be lethal, but there is zero margin for error.
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+1.

The .25 is ballastically challenged but can certainly be lethal but as Jim said, there isn't much room for error.
 
multiple shots of FMJ in the thoracic triangle; face preferably. think triple tap at a minimum.
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Good advice for any handgun.
Most instructors teach to shoot 'em until they're down.
Probably the biggest disadvantage to small caliber handguns is that, in addition to the relatively weak rounds, they usually don't have very many of them, either.
 
If you want to shoot it for some fun, fine. Don't rely on it for protection. The .25 is iffy (often jamming) on reliability and is too small to count on.
 
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