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View Full Version : A pair of classic 25s


mec
May 8, 2010, 09:10 PM
I'm aware of the Sturm und Drang about their power level but have decided it's alright for me to like them anyway. These are a 1908 Colt made in 1922 and a Baby Browning that is only a couple of hundred over the first recorded imports in the mid 1950s.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=59648&stc=1&d=1273368998
I had Baby Brownings in their historic period and found them very reliable. At first I had problems with this one. Ball ammo from Remington, S&B and PMC threw frequent malfunctions- partially because of light loading. The Remingtons were averaging 690s and the other two were 100 fps slower. CCI Gold Dot and Blazer would hand-cycle through the Browning while the others would hang up when the prominent (semi) rim of the ejecting case would slam into the case mouth on the next round up. The non-speer loads had no crimp at all and the key to geting them to function was to apply a fairly substantial crimp to the factory rounds. This greatly enhanced reliability which in both pistols seems to be 100 percent if I use a firm two-handed hold.
Both pistols are reasonably easy to hit with at close range:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=59649&stc=1&d=1273369039

I set up with a minimalistic reloading rig consisting of the Lee hand press, Lee dies with 1.3 grain powder scoop and the hand priming tool. Bullets are hard to find right now but I started with some 35 grain gold dots and then found some magtech 50 grain ball. Scooped powder maintains sub one-tenth grain consistency and the shot to shot velocity spread is pretty low. The Gold Dots (I made a 1.7 grain-bullseye- scoop for these) will plow through a rack of beef ribs and travel a few inches into dense brisket musrooming every time-even when bone is hit. They actually mushroom more in the dead cow than in water. The ball loads with the Lee scoop full of bullseye went all the way through four 1/2" plywood sheets and also through a 1.5 inch oak plank and keyholded into a plywood panel. These ball loads do mid 800s from the Browning and 870s from the Colt.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=55881&stc=1&d=1263413014

While it is popular to say that the 25 auto, being a semi-rimmed case, headspaces on the case mouth, they actually headspace on the rim. A heavy crimp makes them cycle through the action smoother eliminating jams. The crimp applied to Remington factory ball, increased the velocity into the 700+ fps range which probably had something to do with the better reliability.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=59650&stc=1&d=1273370365
Back when this was an extremely popular civilian defense cartridge, the gun press was full of stories about spectacular failures to stop. Now that it is on the back burner, all the stories seem to be about instant incapacitation, unsurvivable wounds and general mayhem. Not having piled up any significant body count myself, I try to stay away from conjectures about its utility as such conjectures tend to take up space without really resolving anything.

Bill DeShivs
May 8, 2010, 09:17 PM
It's good to see these little gems appreciated.
The ammunition testing is great.

w_houle
May 8, 2010, 09:33 PM
That is some impressive mushrooming on the hollow points.

Chesster
May 8, 2010, 09:40 PM
Nice pair and ammo info. I like the little Baby but find the Beretta 950 easier for my hand to manage.

mec
May 8, 2010, 09:45 PM
950s are great. A friend had (and got rid of) a Minx and a Jetfire both nickle. The jetfire was as reliable as they usually are and the 22 short got through 200 rounds before the first jam. That's doing great for a small rimfire.

dreamweaver
May 8, 2010, 10:07 PM
gotta love them little colts!

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5605/popwm50579vpocket3wu5.jpg

martin08
May 8, 2010, 10:16 PM
A Tangfolio G-27 and eight shots of Winchester X-point .45g rides in my pocket daily. Last chrono was 805fps average - 67fpe and more that I would care to stop with my skin.