Is the Ruger LCP a ..25 acp "killer"?

The standard load for a 25 ACP is a 50 grain bullet at 800 to 850 fps. It has a similar but lower energy to a 40 grain 22 LR at standard velocity of 1185 to 1200 fps. The "high velocity 40 grain rim-fire ammo at 1250 to 1300 fps out classes the 25 by a wide margin. The standard load for the 25 ACP is between 1 and 1.5 grains of powder. There are no +P rounds available. ;)
All guns are lethal weapons but this one is less so than others. I think there was a 2mm round that was less powerful (smallest pistol made?) but that is the only one I can think of that would have less potential than the 25 ACP.
 
Anyhow - -I had been thinking of using a .25 acp for a small pocket carry piece.
The small LCP eliminated that idea like right now.
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I'm not even sure how many .25 models there still are. Taurus has one, I think. Beyond that?

The plain LCP though - real sweet trigger.
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Fine for what it is. Ruger changed it a couple times on the way from the original version of the LCP to the current LCPII in an effort to lighten it, but I never saw the need for that.
 
My tiny gun used to be a PSP (Baby Browning clone). Nice little gun, but once I got my first gen LCP, I didn't need it anymore. The LCP is bigger, but the weight difference isn't all that much. I can carry the LCP as easily as I carried the .25.
 
ShootistPRS-
You are making a common mistake- comparing the .22LR from a rifle-length barrel to a .25 with a 2" barrel.
There isn't much difference at all when both are fired from short barrels.
The .22LR also is a soft lead bullet in a heeled case-not conducive to good feeding in a small automatic, and it's rimfire which is less reliable than centerfire.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
You are making a common mistake- comparing the .22LR from a rifle-length barrel to a .25 with a 2" barrel.
There isn't much difference at all when both are fired from short barrels.
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...and at 800-900 fps with a small bullet, you need all the penetration you can get, and a standard 50gr .25 ACP bullet is going to penetrate more than a 36gr-40gr .22LR bullet at roughly the same speed.
 
Isn't this thread eight or nine years old? Well, that's what I thought when I read the first post. P22, P3at, LCP, all made the 25 even more obsolete than it was almost ten years ago!
 
The thread is 2 days old.
The .25 is not obsolete. Just because you can carry a bigger caliber, doesn't mean everyone wants to.

The gun the P238 was copied from-the Star DK, predates the LCP by about 50 years.
 
The P238 is the LCP killer.
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Not even close.
1. Not everybody has gold lined pockets, and a bank roll they can't fit in it. The LCP is reliable, accurate for the intended purpose, and half the price.
2. Not everyone, I can safely say in fact many, don't want a cocked and locked pocket pistol with an exposed hammer, and manual safety.
 
The LCPII and Custom LCP triggers are awful, and the first Gen LCP's trigger is awesome?
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Yes

The examples I tried were horrid & the example I bought is - great!

This isn't the first time and no doubt will it be the last time that individual examples of something will differ this much.

Every time I'm tempted to buy something online, I always go back to my experience with this sort of thing.

The LCP II was a used gun that looked like it had only been fired a couple of times.
I can understand why the previous owner got rid of it - - it had to have been because of that nasty trigger pull.


The P238 is the LCP killer.
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How so?
While the P238 is a beautiful piece, it's also twice the money and half again more weight.

Isn't this thread eight or nine years old? Well, that's what I thought when I read the first post. P22, P3at, LCP, all made the 25 even more obsolete than it was almost ten years ago!
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P22 had a horrid reputation as a "jamm-a-matic".
Not only that - it's a .22.

Kel-Tec is - - well Kel-Tec.
Quite a few of us consider Kel_Tec to be "that other company that makes little guns".
I have nothing for or against them - I just don't care to own one.
Similar to how I feel about a lot of things.

Anyhow - the P3at itself is a .32 acp.
My personal feeling there is the .32 acp brings little to nothing to the table as an advantage to either the .25acp or the .22 magnum.(or the .22lr for that matter)


The LCP? Well, that's what this thread is about!
Having survived a good ten years now, the LCP (IMHO) has "made it's mark" in the world.

