.25 ACP

.25 ACP cartridge with scale

Type

Pistol

Place of origin

Belgium

Production history

Designer

John Browning

Designed

1905

Specifications

Case type

Semi-rimmed, straight

Bullet diameter

.251 in (6.4 mm)

Neck diameter

.276 in (7.0 mm)

Base diameter

.278 in (7.1 mm)

Rim diameter

.302 in (7.7 mm)

Rim thickness

.043 in (1.1 mm)

Case length

.615 in (15.6 mm)

Overall length

.91 in (23 mm)

Rifling twist

1:16

Primer type

Boxer small pistol

Ballistic performance

Bullet weight/type	Velocity	Energy
35 gr (2 g) Safety	1,100 ft/s (340 m/s)	94 ft·lbf (127 J)
35 gr (2 g) JHP	900 ft/s (270 m/s)	63 ft·lbf (85 J)
45 gr (3 g) JHP	815 ft/s (248 m/s)	66 ft·lbf (89 J)
50 gr (3 g) FMJ	760 ft/s (230 m/s)	65 ft·lbf (88 J)

Test barrel length: 2 in
Source(s): Guns & Ammo Magazine

The .25 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) (6.35×16mmSR) is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled centerfire pistol cartridge introduced by John Browning in 1905 alongside the Fabrique Nationale M1905 pistol. In more recent years, most pistols available in .25 ACP are also available in a more effective caliber.^[1]

Design

The cartridge was designed by John Browning for early blowback pistols that lacked a breech locking mechanism. The cartridge was designed to duplicate the performance of a .22 Long Rifle cartridge, when fired from a 2" barrel. The .25 caliber was the smallest case Browning could use, and utilize primer pocket, and sufficient rim. The greased, coated lead bullet design, standard for the .22 long rifle of the day, was replaced with a copper jacketed round nose profile for more reliable feeding in auto loading pistols. The bullet weight was typically 50 grains, keeping with the sectional density of the 40 grain .22 caliber bullet. The cartridge is of semi-rimmed design meaning that the rim protrudes slightly beyond the diameter of the base of the cartridge so the cartridge can headspace on the rim.^[2] A recessed extractor groove allows an extractor to grab the cartridge reliably. It is the smallest centerfire pistol round in production, and is commonly chambered in small, so-called "vest pocket" pistols. The .25 ACP achieved widespread use after Colt introduced the Browning-designed Fabrique 1905 vest pocket (sometimes referred to as 1906) to the United States as the Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket.

Though the .25 ACP was designed for semi-automatic pistols, various .25 ACP revolvers were produced in the early twentieth century by Belgian, French, and German gunmakers such as Adolph Frank and Decker.^[3] In the late twentieth century, Bowen Classic Arms produced a custom Smith & Wesson revolver in .25 ACP.^[4]

Following World War II, the Italian Lercker machine pistol was chambered for the .25 ACP, but achieved little distribution.

Performance

"Baby" Browning

Modern jacketed hollow point loads for the 6.35 / .25

The use of the .25 ACP allows for a very compact lightweight gun, but the cartridge is relatively short ranged and low powered, putting it in the same class as the .22 LR rimfire cartridge but at a significantly higher cost. Although the .22 LR is slightly more powerful when fired from longer rifle barrels, the .25 ACP is viewed by some as a better choice for personal defense handguns due to its centerfire-case design, which is inherently more reliable than a rimfire cartridge.^[1]

Manufacturers have loaded commercial hollow-point bullets to higher velocities than standard 50-grain (3.2 g) full metal jacketed loads. Firearms chambered for the .25 ACP cartridge run the gamut from inexpensive, simply made guns like the Raven MP-25 and Jennings J-25 to higher quality and relatively expensive guns like the Baby Browning, Walther TPH, and Beretta 950 Jetfire. The tiny cartridge has also been used in some precision crafted target pistols.

Synonyms

.25 Auto (pronounced "twenty-five auto")
.25 Automatic
6.35 mm
6.35 mm Browning
6.35×16mmSR (SR—semi-rimmed)

References

1 2 Jerry Ahern (2010), Gun Digest Buyer's Guide to Concealed-Carry Handguns, Gun Digest Books, pp. 19–20, ISBN 1-4402-1383-6
↑
- Wilson, R. K. Textbook of Automatic Pistols, p.258. Plantersville, SC: Small Arms Technical Publishing Company, 1943. ISBN 978-0-935632-89-7
↑ Hogg, Ian; Walter, John (2004-08-29). Pistols of the World. David & Charles. ISBN 0873494601.
↑ Bowen, Hamilton. The Custom Revolver. Privately printed, 2001. ISBN 978-0-9713366-0-5

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to .25 ACP.

John Browning

Semi-automatic pistols	FN M1900 Colt M1900 Colt M1902 FN Model 1903 M1903 Pocket Hammer M1903 Pocket Hammerless FN M1905 M1908 Vest Pocket FN Model 1910 M1911 Colt Woodsman Baby Browning Hi-Power

Rifles	Winchester Model 1885 Winchester Model 1886 Winchester 1892 Winchester Model 1894 Winchester Model 1895 Remington Model 8 Remington Model 24 FN Trombone

Shotguns	Winchester Model 1887 Winchester Model 1897 Browning Auto-5/Remington Model 11 Remington Model 17 Stevens Model 520/620 Browning Superposed Ithaca 37

Machine guns	Colt–Browning M1895 Browning M1917 Browning Automatic Rifle Browning M1919 M2 Machine Gun

Cartridges	.25 ACP .32 ACP .38 ACP .380 ACP 9mm Browning Long .45 ACP .50 BMG

Colt's Manufacturing Company

Revolvers

Cap and ball revolvers	Colt Army Model 1860 Colt 1851 Navy Revolver Colt Dragoon Revolver Colt Model 1855 Sidehammer Pocket Revolver Colt M1861 Navy Colt Paterson Colt Pocket Percussion Revolvers Colt Walker

19th century cartridge revolvers	Colt Model 1871-72 Open Top Colt Open Top Pocket Model Revolver Colt House Revolver Colt New Line Colt Single Action Army Colt Buntline Colt M1877 Colt M1878 Colt M1889 Colt M1892

Early 20th century double-action revolvers	Colt Model 1905 Marine Corps Colt New Police Revolver Colt New Service Colt Official Police Colt Police Positive Colt Police Positive Special

Late 20th century double-action revolvers	Colt Anaconda Colt Cobra Colt Detective Special Colt Diamondback Colt King Cobra Colt Python Colt Trooper

Semi-automatic pistols

Personal defense weapon (PDW)

Colt OHWS

Long guns

Assault rifles and machineguns

Cartridges

Revolver cartridges	.32 Long Colt .38 Short Colt .38 Long Colt .41 Long Colt .44 Colt .45 Colt

Semiautomatic pistol cartridges	.25 ACP .32 ACP .380 ACP .38 ACP .45 ACP

People

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, January 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.