.25 Auto Ammo, HP or FMJ?

[Dutch Uncle]

imported post

Some years ago I read a story about a pharmacist who emptied a magazine full of .25s into a guy who was robbing him. The guy had a heavy leather jacket on, with winter clothing underneath (up north, where winters are truly cold). He went to an ER and all they had to do was pick the slugs out from under the surface of his skin. Hollowpoints probably wouldn't have pierced his skin at all.

If I had the choice, I would carry a small .22 with Stingers, which have way more muzzle energy than any .25. I have never had a dud with these. The stuff you buy in bargain-priced bricks is good for plinking only because they do have at least one stinker every 500 rounds.

What kind of .25 do you carry? These days you can get mini-compact .380s in a package smaller and lighter than many .25s.

 

[lil dragon]

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I have an older FIE. It was my grandfather's gun. More or less sentimental than anything. But it's very reliable. I've been looking for a Ruger LCP to replace it...

 

[cloudcroft]

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"Centerfire designs are always more reliable than rimfire. "

That was then, this is now.

Quality .22LR ammo-- such as what CCI makes for one example -- is just as reliable. Has been for decades now. So strike that ancient historyfrom the "talking points" list...

-- John D.

 

[Batousaii]

imported post

I used to have a Beretta .25A Double action, sold it for the same reason, my friend actually caught (with his hand) 2 of my rounds that had bounced off a tree and handed em to me as I was changing mags ... it was a Jaw dropper and the gun was sold that weekend.

- HOWEVER, there have been some advancements in powder and bullets since then. I still feel the .25acp to be a lot less power than i would desire for a serious defensive round. If it was all i had, i would learn how to maximise it's potential with technique and ammo selection.

To that: I used to run a little round called a "pellet tip" Winchester i think. It had good penetration, and would expand a little better than the hollow points. I found the hollow points unreliable, and cause feeding problems, the pellet tips did not. I would also look into some of the other advancements and maybe check them out. Solid copper with a cross cut, Glasier safety slugs, or any other innovative rounds. My thoughts with such a small round would be penetration over expansion. If the bullet cannot penetrate into the target, then expansion means nothing. So i bade you to draw your own conclusion, do some tests (soft potters clay is a great way to get an idea of what the bullet is doing - shoot it and cut it in half to see the cavity - squish it and reuse it). -- Again, It's a small round, know and work with it's limitations to maximise it's effect.

Bat