What is the best .25 ACP defensive ammo?

[Ps91two]

The title says it all.

I recently aquired a Colt .25 ACP Semi-Auto from my Father and was wondering what the best ammo would be should i decide to carry the gun concealed.

Knowing nothing of the round, I turn to you! Its like that life-line "poll the audience" off of "Who wants to be a Millionare"...

Thanks to all who reply.

Ummm... for all the arm chair commandoes replying how weak the round is and how they would never carry it... the question was whats the best ammunition to shot from the gun (an awesome gun at that; Colt Model 1908 hammerless w/ type 1 grips), not personal philosophy of use. I have a G23, G30, .38, etc. for a primary. I dont need the obvious stated, expecially after the first 50 times or so. But Thanks! to all who took the question seriously and provided info. I appreciate it.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[coffeecup]

Better off to carry a baseball bat. Kinda hard to conceal tho. If you shot someone with that thing it would probably make the guy mad enough to hurt you REALLY bad.

[crue2009]

Winchester "XP" 45grain JHP..has a 22-25% one shot stop success! just slightly higher then 50grain Remington and Federal FMJ..

[peckman28]

If you're going to carry that I would recommend the most reliable ball ammo you can find. It is too underpowered for JHP rounds to be able to both penetrate enough and expand, so you'll want to go for the penetration.

[tkruf]

If you're going to carry that I would recommend the most reliable ball ammo you can find. It is too underpowered for JHP rounds to be able to both penetrate enough and expand, so you'll want to go for the penetration.

+1 on the penetration.

[SenileDavid]

Better off to carry a baseball bat. Kinda hard to conceal tho. If you shot someone with that thing it would probably make the guy mad enough to hurt you REALLY bad.

.... a nice red brick is more concealable... although you might get:
"Is that a brick in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"


IMO: They are fine guns and very fun to shoot (ammo is cheap) and for what it's worth I'd rather have it over not having a gun at all. However, since one went thru all the trouble to obtain a CC license that alone gives you the choice of what you'd want to defend your life with. As a CCW you want a caliber that will STOP the immediate threat, because you may only just have 1 shot. That is certainly not a .22-.25 cal.

[Maverickx50]

If heavy enough the gun itself properly applied to the BG would be a better choice.

[Old School]

I do not recommend a .25 acp for defensive work. That said I have a Beretta 950 that I have had for quite a few years now. I still use it as a BUG sometimes and it is loaded with Hornady 35 grain XTP/HP which it feeds flawlessly. When I practice with this little gun I fire 5 round strings into the neck and head area of my targets.. My Glock 23 is my primary. A .25 acp is just to anemic to trust your life with.

[GunnyBunny]

A recent thread on the .25ACP you will want to read.........

http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulle...on-25-acp.html

Having said that, this is still one of my favourite Jeff Cooper quotes........

Of the .25 Auto, firearms great Jeff Cooper once famously quipped, "... carry a 25 if it makes you feel good, but do not ever load it. If you load it you may shoot it. If you shoot it you may hit somebody, and if you hit somebody - and he finds out about it - he may be very angry with you."

[NY27]

9mm 124gr +p GDs. I wouldn't trust a .22 or .25 as a primary. There are plenty of pistols out there that are not much bigger than a .25 that are not hard to carry.

But if that is all you have, there is a saying, "A .25 in your hand is better than a .45 in the safe." So I would agree with the others that penetration with such a small round is essential.

Honestly, if you can afford it, I would try to get something in at least 9mm or .38 special.

[Texag]

Winchester "XP" 45grain JHP..has a 22-25% one shot stop success! just slightly higher then 50grain Remington and Federal FMJ..

Marshall and Sanow's one shot stop stats have been torn apart time and time again. They aren't a good source of information.

OP- Get ball ammo, it might give you an acceptable amount of penetration.

What you really need is another gun.

[bmcgilvray]

.25 ACP... for when one has a consuming desire to use an absolute real weenie of a round.

[bmcgilvray]

Now a Colt .25 would be a cool pistol to own.

Is it a hammerless Model 1908 or the later model that features an external hammer?

[GunnyBunny]

If you want a full run down on the history of the round.............

.25 Acp | Ask.com Encyclopedia

[bmcgilvray]

"Although the .22 is slightly more powerful when fired from equal length short barrels..."

Saw this statement in the Ask.com link. This is debatable. Actual chronograph testing with both .22 Long Rifle and .25 ACP pistols sharing the same barrel length doesn't bear this out. The .25 ACP actually will be "more powerful" on paper. It offers all the "power" of the .22 Long Rifle when fired in a 2-inch barrel plus the extra "umph" equal to that of a thrown mosquito leg.

Either cartridge could make someone have a bad day.