25 acp rifle?

[Chainsaw.]

If .25acp is painful to shoot you have the gun pointed in the wrong direction.

[Chev. William]

If .25acp is painful to shoot you have the gun pointed in the wrong direction.

Laughing Out Loud!!!!!
Chev. William

[psweigle]

So true. Lol

[Chev. William]

Monday, December 10th, I received Back my fitted Custom 8-1/8" long .25ACP Ruger MKII Pistol Barrel and Receiver with converted Bolt assembly.

I now have a 'Single Shot' Pistol until I finish making magazine(s) to feed it a diet of .25ACP Cartridges.

My Christmas Came Early this Year.
Chev. William

[Mr_Sheesh]

Sounds very fun Hoping you can get some mags set up and enjoy multiple shots soon!

[dverna]

The OP started this thread over 4 years ago. It does not appear a rifle was ever produced. It proves that there is a significant cost savings in ammunition with a project like this....it can take a long time to have something that shoots. LOL

Now, with .22 LR cheap and plentiful, there is no economic driver. Best to stock up on .22's while the getting is good!

I was on a similar quest. I have a lathe and could possibly do some of the work myself. Called Dillon and they will not produce a conversion or shell plate in .25ACP. I will never entertain a plinking round that cannot be produced on a progressive. If I shoot that little, the cost savings are immaterial.

So then I looked at a .327 lever action and it would have taken a very long time to save enough to recoup the slight additional cost of shooting .38 Spl. I already had 5 firearms that took the .38 Spl. (Three rifles and two pistols) So why set up to load another caliber (dies, caliber conversion, 1000 cases, mold, sizer - $400+) and buy a new gun ($700)? Spend over $1000 to save maybe a $.01 per shot? 100,000 rounds to break even and I would need the brass to last for 100 reloads.

This is the problem with saving money. It takes so much ammunition downrange to save enough to justify spending the upfront money to get there. And the older we are, the less time we have to achieve the savings.


There was a guy here who used a neat phrase...."Sometimes you need to ignore the good idea fairy"

BTW, this does not lessen my admiration for those who are talented enough to complete a project like this. I equate it to those who can build a custom wildcat rifle. A showcase of their talent, a result almost approaching art, and a labor of love that regrettably has little economic or practical value. Yet, I enjoy reading about their work.

[RED BEAR]

i also reload and cast for the 25 acp and also don't find it to be a problem. i think the idea for a 25acp rifle sounds interesting. not sure of the dia. of air rifle barrel but it would be cheap as they can be had under 1 hundred dollars. not sure doing a lever action would ever be cost effective but it might be fun just to test it it would be a simple matter to mate a barrel to any old break open reciever. is there a particular need no but i don't see a particular need for a lot of new cartridges.

[psweigle]

Im still collecting the parts and pieces to make it all come together. I've settled on a h&r single shot. I have the 223,and am currently looking for the doner shotgun barrel to put the liner in.

[iomskp]

I don't think any of these projects are about saving money or even being cost effective, with me it's about doing stuff that that tickles the feel good bone.

[Chev. William]

In My personal Case, my Projects are Stretched out in time to ease the 'pain' to my Monthly Budgeting of my Low Fixed Retirement Income and its decreasing purchase power as 'Time Marches On'.

I work with .32, .25, and .22 Pistol Rounds because they are Frugal with both Propellant and Lead. When I was Working steadily, I 'played' with 44-40, 45 Auto, and 30-06 among others.

I LIKE the Idea of Reload-able .22LR , .25 Stevens, and .32 Colt Long. using CF designs to avoid the Rim priming problems.

I have a partial year Project to convert a Ruger Standard Auto Pistol from .22LR (RF) to .25ACP (CF) and it is partially done.
It is now shoot-able as a 'Single Shot Auto Eject' pistol.

I am working on the Magazines to fit, and Function, in it.

Chev. William

[psweigle]

My project is slowly and steadily moving forward. Time and money are the top driving forces in it, and timing seems to play into it. Gunsmith time isnt cbeap, and at certain times of the year, they get quite busy. So when the money is available, the time isnt. But I will get it done and make sure to post the results.

[John Taylor]

In My personal Case, my Projects are Stretched out in time to ease the 'pain' to my Monthly Budgeting of my Low Fixed Retirement Income and its decreasing purchase power at Time marches on.

I work with .32, .25, and .22 Pistol Rounds because they are Frugal with both Propellant and Lead. When I was Working steadily, I 'played' with 44-40, 45 Auto, and 30-06 among others.

I LIKE the Idea of Reload-able .22LR , .25 Stevens, and .32 Colt Long. using CF designs to avoid the Rim priming problems.

I have a partial year Project to convert a Ruger Standard Auto Pistol from .22LR (RF) to .25ACP (CF) and it is partially done.
It is now shoot-able as a Single shot auto eject pistol.

I am working on the Magazines to fit, and Function, in it.

Chev. William

Have you checked it on a target yet to see how it shoots. This is one project I have some interest in.

