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.250 Or .251 for 25 ACP?

ENBLOCENBLOC Member Posts: 327 ✭✭
edited September 2012 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
I'll be getting a Taurus PT25 and I have dies for the 25 acp. Haven't loaded for this round yet. I see bullets in both diameters for the 50 grain FMJ. They state the .251 diameter is discontinued? Can I load either diameter in the .25 ACP? I welcome any advice on handloading this round. Your recipes? I intend to keep it simple and handload the 50 grain FMJ.
THX,
ENBLOC
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    DBMJR1DBMJR1 Member Posts: 1,853 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm certainly no expert on this caliber, but I have two sources of bullets for .25acp, and they're both .251. Both Jacketed 50 gr RN.

    I'm still experimenting with loads using Bullseye. I'm having trouble getting my over all case length right, consistently. Small variances in such a small case volume could have bad results, I fear.
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    yonsonyonson Member Posts: 904 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A writeup was done on reloading .25 ACP in Sept. 1985 issue of American Rifleman. Powder measure results were uneven: flake powders were more problematic than ball powders in attempting to throw such small charges. A variation of 0.2-gr. (not so unreasonable for larger cartridges) in a 1.0-gr. charge represented a potential 40% variation! The writer elected to weigh individual charges, using a trickler to top up each one, settling on 1.4-gr. of Win. 231 which duplicated factory load velocity of 750 f.p.s. For my own loads, I use a Lee Safety scale as it is POSSIBLE to measure within +/- .05-gr., as advertised, but only with great care and frequent use of test weights. As this is such a short-range round, concern yourself more with functional reliability than accuracy in developing loads. I'm using .251 50-gr. Speer RN FMJ.
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    noyljnoylj Member Posts: 172 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Whenever the question of bullet diameter comes up, the answer is ALWAYS to slug your barrel. Jacketed bullets should be groove diameter to 0.001" over groove diameter.
    Not sure many .25 Autos were ever made with tight tolerances on the barrel.
    Why not a .22LR?
    Don't pinch your fingers reloading that little case.
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    ENBLOCENBLOC Member Posts: 327 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I settled on the .25 auto vs. the 22 Long Rifle as it was designed by John Browning. The shorter 25 auto works better than the 22 from what I've researched. You get one more round with the semi-rimmed 25 vs. the rimmed 22. I can handload the .25 acp and the centerfire seems to be more reliable that the rim-fire from my research.
    I've settled on using 1.3 grains of HP-38 with the 50 grain .250 FMJ. I hand weigh each charge. The PT-25 works well. I'm somewhat amazed these little pistols have no extractor? I agree with advice to load for reliability....
    ENBLOC
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