Bruised by a .25!

[Expat]

Was that fight at the Sakitumi Lounge west side Indy.......mid 70's...................

Just north of Elkhart (Michigan), but probably late 70's.

 

[Leo]

I watched a man shoot at a piece of sheet metal on a post with a .25. (ok, a road sign) The bullet hit the sign and bounced back, hitting the shooter in the forehead. It did draw a little blood, but did not penetrate. I am sure it did not hurt as much as the guys he was trying to impress laughing at him for the next month or so.

 

[churchmouse]

Just north of Elkhart (Michigan), but probably late 70's.

I was witness to some crazy-ness in a bar fight when a .25 was produced and fired randomly about the room.

 

[foszoe]

I am certain that given a long enough barrel, the .25 ACP could punch through a car door. Its not the round, its the 2" barrels!

 

[oldpink]

I am certain that given a long enough barrel, the .25 ACP could punch through a car door. Its not the round, its the 2" barrels!

Believe it or not, several years ago, I found a real oddity in a gun shop: A semiauto rifle chambered in .25 ACP.
Unsure if it actually came from a factory, or if it had been assembled by a gunsmith satisfying a particularly eccentric customer, but there it was.

 

[foszoe]

Believe it or not, several years ago, I found a real oddity in a gun shop: A semiauto rifle chambered in .25 ACP.
Unsure if it actually came from a factory, or if it had been assembled by a gunsmith satisfying a particularly eccentric customer, but there it was.

That I would like to see, especially semi auto.

 

[Cygnus]

I thought the rule for carrying a .25 ACP was to put it in a strong tube-sock so that you can swing it like a bola, thereby extending your effective range beyond just beating the perp with it.

-Nate

I heard you need to put at least two in the sock for an effective weapon.

 

[Beowulf]

I am certain that given a long enough barrel, the .25 ACP could punch through a car door. Its not the round, its the 2" barrels!

I think that's the proper point to focus on. If you compare the ballistics of .25 ACP loads, you'll find that they chronograph pretty similarly to a high velocity .22 LR of comprable weight out of those tiny barrel. Now, I'm not arguing that a 35 to 36 grain slug traveling at an anemic 900 FPS is really a good manstopper, but it's hardly .22 Short range.

To me, the main reason that .25 ACP shouldn't be considered at all, is that you can get the same ballistics out of a .22 LR (and if you use Stingers or some other hyper velocity .22 LR, then it can outperform the .25 ACP) for a much lower cost and there is a decent range of reliable .22 LR pocket pistols now, like the Beretta 21a, that don't have the same reliability issues some other .22 LR pistol designs do (at least in my experience).

I still wouldn't want to be shot with either, that's for sure.

But, I should say that my carry gun is a 9mm on my person, a .38 Spl in the car, and .357 at home (with a 12ga in the closet).

 

[AmmoManAaron]

Believe it or not, several years ago, I found a real oddity in a gun shop: A semiauto rifle chambered in .25 ACP.
Unsure if it actually came from a factory, or if it had been assembled by a gunsmith satisfying a particularly eccentric customer, but there it was.

Was it a 1903 Winchester? I know of one that was extensively reworked from .22 Win Auto into .25acp. The bolt thrust profiles are similar and the gun worked with some ammo, but not others. The factory loads with faster powders burned so quick that the bullet lost velocity due to friction and usually wound up stuck a few inches from the end of the barrel. Other brands that used a little bit slower powders worked fine.

 

[oldpink]

Was it a 1903 Winchester? I know of one that was extensively reworked from .22 Win Auto into .25acp. The bolt thrust profiles are similar and the gun worked with some ammo, but not others. The factory loads with faster powders burned so quick that the bullet lost velocity due to friction and usually wound up stuck a few inches from the end of the barrel. Other brands that used a little bit slower powders worked fine.

I wish I knew what make/model gun it was, but I was a young lad at the time (about 16) and not yet very well versed on guns, or to take a closer look.
I had taught myself enough to know that I had found an oddity, thought.
Of course, you obviously have considerably more knowledge about guns than I have.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

The factory loads with faster powders burned so quick that the bullet lost velocity due to friction and usually wound up stuck a few inches from the end of the barrel.

Heh, a way to make a terrible cartridge terribler-er-er-er.

Could be a fun way to screw with your buddy who just bought a chrono, though.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I heard you need to put at least two in the sock for an effective weapon.

Depends on the cleanliness of the sock.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Depends on the cleanliness of the sock.

Seriously, I am given to understand that more people have been killed by expanding propellant gasses from a .25 ACP than have been killed by bullets from a .25 ACP.

 

[Bfish]

Wow. Glad you shared that BBI, I think I remember you telling about the guy that got hit in the back of the head with one and head no idea he'd even been shot. Thought he'd been hit. Crazy stuff!

 

[Cygnus]

Depends on the cleanliness of the sock.

Nice!

Does anyone recall a .25 caliber thread on INGO where someone discussed a hooker getting 7 rounds in the head from her pimp and none penetrated the skull?!? They were stuck between scalp and skull. Some had done a few laps but no skull breakage.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Wow. Glad you shared that BBI, I think I remember you telling about the guy that got hit in the back of the head with one and head no idea he'd even been shot. Thought he'd been hit. Crazy stuff!

Yeah, that was an IPD cop.

 

[Dead Duck]

Nice!

Does anyone recall a .25 caliber thread on INGO where someone discussed a hooker getting 7 rounds in the head from her pimp and none penetrated the skull?!? They were stuck between scalp and skull. Some had done a few laps but no skull breakage.

And ever since the incident, that hooker will always be known for her incredible head.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Twice more, not even a reliable suicide gun. It works, but its not quick.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Nice!

Does anyone recall a .25 caliber thread on INGO where someone discussed a hooker getting 7 rounds in the head from her pimp and none penetrated the skull?!? They were stuck between scalp and skull. Some had done a few laps but no skull breakage.

Not my case, but we recently had another incident of a near contact shot with a .25 to the back of the head which resulted in a bullet not penetrating the skull.

It's almost like there's a pattern...

 

[Alamo]

The exception to the rule:

"We have 12 individuals, starting in 1985. Our third victim, Thomas Steele, was the only male involved in this," said [LAPD Detective Dennis Kilcoyne]Kilcoyne. All the slayings have been connected to the same 25-caliber handgun...

New DNA Technique Led Police to 'Grim Sleeper' Serial Killer and Will 'Change Policing in America' - ABC News

There may have been many more, I think the police are looking at least 30, but 12 is what he was convicted of. Serial killer executions, not defensive shootings (nor even "gun fights").

This guy just got sentenced to death in California, so effectively life sentence. California has not executed anyone since 2006, and has executed only 13 since California voters reinstated the death penalty in 1972.