[Chev. William]

Not yet, Gathering money to try it at an indoor rang first.
Hopefully I wil have enough after paying rest of December Bills to make a range run.
Note: Los Angeles Does NOT like civilians shooting outside commercial ranges, and I have an indoor range in neighboring Burbank, CA the next one is a Outdoor Commercial range in nearby Angeles Forest about 10 miles away.

[Chev. William]

Per Requests Finally, Photos:

The Modified Bolt Face. Note the enlarged Rim rebate to fit the .25ACP rim and the Centered round firing pin tip.


The top view of the Bolt with recoil assembly removed to show the new firing pin in its channel.


Left side of Modified MKII pistol with its new ~8" Barrel.


Right side of Modified MKII pistol wiht its ~8" long Barrel.

These Photos were taken by my Friend with a Camera that has a "Macro" Photo Capability.

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Have you checked it on a target yet to see how it shoots. This is one project I have some interest in.

Yes, on Dec. 27th My Special Effects Friend and I took time for a "Range Day" at our local commercial Outdoor Range Facility (Angeles ranges) for Testing, Fun, and relaxation.
OOPS: it seems a Whole Bunch of People had the same Idea at the same time.

We finally got a spot at the end of the 7 yard Pistol Only line next to the first 100 yard Mixed use Bench, so 'Standing Off Hand' was the shooting 'position of choice' for the Morning.

Comparing shooting my Ruger .22LR with 5.5" bull Target barrel to shooting the 'new converted Ruger .25ACP with 8-1/8" tapered barrel; I find they both have about the same perceived Recoil, muzzle Rise and bolt action and travel.

Accuracy at 7 yards was good once the sight was adjusted to bring the shots to Vertical Center POI over the POA (I was unable to adjust the Height of POI as i did not have the needed tool with me).

Accuracy at 50 yards, shooting 'cross range' slightly, was also good and I expect the Pistol is more accurate than I am in Standing Off Hand now.

it appears the stock recoil spring assembly is sufficient for Factory Loaded .25ACP, in the 775 to 800 fps Tested Velocity (in 6" test Barrels) stated by the European ('PPU' and 'Fiocchi') Manufacturers.

After the Morning at the range, I took the pistol to my gunsmith and he switched the elevation screw out for one with a slot head so i will be able to adjust it next time.

So far this Conversion is 'shaking down' Very Well and I am Very Pleased with what I am finding out about it's performance.

Costs to date, including original purchase and transfer fees and taxes, conversion work and materials values; but not including magazine bits and pieces, is about $860. This was Spread out over Several Months.

Chev. William

[Chev. William]

February 14th, I took another "Range Day" in the Wet, Cold, Breezy afternoon to shoot my Ruger .25ACP Standard Auto MKII Pistol, firing aobut 150 rounds of Factory ammo through it in 'Single Shot Auto Eject' mode over about 4 hours.

In spite of my shivering in the Gusting Wet Crosswind, I managed to Off Hand 'pattern' only slightyl low and to the Left of POA today using a 'Military 6 o'clock' hold on the target's central small orange dot.
I did not try to adjust my rear sight due to the uncertainty of POA/POI relatioship in the existing conditions.

Overall it seems the Pistol is more Accurate than I am 'Standing Off Hand' when shivering in blowing cold rain.
Note that Thursday was chosen as it is a 'Half Price' day at Angeles Ranges.

Chev. William

[BAGTIC]

I sold my 25 ACP pistols and loading dies because my clumsy fingers found it a PITA to reload. Arthritis was not making it any easier. I would suggest something on a 32 pistol cartridge, any of them, or possibly a necked up 22 Hornet.

A rimmed case offers a lot of advantages in a single shot as it facilitates different COL and ogive shapes better than a rimless cartridge that seats on case neck.

[trapper9260]

Before a 327 rifle was talk about.I had my gunsmith make one for me in single shot. able to shoot all that I can shoot in my BH. Some time go I almost bought a 25acp at auction the guy that was bidding against me needed it more then I did for how high he went. I end up save money ,I did not had to set up to reload for it and get molds to cast for it.

[Chev. William]

I sold my 25 ACP pistols and loading dies because my clumsy fingers found it a PITA to reload. Arthritis was not making it any easier. I would suggest something on a 32 pistol cartridge, any of them, or possibly a necked up 22 Hornet.

A rimmed case offers a lot of advantages in a single shot as it facilitates different COL and ogive shapes better than a rimless cartridge that seats on case neck.

Uh, Bagtic, you should understand that the .25ACP and .32 ACP are both of the 'Semi-Rimmed" design in that their rim diameter is larger than their body diameter but they do have an Extractor Clearance Cut (ECC) that makes them look like a 'rimless' type. They do head space on the rim.

Chuckling,
Chev. William

[Earlwb]

A barrel insert for a shotgun would be pretty interesting in 25ACP. I would expect it would be very quiet. A 6 to 12 inch long barrel insert would leave the rest of the barrel acting like a sound suppressor. You would probably get more of a "thunk" sound than a "bang". I remember there being quite a few barrel inserts made for shotguns a while back. The choices have dried up quite a bit from what there used to be out there.