Ruger Forum

ExArmy11b · August 27th, 2012, 10:11 AM

Yes, I am a revolver nut and I just posted a thread about my .22 LR Mini revolver........but I recently came into the .25 ACP Beretta Bobcat my Dad owns and he offered to sell it to me. I used to borrow this gun quite a bit and use it for "around town" pocket carry........... And, I also just put an older polished blue and wood grip .25 Bobcat on layaway. So, soon I will be the owner of two .25 ACP Bobcats as well as a .22 LR Bobcat. He just doesn't want them anymore and he has a bunch of other pocket guns. I normally hate alloy frame guns but I can tolerate them in smaller calibers, plus these are pocket guns and the light frame saves some weight.

Here's the one I recently put money down on....

I used to mess around with the .25 when I was younger, I thought it was a pop gun back when I was 13 and I still think so. But that was before I had a CC permit and a need to deep conceal a pistol.

I agree with most of the experts that .25 ACP is a poor choice for defense, even the hottest .25's offer a blistering 150 lb. of muzzle energy. .32 ACP seems like a powerhouse in comparison.

Just wanted to ask if anyone else occasionally or full-time carries a .25 ACP for defense. I think they are neat, I have always had a soft spot for the "mouse pistols".

priell3 · August 27th, 2012, 10:38 AM

I carried this yesterday instead of my LCP, P95 or GP100.

Better than nuttin'.

broguearcher · August 27th, 2012, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExArmy11b

Yes, I am a revolver nut and I just posted a thread about my .22 LR Mini revolver........but I recently came into the .25 ACP Beretta Bobcat my Dad owns and he offered to sell it to me. I used to borrow this gun quite a bit and use it for "around town" pocket carry........... And, I also just put an older polished blue and wood grip .25 Bobcat on layaway. So, soon I will be the owner of two .25 ACP Bobcats as well as a .22 LR Bobcat. He just doesn't want them anymore and he has a bunch of other pocket guns. I normally hate alloy frame guns but I can tolerate them in smaller calibers, plus these are pocket guns and the light frame saves some weight.

Here's the one I recently put money down on....

I used to mess around with the .25 when I was younger, I thought it was a pop gun back when I was 13 and I still think so. But that was before I had a CC permit and a need to deep conceal a pistol.

I agree with most of the experts that .25 ACP is a poor choice for defense, even the hottest .25's offer a blistering 150 lb. of muzzle energy. .32 ACP seems like a powerhouse in comparison.

Just wanted to ask if anyone else occasionally or full-time carries a .25 ACP for defense. I think they are neat, I have always had a soft spot for the "mouse pistols".

I'm generally a fan of small calibers for self defense ... But the .25 ACP is vastly underpowered out of those short barrel midgets. Also, get your facts straight... Get outta here with that 150 ft lbs of energy crap... The hottest .25 load won't generate over 70 ft lbs of energy! True, it's definitely better than nothing but not by a large margin!

Good shootin',

Sam

ExArmy11b · August 27th, 2012, 11:13 AM

A lot of the people who "poo poo" the .25 ACP, don't understand the limitations.

Too many people are like ".25's are useless I carry a .45 ACP 1911" but I can't stick a 1911 of any size in my pocket to run to the store.

With size decrease comes sacrifice, you can't find a pistol the size of a baby Browning in .44 Magnum.

broguearcher · August 27th, 2012, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExArmy11b

A lot of the people who "poo poo" the .25 ACP, don't understand the limitations.

Too many people are like ".25's are useless I carry a .45 ACP 1911" but I can't stick a 1911 of any size in my pocket to run to the store.

With size decrease comes sacrifice, you can't find a pistol the size of a baby Browning in .44 Magnum.

I stand somewhat corrected and I apologize... Apparently some newer .25 ACP loads have hit the market... You can get 150 ft lbs (supposedly) but from a 22 grain slug! Not exactly self defense material... I also believe that I've read that the published velocities are not from the ultra short barrel mouse guns.

I agree with you that the limitations need to be understood and worked with.. Many would be "bad guys" will back off at the mere sight of a firearm no matter how small so in that instance muzzle energy is irrelevant anyway.

Nick0410 · August 27th, 2012, 11:52 AM

Just carry 2 of them!

dV8r · August 27th, 2012, 12:20 PM

A lot of people believe the .25 is not a stopping caliber gun, but I have yet to find a volunteer to test that theory.

