Noob question .22 cal. Verses .25 cal pistols

Still stand by my statement that .25 is a waste of money when comparing to .22.... even in a pistol.
Click to expand...
I'd never use a Beretta M21 in .22 LR for defense use. I've experienced misfires, even with quality ammo. However the bigger problem is the M21 has no extractor, and the firing pin deforms the rim and swages it to the breech. The misfired case has to be pried out of the chamber, usually with a tool.

I've never had a misfire with a Beretta M21 in .25 ACP. It too has no extractor but in the event of a misfire the barrel can be tipped open and the misfired round will fall right out.
 
Both rounds have utility only because they come in tiny concealable handguns.
The question you need to ask is do you have a need for a gun that small?

Is concealment the most important thing you look for in a SD handgun? If it is not then you should look at more powerful cartridges. If it is then the .25acp is a somewhat better choice.
 
.22/.25

.22LR and .25ACP

Want to carry a .22? Carry a revolver.
Want to carry a semi-auto? Carry a .25.

Power - I chrono'd a variety of .22s and .25 ACP ammo from two inch barreled guns. As stated above, neither is a powerhouse. The .25 ACP at 65 ft.lbs is about 10% more powerful than 22 SV ammo. .22 HV and Hyper velocity ammo don't do much better as the barrel length is too short for maximum efficiency. (the guns were a S&W 317 and a little Bernardelli .25)
If you want a mousegun, what the .25 offers is a very small package and reliability.
Bernardelli.jpg
[/IMG]
Please forgive the finger on the trigger in the picture. The gun is safe - chamber empty, magazine out.
Pete
 
If the barrels were of the same length, I'd rather have .22LR Aguila Supermaximums (solid point) than a .25 ACP.

I've compared the above to others (Velocitors, Stingers, etc) by shooting into 2X4s with the same handguns and they always penetrated the most. It seems that a wider bullet with the same energy (.25) would penetrate less.

This old 7 round, double action was made by US Revolver Co (Iver Johnson) and works perfectly all day with Supermaximums. It is tiny and cost $89.00:

mouse_guns_02.jpg
 
Last edited:
Some of you are forgetting why JMB invented the .25acp...

it's because of the greater reliability of ignition and feeding vs rimfire. The "rim" on a rimfire cartridge makes feeding and extraction a serious problem on a micro semi automatic handgun.

Sure, the .25 is puny compared to just about anything else- it has to be to be able to make the Baby Browning as small as it is. Not everyone can carry a 1911 concealed in all types of clothing, so micro pistols like the Baby have their place.

Just like the .32 and .380, the .25 is generally underpowered for two big reasons:
1. Aging, one hundred year old handguns found in Grandma's nightstand.
2. The untold thousands of junk guns built using suspect design and materials (Jennings, Bryco, RG, etc)

Increasing the potency of the .25acp runs the risk of increasing chamber pressure which some of these pistols cannot tolerate. Not wanting to get sued, ammunition manufacturers keep their .25 and .32 loadings a bit on the anemic side.

IRONPONY: ...The .25 is just fun to shoot & cheap to shoot...
Click to expand...
You're kidding. Where are you buying your .25? Even at WalMart, .25acp runs more than $20/50, almost twice the price of 9mm. Fun? Yes. Cheap? Not from any internet ammo retailer I've seen.
 
The 25ACP can be cheap, I have got boxes of 25 for 12$ just 4 months ago. But 32ACP is what? 18$ at Wal-mart. There all `weak', but shot placment is the key. If you get shot in the eye with ANYTHING is very bad. Even a BB, my mom works for a eye surgeon and that's what he does, a lot. If one is skilled with a small cal gun, then they could be very lethal.

I have no problem carrying my 22lr 8-shot revolver as a SD gun, I'm not in the habit of trying to kill people, that's not my job.

On a side note, I would like to see somebody make a new 25acp, and make it fire the hottest loading one can. That's just my 2cents.
 
On a side note, I would like to see somebody make a new 25acp, and make it fire the hottest loading one can. That's just my 2cents.
Click to expand...

They have its called a 25NAA its a necked down 32 auto to accept a 25 round. Corbon has the ammo and I belive NAA still has in their Guardian line up It wakes up that little 25 bullet

my self I stick with my Beretta's 950's best little 25 ever made :)
 
i'm starting to feel like a salesman for aguilla.the sniper subsonic with eley primer is very reliable and the 60 grain bullet is a stomper,it will drive through the 4 inch side of a 2X4,and keep on going so that is what my naa is stoked with and my tp 22 as well.ymmv.
 
