.25 ACP

The .25 ACP was designed because .25-caliber was the smallest John Browning could go while still retaining a centerfire primer pocket, which would be more reliable for self-defense than rimfire primers. As such, the .25 ACP allows for a very compact and lightweight gun, usually a semi-automatic pocket pistol.^[4] The .25 ACP was hugely popular after its introduction, with many millions of pocket .25 "mouse guns" being offered on the market.

Following the Gun Control Act of 1968, most foreign .25 pistols were too small to be imported; however, some domestic manufacturers continued to build guns in the caliber. No new .25 ACP pocket pistols have been developed in well over a decade, and it is unlikely that this will change anytime soon. The most common pocket pistols in the United States today are in .22 LR, .380 ACP or 9x19mm.^[5]

The cartridge is of semi-rimmed design meaning that the rim protrudes slightly beyond the diameter of the base of the cartridge so the cartridge can headspace on the rim.^[6] This semi-rimmed design allows for it to be used in revolvers. Although rare, .25 ACP revolvers were produced in the early twentieth century by Belgian, French, and German gunmakers such as Adolph Frank and Decker.^[7] In the late twentieth century, Bowen Classic Arms produced a custom Smith & Wesson revolver in .25 ACP.^[8]

The .25 ACP is viewed by some, including Gun Digest magazine, to still be a relevant choice (with it being over a century old) for a personal defense handgun when compared to more modern subcompact handguns & cartridges due to its small size, low recoil, centerfire primer, effective penetration and proven track record of being reliable.^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12] Because of the delicate nature of the majority of .25-caliber automatics, the vast majority of commercial .25 ACP loads are not loaded as powerfully as they could be. However, more modern ammunition offerings from manufacturers such as Buffalo Bore hard cast lead, Federal "Punch" and Hornady Critical Defense are designed to be closer to the cartridge's full potential. Some more powerful loadings of the .25 ACP can even get close to .32 ACP territory.^[13]^[14]^[15]

The .25 is viewed by others as inadequate for personal defense. Self-defense instructor Greg Ellifritz conducted a study using statistics from almost 1,800 real-world shootings. Of the 68 people shot with a .25 ACP, 35% of them were not incapacitated. 25% of the hits were fatal, one-shot stop was 30%, and 49% were incapacitated by one shot. The .380 ACP, on the other hand, left 16% of people shot not incapacitated. This was a 30% increase from that of the .25 ACP. Ellifritz stated: "I would skip carrying the "mouse gun" .22s, .25s and .32s." However, he also pointed out that shot placement is more important than caliber (a common argument from .25 users) and concluded his review by stating: "caliber really isn't all that important."^[16] Other critics of the .25 ACP have pointed out that the round has trouble penetrating through bone and typically does not have enough energy to ensure the reliable expansion of hollow-point projectiles, and that even if the projectiles do expand, that results in a decrease of penetration.^[17]^[18]

However, urban legends about the .25 ACP's inadequacy (such as claims that a .25 will bounce off a skull or be stopped by thick clothing)^[19] are inconsistent with the cartridge's historically proven track record. Vasily Blokhin, Joseph Stalin's chief executioner, killed 7,000 people in the Katyn massacre using only a Walther Model 2 pocket pistol chambered in .25 ACP.^[20]^[21] The reputation of the .25 ACP has long suffered from the cartridge only being offered in low-capacity pocket pistols with 2-inch barrels. This short barrel length limits the velocity and energy that a .25 can offer and contributes to the popular belief that the .25 ACP is less powerful than the .22 Long Rifle. Modern .22 LR self-defense ammo though, gets tested in handgun length barrels and has no problem with achieving speeds of 1000 - 1300 feet per second with a jacketed hollow-point or flat-nose projectile, while most 25 acp loads are subsonic ball ammo. The .22 LR is a rifle cartridge and, as such, is typically tested in rifle-length barrels, which is why the .22 LR appears to be more powerful than the .25 ACP. In reality, the .25 ACP is only half as powerful as .22 LR in pocket pistols, and the velocity, penetration, muzzle energy and maximum pressure of the .25 is lower than the .22.^[22]^[23] In an 18-inch barrel, a .25 ACP performs similarly to a .22 LR being fired from a 2 inch barrel, with a 50 grain projectile traveling at about 1000 feet per second and producing in excess of 100 foot-pounds of energy, while .22 LR gets such energy with twice the velocity from a 2 inch barrel pocket pistol. ^[24]^[25]

FN 1905/6
Modern jacketed hollow point loads for 6.35mm/.25 cal.
The Walther Model 9 pistol uses 6.35mm
Bauer .25 Auto pocket pistol
Raven MP-25 .25 ACP chrome with faux mother of pearl grips and push up safety
Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket used .25 ACP

Design and history

Performance

See also

References

External links

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