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Old December 2, 2012, 11:46 AM   #1
vito
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How big was the Baby Brownie?

I traded away my little Browning 25acp pistol about 40 years ago, a gun I bought new in 1966 for $43 in a Texas department store (no paperwork, no waiting period, just showed my Texas driver's license and paid cash). I've often thought about that neat little, but probably not very effective gun. Recently looking at my Ruger LCP I wondered just how much smaller was that old Browning, and would the size difference make it worth my while to look into finding one again? While not the best overall round, the 380 acp seems to be a reasonable compromise, allowing me to carry a very small handgun with 7 rounds of a moderate hitting power. I might not ever carry a 25 acp anyway, but I have fond memories of that little pistol. Once, when reaching for my cigarette lighter on an airplane trip (yes, you could actually smoke on airplanes in those days), the 25 fell out of my pocket onto the seat (it was unholstered of course). Even then it was not legal to carry such on to an airplane. I saw the startled expression of the gentleman sitting next to me, and told him it was just a cigarette lighter!
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Old December 2, 2012, 12:33 PM   #2
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The Baby Browning, like the little Astra, Colt & Bauer clones, are about 75% of the size of an LCP, with 10% of the bark/bite.

Of course, in terms of my survival, IF I had a choice, I'd rather be shot with a 25ACP than any other pistol round with (maybe) the exception of a .22CB.



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Old December 2, 2012, 12:45 PM   #3
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The .25acp is not a very effective cartridge and many people with larger than average hands have bled trying to shoot a Baby Browning or its clones, the Bauer and PSA. If you want one for nostalgia then look around. They're out there for a high price. My advice would be to pick something a little larger and much more effective.
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Old December 2, 2012, 12:57 PM   #4
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Don't have an LCP or Baby Browning handy, but I do have a Keltec P32 (same size as LCP) and a Bauer (copy of Baby Browning) lying around.
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Old December 2, 2012, 01:46 PM   #5
PetahW
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OK, maybe 76% the size of an LCP.




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Old December 2, 2012, 03:09 PM   #6
Bill DeShivs
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The Browning is 4 inches long. The P32 is about 10% smaller than the LCP.
The .25 auto is a pretty effective little pistol cartridge-regardless of Internet naysayers. No pistol caliber is a death ray-they all need a CNS hit for a definite stop-even a .45.
Now, someone will post .22 lr ballistics from a rifle barrel, and ballistics for the .25 from a 2" barrel-and tell us how much more powerful the .22 is.
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Old December 2, 2012, 03:43 PM   #7
1911Tuner
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.25 Auto

Stories abound.

I once had a friend who was eyewitness to a shooting involving the .25 Auto.
Center chest at a range of an estimated 15 feet. The guy immediately went to his knees...looked up and asked the shooter: "What'd I ever do you you?" and died.

Another one came from a cop friend. He arrived on the scene of a domestic disturbance, where it was determined that the lady of the house shot her significant other in the face with a Lorcin. The bullet glanced off his front teeth and exited under his cheekbone. The guy was already bloody from a fistfight with her younger brother, and didn't even realize that he'd been shot until one of the other cops noticed the entry and exit holes in his face.

So, it'll surely kill. An effective fight stopper? Not so much. Beats throwin' a handful of pea gravel, though.
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Old December 2, 2012, 04:14 PM   #8
Dashunde
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Quote:
An effective fight stopper? Not so much. Beats throwin' a handful of pea gravel, though.
Tossing sand in the eyes might work better.

Its not the Browning, but I compared my LCP to a tiny little Colt .25 just the other day.
The LCP was lighter, a hair thicker and bigger all around.
I'd stick with the LCP overall, but I know for sure I'd buy a modern 25-sized LCP.
I think it would be the quintessentially perfect pocket pistol.

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Old December 2, 2012, 09:54 PM   #9
G.T. Smith
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Maybe the size of a 1908?

I kinda like my .25 Colt. It was made in 1922 and shoots nice. My grand daughter a I take when we go out walking, for "snakes". I think the baby Browning was about the same size?
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Old December 3, 2012, 12:26 AM   #10
Bill DeShivs
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The Baby Browning was smaller than the Colt.
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