To be perfectly honest - -I'd written off the .380 acp a dozen or so years ago when the tiny 9mm Luger offerings first made an appearance.
 
"How so?"

It fits in your pocket. Has real sights. And you can shoot it comfortably all day long.

When out of ammo you have the option of throwing gold coins at your attacker. The safety is there in case the coins engage the trigger.
 
The .25 was dead to me in the mid 80s when I bought a Colt Mustang and retired my Beretta. Now it's either the LCP or the P238.
 
P22 had a horrid reputation as a "jamm-a-matic".
Not only that - it's a .22.
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Sorry, misspelled. Fat fingers, small keys. I meant the Kel-Tec P32.
Yes, the P22 is somewhat picky about ammo, but several types, including the excellent CCI MiniMag, and less costly Remington Golden Bullet have run fine in mine, and are quite accurate for a small gun. Not in my carry rotation, but great fun at the range.
Likewise my Kel-Tec P32. After a good cleaning, and lube. Plus about 50 rounds to break it in somewhat it has functioned flawlessly. A little extra caution in putting rounds in the mag has resulted in no instances of rim lock.
Again, not in my carry rotation, but I would have no problem in adding it if need be.
I also am amused, and baffled with the OP's opinion on the LCP triggers. The trigger, and the lack of what many call "usable" sights have been the main complaints. The Custom, and II were both supposed to be improvements.
Personally I have no complaints about either on my early first gen LCP. Which is by the way the base of my carry guns. It is always in my pocket regardless of what ever else I may, or may not be carrying.
 
I inherited a .25 ACP (a "Libia," which is a Spanish copy of a Browning 1906), but I wouldn't buy one. I keep the Libia as a memento, and shoot it once in a blue moon. The smallest .25s were referred to as "vest pocket pistols" because of the extremely small size, but in the absence of vests that extreme of size is not needed. The small .380s pocket fine. LCPs seem like the most popular, but I chose a P238, and have absolutely no problem concealing it in any condition of dress except a Speedo, and that ain't happening for other very valid reasons. (You are welcome, world.)
 
I also am amused, and baffled with the OP's opinion on the LCP triggers. The trigger, and the lack of what many call "usable" sights have been the main complaints. The Custom, and II were both supposed to be improvements.
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If you care to try them and judge for yourself, then, I'll be happy to go back to the store - buy them both (the Custom and the LCP II I tired) and - -send them to you.

You of course will be responsible for any shipping and transfer charges as well as for buying them from me......


I thought I was perfectly clear about this - - - it was the two examples I tried.

No where or at no time did I say or try to imply that the trigger on the LCP was better than the trigger onthe Custom or LCP II.

The triggers on the three examples I tried,,,,had the LCP nice and smooth and just the right weight for me - - and - - the other two heavy and unpleasant.

Clear?
 
Bill,
My point was that most people wouldn't consider a 22 RF as a defense choice but they turn around and say the 25 is ok for defense. Let's face it the round and guns were designed for ladies though to be too fragile for a 38.
 
The P3AT is not a .32. It is slightly bigger in all dimensions-just enough bigger to handle the .380.

The .25 was not designed for ladies. It was designed for anyone who wanted a tiny gun.

While advances in gun design and metallurgy have made larger calibers smaller, you can never make a .380 as small as you can make a .25.
 
"...know a cop who was shot behind the ear with a .25 at very close range while working under cover in a drug sting. The slug penetrated about one inch and stopped without entering his skull."


That about sums up the folklore of the .25 auto.:D
 
Bill Deshivs said:
While advances in gun design and metallurgy have made larger calibers smaller, you can never make a .380 as small as you can make a .25.
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True, but how small of a .25 can you make before it becomes nearly impossible to hold unless you're a toddler? To shoot a pistol accurately and effectively, you need to have something to grip and hold so recoil doesn't throw the pistol out of your hand and a grip that facilitates an acceptably comfortable trigger pull.

Thus, a .25 can be made smaller, but there's only so small it can go until it becomes a horrible design that's not ergonomic and makes shooting uncomfortable or impossible. That's where the .380 has excelled in giving a small, yet still decent platform to use effectively.
 
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