I've got my stepdad's like new Beretta 950BS .25 Auto and no ammo. I think it ceases to be a gun (such as it is) and becomes a thrown weapon like a rock when there's no ammo, but the shelves have been completely bare for a couple of years around here. I've searched for reloading components for a while, and it seems they don't exist anymore. As far as I can tell, the only one making bullets is Speer, and they have only two - a 50 gr RN and a 35 gr GDHP - but both are available online. Brass doesn't exist, from what I've seen lately, but I have plenty of the proper primers on hand. Curiously, the Speer manual gives maximum loads for this round, but for the minimum load it says DNR (Do Not Reduce). I guess they figure this caliber has so little to offer, one might as well go for the max; if the gun blows up, who's going to miss it?
Serendipitously, when I stopped by my LGS tonight after work, there were 6 boxes of Fiocchi 50gr RN on the shelf! I grabbed 2 boxes, since that's all I can afford at the moment, but if the rest are on the shelf next payday, I'll grab the lot. That at least assures me of having brass to reload, even if the brand is low grade. Next I have to buy dies and a shell holder, and then bullets. I'm leaning toward the 35 gr HPs, on the theory that faster is better, especially if the hole is bigger. The muzzle energy is 15% higher with the HPs, but I have no idea whether they'd penetrate a squirrel, let alone a two-legged varmint. Any thoughts on that?
At this point, though, I'm wondering if it's worth keeping this gun and setting up to reload it, or if it might be smarter to sell it and watch the .25 Auto caliber die a whimpering death without my support. Comments?
Serendipitously, when I stopped by my LGS tonight after work, there were 6 boxes of Fiocchi 50gr RN on the shelf! I grabbed 2 boxes, since that's all I can afford at the moment, but if the rest are on the shelf next payday, I'll grab the lot. That at least assures me of having brass to reload, even if the brand is low grade. Next I have to buy dies and a shell holder, and then bullets. I'm leaning toward the 35 gr HPs, on the theory that faster is better, especially if the hole is bigger. The muzzle energy is 15% higher with the HPs, but I have no idea whether they'd penetrate a squirrel, let alone a two-legged varmint. Any thoughts on that?
At this point, though, I'm wondering if it's worth keeping this gun and setting up to reload it, or if it might be smarter to sell it and watch the .25 Auto caliber die a whimpering death without my support. Comments?