The Lament of the .25
There isn’t an expert out there that won’t tell you Betamax was way better than VHS. It was a smaller, sturdier cassette with higher resolution than VHS. Heck, while we were recording TV shows at home on VHS, they were stored and broadcast from the studios using Beta tapes. So why did VHS catch on while Betamax became another paragraph in the endless numbers of “Top X Technology Failures of All Time” articles?
Well, for the most part it was marketing and price. Yes, Beta had some shortcomings. It had a shorter recording time than VHS tapes, for example. In the end, however, it was Sony’s historical idiocy overconfidence that lead to JVC and RCA (the makers of VHS) being able to outmaneuver them in the market. While Sony learned their lesson with BluRay technologies (something Microsoft didn’t learn when they tried to release HD-DVD), you can take a look at the PS3’s launch and the PS4’s marketing for modern day examples of Sony’s shortcomings.
But this isn’t a discussion on gaming consoles…
I’ve always felt that the .25 ACP round has never gotten a fair shake. It’s seems to always get overshadowed by its spoiled little brother, the .22 Long Rifle. It’s kind of like the middle child of the cartridge world, when you think of it. The .22 Long Rifle gets all the attention and, if someone wants something bigger and centerfire, they opt for the .25’s big brother the .380 which gives a lot more punch but in the same pistol size.
How many times, however, have you heard people say things like “I would never use a .22 for self defense”? Why do they say this? It’s because the rimfire setup of a .22 isn’t very reliable unless you’re dealing with premium ammo. This is where a .25 shines! It’s a centerfire round. Even on a bad day, a cheap centerfire will be inherently more reliable than your average rimfire. If your life is on the line, dependability is key.
In terms of construction, the .25 is just better built. Do you have a .22LR laying around? Do me a favor and go grab one. With one hand, hold the brass and with the other, grab the bullet and twist. You notice how it wiggles and can spin freely (there might be some resistance at first)? That’s because of the way the .22 is crimped. That wiggle room allows moisture in and it allows gasses out when you’re firing it. That moisture can lead to slow burns which, if you’re not careful, can be extremely dangerous. Unless you’ve got some needle nose pliers, you’re not going to be able to do that with a .25 cartridge.
From a ballistics standpoint some iterations of the .22LR do have a bit higher velocity and that comes to one of the .25’s shortcomings. On average, the .22LR gets around 1,400 feet per second of velocity and delivers around 200J of energy. On the other hand, the .25 ACP moves at 900 feet per second and gives an average of 80J. So on paper the .22 is a superior round in that respect. It can be argued, however, that because there are only about 25 pistols out there that shoot the .25, bullet manufacturers have never really dedicated much effort to squeezing the performance out of the .25 as they could. I think with a little extra effort spent on development for the .25 and it could easily leave the .22LR in the dust.
Since we brought up guns…
It also seems that, because of that middle child status, gun manufacturers have never devoted much time to the .25 either. I have owned .25 pistols and they have all been universally terrible. They would fall apart or just be built like junk in the first place. In all that time, however, not once did I ever have problems with the round itself. I can’t say the same thing about the .22LR. So that, combined with the bullet manufacturers not dedicating much time to the round, has created this vicious circle of “we don’t make decent guns because no one uses the .25” and “no one uses the .25 because no one makes decent guns for it”.
There is another spot where the .25 really shines above .22LR as well: reloading. You can reload .25ACP while, once fired, a .22LR becomes scrap metal. I have recently discovered the insanity joys of reloading and I’ve now started scouring the range for brass before I leave. The ground is always littered with piles and piles of completely and utterly useless .22LR brass. I can’t help but feel that it’s such a waste.
About the only place I can think of where the .22LR has an inherent advantage is in the price realm. The .22 is cheap. It’s a disposable round. Although, in this current ammo shortage, the .22LR has lost some of its competitive edge. Supply vs. demand has sent the price of .22 through the roof. That neglected .25 is staying steady and is in stock all over the place (at least where I live).
There is some room for optimism. Looking back, the .410 round was kind of going the way of the Dodo. There wasn’t much being made and no one seemed to care about it anymore. With all this zombie junk, people wanted that sexy 12 gauge action. Then Taurus came out with its very popular Judge revolver. Now the .410 is seeing one heck of a comeback. I honestly believe that all it would take is one really good gun and accompanying marketing to bring this round to the forefront.
I want to see a company finally give some love to the .25 round. I want this plucky little round to be given that chance that it deserves. Come on, coach, put it in the game. It’s got what it takes to score a touchdown.
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