Cordite · August 27th, 2012, 12:34 PM

>> soon I will be the owner of two .25 ACP Bobcats

Well, in that case you can have Bobcats akimbo in case you need to repell a bad guy.

ExArmy11b · August 27th, 2012, 03:16 PM

Bobcats akimbo

I actually thought of carrying the other Bobcat to back the other one up

The 150 ft. lb. data I got was from MagSafe, the supposed .25 ACP "+P" that claims this and over 1100 fps. It may be deceptive, as in the data may be obtained from a 12" test barrel or something. I have fired the Sellier & Bellot .25 ACP and it seems to be one of the hottest factory loadings. I think FMJ would be the way to go, why waste time with HP's in that little .25 pellet when FMJ will give you the most penetration.

The Beretta Tomcat is just a little bigger but is a .32 ACP, which has lots more penetration.

I am not advocating that .25 ACP is a good defensive round, it just seems that no one carries it anymore for any actual use and it has become kind of a "niche" round. .380 and 9mm pistols keep getting smaller and smaller, and .32 ACP is making a comeback in the micropistols from KelTec and others. Besides the Beretta and the crappy Taurus PT25 I can't think of anyone else who makes a new .25 pistol.

PSA still makes licensed copies of the Baby Browning, and I would love to get one of those stainless steel Bauer .25's.

SnakeChief · August 27th, 2012, 04:25 PM

I think a 25, or any gun for that matter as a deterrence may do the job for you. The crook will not know when the thing is barely big enough to be sticking out of your hand if its a small 9mm or a 25. All he knows is that he does not want to get shot. So yeah, if you're in a gun fight, you're going to have a problem, but otherwise... Next, I've also thought about these guns being used as a mechanical fist. Say you're rolling around the floor with someone trying to fight him. a 22LR or 25 to the temple at point blank range (esp more than one round), should STOP the guy right away. so once again, 10 yards and he has a Glock 19, you'd better have cover. Other than that...

Finally, I do not carry any of these calibers now (22 or 25 variants), but I think the gun in your post looks really nice. That being said, with new ammo coming out for LCPs and the gun cost being dirt cheap, and the gun being super small, unless you're wearing speedos not sure how much further into deep concealment one would have to be to move to a 25!!

priell3 · August 27th, 2012, 04:38 PM

My .25 with my LCP. The .25 is smaller but weighs like a brick. If a shot won't stop 'em, clunking them in the head would.

ExArmy11b · August 27th, 2012, 04:39 PM

+1 for that, .25 pistols are bordering on collectibles or "toys" for pocket mouse gun collectors. If you've never handled a Baby Browning, this thing is so small I would be afraid to lose it

My .22 lr NAA mini revolver with the 1 1/8" barrel is about as small as it gets, with only the .22 short model being smaller (speaking of useless for defense, I won't even get started on .22 short

). I carry mine in an empty pack of cigarellos.

The mini Berettas are definitely defensive guns, as in, you're getting the crap knocked out of you or are being tackled from behind and you need something to jam in the bad guys stomach and pump a few rounds in so you can escape, aka the "get off me" gun.....or like was said, into the face or temple of a bad guy, take the gun out before the bad guy knows what you're doing and load his face with .25 slugs.....would be decently effective.

To further muddy the waters of defensive micro guns, NAA has the ".25 NAA" pistol and they designed the necked down .32 case with a .25 slug in it. It's a small pistol, about as big as the Bobcat with a little more punch.

I would rather carry a snub revolver loaded with .38 +P but it's not always possible......there are times when I'm just running out for a few hours and I need something I can put behind my wallet in a pair of cargo shorts.

I do want to get a Ruger LCP, I have handled these and they are small and light.........I have a feeling that one of these loaded with a nice .380 defense load, will turn my .25 Bobcats into "range toys" and I will no longer carry them. I'm one of those wierdos who actually enjoys shooting the tiny little .25's and .32's, though. Not many people do more with these than run a mag or two through them and then carry them.

Marine Division Two · August 27th, 2012, 04:57 PM

The 25 acp falls in the category,A gun is better than none.

Johnny Numbers · August 27th, 2012, 05:06 PM

I completely understand the need for something smaller. My Shield is small and thin but I still consider it a 'holster' gun. S&W J frame fits in my pocket, but not ALL my pockets...especially when wearing shorts that I lounge around in, and I'm just running to the store and back.

I have been considering an LCP for quite a while now for the exact same reasons the OP is looking at mouse guns. Sometimes the smallest gun you own, just isn't small enough.