I'll give that ammo a shot and see how it performs.Originally Posted by Clint45
I have seen +P+ .25 ACP ammo before. It is rare and not available through commercial manufacturers and still lacks the power of a decent .32 ACP hollowpoint.
No .25 ACP hollowpoint expands reliably. The only defensive round I recommend for the .25 ACP is the Winchester Xpanding point. It is loaded hot, expands, and creates two wound channels. Penetration is comparable to FMJ. Still, a little more than half the power of a .32 ACP. You cannot rely on the .25 to stop someone. It will, however, slow them down and possibly change their mind.
I have heard that a shiny nickle plating increases the stopping power of a .25 ACP by 25%.
As far as .25ACP not being able to reliable stop someone (going off on a tangent here)...
Yes, the .25ACP cartridge is weak in comparison to some of the other, larger handgun cartridges out there. However, something people need to realize is that there simply isn't that big of a difference in handgun calibers, and they all suck. I don't care if you think that .380 auto is plenty powerful to take down a threat or if you think nothing short of the incredible unstoppable superman .45ACP is enough to reliably get the job done... all handgun cartridges suck pretty equally. They lack power, range, and accuracy (compared to long arms and their common loads), and that's just the nature of the beast when you're working with cartridges designed specifically to fit inside a grip small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
The penetration of 9mm, .357SIG, .40S&W, .45ACP, etc. in ballistic gel is all very similar to each other, the only major difference being the amount of lead deposited in the target per round. Sure, more lead in the target is always a good thing... the question is how you get it there; do you use a smaller quantity of larger projectiles, or a larger quantity of smaller projectiles? Use whatever you're comfortable with, but (as much as I love my 1911s) I'll take a 9mm over a .45 for defensive purposes any day and get more rounds on target quicker.
So going off that, how do you ensure that your target is no longer a threat? SHOOT THEM TO THE GROUND. No Mozambique Drills or anything like that, that has its purpose and this is not it. No shooting them once and stoping when you see them dropping, as they don't always fall to the ground from the physical damage of a bullet wound. Many times, the psychological impact of "holy shit I just got shot" will shock them and stop and/or drop them, but how long will that effect last? It'd take the fight out of some for sure... but for someone on PCP, bath salts (nasty new shit, fake cocaine but actually stronger than the real stuff), or any other of the I don't know how many drugs out there that alter your state of mind, or a criminal not willing to let themselves get locked up again at any cost, they need something more.
Once you've made the decision to fire (or stab), you keep putting holes in them all the way to the ground and until they stop moving.
SOOO given all of that.... even with the lack of power behind the .25ACP round, I feel confident that I can reliably eliminate a threat with one by shooting them to the ground. I'd probably be a little more selective about my aim (target soft tissue instead of center mass, and could afford to cause it kicks like a BB gun), but I'm still confident one would have no trouble getting the job done.
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