The .25 ACP (
Automatic Colt Pistol
Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) denotes various John Moses Browning cartridge designs primarily used in Colt and Fabrique Nationale de Herstal semi-automatic pistols. All of these cartridges are straight-sided and appear similar. The .32 ACP, .38 ...
) (6.35×16mmSR) is a
semi-rimmed, straight-walled
centerfire pistol
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
cartridge introduced by
John Browning
John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926) was an American firearm designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms many of which are still in use around the world. He m ...
in 1905 alongside the
Fabrique Nationale M1905 pistol.
Design
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.
[*Wilson, R. K. ''Textbook of Automatic Pistols''. Plantersville, SC: Small Arms Technical Publishing Company, 1943. p. 258. .]
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. In the late twentieth century,
Bowen Classic Arms produced a custom
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.
Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...
revolver in .25 ACP.
[Bowen, Hamilton. ''The Custom Revolver''. Privately printed, 2001. .]
Performance
The use of the .25 ACP allows for a very compact lightweight gun, usually
pocket pistols, but the cartridge is relatively short-ranged and low-powered, putting it in the same class as the
.22 LR
The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smooth ...
rimfire cartridge but at a significantly higher cost. 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 and more powerful than a .22 LR rimfire cartridge.
FN 1905
The FN Model 1905 (from its patent date) or FN Model 1906 (in European countries due to its date of manufacture) was a pistol manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal from 1906 to 1959.
It is virtually identical to the Colt Model 1908 Vest P ...
/6
File:25 Caliber Jacketed Hollow Point.jpg, Modern jacketed hollow point loads for 6.35mm/.25 cal.
File:Walther's Patent Mod 9-103.jpg, The Walther Model 9
The Walther Model 9 was a striker fired semi-automatic pistol produced by Carl Walther CmbH and chambered in .25 ACP. The decision to use a striker vs. that of an internal hammer like on the Walther Model 8 was to reduce overall size of the gu ...
pistol uses 6.35mm
File:Bauer .25 Auto pistol.jpg, Bauer .25 Auto pocket pistol
File:Raven_MP-25_Chrome_with_faux_mother_of_pearl_grips.jpg, Raven MP-25 .25 ACP chrome with faux mother of pearl grips and push up safety
See also
*
*
Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
This is a table of selected pistol/ submachine gun and rifle/ machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load (e.g. the highest muzzle energy might not be in the s ...
References
External links
Ballistics By The Inch .25ACP results.SAAMI Entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:25 ACP
Colt cartridges
25 ACP