On a side note, I would like to see somebody make a new 25acp, and make it fire the hottest loading one can. That's just my 2cents.
Click to expand...
How about if they didn't neuter the .25 ACP with lawyer loaded ammunition? .25 isn't like .22 in that no one is going to make it hot enough to consider, and until someone actually does, then it will continue to lose relevance:mad:
 
Hay, that little Beretta 950 looks neat! How does that little flip-up barrel thing work? As for the prices, the 25acp, yes not`cheap', but it is still less than some ammo out there. I got a box of 32acp from walmart at a little over 18$, when they have 25 it is around 15$ for a box of 50. Also the SniperSubSonic is a really neat round. I got a few thousand rounds earlier this year. It really fun to shoot a steel target (24"x36") out at 350yards. When it hits, you know it. There Hyper Max (the stuff that is 1750FPS), yes out of a 22lr. That makes a crack! Next time I'm out at the farm, I'm going to try 500yards using the 22lr.

PS: Whats `lawyer loaded' mean?
 
It means that the .25 ACP isn't loaded to anywhere near it's full potential, although it's nice to see the .22lr being loaded up to make decent hyper velocity ammunition, and the .25 should be able to at least somewhat keep up, but nnnooooooooooooo. At least it's better than a slingshot:rolleyes: Oh but of course they can't load it hot due to it maybe being fed into a cheap gun made from a soda can or some sort:eek: But of course I can feed CCI Stingers to my Lorcin .22 and still have all my fingers to show for it, but can't get hot .25 ACP for love or money!
 
My dad always said to stay out of these kind of arguments and he was usually right about most things. In spite of that, here goes. If you need an ultra-small self defense gun, then the .25 ACP is a far better choice than the 22 LR. First of all the .25 is more powerful. I've personally chronographed them from equivalent beretta's. A 40 grain .22 LR runs about 750 to 780 ft/sec. The .25 ACP gives an honest 850 ft/sec, which can be easily duplicated by the handloader. And... if you're a bit venturesome, you can handload the .25 ACP up to 900 ft/sec and maybe a bit beyond with a slow burning "magnum" powder and compressed loads. (For the expansion ratio of a .25 ACP, unique is the equivalent of a "magnum" powder.) Additionally, a 50 grain bullet is 25% heavier than a 40 grain long rifle, and the .251 bullet is 13% larger in diameter than the .222 diameter long rifle. The sectional density of the two bullets are about the same, and so I would expect similar penetration. In summary, the .25 ACP is faster, larger in diameter, and heavier.

Secondly, and most importantly, the .25 ACP is more reliable. My beretta 21 has never mal-functioned from the first round, the first time out of its box. I've never found a reliable .22 mini pocket pistol, and that includes beretta's and high end walther TPH's. Certainly .25 ACP ammuntion is more costly than .22 lr, but for a self defense application, ammunition expense becomes less important than functional reliability and your life.

Thirdly, as for expense, I thought that was why God made dies and reloading presses. You can reload .25 ACP for the cost a a small pistol primer and the bullet. At 1.3 grains a charge, powder cost is pretty insignificant and you can usually find all the brass you want at shooting ranges or shooting areas. (The only difficulty is distinguishing it from .22 lr. You have to get pretty close to the ground!)
 
chrono

Hammie;
The .25 ACP gives an honest 850 ft/sec, which can be easily duplicated by the handloader. And... if you're a bit
Click to expand...

I'm a fan of the .25 but that's about 90 fps faster than I got out of my little Bernardelli - and faster than most factory stats. What ammo? What gun? (Beretta?)
I had a 50gr FMJ right at 760 fps average.
The .22s were similar to your results.
Pete
 
To our opening post, both will do the job and be deadly,:eek: if you do your job with shot placement. Both calibers have taken many a life.:cool:
 
If I was in a self defense situation and all I had was a 25 auto and a 22 auto I'd take my ruger mark 1 over the saturday night special 25 auto I have.I had it for 25 years never failed me yet but there's something about a pistol that has less than a 2 inch barrel.
 
Once again you guys have provided me with a wealth of info, thanks !
My carry pistol now is a 380 bersa or my 40 cal. s&w.
I have both now a .22 revolver & .25 auto pistol .
The .25 , I have had since 1992 or a bit earlier.
The only time, I use the .25 is for walking our puppy or taking out the trash, in other words just to have something on me.
I take it to the range just to shoot it to make sure it fires.
My biggest concern which is more powerful the .25 or 22 cal, which you gents have answered for me.
What I gather from you all is both are deadly when used properly, but neither is considered an good sd weapon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top